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CarsLore / Compare / Large SUVs / X3 vs Vivaro

BMW X3 vs Opel Vivaro

Two large SUVs, compared on the same official records: MOT and inspection results, safety ratings, fuel use, recalls and owner complaints. 3 like-for-like measures: the BMW X3 leads on 2, the Opel Vivaro on 0, 1 too close to call.

Where each one leads

BMW X3

  • Fewer BMW X3 cars in the Netherlands carry an illogical odometer record (2.2% against 4.1%).
  • New BMW X3 cars registered in Europe in 2022 average 125 g/km of CO₂ on the WLTP test, against 153 for the Opel Vivaro in 2022.

Opel Vivaro

Ahead on none of the like-for-like measures.

Too close to call: real-world fuel use in Europe, diesel (l/100 km).

Only measures that do not depend on how many cars were sold: pass and failure rates against cars of the same age, ratings, fuel use and CO₂. How we compare

At a glance

BMW X3Opel Vivaro
Model years in the US safety record2004–2026—
New cars registered in Europe583,466 (2010–2022)115,701 (2010–2022)
Licensed in the United Kingdom123,964—
On the road in the Netherlands25,6504,839
In traffic in Finland4,293377

EEA new-car registrations (CC BY 4.0) · DVLA licensed vehicles (OGL v3.0) · RDW (CC0) · Traficom (CC BY 4.0) · generations: Wikidata (CC0).

Reliability and problems

BMW X3Opel Vivaro
UK MOT first-time pass rate80%—
… against cars of the same age+6%—
New York safety inspections failed0.8%—
… against cars of the same year−32%—
Illogical odometer records (NL)2.2%4.1%
US owner complaints2,015—
Most complaints aboutEngine—
Model year with most complaints2013 (226)—
US recall campaigns60—
Manufacturer service bulletins3,868—
NHTSA defect investigations17—

Complaint, recall and bulletin counts grow with the number of cars sold and are not adjusted for it. UK MOT: DVSA anonymised MOT results (OGL v3.0); New York: DMV inspections; complaints, recalls, bulletins and investigations: NHTSA (public domain); odometer: RDW (CC0).

Safety

BMW X3Opel Vivaro
NHTSA overall rating4★ (2026)—

NHTSA New Car Assessment Program, most recent rated model year (public domain).

Fuel, emissions and price

BMW X3Opel Vivaro
Official combined fuel use, Canada8.1 l/100 km (2026)—
Real-world use in Europe, diesel hybrid7.3 l/100 km—
Real-world use in Europe, petrol hybrid9.4 l/100 km—
Real-world use in Europe, petrol10.8 l/100 km—
Real-world use in Europe, diesel7.6 l/100 km7.7 l/100 km
Official CO₂ of new cars in Europe125 g/km153 g/km
Average power of new cars in Europe157 kW (210 hp)106 kW (143 hp)
Average mass in running order1,985 kg1,891 kg
Dutch list price when new (median)€75,236€47,693
Average odometer in Finland237,000 km222,000 km

Canada: NRCan Fuel Consumption Ratings, most frugal version of the latest year (OGL Canada). Europe: EEA monitoring of new-car CO₂ and on-board fuel meters (OBFCM), CC BY 4.0. Price: RDW catalogue price (CC0). Finland: Traficom (CC BY 4.0).