All generations and engines together · 1,888 MOT tests in the 2025 data
Computed from DVSA MOT results, all of Great Britain, 2025. Nothing here is opinion.
Share of tests where each item was recorded. The dark tick is the class average across all tracked models; bars are scaled within each group.
The rows that judge the model rather than its keeper. 1,888 tests in this band.
Tyres, pads and stone chips say more about how the car was driven and maintained than about how it was built.
Owner folklore from forums and the motoring press. Most of it never shows up in an MOT, which is why this section exists at all.
BMW has run several manufacturer recalls on the iX covering the high-voltage battery: a supplier defect in the cell module cathode plates (R/2022/330), an improperly fitted cable bridge in the cell supervision circuit (R/2023/133), and a further cell module replacement campaign in 2025 (R/2025/274). There is also a recall for a faulty combined charging unit from a supplier production fault (R/2023/235), plus two separate recalls where airbag warning software could fail to show a fault light (R/2022/149, R/2022/282). All are free at a BMW dealer once the car is in scope, so check the VIN for outstanding work before buying.
Owners report the central screen freezing, throwing up a red no-signal message, or rebooting itself mid-drive, with some tracing it to the car's internal wireless network falling over. It turns up across ages and mileages with no single acknowledged cause; a soft reset on the volume wheel or a full power-cycle usually clears it, though some cars need a dealer software reflash. The car keeps driving fine through it, but it's a sign of how much the iX leans on its software.
Cars fitted with the self-levelling air suspension, standard on some trims and optional or absent on others, can develop a worn compressor. Owners report difficulty sourcing replacement parts, and reactions are mixed: some describe years of flawless running, others get a harsher ride or a compressor that keeps cycling trying to level the car. A compressor swap is a specialist job, so factor it in if buying a car out of warranty.
The iX's flush, recessed door handles can ice up after a frost, or refreeze once melted snow gets into the mechanism, leaving the handle stuck or the door reluctant to latch. It's a design trait rather than something that develops with age or mileage, reported from new, and there's no recall covering it. Owners work round it with de-icer or by warming the handle, worth knowing if you park outside through winter.
The iX is a heavy car, xDrive50 and M60 models push past 2.4 tonnes, and reviewers note a firmer, sometimes thumpy low-speed ride plus a tendency to run wide if you carry speed into a bend. That extra mass works the steering and suspension harder than a combustion SUV of similar size. The measured MOT data for this segment flags steering as the standout early-failure area, which fits the general pattern, though we haven't found reports pinning it on one specific part such as the rack or track rod ends.
A repetitive click or tick, most noticeable around town and fading out at motorway speed, comes up repeatedly on owner forums, with BMW engineering reportedly looking into at least one reported case. Some owners are told it's a relay or a normal regen-related noise, others have parts replaced under warranty, so it's genuinely disputed whether it's a fault or just an EV drivetrain doing something unfamiliar. Worth listening for on a test drive at both low and higher speed.
Built from the two sections above.
Same segment (Family & large SUVs), best MOT record first. Compare before you shortlist.