BMW i3 Common Faults in the UK
I01 2013–2022 — small battery-electric hatchback, with an optional petrol range extender. Updated 20 October 2026.
This guide covers the I01 2013–2022. For any other version of the i3, see how to check any car for known faults.
A used BMW i3 has no DVSA recall of 10,000 or more vehicles; the largest, R/2017/123, covers 4,685 cars built September 2013 to December 2016 whose fuel-tank vent line can rub the battery cable (What Car? and Autocar say cars with the petrol extender). What Car? ranks the i3 first of 20 electric cars at 97.4%, but its readers report charging-system faults and, on cars with the petrol extender, engine warning lights, and Autocar names the air-conditioning compressor as the most common fault. It passes the MOT 4.4 points above the average for cars of its age.
Largest DVSA recall for the i3: R/2017/123, 4,685 vehicles — Ventilation line may rub against positive battery cable.
89.5% of BMW i3s pass the MOT first time, 4.4 points better than the national average for cars of the same age (85.1%). Counted from 2,620 DVSA tests on cars registered 2015–2022; a pass with rectification at the station counts as a pass here, and as a failure in DVSA's own initial-test measure.
Source: DVSA MOT Anonymised Data 2025 (Open Government Licence v3.0), a sample of the 2025 file (about one test in ten, from nine months). Class 4 tests in Great Britain, test type NT (a normal annual test), retests excluded. A pass, or a pass with rectification at the station, counts as a pass here (passed on the day); DVSA's own initial-test measure counts a rectified pass as a failure and so reports a lower figure. Testing in Northern Ireland is run separately by the DVA under its own rules. Compared against cars of the same registration years, because pass rates otherwise mostly measure how old a model's surviving fleet is.
See it by registration year and by mileage ↓No asking-price figure is shown: we give the median and middle 80% of asking prices only when at least 10 cars on Autoza qualify — here, BMW i3 cars registered 2013–2022. The road tax line comes from GOV.UK's vehicle tax rate tables (2026/27 rates). The fuel economy tile names the source it rests on or says there is no sourced figure, and the insurance tile gives no figure. We do not publish a UK price index, and no figure here should be quoted as one.
Best and worst years to buy
We name a year as a best or worst buy only where the DVSA MOT table further down does not rate it the other way.
No year is named as a best buy: DVSA’s MOT table rates every i3 registration year with enough tests level with, or above, all cars registered that year, so it does not separate them. The recalls do not follow the registration year either: R/2017/123 covers cars built to 30 December 2016, and the later ones are small build-window recalls (R/2019/289, R/2020/162, R/2022/089, R/2022/322), so check any i3 by registration.
No year is named as one to avoid: DVSA’s MOT table rates no i3 registration year below the average for its year. The fuel-tank vent-line recall R/2017/123 covers cars built from 17 September 2013 to 30 December 2016, and the regenerative-braking recall R/2015/244 only cars built 9 October to 4 November 2015. Judge an i3 by its registration, its recall record and the checks below rather than by year.
Known faults — BMW i3 I01 2013–2022
How to read this list. Items marked Safety recall are DVSA safety recalls, shown with DVSA’s own reference. Whether a particular car is affected depends on when it was built: check it by registration through GOV.UK’s vehicle recall check. Everything else in this list is owner-reported: what the UK publication named on each card reports from its owner surveys and tests. Those are worth checking on a viewing, but we hold no count of how many cars have each one, other than any survey share a card itself quotes. Treat an owner-reported item as a question to ask, not a fault this car has.
Fuel vapour — tank ventilation line may rub the battery cable
- Symptoms
- DVSA wording: due to inappropriate routing the ventilation line might rub against the battery positive cable, which can cause a leakage over time; if it leaks, fuel vapours enter the engine compartment, with a risk of fire. The line is checked and replaced if damaged, and an additional clip is fitted in every case. What Car? and Autocar say this applies to range-extender cars.
- Years affected
- i3 built 17 September 2013 to 30 December 2016; DVSA files this recall under the model name I01
- Indicative repair (UK)
- Free under recall
- What to check before buying
- Check this one by registration through GOV.UK’s vehicle recall check (gov.uk/check-vehicle-recall) before you buy — an outstanding recall is free to put right and a completed one should be on the service record. What Car? and Autocar both list this one for range-extender cars, so ask for the dealer record showing the line was checked and the extra clip fitted.
