BMW X5 MOT failures and reliability

In 2023 the BMW X5 took 90,495 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: 90,495
First-time pass rate: 78%
All cars: 71%

What the X5 fails on

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

Tyres7.4% (all cars 6.4%)
Lights and electrics7.1% (all cars 11.3%)
Suspension6.2% (all cars 9.0%)
Brakes5.2% (all cars 6.8%)
Visibility3.4% (all cars 4.8%)
Body and structure3.0% (all cars 3.5%)
Exhaust and emissions1.4% (all cars 3.1%)
Seat belts and airbags1.2% (all cars 1.0%)

Most common failure items

Share of tests on which each item was recorded.

Tyres, condition: has ply or cords exposed 2.9%
Tyres, condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords 2.3%
Suspension arms, ball joint: ball joint excessively worn 2.1%
Tread depth: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm 1.7%
Joints: constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt 1.7%
Position lamp: not working 1.5%
Washers: provides insufficient washer liquid 1.5%
Suspension arms, pins and bushes: pin or bush excessively worn 1.3%

Most common advisories

Tread depth: worn close to legal limit/worn on edge 20.6%
Engine oil leaks: leak, but not excessive 6.1%
Brake pads: wearing thin 6.0%
Suspension arms, pins and bushes: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement 5.2%
Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened 4.3%
Rigid brake pipes: corroded, covered in grease or other material 4.1%
Suspension arms, ball joint: ball joint has slight play 3.8%
Tyres, condition: slightly damaged/cracking or perishing 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
2001	678	57%
2002	1,402	62%
2003	2,439	59%
2004	3,352	60%
2005	5,792	60%
2006	3,586	61%
2007	3,770	68%
2008	3,492	71%
2009	4,148	72%
2010	3,831	75%
2011	4,096	76%
2012	4,073	77%
2013	3,453	79%
2014	5,356	85%
2015	6,933	86%
2016	6,474	88%
2017	6,142	87%
2018	7,113	86%
2019	8,780	87%
2020	5,127	86%
2021	423	94%

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	31,498 miles
4 years	37,447 miles
5 years	48,984 miles
6 years	58,879 miles
7 years	67,887 miles
8 years	77,258 miles
9 years	87,496 miles
10 years	95,198 miles
11 years	102,844 miles
12 years	109,043 miles
13 years	116,413 miles
14 years	122,917 miles
15 years	129,962 miles
16 years	135,122 miles
17 years	144,320 miles
18 years	144,152 miles
19 years	144,264 miles
20 years	142,027 miles

Check a particular X5

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.