2010 BMW 523: MOT pass rate and reliability
75.5% of 2010 BMW 523s pass the MOT first time, measured across 229 DVSA tests on that model year alone. The average one had covered 88,336 miles.
How the 2010 compares
- Against all BMW 523s (72%, 2,263 tests): +3.5 points
- Against all 2010 cars (67%): +8.5 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 2010 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 2010 523
The 2010 is one of the stronger years for this model, passing 3.5 points more often than the BMW 523 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 16-year-old car fails on
A 2010 car is 16 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 above average, the point where suspension bushes, drop links and exhaust corrosion start showing up as advisories before they become failures. On a 2010 BMW 523 the average at test was 88,336 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 2010 car against a newer one tells you very little.
Nearby model years
- 2000 BMW 523 - 69.8%
- 2005 BMW 523 - 72%
- 2006 BMW 523 - 76.7%