BMW
10,085 MOT tests analysed. sits above the UK fleet average — here's where M5s pass, fail, and end up on the retest sheet.
That's 13.5 points above the UK fleet average across our 1,984 tracked models — a confident result.
Pass
91.0%
Pass-after-fix
1.6%
Fail
6.7%
Avg miles
77,638
Pass + Pass-after-fix + Fail = 100%
This model's production run straddles the January 2006 Euro 4 cutoff. Individual cars vary — check your registration plate on the government's ULEZ checker. Daily charges if driven in the zone: London £12.50 · Birmingham £8.00 .
Performance by cohort
2 year bands · 10,042 tests
Pass rate climbs 4.3 points across the cohorts — newer M5 examples clear the test more reliably than the early cars.
Pass
90.8%
Fail
6.8%
PRS
1.6%
Avg mileage at test
79,079 mi
Pass
95.1%
Fail
4.9%
PRS
0.0%
Avg mileage at test
39,298 mi
Cohort = vehicle's first-registration year band. Same model, different generations of build.
The picture
Across 4,466 MOT tests, the M5 returns 86.5% first-time pass — comfortably ahead of the UK fleet average. The single most-logged Major fail is windscreen damage. A tyre with the cords showing and a broken or weak spring round out the top three. Average tested mileage sits at 80,077, 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.
ABI Insurance Group
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 →
48–50
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Windscreen or window damaged or seriously discoloured but not adversely affecting driver's view
192 occurrences · 1.9% of tests
A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened
85 occurrences · 0.8% of tests
A tyre seriously damaged
58 occurrences · 0.6% of tests
A tyre cords visible or damaged
57 occurrences · 0.6% of tests
A suspension joint dust cover severely deteriorated
55 occurrences · 0.5% of tests
Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements
54 occurrences · 0.5% of tests
Headlamp reflector or lens slightly defective
54 occurrences · 0.5% of tests
Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen
34 occurrences · 0.3% of tests
Emissions levels exceed the manufacturer's specified limits
32 occurrences · 0.3% of tests
Emissions levels exceed default limits
32 occurrences · 0.3% 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 3 failures
£220–£575
If every one of this M5'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 4.3-point gap between bands means the year you buy BMW M5 has a real effect on what turns up at the garage.
Best band to buy
95.1%
2018–2020 registration
the 2018–2020 band climbs to 95.1% — a 4.3-point improvement. Tests in this band average 39,298 miles — roughly 40K miles fewer on the clock than the older band. Failures here are mostly wear items: carbon monoxide content after 2nd fast idle exceeds manufacturer's specified limits, carbon monoxide content at idle exceeds manufacturer's… — the structural issues that drag down older examples don't appear in the top-10 for this band. The stricter post-2018 MOT test rules meant manufacturers had to tighten up emissions and electrical checks, but this band still shows far fewer major failures on suspension and bodywork than the older fleet.
Band to be cautious about
90.8%
Pre-2018 registration
On the older band (pre-2018), the data shows a 90.8% pass rate against a fleet average of 95.1% on the newer band. The main culprits logged at test: damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view, fractured or broken, and has ply or cords exposed. Average mileage on test for this band is 79,079 miles — high-mileage wear items are a recurring theme.
Best band to buy: 2018-2020 (95.1% first-time pass). Worst band to avoid: pre-2018 (90.8% pass). That's a 4.3-point spread across 9,715 older tests and 327 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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Recall history
The M5 has 10 official UK vehicle recalls covering defect details, remedies, and affected build dates.
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 an M5 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.
