79.7%
BMW 5 Series
BMW 5 Series MOT pass rate and common problems
The BMW 5 Series passed 79.7% of its initial MOT tests in 2025, 7.4 percentage points above the 72.3% UK average. The item testers recorded most often was tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm.
Checking a specific car? Its own results, advisories and recorded mileages are in a free MOT history check.
How the 5 Series compares
Initial MOT tests in 2025, retests excluded. A car that failed and was repaired at the test station counts as a fail.
79.3%
BMW average
72.3%
UK average, all cars
The 5 Series is level with the BMW average. It is 23rd of the 28 BMW models in the data. The average 5 Series arrived at its test 11.2 years old with 105,916 miles recorded.
A pass rate records whether cars met the roadworthiness standard on test day. It is not a reliability score, and part of any gap reflects how old the tested cars were.
5 Series MOT pass rate by age
The same 2025 tests split by the car's age at test.
BMW 5 Series cars aged 3 to 5 years passed 87.8% of MOT tests. For cars aged 11 years and over that fell to 72.6%, a drop of 15.2 percentage points.
| Age at test | Tests | Pass rate | vs UK average |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 to 5 years | 26,279 | 87.8% | 15.5 pts above |
| 6 to 10 years | 80,469 | 84.8% | 12.5 pts above |
| 11 years and over | 93,072 | 72.6% | In line |
That is a steep decline with age, so the headline rate flatters older examples. The UK average of 72.3% covers cars of every age, so compare like with like.
Where 5 Series failures cluster
Every failure item recorded on BMW 5 Series cars in 2025, grouped into the DVSA's test areas.
Tyres and suspension together account for 42.8% of recorded failure items. These are recorded failures across the model, not faults every car has.
The 10 most common 5 Series MOT failures
Specific items recorded on BMW 5 Series cars that failed their 2025 MOT, as a share of all recorded failure items.
Together these 10 items make up 39.9% of everything testers recorded against failed BMW 5 Series cars. The rest is spread across many smaller items, and one failed test often records several at once.
What to look at on a 5 Series
The recorded failures above, grouped by area, biggest first.
1
Tyres
Recorded most often: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm, condition has ply or cords exposed and condition has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords. 16.6% of failure items.
2
Suspension
Recorded most often: coil spring fractured or broken, shock absorbers has a serious fluid leak, ball joint excessively worn and pins and bushes pin or bush excessively worn. 14.5% of failure items.
3
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment
Recorded most often: position lamp not working and headlamp aim too low. 6.3% of failure items.
4
Visibility
Recorded most often: washers provides insufficient washer liquid. 2.6% of failure items.
The car's own MOT history matters more than any model average. A free MOT history check shows whether a specific 5 Series has failed on these items before, or had them noted as advisories. Buying one? See the used BMW 5 Series buying guide.
Already found one?
Check its finance, write-off, theft, mileage and keeper history with a £15 vehicle history report.
BMW 5 Series MOT FAQs
What is the BMW 5 Series MOT pass rate?
79.7% of BMW 5 Series cars passed their initial MOT first time in 2025, from 205,807 tests. That is 7.4 percentage points above the 72.3% average for all cars, and ranks 200th of 575 models.
What does a BMW 5 Series most commonly fail its MOT on?
The item testers recorded most often on BMW 5 Series cars failing their 2025 MOT was tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm, on 6.9% of failure items. Next were coil spring fractured or broken (5.5%) and condition has ply or cords exposed (5.3%).
Which area causes the most BMW 5 Series MOT failures?
Across every recorded failure item, the largest area was tyres at 22%, followed by suspension at 20.8%.
Do older BMW 5 Series cars fail their MOT more often?
BMW 5 Series cars aged 3 to 5 years passed 87.8% of MOT tests in 2025, against 72.6% for cars aged 11 years and over.
Does this mean every BMW 5 Series has these problems?
No. These are the items testers recorded across every BMW 5 Series that failed in 2025. They show where the model most often needs attention, not the condition of any individual car.
How do I see a specific BMW 5 Series's MOT history?
Enter its registration on the free Carpeep MOT history check to see that car's own test results, failures, advisories and recorded mileages.
MOT figures are aggregated from the DVSA MOT Anonymised data set for 2025: class 4 initial tests, retests excluded, with failure items from failed tests (advisories and minor defects excluded), licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. MOT results describe roadworthiness at test, not mechanical reliability.