MOT cost .
BMW 5 Series
MOT 2024

Wikimedia Commons — CC-BY-SA (image-specific)

BMW

5 Series

155,960 MOT tests analysed. sits above the UK fleet average — here's where 5 Seriess pass, fail, and end up on the retest sheet.

That's 9.6 points above the UK fleet average across our 1,984 tracked models — a confident result.

Pass

87.2%

Pass-after-fix

1.9%

Fail

10.4%

Avg miles

77,147

Pass + Pass-after-fix + Fail = 100%

ULEZ borderline — check VRM

Some examples of this model are borderline — a small number of diesels were certified Euro 6 before September 2015. Check your registration on the government's ULEZ checker to be certain. Daily charges if driven in the zone: London £12.50 · Birmingham £8.00 · Bristol £9.00 .

UK ULEZ & CAZ guide →

Performance by cohort

3 year bands · 155,960 tests

Pass rate climbs 9.0 points across the cohorts — newer 5 Series examples clear the test more reliably than the early cars.

Pre-2018 cohort 80,312

Pass

84.0%

Fail

12.8%

PRS

2.5%

Avg mileage at test

99,499 mi

2018–2020 cohort 70,796

Pass

90.3%

Fail

7.9%

PRS

1.3%

Avg mileage at test

54,682 mi

2021+ cohort 4,852

Pass

92.9%

Fail

5.5%

PRS

1.0%

Avg mileage at test

34,497 mi

Cohort = vehicle's first-registration year band. Same model, different generations of build.

The picture

BMW 5 Series: solid MOT record across 83,777 tests

The BMW 5 Series is an executive car manufactured and marketed by BMW since 1972. It is the successor to the BMW New Class sedans and is currently in its eighth generation.

MOT data from 83,777 tests puts this car on a 85.0% first-time pass rate, above the UK fleet average. Average mileage at test is 73,334 miles. The most common fail item is cracked or discoloured windscreen, followed by tyre tread below the legal limit.

For used buyers, the 5 Series's pass rate suggests it clears the MOT with fewer surprises than most — but the top failure items above are still worth a pre-purchase inspection, particularly on higher-mileage examples.

ABI Insurance Group

Group 32–46

A high-group car — insurance costs will be significantly above average. Lower groups cost less to insure; UK fleet average is around Group 22.

Source: ABI Group Rating Panel · administered by Thatcham Research · groups cover standard variants; performance trims may sit higher. Browse all insurance groups →

32–46

out of 50

Compare quotes →

Top ten reasons for rejection.

Filter failures:

  1. 01

    Windscreen or window damaged or seriously discoloured but not adversely affecting driver's view

    3,139 occurrences · 2.0% of tests

  2. 02

    Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements

    2,149 occurrences · 1.4% of tests

  3. 03

    A tyre seriously damaged

    1,971 occurrences · 1.3% of tests

  4. 04

    A tyre cords visible or damaged

    1,858 occurrences · 1.2% of tests

  5. 05

    A shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage

    1,230 occurrences · 0.8% of tests

  6. 06

    A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened

    1,114 occurrences · 0.7% of tests

  7. 07

    A tyre seriously damaged

    1,060 occurrences · 0.7% of tests

  8. 08

    A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning

    825 occurrences · 0.5% of tests

  9. 09

    A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot severely deteriorated

    815 occurrences · 0.5% of tests

  10. 10

    Wiper blade defective

    701 occurrences · 0.4% of tests

Counts cover Major and Dangerous defects logged at test. Advisory items excluded so this shows why a car was rejected, not just what the tester flagged in passing.

Worst-case fix budget · top 2 failures

£120–£190

If every one of this 5 Series's most-logged Major fails hit at the same MOT, that's the real-world UK garage range. Reality is usually one or two items, not all of them. Open the estimator →

Try the calculator

Build your own retest budget.

Year-band analysis

Best year to buy. Worst to avoid.

First-time MOT pass rate split by registration band. A 8.9-point gap between bands means the year you buy BMW 5 Series has a real effect on what turns up at the garage.

Best band to buy

92.9%

2021+ registration

the 2021-on band climbs to 92.9% — a 8.9-point improvement. Tests in this band average 34,497 miles — roughly 65K miles fewer on the clock than the older band. Failures here are mostly wear items: has a cut in excess of the…, damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view — the structural issues that drag down older examples don't appear in the top-10 for this band. Post-2020 examples are early in their MOT life and generally show the cleanest records.

Band to be cautious about

84.0%

Pre-2018 registration

On the older band (pre-2018), the data shows a 84.0% pass rate against a fleet average of 92.9% on the newer band. The main culprits logged at test: damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view, tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm, and fractured or broken. Average mileage on test for this band is 99,499 miles — high-mileage wear items are a recurring theme.

Best band to buy: 2021+ (92.9% first-time pass). Worst band to avoid: pre-2018 (84.0% pass). That's a 8.9-point spread across 80,312 older tests and 4,852 newer ones — year of build makes a material difference on this model.

Year-spread leaderboard →

Tools that pre-empt a retest.

Picked against this car's top failure patterns. Affiliate links to Amazon UK — we earn a small cut at no cost to you. Disclosed up-front, doesn't shape the data.

Item 01 · Amazon UK

Digital tyre-tread depth gauge

Five quid for a gauge beats £150 for a retest. UK MOT minimum is 1.6mm — most testers fail anything below 2mm to be safe.

Search Amazon UK

My Motor World · affiliate

Parts & supplies for this fix

Affiliate links — small commission, no extra cost to you.

Summit ADRG-640 BMW Replacement Stick-On Tinted Mirror Glass LHS

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Summit ADRG-640 BMW Replacement Stick-On Tinted Mirror Glass LHS

£10.99

View at My Motor World →

Summit ADRG-904 BMW Replacement Stick-On Tinted Mirror Glass RHS

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Summit ADRG-904 BMW Replacement Stick-On Tinted Mirror Glass RHS

£10.99

View at My Motor World →

Summit ADRG-905 BMW Replacement Stick-On Tinted Mirror Glass LHS

Summit

Summit ADRG-905 BMW Replacement Stick-On Tinted Mirror Glass LHS

£10.99

View at My Motor World →

Draper Expert Oil Filter Socket for Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche and VW

Draper Expert

Draper Expert Oil Filter Socket for Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche and VW

£18.69

View at My Motor World →

Click Mechanic · affiliate

Book a mobile mechanic

Affiliate links — small commission, no extra cost to you.

Mobile mechanic · UK-wide

Book a mechanic at your door.

Fixed-price quotes upfront. No garage needed. Click Mechanic sends a vetted local mechanic to you — home, work, or roadside.

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Recall history

69 UK recalls on record.

The 5 Series has 69 official UK vehicle recalls covering defect details, remedies, and affected build dates.

See all recalls

Buying or keeping a 5 Series?

Use the failure ranking as a pre-test checklist or a haggling lever. Treat the headline pass rate as a fleet-wide trend, not a guarantee on any individual car.

If you own a 5 Series and your last MOT looked nothing like the ranked failures above, that's normal — individual cars vary widely. The ranking shows the patterns testers flag most often across the country.