2005 BMW 523: MOT pass rate and reliability
72% of 2005 BMW 523s pass the MOT first time, measured across 200 DVSA tests on that model year alone. The average one had covered 120,149 miles.
How the 2005 compares
- Against all BMW 523s (72%, 2,263 tests): +0 points
- Against all 2005 cars (64.2%): +7.8 points
- National first-time pass rate, all cars and years: 77%
Every BMW 523 model year
Pass rates fall as cars age, so the only fair comparison for a 2005 car is other cars of the same age. The full run for the BMW 523:
| Year | Pass rate | Tests | Avg mileage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 61.8% | 246 | 128,637 |
| 1999 | 65.7% | 309 | 136,227 |
| 2000 | 69.8% | 245 | 132,108 |
| 2005 | 72% | 200 | 120,149 |
| 2006 | 76.7% | 257 | 122,475 |
| 2010 | 75.5% | 229 | 88,336 |
What this means if you are buying a 2005 523
The 2005 sits close to the BMW 523 average, so there is no strong model-year signal either way. Judge the individual car on its own history. 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 21-year-old car fails on
A 2005 car is 21 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 high mileage, so timing belts, clutches, suspension bushes and corrosion are the items worth budgeting for rather than the MOT itself. On a 2005 BMW 523 the average at test was 120,149 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 2006 at 76.7%, and the weakest in our data is 1998 at 61.8%. That 14.9 point spread across the model's life is why comparing a 2005 car against a newer one tells you very little.
Nearby model years
- 1998 BMW 523 - 61.8%
- 1999 BMW 523 - 65.7%
- 2000 BMW 523 - 69.8%
- 2006 BMW 523 - 76.7%
- 2010 BMW 523 - 75.5%