3.3 L
Bmw · on record 1994 to 2025
The BMW 3.3 L was a long wheelbase version of BMW's large 1970s E3 saloon family, offering greater rear passenger space and a larger straight 6 engine. The 3.3 L appealed to private and company buyers seeking greater comfort, status and long distance ability than the marque's smaller mainstream models. The 3.3 L often began life with private or company owners covering substantial mileage, while later survival depends increasingly on condition, value and access to specialist maintenance.
GROWING
Red List classification, from population, five year trajectory and survival against peak. Reviewed each census.
7
licensed vehicles
2025 census
2025 census
36.8% of the peak fleet remains licensed
4
declared SORN
total surviving
peak 19 in 1994 · +0 vehicles a year, five year trend
Population history
Licensed and SORN vehicles at each census. The filters below apply to the family population, MOT and registration figures. They do not alter the generation history above.
Licensed
SORN
Latest census observation
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.
Recent UK first registrations
This family is no longer sold new. These figures are imports and historic vehicles joining the British register for the first time.
MOT reliability
DVSA test results for this family, 2008 to 2017.
Pass rate by year
| Failure reason | Failures | Share of all tests |
|---|---|---|
| The windscreen washers do not provide enough liquid to clear the windscreen in conjunction with the wiper(s) | 1 | 5.0% |
| A tyre has any of its ply or cords exposed | 1 | 5.0% |
| An obligatory lamp inoperative or less than 50% of the light sources illuminating | 1 | 5.0% |
| The braking efforts at the road wheels do not increase at about the same rate when the service brake is applied gradually | 1 | 5.0% |
| A leak in any part of the fuel system. | 1 | 5.0% |
| A stop lamp inoperative or less than 50% of the light sources illuminating | 1 | 5.0% |
| An obligatory headlamp inoperative, excessively damaged or deteriorated or has a product on the lens or light source so that the light output is well below that required to illuminate the road ahead | 1 | 5.0% |
Counted across every recorded test, 2008 to 2017. Advisories are excluded.
Where the 3.3 L remains
Based on MOT test locations, 2017. 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 |
|---|---|---|
| CT | 1 | 100% |
How this record was calculated
LATEST CENSUS2025
POPULATION SOURCEDVLA VEH0220 annual
HISTORY SOURCEDVLA VEH0120 GB · to 2013
MOT SOURCEDVSA results · to 2017
FAMILY DEFINITIONBMW 3.3 L
PROCESSED20 Sep 2026
Full methodology
Population history combines DVLA VEH0120 Q4 census observations through 2013 with the annual VEH0220 census from 2014 onward. Figures before 2014 cover Great Britain only. Historical VEH0120 is used only when its overlapping UK observations reconcile to the current canonical family definition. Vehicles are grouped into this family using the DVLA GenModel together with durable routing rules for known inconsistencies.
Variant figures are parsed from raw DVLA model descriptions and the original string is always retained. Configuration is only assigned where the model description explicitly identifies it; a blank configuration is not treated as a two door Wrangler. 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.