Bmw Z3
Reliability, running costs, and MOT data across 9 years from 30,418 real MOT tests.
Avg Pass Rate
78%
Total Tests
30,418
Best Year
2011 (90%)
Years Covered
9
How reliable is the Bmw Z3?
Bmw Z3 by Year
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About the Bmw Z3
The Bmw Z3 has been tested 30,418 times in 2024 MOT data across 9 model years (1996 to 2011), with an average pass rate of 78%. That's close to the national average of 82%. Available as petrol.
Best and Worst Years
The 2011 model is the most reliable with a 90% pass rate from 31 tests. The 1996 model has the lowest at 63%. With a 27 point spread, choosing the right year makes a big difference to reliability.
Reliability Trend
Newer BMW Z3s show better MOT pass rates than older ones, with an average improvement of 4 percentage points.
Mileage Across Years
The oldest model in our data (1996) averages 96,619 miles, while the newest (2011) averages 39,105 miles.
Compared to the Bmw brand average of 88%, the Z3 is 10 points lower, placing it among the less reliable Bmw models.
Click any year in the table above to see detailed running costs, individual reliability data, and comparisons with similar cars.