Used car guide

2020 BMW 320D: common problems and what to check

What gets flagged at MOT on 2020 BMW 320Ds, from 1,437 tests in 2025, plus known faults and what to look at before you buy one.

1,437MOT tests in 2025
86%pass first time (all 2020 cars: 86%)
10,000typical miles a year
3×the usual rate for engine warning light

What stands out

Parts flagged at MOT more often on 2020 BMW 320Ds than on all cars registered in 2020.

  • Engine warning light3× usual
    BMW 320D
    2.1% All 2020 cars
    0.7%

    Failed outright at MOT: 2.1%, against 0.7% of all 2020 cars. The rest were advisories or minor defects.

    Rough price £10–£80 our estimate

    At the viewing: Ask a friend to check every light while you work the switches: indicators, brake lights, fog lights and reversing lights.

Better than most

Brake discs: 3.5% here, against 9% of all 2020 cars.

By area

The share of 2020 BMW 320D MOT tests where testers flagged each area, as a fail or an advisory. Rough prices are typical independent-garage costs.

  • Tyres
    23% of testsRough price £70–£150

    At the viewing: Check the tread on all four tyres, including the inside edges, and look for cracks or bulges.

  • Brakes
    10% of testsRough price £150–£350

    At the viewing: Look for a lip on the disc edges and feel for judder or pulling when braking firmly from about 40mph.

  • Lights and electrics
    3% of testsRough price £10–£80

    At the viewing: Ask a friend to check every light, including brake lights and indicators, while you operate them.

  • Wipers, windscreen and mirrors
    3% of testsRough price £15–£250

    At the viewing: Check for chips in the driver's view, and test the wipers and washers.

  • Suspension
    3% of testsRough price £120–£400

    At the viewing: Listen for knocks over speed bumps, and look behind each front wheel for a snapped coil spring.

  • Seats and seatbelts
    2% of testsRough price £80–£250

    At the viewing: Pull each seatbelt sharply. It should lock, and retract cleanly.

Looking at a BMW 320D?

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Other years

YearMOT testsMost flagged
2022744Tyres 24%
20212,038Tyres 23%

Where this comes from: the DVSA's anonymised results for every MOT test in Great Britain in 2025, counting tests of 2020 BMW 320Ds registered in 2020. "Flagged" includes advisories, so it isn't the same as a fail rate. How we score