2008 BMW X5: MOT pass rate and reliability
76.3% of 2008 BMW X5s pass the MOT first time, measured across 3,100 DVSA tests on that model year alone. The average one had covered 134,046 miles.
How the 2008 compares
- Against all BMW X5s (81.8%, 81,696 tests): -5.5 points
- Against all 2008 cars (64.7%): +11.6 points
- National first-time pass rate, all cars and years: 77%
Every BMW X5 model year
Pass rates fall as cars age, so the only fair comparison for a 2008 car is other cars of the same age. The full run for the BMW X5:
| Year | Pass rate | Tests | Avg mileage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 70.6% | 506 | 144,267 |
| 2002 | 69.4% | 1,013 | 143,691 |
| 2003 | 68.6% | 1,814 | 142,570 |
| 2004 | 67.9% | 2,708 | 146,691 |
| 2005 | 67.2% | 4,835 | 146,897 |
| 2006 | 66.2% | 3,044 | 146,875 |
| 2007 | 73.7% | 3,232 | 138,327 |
| 2008 | 76.3% | 3,100 | 134,046 |
| 2009 | 78.1% | 3,770 | 128,530 |
| 2010 | 79.3% | 3,531 | 122,005 |
| 2011 | 79.7% | 3,849 | 114,879 |
| 2012 | 79.3% | 3,893 | 110,055 |
| 2013 | 82% | 3,341 | 102,537 |
| 2014 | 88% | 5,304 | 95,561 |
| 2015 | 88% | 6,838 | 85,410 |
| 2016 | 88.8% | 6,335 | 76,077 |
| 2017 | 88.3% | 6,086 | 67,601 |
| 2018 | 87.5% | 7,007 | 58,367 |
| 2019 | 88.8% | 8,246 | 46,781 |
| 2020 | 89.8% | 2,743 | 38,695 |
| 2021 | 88.4% | 474 | 36,824 |
What this means if you are buying a 2008 X5
The 2008 is a weaker year for this model, passing 5.5 points less often than the BMW X5 average. Some of that is simply age, so compare it against the 2008 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 an 18-year-old car fails on
A 2008 car is 18 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 2008 BMW X5 the average at test was 134,046 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 2020 at 89.8%, and the weakest in our data is 2006 at 66.2%. That 23.6 point spread across the model's life is why comparing a 2008 car against a newer one tells you very little.
Nearby model years
- 2005 BMW X5 - 67.2%
- 2006 BMW X5 - 66.2%
- 2007 BMW X5 - 73.7%
- 2009 BMW X5 - 78.1%
- 2010 BMW X5 - 79.3%
- 2011 BMW X5 - 79.7%