2002 BMW 525: MOT pass rate and reliability
72.3% of 2002 BMW 525s pass the MOT first time, measured across 669 DVSA tests on that model year alone. The average one had covered 143,345 miles.
How the 2002 compares
- Against all BMW 525s (76.3%, 13,362 tests): -4 points
- Against all 2002 cars (65.4%): +6.9 points
- National first-time pass rate, all cars and years: 77%
Every BMW 525 model year
Pass rates fall as cars age, so the only fair comparison for a 2002 car is other cars of the same age. The full run for the BMW 525:
| Year | Pass rate | Tests | Avg mileage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 70.6% | 490 | 136,192 |
| 2002 | 72.3% | 669 | 143,345 |
| 2003 | 67.6% | 652 | 142,142 |
| 2004 | 69.4% | 963 | 146,709 |
| 2005 | 73.6% | 1,389 | 158,845 |
| 2006 | 75.3% | 1,284 | 151,466 |
| 2007 | 75% | 1,543 | 151,842 |
| 2008 | 77.9% | 1,405 | 146,360 |
| 2009 | 79% | 1,041 | 137,990 |
| 2010 | 80% | 867 | 128,818 |
| 2011 | 81.6% | 745 | 127,059 |
| 2012 | 76.6% | 282 | 120,641 |
| 2013 | 79.8% | 203 | 117,024 |
| 2014 | 86.8% | 418 | 109,654 |
| 2015 | 88.4% | 473 | 99,550 |
| 2016 | 86.5% | 237 | 95,580 |
What this means if you are buying a 2002 525
The 2002 is a weaker year for this model, passing 4 points less often than the BMW 525 average. Some of that is simply age, so compare it against the 2002 figure for all cars above rather than against newer examples. 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 24-year-old car fails on
A 2002 car is 24 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 very high mileage. Clutches, dual-mass flywheels and head gaskets have usually been through at least one repair by this point, so ask for evidence rather than assume the car is original everywhere. On a 2002 BMW 525 the average at test was 143,345 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 2015 at 88.4%, and the weakest in our data is 2003 at 67.6%. That 20.8 point spread across the model's life is why comparing a 2002 car against a newer one tells you very little.
Nearby model years
- 2001 BMW 525 - 70.6%
- 2003 BMW 525 - 67.6%
- 2004 BMW 525 - 69.4%
- 2005 BMW 525 - 73.6%