Makes / Bmw / 3 Series

3 Series

Bmw · on record 1994 to 2025

DECLINING

Red List classification, from population, five year trajectory and survival against peak. Reviewed each census.

472,420 licensed vehicles
2025 census

72.0% of the peak fleet remains licensed

120,641

declared SORN

total surviving

peak 655,890 in 2014 · −22,768 vehicles a year, five year trend

Population history

Licensed and SORN vehicles at each census. Filters apply to the population, MOT and registration figures together.

Licensed SORN Latest census observation SOURCE DVLA VEH0120 / VEH0220

At the average decline recorded over the latest five years, the licensed fleet would reach zero around 2045.

Illustrative projection only; vehicle populations rarely decline linearly. Late fleets typically flatten as surviving examples enter preservation.

Inside the surviving fleet

AutoCensus parses every DVLA variant description, so the fleet can be read by fuel and specification rather than as one number.

First registrations by year

When surviving examples first joined the British fleet.

New registrations

Vehicles first registered each year. A fleet still being sold shows here; a finished one shows only imports.

MOT reliability

DVSA test results for this family, 2005 to 2025.

Pass rate by year

Failure reason	Failures	Share of all tests
Windscreen or window damaged or seriously discoloured but not adversely affecting driver's view	144,524	3.5%
Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements	137,031	3.3%
A tyre cords visible or damaged	74,118	1.8%
Parking brake efficiency below minimum requirement	67,151	1.6%
A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn	64,270	1.6%
A lamp missing, inoperative	62,490	1.5%
A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm	62,403	1.5%
A shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage	62,115	1.5%

Counted across every recorded test, 2005 to 2025. Advisories are excluded.

Where the 3 Series remains

Based on MOT test locations, 2025. Test location is a proxy: a vehicle is counted where it was last tested, not where it is kept.

Postcode area	Vehicles tested	Pass rate
B	13,568	87%
PE	7,943	81%
S	7,815	84%
LE	7,231	84%
RG	6,746	80%
NG	6,636	79%
M	6,366	83%
BS	6,298	76%
CV	6,215	82%
GU	5,991	79%
PO	5,798	76%
NE	5,632	83%
CF	5,305	77%
DN	5,252	80%
NN	5,180	79%
SO	5,018	78%
DE	4,972	82%
NR	4,945	80%
IP	4,941	78%
PL	4,855	75%
BN	4,683	76%
GL	4,680	75%
TN	4,641	78%
BH	4,583	77%
EX	4,447	74%
MK	4,341	82%
OX	4,331	79%
G	4,279	81%
LS	4,258	81%
HP	4,219	82%
RH	4,190	80%
CM	4,088	82%
CH	4,040	79%
E	3,900	88%
ME	3,812	81%
SN	3,811	77%
LL	3,743	79%
SA	3,698	78%
SL	3,654	86%
EH	3,615	79%
TS	3,584	82%
BD	3,577	85%
L	3,546	84%
ST	3,516	79%
SS	3,459	84%
WA	3,454	79%
BB	3,441	86%
WF	3,436	83%
SE	3,407	87%
SK	3,374	81%
PR	3,351	81%
BA	3,293	75%
RM	3,277	88%
KT	3,238	82%
UB	3,202	89%
N	3,162	88%
NP	3,153	79%
LU	3,136	87%
TW	3,044	84%
YO	2,995	77%
CO	2,983	79%
CT	2,914	78%
WV	2,899	84%
CB	2,835	79%
HA	2,772	86%
TA	2,697	76%
CR	2,697	86%
TR	2,675	75%
OL	2,593	83%
BL	2,516	82%
NW	2,508	86%
SG	2,444	82%
WS	2,436	82%
DA	2,362	85%
HU	2,264	76%
AB	2,257	76%
EN	2,254	87%
SY	2,229	80%
DY	2,171	85%
SP	2,163	74%
IG	2,157	87%
TQ	2,110	74%
LN	1,950	75%
FY	1,907	77%
CW	1,893	79%
WR	1,891	81%
DL	1,877	81%
SW	1,812	82%
KY	1,768	74%
LA	1,677	78%
CA	1,664	79%
WD	1,598	79%
TF	1,558	82%
DT	1,527	77%
DH	1,483	84%
KA	1,462	79%
WN	1,448	80%
AL	1,368	83%
DD	1,344	74%
ML	1,344	78%
HD	1,331	80%
W	1,291	81%
HR	1,182	80%
BR	1,091	83%
PA	1,068	78%
SR	1,065	79%
IV	1,059	78%
FK	957	78%
HG	852	77%
SM	849	84%
HX	696	84%
DG	695	84%
PH	658	78%
TD	394	79%
KW	212	76%
LD	187	77%
HS	93	84%
ZE	65	75%
XX	51	88%

Show all 119 areas

How this record was calculated

LATEST CENSUS2025

POPULATION SOURCEDVLA VEH0220 quarterly

HISTORY SOURCEDVLA VEH0120 GB · to 2013

MOT SOURCEDVSA results · to 2025

FAMILY DEFINITIONBMW 3 SERIES

PROCESSED20 Jul 2026

Full methodology

Population figures count vehicles recorded as licensed or SORN in the DVLA quarterly extract. Figures before 2014 cover Great Britain only. Vehicles are grouped into this family by the DVLA GenModel key shown above, with routing rules for known inconsistencies.

Variant figures are parsed from raw DVLA model descriptions and the original string is always retained. Blank transmission fields are shown as manual because DVLA records the field for automatic vehicles.

MOT figures count tests, not vehicles, and geographic figures count each vehicle at its most recent test location. The decline projection is a straight line fitted to the latest five years and is illustrative only.