2017 BMW 520: MOT pass rate and reliability
86.8% of 2017 BMW 520s pass the MOT first time, measured across 1,485 DVSA tests on that model year alone. The average one had covered 78,803 miles.
How the 2017 compares
- Against all BMW 520s (80.7%, 76,919 tests): +6.1 points
- Against all 2017 cars (83.5%): +3.3 points
- National first-time pass rate, all cars and years: 77%
Every BMW 520 model year
Pass rates fall as cars age, so the only fair comparison for a 2017 car is other cars of the same age. The full run for the BMW 520:
| Year | Pass rate | Tests | Avg mileage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 72.4% | 239 | 116,317 |
| 2002 | 65.7% | 300 | 120,219 |
| 2003 | 65.8% | 360 | 113,126 |
| 2004 | 74% | 242 | 124,117 |
| 2005 | 66.3% | 526 | 170,725 |
| 2006 | 68.9% | 1,995 | 170,350 |
| 2007 | 71.1% | 3,041 | 162,057 |
| 2008 | 74% | 2,711 | 153,747 |
| 2009 | 74.2% | 3,955 | 144,447 |
| 2010 | 75.6% | 4,076 | 138,202 |
| 2011 | 76.2% | 7,598 | 136,231 |
| 2012 | 76.6% | 6,338 | 126,581 |
| 2013 | 81.5% | 6,634 | 117,620 |
| 2014 | 84.1% | 11,743 | 112,543 |
| 2015 | 86.4% | 12,343 | 100,979 |
| 2016 | 87.6% | 12,156 | 88,382 |
| 2017 | 86.8% | 1,485 | 78,803 |
What this means if you are buying a 2017 520
The 2017 is one of the stronger years for this model, passing 6.1 points more often than the BMW 520 average. That is a point in its favour, though condition and service history still matter more than the model year. Check the exact car with the free MOT history checker before you buy, and run its VIN and mileage through our free VIN decoder and clocking check.
What a 9-year-old car fails on
A 2017 car is 9 years old now, and age drives the failure mix more than the badge does. Across all cars tested, these are the categories that actually cause failures:
- Lights and electrical: 10.36% of all cars tested
- Suspension: 8.65% of all cars tested
- Tyres: 6.23% of all cars tested
- Brakes: 6.1% of all cars tested
- Visibility: wipers, washers, glass: 4.65% of all cars tested
- Body, chassis and structure: 3.18% of all cars tested
That is a shade above the middle of the range, still ordinary wear rather than a red flag, but worth checking against the service book for the car's age. On a 2017 BMW 520 the average at test was 78,803 miles, so treat anything far above that as a car that has worked harder than its peers, and anything far below as one worth checking for the faults that come from standing still.
The strongest year for this model is 2016 at 87.6%, and the weakest in our data is 2002 at 65.7%. That 21.9 point spread across the model's life is why comparing a 2017 car against a newer one tells you very little.
Nearby model years
- 2014 BMW 520 - 84.1%
- 2015 BMW 520 - 86.4%
- 2016 BMW 520 - 87.6%