BMW 5 Series MOT Pass Rate
The BMW 5 Series has an MOT pass rate of 84.1%, compared with a UK average of 79.1%, based on 10,217 DVSA MOT tests from 2004 to March 2026. It ranks 95th of 386 cars we track by pass rate.
The most common MOT problem area on the BMW 5 Series is tyres, at 37% of all defects and advisories recorded.
Data: DVSA MOT test results, 2004 to March 2026. Last updated 3 October 2026.
- BMW 5 Series MOT pass rate
- 84.1%
- UK average pass rate
- 79.1%
- MOT tests analysed
- 10,217
Ranked 95 of 386 models by MOT pass rate (1 is the highest).
What the BMW 5 Series fails on
Every defect and advisory recorded at MOT, grouped by area. Includes advisories as well as failure items.
| Area | Share of all items | Items per 100 tests | Items recorded |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tyres | 37% | 44.9 | 4,589 |
| Brakes | 24.2% | 29.3 | 2,998 |
| Lights and signalling | 9.3% | 11.3 | 1,153 |
| Other items | 8.9% | 10.8 | 1,104 |
| Suspension | 7.3% | 8.9 | 906 |
| Windscreen and wipers | 4.7% | 5.7 | 583 |
| Bodywork | 3.3% | 4 | 413 |
| Fuel system | 2.1% | 2.5 | 257 |
| Steering | 1.1% | 1.3 | 131 |
| Exhaust and emissions | 1% | 1.2 | 124 |
| Corrosion | 0.6% | 0.7 | 70 |
| Electrical | 0.3% | 0.4 | 39 |
| Structure | 0.2% | 0.3 | 30 |
| Drivetrain | 0.1% | 0.1 | 11 |
Fail rate by mileage
How the BMW 5 Series holds up as the miles build, using the odometer reading at each test.
| Mileage at test | 5 Series fail rate | UK fail rate | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 40,000 miles | 9.4% | 13.1% | 2,642 |
| 40,000 to 79,999 miles | 15.2% | 21.7% | 4,068 |
| 80,000 to 119,999 miles | 19.1% | 28.3% | 2,053 |
| 120,000 miles or more | 25.6% | 31.4% | 1,362 |
Which years to avoid
Fail rate by year first registered, next to the UK fail rate for all cars registered that year. Older cars fail more often whatever the model, so compare each year with its own UK figure.
| Year | 5 Series fail rate | UK fail rate, same year | Tests |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 25.2% | 24.5% | 135 |
| 2004 | 27.8% | 25.3% | 54 |
| 2005 | 22.2% | 25.4% | 90 |
| 2006 | 25.4% | 25.3% | 205 |
| 2007 | 20.6% | 25.2% | 281 |
| 2008 | 26.1% | 25.3% | 261 |
| 2009 | 17.1% | 24.9% | 193 |
| 2010 | 20% | 24.5% | 150 |
| 2011 | 16.7% | 23.4% | 246 |
| 2012 | 19.2% | 22.6% | 1,134 |
| 2013 | 20.2% | 21.6% | 1,356 |
| 2017 | 12.5% | 15.6% | 1,611 |
| 2018 | 13.5% | 14.7% | 2,214 |
| 2019 | 11.3% | 13.8% | 1,457 |
| 2020 | 12.3% | 13.3% | 414 |
| 2021 | 11.9% | 12.9% | 118 |
| 2022 | 11% | 12.7% | 73 |
| 2023 | 10.6% | 11.9% | 66 |
Years with fewer than 50 tests, and cars too new to have reached their first MOT, are left out.
BMW 5 Series MOT questions
Is the BMW 5 Series reliable?
On MOT results the BMW 5 Series is better than average: it passes 84.1% of tests against a UK average of 79.1%, ranking 95th of 386 cars we track. Allowing for the age of the cars tested, its fail rate of 15.9% is 2.2 percentage points lower than the 18.1% you would expect from the average car of the same registration years. A pass rate is one useful signal of how well a model holds up, but it does not capture breakdowns between tests, repair costs or how an individual car has been looked after, so always check the history of the specific car.
What does the BMW 5 Series usually fail its MOT on?
Across 10,217 MOT tests, the areas most often flagged on the BMW 5 Series were tyres (37%), brakes (24.2%) and lights and signalling (9.3%), shown as a share of all defects and advisories recorded. These counts include advisories as well as failure items, so they show where problems tend to appear rather than only what caused a fail.
Does the BMW 5 Series get worse with mileage?
Yes. The BMW 5 Series fails 9.4% of MOT tests taken at under 40,000 miles and 25.6% at 120,000 miles or more, based on 2,642 and 1,362 tests respectively. Across all models the equivalent figures are 13.1% and 31.4%.
How does the BMW 5 Series compare with the national average?
The BMW 5 Series passes 84.1% of MOT tests, 5 percentage points above the UK average of 79.1% across all 6,681,613 tests in the data. That places it 95th of 386 cars with at least 1,000 tests, where 1st has the highest pass rate.
Check a specific BMW 5 Series
See the full MOT history of the exact car you're looking at, free.
Related reading
BMW 5 Series Depreciation: Best Year to Buy Used for Value
2008 BMW 5 Series E60: Bargain Executive or Bankruptcy Risk
2011 BMW 5 Series F10: Is Cheap Luxury Actually Affordable
What Does 'Brake Disc Worn' Mean on an MOT? Serious or Not?
Brake Disc Worn: Repair Cost and How Urgent Is It
Repeated Brake Disc Worn Advisory: Should You Walk Away?
What Does 'Suspension Arm Bush Worn' Mean on an MOT? Serious or Not?
Suspension Arm Bush Worn: Repair Cost and How Urgent Is It
Other BMW models
Data: DVSA MOT test results for Great Britain, 2004 to March 2026, published under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Figures cover 10,217 tests. Last updated 3 October 2026. How these figures are calculated.
How to cite this data: Source: CarBuyerIQ analysis of DVSA MOT test data, https://www.carbuyeriq.com/mot-pass-rates/bmw/5-series