BMW 5 Series: MOT pass rate and reliability data

The BMW 5 Series passes its MOT first time more often than the average UK car, by 8.6 percentage points. These figures come from the DVSA's full year of anonymised MOT results, covering 73,483 individual BMW 5 Series tests. Nothing here is an estimate or a survey.

The numbers

What this means if you are buying one

A 85.3% first-time pass rate means roughly 15 in every 100 BMW 5 Series presented for MOT fail on the first attempt. That is better than average, so a well-kept example is a reasonably safe used buy. The average BMW 5 Series tested had covered 78,434 miles and was built around 2016.

What this means at salvage auction

Pass rate is a proxy for what a car costs to keep on the road. On a BMW 5 Series bought as a repairable salvage, the mechanical side is less likely to spring surprises, so your repair estimate should hold up reasonably well.

Before you bid: run the lot through the analyzer, check the car's own record, check the mileage, decode the VIN, and if it carries a marker use the write-off value calculator. Or compare it against another model.

Looking at a specific BMW 5 Series rather than the model in general? The free check covers its MOT and mileage history, and the full HPI report confirms the insurance write-off category, outstanding finance and whether it is recorded stolen, from licensed data for 5 credits. Already own one that has been damaged? Work out whether fixing it beats selling it with the repair or scrap calculator, and see what damaged BMW 5 Series actually sold for at UK salvage auction, from 19 real settled sales.

Most common MOT failures on a BMW 5 Series

1. Any fracture or welding defect on a wheel, 0.5% of tests (10.23x the national rate for this defect)
2. A shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage, 0.9% of tests (1.27x the national rate for this defect)
3. A wheel with a loose or missing wheel nut, bolt or stud, 0.3% of tests (1.27x the national rate for this defect)
4. A tyre seriously damaged, 2.5% of tests (1.24x the national rate for this defect)
5. A tyre cords visible or damaged, 1.4% of tests (1.16x the national rate for this defect)
6. Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements, 1.6% of tests
7. A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened, 0.8% of tests
8. A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning, 0.6% of tests
9. A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, 0.6% of tests
10. The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements, 0.5% of tests

From 138,857 DVSA-tracked BMW 5 Series tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 7.68% of these flagged BMW 5 Series defects as "dangerous", meaning the tester judged the car unsafe to drive away, against 4.97% nationally.

BMW 5 Series pass rate by model year

Pass rates fall steadily as cars age, so the model year matters as much as the model. First-time pass rate for each BMW 5 Series year:

• 2003 BMW 5 Series - 69.3% first-time pass, 205 tests
• 2004 BMW 5 Series - 71.2% first-time pass, 271 tests
• 2005 BMW 5 Series - 72.5% first-time pass, 385 tests
• 2006 BMW 5 Series - 72.8% first-time pass, 751 tests
• 2007 BMW 5 Series - 75.5% first-time pass, 880 tests
• 2008 BMW 5 Series - 77.1% first-time pass, 803 tests
• 2009 BMW 5 Series - 79.3% first-time pass, 691 tests
• 2010 BMW 5 Series - 78.4% first-time pass, 662 tests
• 2011 BMW 5 Series - 77.4% first-time pass, 1,059 tests
• 2012 BMW 5 Series - 77.6% first-time pass, 5,920 tests
• 2013 BMW 5 Series - 77.2% first-time pass, 5,907 tests
• 2014 BMW 5 Series - 85.1% first-time pass, 201 tests
• 2017 BMW 5 Series - 87.1% first-time pass, 13,355 tests
• 2018 BMW 5 Series - 88.7% first-time pass, 18,968 tests
• 2019 BMW 5 Series - 89.4% first-time pass, 15,586 tests
• 2020 BMW 5 Series - 90.2% first-time pass, 4,262 tests
• 2021 BMW 5 Series - 91.3% first-time pass, 1,844 tests
• 2022 BMW 5 Series - 96.6% first-time pass, 355 tests

BMW 5 Series by fuel type

Diesel and petrol versions of the same car fail on different things, so the fuel type moves the number:

• Diesel BMW 5 Series - 84.2% first-time pass, 45,445 tests
• Petrol BMW 5 Series - 88.3% first-time pass, 14,237 tests
• Hybrid BMW 5 Series - 88.5% first-time pass, 13,263 tests

Other BMW models

• BMW 3 Series - 76.8%
• BMW 118 - 81.9%
• BMW 116 - 78.6%
• BMW X1 - 85.2%
• BMW X3 - 82.3%
• BMW X5 - 81.2%
• BMW 1 Series - 81.6%
• BMW 520 - 80.2%

Models with a similar pass rate

• Peugeot Boxer 435 S L3h2 Bluehdi - 85.5%
• Land Rover Range Rover Evoque Se D Auto - 85.4%
• Mercedes-Benz E 300 Amg Ln Night Ed Prem+D A - 85.4%
• Tesla Model 3 Long Range Awd - 85.3%
• BMW 430 - 85.3%
• BMW 435 - 85.3%

If this car is a salvage or write-off

• Does high mileage mean a worse MOT pass rate? The workhorses say no
• What does Cat N mean? Category N explained
• What does Cat S mean? Category S explained
• Cat S vs Cat N: the real differences

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All 2,005 models ranked by MOT pass rate