The MOT Files

Known faults, from the test record

BMW 5 Series common problems

What fails on the BMW 5 Series at MOT, which parts are behind it, and how each model year compares. From 205,791 DVSA test records.

Data updated

Quick answer

The BMW 5 Series's most common MOT problems are tyres, suspension bushes, bulbs and lamps, recorded in 47.9%, 21.6% and 15.7% of failed tests respectively. By model year, 2020 cars pass most often (87.8%) and 2003 cars least (65.9%), though most of that gap is age. Every figure here is what testers recorded, not what owners reported.

A “common problems” list is usually a forum thread: whoever had the worst day writes the longest post. This one is built the other way, from every BMW 5 Series that took an MOT last year and what the tester wrote down. It cannot see breakdowns, electrical gremlins or a gearbox that hunts, because the test does not check those. What it can see, it sees across 205,791 cars.

By component

What wears out on a 5 Series

Failure items grouped by the part behind them, with the share of failed BMW 5 Series tests recording each. A part can carry several DVSA wordings; they are listed beneath. One failed test often lists several items, so shares do not sum to 100%.

  1. 1.Tyres

    47.9% of failed tests

    Tread wears with every mile and sidewalls age and take kerb damage; the legal minimum is 1.6 mm across the central three-quarters.

    • “Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements” — explained16.4%
    • “A tyre cords visible or damaged” — explained13.0%
    • “A tyre seriously damaged” — explained10.8%
    • “A tyre seriously damaged” — explained4.7%

    Across all cars, tyres failures run at a similar rate at every age, because they are replaced on a cycle rather than wearing out with the car. How long tyres last

  2. 2.Suspension bushes

    21.6% of failed tests

    Rubber bushes in arms and links perish and split with age and load; the most recorded suspension item on the test.

    • “A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn” — explained6.1%
    • “A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn” — explained5.4%
    • “A suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc” — explained4.6%
    • “A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn” — explained2.0%

    Across all cars, suspension bushes failures climb 20-fold between three and fifteen years, peaking at 15+ years. How long suspension bushes last

  3. 3.Bulbs and lamps

    15.7% of failed tests

    Filament bulbs simply expire; the cheapest and most avoidable failure on the test, and one of the most recorded.

    • “A lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning” — explained7.8%
    • “A direction indicator lamp missing, inoperative or in the case of a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning” — explained3.3%
    • “A headlamp or light source missing, inoperative or more than ½ not functioning in the case of LED” — explained3.2%
    • “Headlamp levelling device inoperative” — explained1.5%

    Across all cars, bulbs and lamps failures climb 15-fold between three and fifteen years, peaking at 15+ years. How long bulbs and lamps last

  4. 4.Coil springs

    13.7% of failed tests

    Springs fatigue and corrode where the coating chips, then snap, often at the bottom coil; potholes and salt accelerate it.

    • “A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened” — explained13.7%

    Across all cars, coil springs failures climb 20-fold between three and fifteen years, peaking at 12–14 years. How long coil springs last

  5. 5.Wiper blades and washers

    10.7% of failed tests

    Rubber blades harden and split within a year or two; washer jets block and pumps fail.

    • “Wiper blade missing or obviously not clearing the windscreen” — explained4.4%
    • “Windscreen washers not working or not providing sufficient fluid to clear the windscreen” — explained3.8%
    • “Windscreen washers not working or not providing sufficient fluid to clear the windscreen” — explained2.5%

    Across all cars, wiper blades and washers failures run at a similar rate at every age, because they are replaced on a cycle rather than wearing out with the car. How long wiper blades and washers last

  6. 6.Shock absorbers

    8.9% of failed tests

    Seals wear and the damper leaks fluid or loses its action; failure is for a leak or no damping, not for being tired.

    • “A shock absorber damaged to the extent that it does not function or showing signs of severe leakage” — explained8.9%

    Across all cars, shock absorbers failures climb 7-fold between three and fifteen years, peaking at 15+ years. How long shock absorbers last

  7. 7.Wheels and fixings

    7.6% of failed tests

    Rims crack or distort on potholes and kerbs; a missing or loose wheel nut is a fitting error rather than wear.

    • “Any fracture or welding defect on a wheel” — explained3.9%
    • “A wheel with a loose or missing wheel nut, bolt or stud” — explained3.6%

  8. 8.Headlamp aim

    7.5% of failed tests

    Aim drifts with sagging suspension, a knocked lamp or a botched bulb change; adjustment, not a part.

    • “The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements” — explained3.1%
    • “The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements” — explained3.0%
    • “The aim of a headlamp is not within limits laid down in the requirements” — explained1.5%

By registration year

5 Series problems by year

MOT pass rate for BMW 5 Series cars by the year they were first registered, from years with at least 1,000 tests. Every car in a row is the same age, so the rate is raw. Neighbouring years differ by a year of wear — a step of a point or two is age. The step at 2014, up 5.0 points, is larger than wear explains and most likely marks a change in the cars themselves.

200167%
200267%+0.7
200366%−1.4
200468%+2.2
200569%+0.4
200668%−0.1
200769%+1.0
200872%+2.8
200971%−1.1
201073%+2.4
201175%+1.1
201273%−1.3
201376%+2.7
201481%+5.0
201584%+2.6
201685%+1.3
201785%−0.3
201887%+2.0
201988%+1.0
202088%+0.3
202188%−0.0
202287%−1.1

Last column: change on the previous year, in points. Years registered within the last three years have not yet been tested and are not shown.

Before it fails

What testers warn 5 Series owners about

Advisories are the same parts a year or two earlier. Share of all BMW 5 Series tests carrying an advisory for each.

Go deeper

The rest of the 5 Series file

Common questions

What are the most common problems with a BMW 5 Series?
Going by what fails the MOT, tyres (recorded in 47.9% of failed tests), suspension bushes (recorded in 21.6% of failed tests), and bulbs and lamps (recorded in 15.7% of failed tests). These are the items testers actually record across 205,791 tests, not reports from owners, so they describe what goes wrong at the point where it has to be fixed.
Which BMW 5 Series year is the most reliable?
By MOT pass rate, BMW 5 Series cars registered in 2020 do best at 87.8% and 2003 cars do worst at 65.9%. Most of that ordering is simply age — newer cars pass more — so read the year table for steps larger than a couple of points between neighbouring years; those mark a change in the cars rather than the calendar. The largest such step is at 2014, up 5.0 points on 2013.
Is the BMW 5 Series reliable?
Adjusted for the age and mileage of the cars tested, the BMW 5 Series passes 82.0% of MOTs against a national 72.3%. An MOT measures roadworthiness on the day rather than breakdowns or running costs, so this is a reliability measure in the narrow sense: how often the car meets the legal standard, and what stops it.
What should I check when buying a used BMW 5 Series?
Start with what fails most: tyres, suspension bushes, bulbs and lamps. Then read the car's own MOT history for advisories carried year to year without repair — the model tells you what to expect, the history tells you whether this owner dealt with it.

Analysis built from DVSA data of