Used buying checklist

BMW 5 Series reliability, common problems and used buying checks

A used BMW 5 Series looks better than average for reliability in UK MOT data: 12.5% of 83,777 tests failed, compared with 18.7% across all indexed models. A good example should have a clean MOT history for suspension and steering, windscreen, wipers, and mirrors, and lights and electrical.

Sources used: DVSA MOT tests (Apr 2026); vehicle recalls (Apr 2026); MOT fault wording (May 2025). MOT data does not capture every reliability issue, especially intermittent engine, gearbox or infotainment faults that do not appear during the test.

• 12.5% MOT failure rate
• Median tested mileage 59,454 miles
• 10,454 failed MOT tests analysed

Most useful finding

Suspension and steering is the clearest area to check

Suspension and steering is the clearest named problem area in this model's MOT history (5.4 MOT notes per 100 tests). Example MOT phrases from this area include ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt, ball joint excessively worn, and ball joint has excessive play.

Example MOT phrases to search in the car's history:

• ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt
• ball joint excessively worn
• ball joint has excessive play
• Play in steering rack inner joint(s)
• damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view
• provides insufficient washer liquid
• does not clear the windscreen effectively
• Items removed from drivers view prior to test
• slightly twisted
• inoperative in the case of a single lamp or all lamps

Before you view one

Focus on suspension and steering, windscreen, wipers, and mirrors, and lights and electrical

The model's recorded failure rate is 12.5%, -6.2 percentage points compared with the average across all models. Use the seller questions below to check whether repeat MOT notes have actually been repaired.

• MOT tests analysed83,777 tests
• Median tested mileage59,454 miles
• Failed MOT tests10,454

Used buyer verdict

Should you buy a used BMW 5 Series?

87.5% of the MOT tests we analysed for this model passed. The model's recorded failure rate is 12.5%, -6.2 percentage points compared with the average across all models. This is a buying brief for the exact car in front of you: clean repeat history matters more than badge reputation.

Better than average in our MOT data

Green light if The car has a tidy MOT pattern, recent repairs for suspension and steering, windscreen, wipers, and mirrors, and lights and electrical, matching tyres, and paperwork for service or recall work.

Renegotiate if The latest MOT mentions suspension and steering, windscreen, wipers, and mirrors, and lights and electrical, consumables are due together, or the seller cannot show what was fixed after advisories.

Walk away if Dangerous defects, corrosion near structural areas, warning lights, or the same component family keep returning without clear repair evidence.

• Repeat unresolved MOT notes for suspension and steering, windscreen, wipers, and mirrors, and lights and electrical
• suspension and steering appearing across more than one MOT
• Any dangerous MOT failure on the exact car, especially if the same area appears again later
• No paperwork showing applicable recall work has been completed
• A seller who cannot explain MOT wording such as "ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt"

What should I check first?

Start with suspension and steering, windscreen, wipers, and mirrors, lights and electrical, and corrosion and structure. The checklist on this page explains why each area is being recommended, what to inspect, and what to ask the seller. Each item shows whether it comes from MOT results, recall notices, or a standard used-car check.

• Suspension and steering Seen in MOT results

  Suspension and steering is one of the most common MOT problem areas for this model (5.4 MOT notes per 100 tests).

  What to check: Listen for knocks, check uneven tyre wear, and inspect steering play.

  • Ask the seller: Has any suspension, steering, ball-joint, spring, or wheel-bearing advisory been repaired?
  • Example MOT wording: ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt; ball joint excessively worn; ball joint has excessive play
  • Where it shows up: seen across most mileage ranges
• Windscreen, wipers, and mirrors Seen in MOT results

  Windscreen, wipers, and mirrors is one of the most common MOT problem areas for this model (4.9 MOT notes per 100 tests).

  What to check: Check windscreen damage, wiper operation, washers, mirrors, and demisting.

  • Ask the seller: Have windscreen, wiper, washer, mirror, or demisting faults appeared in recent MOT history?
  • Example MOT wording: damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view; provides insufficient washer liquid; does not clear the windscreen effectively
  • Where it shows up: most visible around 0-50k, 50-100k, and 100-150k miles
• Lights and electrical Seen in MOT results

  Lights and electrical is one of the most common MOT problem areas for this model (3.4 MOT notes per 100 tests).

  What to check: Check every lamp, warning light, horn, battery condition, and dashboard messages.

  • Ask the seller: Have any lighting, warning-light, horn, battery, or electrical MOT notes come back more than once?
  • Example MOT wording: slightly twisted; inoperative in the case of a single lamp or all lamps; with a multiple light source more than 1/2 not functioning
  • Where it shows up: seen across most mileage ranges
• Corrosion and structure Seen in MOT results

  Corrosion and structure is one of the most common MOT problem areas for this model (3.1 MOT notes per 100 tests).

  What to check: Inspect sills, subframes, mounting points, arches, and underside corrosion advisories.

