BMW 5 Series MOT failures and reliability

In 2023 the BMW 5 Series took 212,914 MOT tests in Britain and passed 78% of them first time, above the national average of 71% for all cars. The figures below come from the DVSA's record of every test, so they show what testers actually found on these cars rather than what owners report.

MOT tests in 2023: 212,914
First-time pass rate: 78%
All cars: 71%

What the 5 Series fails on

Share of tests with at least one failure in each area, against the figure for all cars.

Tyres7.1% (all cars 6.4%)
Suspension6.3% (all cars 9.0%)
Lights and electrics6.2% (all cars 11.3%)
Brakes3.9% (all cars 6.8%)
Visibility3.3% (all cars 4.8%)
Exhaust and emissions1.6% (all cars 3.1%)
Steering1.5% (all cars 1.8%)
Seat belts and airbags1.2% (all cars 1.0%)

Most common failure items

Share of tests on which each item was recorded.

Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm 2.5%
Coil spring: fractured or broken 2.3%
Tyres, condition: has ply or cords exposed 1.9%
Position lamp: not working 1.5%
Tyres, condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords 1.4%
Washers: provides insufficient washer liquid 1.2%
Wipers: does not clear the windscreen effectively 1.2%
Headlamp aim: too low 1.0%

Most common advisories

Tread depth: worn close to legal limit/worn on edge 19.3%
Brake pads: wearing thin 6.3%
Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened 5.9%
Engine oil leaks: leak, but not excessive 5.1%
Suspension arms, pins and bushes: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement 4.1%
Tyres, condition: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing 3.1%
Rigid brake pipes: corroded, covered in grease or other material 3.0%
Shock absorbers: has light misting of oil 2.8%

Pass rate by year of registration

Older cars fail more often whatever the model, so compare a car with others of the same age.

First registered	Tests	Pass rate
1995	351	68%
1996	303	68%
1997	459	65%
1998	916	62%
1999	1,128	63%
2000	1,321	63%
2001	1,885	66%
2002	2,673	65%
2003	2,882	65%
2004	3,709	64%
2005	5,722	65%
2006	7,809	67%
2007	9,247	68%
2008	7,882	71%
2009	7,942	71%
2010	9,332	72%
2011	12,841	73%
2012	14,712	74%
2013	14,831	77%
2014	16,382	82%
2015	17,208	84%
2016	15,817	85%
2017	15,572	86%
2018	19,599	88%
2019	16,369	88%
2020	4,467	88%

Typical mileage by age

Average odometer reading at the MOT, by the car's age in years at the test.

Age at test	Average mileage
3 years	30,717 miles
4 years	42,782 miles
5 years	54,316 miles
6 years	64,541 miles
7 years	77,033 miles
8 years	89,608 miles
9 years	101,947 miles
10 years	109,914 miles
11 years	117,663 miles
12 years	127,263 miles
13 years	127,270 miles
14 years	137,993 miles
15 years	145,373 miles
16 years	152,532 miles
17 years	156,349 miles
18 years	156,102 miles
19 years	145,583 miles
20 years	139,769 miles

Check a particular 5 Series

Model figures tell you what to look out for. To see one car's own MOT history, mileage and tax, enter its registration.

Other BMW models

Source: Department for Transport, Anonymised MOT tests and results, 2023, cars and light vans, normal tests only. Pass rates are first-time passes; a pass after repair at the test station counts as a fail. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.