BMW 518: MOT pass rate and reliability data

The BMW 518 passes its MOT first time more often than the average UK car, by 5.8 percentage points. These figures come from the DVSA's full year of anonymised MOT results, covering 2,277 individual BMW 518 tests. Nothing here is an estimate or a survey.

The numbers

What this means if you are buying one

A 82.5% first-time pass rate means roughly 18 in every 100 BMW 518s 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 518 tested had covered 123,358 miles and was built around 2013.

What this means at salvage auction

Pass rate is a proxy for what a car costs to keep on the road. On a BMW 518 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 518 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 518s actually sold for at UK salvage auction.

Most common MOT failures on a BMW 518

1. A wheel with a loose or missing wheel nut, bolt or stud, 0.7% of tests (2.95x the national rate for this defect)
2. Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements, 3.4% of tests (1.48x the national rate for this defect)
3. A tyre cords visible or damaged, 1.5% of tests (1.25x the national rate for this defect)
4. A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened, 2% of tests (1.24x the national rate for this defect)
5. A tyre seriously damaged, 1.8% of tests
6. Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen, 1.4% of tests
7. Windscreen washers not working or not providing sufficient fluid to clear the windscreen, 1.3% of tests
8. A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, 1.3% of tests
9. A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning, 1.1% of tests
10. a brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm, 1.1% of tests

From 3,632 DVSA-tracked BMW 518 tests, 2024. DVSA testers marked 7.1% of these flagged BMW 518 defects as "dangerous", meaning the tester judged the car unsafe to drive away, against 4.97% nationally.

BMW 518 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 518 year:

• 2013 BMW 518 - 76.5% first-time pass, 328 tests
• 2014 BMW 518 - 84.5% first-time pass, 895 tests
• 2015 BMW 518 - 86.2% first-time pass, 566 tests
• 2016 BMW 518 - 85.9% first-time pass, 311 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

• Volkswagen California - 82.6%
• Lexus Rx450h - 82.6%
• Audi A5 Sport 35 Tdi Mhev S-A - 82.6%
• Maserati Granturismo - 82.5%
• Ford Kuga - 82.4%
• Volkswagen Tiguan - 82.4%

If this car is a salvage or write-off

• 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