  • Ask the seller: Has any sill, subframe, mounting-point, chassis, or structural corrosion advisory been repaired properly?
  • Example MOT wording: prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength; corroded so that its cross sectional area is reduced and seriously weakened; corroded to the extent that the rigidity of the assembly is significantly reduced
  • Where it shows up: most visible around 100-150k, 150-200k, and 200k+ miles
• Emissions, engine, and exhaust Seen in MOT results

  Emissions, engine, and exhaust is one of the most common MOT problem areas for this model (2.7 MOT notes per 100 tests).

  What to check: Check warning lights, smoke, exhaust leaks, recent emissions failures, and service history.

  • Ask the seller: Has the car had repeat emissions, smoke, exhaust, lambda, or engine-warning MOT failures?
  • Example MOT wording: leaking excessively from engine; has a major leak of exhaust gases; emissions exceed manufacturer's specified limit
  • Where it shows up: most visible around 150-200k and 200k+ miles
• Tyres and wheels Seen in MOT results

  Tyres and wheels is one of the most common MOT problem areas for this model (2.1 MOT notes per 100 tests).

  What to check: Check tyre age, tread depth, sidewall damage, wheel condition, and alignment wear.

  • Ask the seller: Have uneven tyre wear, damaged tyres, wheel damage, or alignment issues been corrected?
  • Example MOT wording: Nail in tyre; Spare tyre defective; on a single line braking system has inadequate effort at a wheel
  • Where it shows up: most visible around 0-50k and 50-100k miles

What changes with mileage?

Past 100k miles on the BMW 5 Series, MOT records most often point to suspension and steering, corrosion and structure, and windscreen, wipers, and mirrors.

Common MOT problem areas

83,777 MOT tests analysed for this model

68,092 Distinct vehicles represented

12.5% Recorded MOT test failure rate — -6.2 percentage points vs all models

Common faults: what usually fails on this model?

Suspension and steering is the clearest named problem area in the MOT history (5.4 MOT notes per 100 tests). These counts are issue notes, not failure rates, because a single MOT can list several faults.

Suspension and steering

• ball joint dust cover no longer prevents the ingress of dirt
• ball joint excessively worn

5.4 MOT notes per 100 tests

Windscreen, wipers, and mirrors

• damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view
• provides insufficient washer liquid

4.9 MOT notes per 100 tests

Lights and electrical

• slightly twisted
• inoperative in the case of a single lamp or all lamps

3.4 MOT notes per 100 tests

Corrosion and structure

• prescribed area excessively corroded significantly reducing structural strength
• corroded so that its cross sectional area is reduced and seriously weakened

3.1 MOT notes per 100 tests

Emissions, engine, and exhaust

• leaking excessively from engine
• has a major leak of exhaust gases

2.7 MOT notes per 100 tests

Tyres and wheels

• Nail in tyre
• Spare tyre defective

2.1 MOT notes per 100 tests

Brakes

• remains on when the brakes are released
• has insufficient reserve pressure/vacuum to provide assistance for at least four more brake applications after the warning device has operated (or gauge shows an unsafe reading)

0.0 MOT notes per 100 tests

Recall-related areas to verify

Official recall areas

Manufacturer recall notices for the BMW 5 Series mainly involve 6 areas: emissions, engine, and exhaust, mixed recall notices, lights and electrical, and seatbelts and safety systems. Treat each as something to verify on the specific car you are viewing; the recall table below shows the official notice text.

Emissions, engine, and exhaust

• The obd software could misinterpret certain input parameters for the engine mangement system
• The exhaust gas recirculation cooler could leak over time

23 recalls · 1,576,351 vehicles

Mixed recall notices

• Program control units (CoC documents)
• The rear drive shafts may not fulfil the durability requirements

14 recalls · 61,080 vehicles

Lights and electrical

• The battery cables on the 48v starter generator may not have been sufficiently secured during production
• Remaining particles in the cells of the high voltage battery can cause a short circuit

12 recalls · 432,633 vehicles

Seatbelts and safety systems

• The material quality of the screws used for seat belts and rear seats may not be to specifications.
• A microprocessor fault in the airbag control unit can lead to faulty operating conditions

8 recalls · 229,164 vehicles

Suspension and steering

• Thermal ageing of inline fuse located on the front right spring strut dome
• Steering rack might lock

6 recalls · 15,974 vehicles

Brakes

• Affected vehicles may be fitted with brake discs which are not to specification
• Brake switch may be activated permanently

5 recalls · 17,635 vehicles

Mileage and age checks

Mileage changes: what starts showing up after high mileage?

Past 100k miles on the BMW 5 Series, MOT records most often point to suspension and steering, corrosion and structure, and windscreen, wipers, and mirrors. On lower-mileage cars, the most common named areas are windscreen, wipers, and mirrors, tyres and wheels, and lights and electrical.

Mileage range	Tests	Vehicles	Failure rate (vs all models)	Median mileage
0-50k	33,122	28,152	8.7%-2.2 percentage points vs all models	34,126 miles
50-100k	29,194	23,716	12.4%-8.3 percentage points vs all models	68,574 miles
100-150k	13,247	10,409	17.9%-8.3 percentage points vs all models	120,649 miles
150-200k	5,563	4,343	20.2%-7.1 percentage points vs all models	168,098 miles
200k+	1,433	1,133	20.9%-5.7 percentage points vs all models	218,768 miles

Problem areas by mileage

Past 100k miles on the BMW 5 Series, MOT records most often point to suspension and steering, corrosion and structure, and windscreen, wipers, and mirrors.

