What are the inspection figures for BMW 3 Series and Volkswagen Passat, per age band?

BMW 3 Series vs Volkswagen Passat: 3-5 years: 102 versus 99. 6-8 years: 74 versus 89. 9-11 years: 74 versus 88. 12-14 years: 82 versus 96. 15-19 years: 77 versus 93. 100 = country average for that age band in this country.

Are any recalls known for BMW 3 Series or Volkswagen Passat?

BMW 3 Series: 2. Volkswagen Passat: 0.

Where do these figures come from?

DVSA MOT-statistiek (data through 03/09/2026) Both models use the same source and the same reference date.

BMW 3 Series vs Volkswagen Passat

Figures per shared age band: numerator, denominator and country index for both models, from the same source.

Age	BMW 3 Series		Volkswagen Passat		Difference (percentage points)
Age	Inspections with a defect	Country index	Inspections with a defect	Country index	Difference (percentage points)
3-5 years	410 of 3160 (13%)	102	561 of 4464 (12.6%)	99	+0.4
6-8 years	3331 of 23543 (14.1%)	74	5242 of 30836 (17%)	89	-2.85
9-11 years	17368 of 83646 (20.8%)	74	11032 of 44634 (24.7%)	88	-3.96
12-14 years	25879 of 86730 (29.8%)	82	13813 of 39808 (34.7%)	96	-4.86
15-19 years	32046 of 98846 (32.4%)	77	14261 of 36681 (38.9%)	93	-6.46

100 = country average for that age band in this country.

Recalls and complaints

BMW 3 Series

Official item from NHTSA: power train / automatic transmission / control module (tcm/pcm/tecm)
Campaign number: 23V821000.
NHTSA, data through 06/12/2023
Official item from EU Safety Gate
EU Safety Gate, data through 07/08/2026
Official item from NHTSA: engine
19 of the 52 of all NHTSA complaints for this model year.
NHTSA, data through 06/12/2023
Official item from NHTSA: electrical system
19 of the 52 of all NHTSA complaints for this model year.
NHTSA, data through 06/12/2023

Volkswagen Passat

No recalls or complaints registered for this model.

What this does not show

The country index is an average across the entire fleet of this model in this country, not a failure probability for one specific vehicle.
A complaint share is a share of reported complaints, not a failure probability for all vehicles of this model.
The age correction is already built into each band; differences between generations or trims within the same model are not.
These figures apply to United Kingdom and are not directly comparable to a figure from another country.

Frequently asked questions

What are the inspection figures for BMW 3 Series and Volkswagen Passat, per age band?
BMW 3 Series vs Volkswagen Passat: 3-5 years: 102 versus 99. 6-8 years: 74 versus 89. 9-11 years: 74 versus 88. 12-14 years: 82 versus 96. 15-19 years: 77 versus 93. 100 = country average for that age band in this country.
Are any recalls known for BMW 3 Series or Volkswagen Passat?
BMW 3 Series: 2. Volkswagen Passat: 0.
Where do these figures come from?
DVSA MOT-statistiek (data through 03/09/2026) Both models use the same source and the same reference date.

Methodology

Each row compares inspections from the same age band, in the same country.

The country index rescales the model's defect rate so that 100 equals the country average for that band.

Two models are only compared if they share at least two age bands.

What counts as a failed inspection differs per country; never compare a figure on this page with a figure from another country.

Citation

BMW 3 Series vs Volkswagen Passat, United Kingdom, data through 3 September 2026. https://uk.plateop.com/modellen/vergelijk/bmw-3-series-vs-volkswagen-passat

View as JSONCC BY 4.0