2009 BMW 525: MOT pass rate and reliability
79% of 2009 BMW 525s pass the MOT first time, measured across 1,041 DVSA tests on that model year alone. The average one had covered 137,990 miles.
How the 2009 compares
- Against all BMW 525s (76.3%, 13,362 tests): +2.7 points
- Against all 2009 cars (66.1%): +12.9 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 2009 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 2009 525
The 2009 is one of the stronger years for this model, passing 2.7 points more often than the BMW 525 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 17-year-old car fails on
A 2009 car is 17 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 2009 BMW 525 the average at test was 137,990 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 2009 car against a newer one tells you very little.
Nearby model years
- 2006 BMW 525 - 75.3%
- 2007 BMW 525 - 75%
- 2008 BMW 525 - 77.9%
- 2010 BMW 525 - 80%
- 2011 BMW 525 - 81.6%
- 2012 BMW 525 - 76.6%