Mileage range	Car areas most often recorded	Specific MOT defect examples
0-50k	Windscreen, wipers, and mirrors (2.8 MOT notes per 100 tests) Tyres and wheels (2.3 MOT notes per 100 tests) Lights and electrical (0.7 MOT notes per 100 tests)	No exact MOT wording is available for this mileage range.
50-100k	Windscreen, wipers, and mirrors (4.9 MOT notes per 100 tests) Tyres and wheels (2.1 MOT notes per 100 tests) Suspension and steering (2.1 MOT notes per 100 tests)	No exact MOT wording is available for this mileage range.
100-150k	Suspension and steering (13.8 MOT notes per 100 tests) Corrosion and structure (8.0 MOT notes per 100 tests) Windscreen, wipers, and mirrors (7.6 MOT notes per 100 tests)	No exact MOT wording is available for this mileage range.
150-200k	Suspension and steering (25.9 MOT notes per 100 tests) Corrosion and structure (15.1 MOT notes per 100 tests) Emissions, engine, and exhaust (15.0 MOT notes per 100 tests)	No exact MOT wording is available for this mileage range.
200k+	Suspension and steering (36.2 MOT notes per 100 tests) Emissions, engine, and exhaust (23.4 MOT notes per 100 tests) Lights and electrical (21.4 MOT notes per 100 tests)	No exact MOT wording is available for this mileage range.

Fair comparisons: is this problem normal for its age?

The MOT failure rate rises from 9.8% at 0-3 years to 22.1% at 15+ years. Compare the car with the nearest age range before treating a fault as normal wear or a warning sign. The average MOT failure rate across all models in the same dataset is 18.7%. The highest failure rate by age is 22.1% for 15+ years cars, based on 5,340 tests.

Age range	Tests	Vehicles	Failure rate (vs all models)	Median age
0-3 years 2023–2026 reg.	3,700	3,272	9.8%+1.3 percentage points vs all models	3.0 years
3-6 years 2020–2023 reg.	50,323	41,507	9.8%-0.8 percentage points vs all models	4.9 years
6-10 years 2016–2020 reg.	8,484	7,247	12.8%-3.8 percentage points vs all models	6.4 years
10-15 years 2011–2016 reg.	15,930	12,738	18.3%-5.3 percentage points vs all models	10.9 years
15+ years pre-2011 reg.	5,340	4,131	22.1%-3.8 percentage points vs all models	17.1 years

Recall records and data freshness

Recall context: are there safety notices to know about?

6 relevant recall notices appear for this model. Treat them as safety checks to verify for the exact car, not as normal MOT wear.

2025-11-28	Program control units (CoC documents) A quality check has revealed that the affected G61 vehicles software does not reflect the associated CoC documentation. To ensure your vehicle is in perfect working order we would like to program the control units to adapt the vehicle's software level to the CoC documents. as soon as possible. Naturally this work will be free of charge.
2022-03-28	THE OBD SOFTWARE COULD MISINTERPRET CERTAIN INPUT PARAMETERS FOR THE ENGINE MANGEMENT SYSTEM During a service visit the affected vehicles have been updated with software that could misinterpret certain input parameters for the engine management system. The control units will be reprogrammed with an improved version of software.
2021-12-29	THE MATERIAL QUALITY OF THE SCREWS USED FOR SEAT BELTS AND REAR SEATS MAY NOT BE TO SPECIFICATIONS. The material quality of seat and seatbelt screws may not be according to specification. On the affected vehicles the screws will be replaced in specific locations on the seat belts or rear seats.
2021-10-25	THERMAL AGEING OF INLINE FUSE LOCATED ON THE FRONT RIGHT SPRING STRUT DOME Thermal ageing of an inline fuse located on the front right spring strut dome. Modify the circuit to a later specification and replace the fuse.
2021-06-21	A MICROPROCESSOR FAULT IN THE AIRBAG CONTROL UNIT CAN LEAD TO FAULTY OPERATING CONDITIONS A microprocessor fault in the airbag control unit can lead to faulty operating conditions. The airbag control unit will be replaced.
2021-03-29	THE REAR DRIVE SHAFTS MAY NOT FULFIL THE DURABILITY REQUIREMENTS The rear drive shafts may not fulfil the durability requirements. On the affected vehicles one or both output shafts will be replaced.

Related searches

Common ways people look up the BMW 5 Series. Each link runs the search and lands on the relevant section of this report.

• BMW 5 Series common problems
• BMW 5 Series reliability
• BMW 5 Series after 100k miles
• BMW 5 Series after 200k miles
• BMW 5 Series high mileage common problems
• BMW 5 Series age related problems
• BMW 5 Series MOT failures
• BMW 5 Series recalls

Related reliability guides

Sources used: DVSA MOT tests (Apr 2026); vehicle recalls (Apr 2026); MOT fault wording (May 2025). These are patterns from many MOT tests and recall notices. They help you decide what to inspect and what to ask; they do not certify the condition of one specific car.