Small recalls on 2018–2022 builds (seat belt, airbag unit, motor electronics, battery cells)
- Symptoms
- DVSA lists several small recalls for later cars: the front seat belt retractor’s micro gas generator may have been damaged (R/2022/089), the airbag control unit may have a defective rollover sensor (R/2020/162), the electric motor electronics circuit board was not made to specification (R/2019/289), and a manufacturing defect occurred in the winding of cell-internal films in the high-voltage battery cells (R/2022/322, 18 vehicles); the defective cell module is replaced.
- Years affected
- Specific build dates: 7 January to 21 March 2019 (R/2019/289), 16 to 18 March 2020 (R/2020/162), 21 January to 26 February 2022 (R/2022/089) and 12 November 2018 to 16 July 2021 (R/2022/322)
- Indicative repair (UK)
- Free under recall
- What to check before buying
- Check this one by registration through GOV.UK’s vehicle recall check (gov.uk/check-vehicle-recall) before you buy — an outstanding recall is free to put right and a completed one should be on the service record. Each covers only a small number of cars, so ask a BMW dealer to confirm none applies to the VIN.
DVSA’s counts, recall by recall: R/2022/089 2,018 (every model in the recall); R/2020/162 189 (every model in the recall); R/2019/289 120 (every model in the recall); R/2022/322 18.
Regenerative braking — oversteer on slippery roads (2015 builds)
- Symptoms
- DVSA wording: the engine current sensors have not been calibrated correctly, which could lead to an increased recuperation torque during deceleration; in the i3 that could cause an oversteer condition and skidding on slippery roads. The sensors are recalibrated.
- Years affected
- i3 built 9 October to 4 November 2015; DVSA gives one total shared with the i8
- Indicative repair (UK)
- Free under recall
- What to check before buying
- Check this one by registration through GOV.UK’s vehicle recall check (gov.uk/check-vehicle-recall) before you buy — an outstanding recall is free to put right and a completed one should be on the service record. What Car? lists this one and says updated software puts it right.
Air conditioning — compressor failure
- Symptoms
- Autocar calls the air-conditioning compressor failing the most common i3 problem and says that, because the system also cools the battery, the consequences of a failure can be serious; it reports owners saying a failed compressor can send metal filings through the pipes, which makes the repair more costly.
- Years affected
- Not dated by Autocar
- What to check before buying
- Run the air conditioning on the test drive and check it blows cold; Autocar advises asking the previous owner how well it works and having it checked if it is not as effective as it should be.
Electrics — failing 12V auxiliary battery
- Symptoms
- Autocar says owners have complained on online forums that the auxiliary battery is prone to failing roughly every three years; the warning sign is interior switchgear or the infotainment not working, or working intermittently, with few other signs.
- Years affected
- Not dated by Autocar
- What to check before buying
- Check every switch and the infotainment screen work first time from cold, and ask when the 12V battery was last replaced.
Charging system and range-extender engine
- Symptoms
- What Car? says its readers reported a recurring problem with the charging system, including charging ports and cables, and, on range-extender cars, engine faults and warning lights. In its survey 21% of i3s had a fault, mostly bodywork, non-engine electrics and suspension, and two-thirds of faults were fixed in under a week.
- Years affected
- All; range-extender cars for the engine faults
- What to check before buying
- Charge the car on the type of charger you will use, inspect the charging port and cable for damage, and on a range extender ask the seller to show the petrol engine running and check no warning light stays on afterwards.
Brakes — discs rust because the friction brakes are used little
- Symptoms
- Autocar says the strong regenerative braking means the friction brakes are rarely needed, that underuse can lead to rust, and that many cars need their discs replaced.
- Years affected
- All
- Indicative repair (UK)
- Around £200 per corner to replace the discs, according to Autocar (its page, published 15 August 2024)
- What to check before buying
- Look at the disc faces for rust ridges, listen for grinding when you do press the pedal, and ask when the discs were last changed.
