Photo: Vauxford, CC BY-SA 4.0
BMW
1,275 MOT tests analysed. sits above the UK fleet average — here's where 520i M Sport Mhev Autos pass, fail, and end up on the retest sheet.
That's 15.2 points above the UK fleet average across our 1,984 tracked models — a confident result.
Pass
92.7%
Pass-after-fix
0.4%
Fail
6.6%
Avg miles
27,378
Pass + Pass-after-fix + Fail = 100%
Petrol cars first registered from January 2006 meet Euro 4 — compliant in London ULEZ, Birmingham CAZ, Bristol CAZ, and Glasgow LEZ.
Performance by cohort
2 year bands · 1,275 tests
Pass rate climbs 2.2 points across the cohorts — newer 520i M Sport Mhev Auto examples clear the test more reliably than the early cars.
Pass
90.9%
Fail
7.2%
PRS
1.0%
Avg mileage at test
32,181 mi
Pass
93.1%
Fail
6.5%
PRS
0.3%
Avg mileage at test
26,435 mi
Cohort = vehicle's first-registration year band. Same model, different generations of build.
The picture
Across 1,275 MOT tests, the 520i M Sport Mhev Auto returns 92.7% first-time pass — comfortably ahead of the UK fleet average. The single most-logged Major fail is a seriously damaged tyre. Windscreen damage and a tyre with the cords showing round out the top three. Average tested mileage sits at 27,378, which is the lens to read those failure rankings through. If you own one and the next test is close, the ranked list below is a sensible pre-test checklist.
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A tyre seriously damaged
32 occurrences · 2.5% of tests
Windscreen or window damaged or seriously discoloured but not adversely affecting driver's view
29 occurrences · 2.3% of tests
A tyre cords visible or damaged
13 occurrences · 1.0% of tests
Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements
12 occurrences · 0.9% of tests
A tyre seriously damaged
10 occurrences · 0.8% of tests
Wiper blade defective
6 occurrences · 0.5% of tests
Any fracture or welding defect on a wheel
4 occurrences · 0.3% of tests
A tyre has a lump, bulge or tear caused by separation or partial failure of its structure. This includes any lifting of the tread rubber
3 occurrences · 0.2% of tests
A tyre seriously damaged
3 occurrences · 0.2% of tests
A lens defective which has no effect on emitted light
2 occurrences · 0.2% 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 520i M Sport Mhev Auto'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 →
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Build your own retest budget.
Year-band analysis
First-time MOT pass rate split by registration band. A 2.1-point gap between bands is modest — the year you buy BMW 520i M Sport Mhev Auto makes a small but real difference to MOT outcomes.
Best band to buy
93.1%
2021+ registration
the 2021-on band climbs to 93.1% — a 2.1-point improvement. Tests in this band average 26,435 miles — roughly 6K miles fewer on the clock than the older band. Failures here are mostly wear items: damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view, has a cut in excess of the… — 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
90.9%
2018–2020 registration
On the 2018–2020 band, the data shows a 90.9% pass rate against a fleet average of 93.1% on the newer band. The main culprits logged at test: has a cut in excess of the…, has ply or cords exposed, and has a bulge, caused by separation or…. Average mileage on test for this band is 32,181 miles — high-mileage wear items are a recurring theme.
Best band to buy: 2021+ (93.1% first-time pass). Worst band to avoid: 2018-2020 (90.9% pass). That's a 2.1-point spread across 209 older tests and 1,066 newer ones — year of build makes a material difference on this model.
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.
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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 520i M Sport Mhev Auto 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.