2012 BMW M5: MOT pass rate and reliability
92.3% of 2012 BMW M5s pass the MOT first time, measured across 286 DVSA tests on that model year alone. The average one had covered 72,592 miles.
How the 2012 compares
- Against all BMW M5s (89.3%, 3,915 tests): +3 points
- Against all 2012 cars (70.8%): +21.5 points
- National first-time pass rate, all cars and years: 77%
Every BMW M5 model year
Pass rates fall as cars age, so the only fair comparison for a 2012 car is other cars of the same age. The full run for the BMW M5:
| Year | Pass rate | Tests | Avg mileage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 83.4% | 223 | 124,010 |
| 2001 | 85.1% | 248 | 120,214 |
| 2005 | 88.7% | 231 | 93,655 |
| 2006 | 86.4% | 242 | 84,759 |
| 2007 | 92.4% | 237 | 86,282 |
| 2012 | 92.3% | 286 | 72,592 |
| 2013 | 88.5% | 478 | 68,469 |
| 2014 | 90.7% | 440 | 62,020 |
| 2015 | 89.2% | 369 | 60,767 |
| 2016 | 90.6% | 394 | 52,744 |
What this means if you are buying a 2012 M5
The 2012 is one of the stronger years for this model, passing 3 points more often than the BMW M5 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 14-year-old car fails on
A 2012 car is 14 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 2012 BMW M5 the average at test was 72,592 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 2007 at 92.4%, and the weakest in our data is 2000 at 83.4%. That 9.0 point spread across the model's life is why comparing a 2012 car against a newer one tells you very little.
Nearby model years
- 2005 BMW M5 - 88.7%
- 2006 BMW M5 - 86.4%
- 2007 BMW M5 - 92.4%
- 2013 BMW M5 - 88.5%
- 2014 BMW M5 - 90.7%
- 2015 BMW M5 - 89.2%