Charging speed — AC only as standard, fast charging an option
- Symptoms
- Autocar says the i3 originally came with a Type 2 port as standard, which charges on AC at 11 kW, and that a CCS port was an option allowing DC charging at up to 50 kW, which it calls slow by today’s standards. What Car? calls the i3’s range limited.
- Years affected
- Early cars; the option list varies by car
- What to check before buying
- Check which charging port the car has (a CCS socket means DC fast charging) and whether that suits how and where you will charge.
Body — door seals scuff and tear
- Symptoms
- Autocar says the shape and size of the door seals means shoes scrape them as people get in and out, and torn seals can compromise waterproofing. What Car? advises checking the rear-hinged doors work as they should and the bodywork for multi-storey car-park scuffs.
- Years affected
- All
- What to check before buying
- Inspect the door seals along their whole length, work the rear-hinged doors, and look for kerbed wheels and car-park scuffs.
BMW i3 MOT results by year and mileage
Measured from DVSA’s own MOT test records for tests carried out in 2025, not from owner reports.
By registration year
Against all cars registered in the same year, the MOT pass rate for the i3 was higher in 6 and level in 2 of the 8 registration years from 2015 to 2022 with enough tests to measure. The widest gap above is 2015 registrations: 84.1% against 76.7%.
Pass rate here: passed on the day, cars fixed during the test included. Rows: every BMW i3 DVSA tested in 2025, by registration year (2015–2022), all engines and fuels together.
| Registered | i3 | All cars that year | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022313 tests | 92.7% | 91.2% | +1.5 level |
| 2021304 tests | 93.8% | 90.1% | +3.7 higher |
| 2020414 tests | 91.3% | 88.7% | +2.6 level |
| 2019404 tests | 90.8% | 86.9% | +3.9 higher |
| 2018298 tests | 88.9% | 84.5% | +4.4 higher |
| 2017305 tests | 86.2% | 82.2% | +4.0 higher |
| 2016241 tests | 86.3% | 79.4% | +6.9 higher |
| 2015214 tests | 84.1% | 76.7% | +7.4 higher |
Only a major or dangerous defect fails an MOT. A minor defect is recorded on the certificate and the car still passes, and an advisory is not a failure at all.
We don’t give a recall count for the BMW i3: whether a recall applies depends on the individual car. Check the one you are looking at by entering its registration on GOV.UK’s vehicle recall checker, and see how to check a car for known faults for the other free checks.
Source: DVSA MOT Anonymised Data 2025 (Open Government Licence v3.0), a sample of the 2025 file (about one test in ten, from nine months) (3,459,000 tests). Class 4 tests in Great Britain, test type NT (a normal annual test), retests excluded. A pass, or a pass with rectification at the station, counts as a pass here (passed on the day); DVSA's own initial-test measure counts a rectified pass as a failure and so reports a lower figure. Testing in Northern Ireland is run separately by the DVA under its own rules. Registration years shown are cars 3 to 12 years old when tested; the smallest rests on 214 tests. A gap is called level when it is under one percentage point or inside the 95% sampling margin for that number of tests. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Who this car suits — and who should look elsewhere
Urban drivers who want a small electric car with home charging and who will check the charging port, the air conditioning and the 12V battery, and the recall record, before buying.
Anyone who needs DC rapid charging, because the CCS DC port was an option on the original cars (check the port), or who buys without confirming the air conditioning works and the recalls were done.
Alternatives to consider
If the BMW i3 doesn't suit, these comparable models are worth a look in the UK market:
BMW i3: questions buyers ask
What are the most common faults on a used BMW i3 in the UK?
A used BMW i3 has no DVSA recall of 10,000 or more vehicles; the largest, R/2017/123, covers 4,685 cars built September 2013 to December 2016 whose fuel-tank vent line can rub the battery cable (What Car? and Autocar say cars with the petrol extender). What Car? ranks the i3 first of 20 electric cars at 97.4%, but its readers report charging-system faults and, on cars with the petrol extender, engine warning lights, and Autocar names the air-conditioning compressor as the most common fault. It passes the MOT 4.4 points above the average for cars of its age.
What is the best year to buy a used BMW i3 in the UK?
Best-buy years: no single year stands out. No year is named as a best buy: DVSA’s MOT table rates every i3 registration year with enough tests level with, or above, all cars registered that year, so it does not separate them. The recalls do not follow the registration year either: R/2017/123 covers cars built to 30 December 2016, and the later ones are small build-window recalls (R/2019/289, R/2020/162, R/2022/089, R/2022/322), so check any i3 by registration.
What years of BMW i3 should I avoid in the UK?
No specific year of the I01 2013–2022 BMW i3 is generally avoided. No year is named as one to avoid: DVSA’s MOT table rates no i3 registration year below the average for its year. The fuel-tank vent-line recall R/2017/123 covers cars built from 17 September 2013 to 30 December 2016, and the regenerative-braking recall R/2015/244 only cars built 9 October to 4 November 2015. Judge an i3 by its registration, its recall record and the checks below rather than by year.
How much does a used BMW i3 cost in the UK in 2026?
This page gives no figure at the moment: Autoza quotes asking prices only when at least 10 qualifying cars are advertised with a price — here, BMW i3 cars registered 2013–2022. Prices vary by mileage, region and trim, so compare several adverts of the same year and mileage band before negotiating.
What is the road tax (VED) on a BMW i3 in the UK?
Annual road tax (VED): £200/year standard rate from the second year, hybrids included — the alternative-fuel discount ended on 1 April 2025. A car registered from April 2017 with a list price over £40,000 when new adds the £440/year Expensive Car Supplement in years 2–6 (£640 in all). Cars registered 2001–2017 pay a CO2 band, roughly £20–£790/year (2026/27 rates). Electric versions: one first registered from 1 April 2025 pays the £440/year supplement in years 2–6 only if it listed at over £50,000 new; one registered before then never does, whatever it cost.
What real-world fuel economy does a BMW i3 achieve on UK roads?
No sourced real-world range or economy figure for the i3, so none is printed: the official figure depends on the battery and on the test cycle the car was approved under, and range is lower in the cold: What Car?'s winter test, at 10 to 11 degrees C with climate control set to 21 degrees C and 8 of its 15 miles at a constant 70mph, found 12 electric cars 21.0% to 37.9% short of their official range, and three cars tested in both seasons went on average 18% less far in the winter test than in the summer one.
How does a BMW i3 compare to its rivals?
Strong alternatives in the UK: Nissan Leaf, Renault Zoe, Hyundai Kona, Kia Niro. Choose based on dealer network in your area, parts availability, and your priorities (running cost vs. cabin quality vs. badge).
Who is the BMW i3 most suitable for?
Urban drivers who want a small electric car with home charging and who will check the charging port, the air conditioning and the 12V battery, and the recall record, before buying.
Who should NOT buy a BMW i3?
Anyone who needs DC rapid charging, because the CCS DC port was an option on the original cars (check the port), or who buys without confirming the air conditioning works and the recalls were done.
Are there safety recalls on the BMW i3?
DVSA lists 6 safety recalls for the BMW i3 that this guide shows or names, the largest first: R/2017/123 (4,685 vehicles, built between 17 September 2013 and 30 December 2016): Ventilation line may rub against positive battery cable; R/2022/089 (2,018 vehicles in the whole recall, built between 21 January 2022 and 26 February 2022): The micro gas generator within the front seatbelt's retractor may have been damaged; R/2020/162 (189 vehicles in the whole recall, built between 16 March 2020 and 18 March 2020): The air bag control unit may have been equipped with a defective sensor for the rollover detection. Whether a particular car is affected depends on its build date and VIN, so check its registration on GOV.UK (gov.uk/check-vehicle-recall) before you buy.
Check these next
The guide above is about the BMW i3 as a model. These are about the car in front of you.
- Browse BMW i3 listings on AutozaEvery one listed now.
- Check any car by its registrationFree: its MOT history, tax status and any open recall, from a number plate.
- Work out the road tax for the i3Vehicle tax (VED) by registration date, CO2 and list price.
- Work out the monthly paymentExamples for a car loan or hire purchase by price, deposit, term and APR.
- What is your i3 worth?A price range from dealers' asking prices for comparable cars.
More checks on a BMW i3
A fault list tells you what goes wrong; these tell you about the car in front of you.
Looking to buy a BMW i3 in the UK?
Search Autoza listings filtered by year, mileage, and region. Every dealer page shows the business name, address and contact details, so you can check the business before you enquire.