BMW 518 MOT Pass Rate & Official DVSA Failure Statistics

BMW 518 MOT History and Failure Rates vs UK National Average

The BMW 518 passed on its first attempt in 84.1%, and its overall record sits +5.0 percentage points above the national average for all cars. These figures come from every recorded DVSA MOT test for the BMW 518 in the 2023–2025 data: 7,213 tests across 5 model years (2013–2017). A test still carries exactly one pass or fail verdict.

Figures are computed from every recorded DVSA test for this model in the 2023–2025 data.

Most Common BMW 518 MOT Problems by Failure Category

Every MOT failure a tester records belongs to one inspection section of the DVSA manual. For the BMW 518, the Visibility section leads the record — the breakdown below shows where the recorded failures cluster, then the exact strings behind the three biggest sections.

Shares are over the BMW 518's recorded defect strings, merged across its year pages.

Top Recorded BMW 518 DVSA MOT Test Statistics & Defect Descriptions

The descriptions below are the exact DVSA failure strings testers recorded most often for the BMW 518, each with how many of the model's 7,213 tests it was noted on.

• "Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view" (Minor) — noted on about 219 BMW 518 tests, 3.0% of the model's MOT record.
• "Coil spring fractured or broken" (Major) — noted on about 143 BMW 518 tests, 2.0% of the model's MOT record.
• "Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm" (Major) — noted on about 117 BMW 518 tests, 1.6% of the model's MOT record.
• "Wipers does not clear the windscreen effectively" (Major) — noted on about 86 BMW 518 tests, 1.2% of the model's MOT record.
• "Has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords" (Major) — noted on about 86 BMW 518 tests, 1.2% of the model's MOT record.
• "Has ply or cords exposed" (Major) — noted on about 81 BMW 518 tests, 1.1% of the model's MOT record.

Best and Worst BMW 518 Model Years by Pass Rate

The strongest BMW 518 model year on record is 2016 (89.0% across 1,027 tests), and the weakest is 2017 (80.0%). The gap between them is 9.0 points. Years with fewer than 50 recorded tests are excluded, so these are the years with enough MOT history to mean something.

Newest model year first. Only years with at least 50 recorded tests are listed.

Pre-MOT Inspection Checklist for BMW 518 Owners

These checks follow this BMW 518's own most-recorded failure strings, starting with what a tester is most likely to flag on a BMW 518.

• the windscreen — “windscreen damaged”

  Check the driver’s side of the screen within the swept area for chips and cracks; anything larger than 10mm in the driver’s central view is a fail. Most chips can be resin-repaired for far less than a new screen.

• the coil springs — “coil spring fractured or broken”

  Look up inside each wheel arch with a torch, all the way round the spring. A snapped spring usually breaks at the very bottom coil, where a quick glance will not reach.

• the tyre tread — “tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm”

  Check all four tyres cold, including the inner shoulder where wear hides — 1.6mm across the central three-quarters is the legal limit, and most testers fail at 1.6mm without argument.

Derived from the DVSA failure strings testers recorded for the BMW 518. A check that finds nothing means the item is likely fine, not that the test is guaranteed.

Where the BMW 518 is most common

Across every 518 model year on record (2013–2017): 3,145 BMW 518 cars tested in a recordable postcode area, across 7,213 tests. Birmingham (B) has the most, with 197 cars tested there. Cars are counted by the postcode area of the MOT station, so this is where they were tested, not necessarily where their owners live.

The twenty areas with the most BMW 518 cars in the record, sorted by car count — sort the columns for a different question. Cars tested at a station whose postcode area could not be resolved are counted in the model's total but in no area, so the shares add up to slightly under 100% even across every area, and an area's cars are a subset of the model's. Pass rate is blank below 30 tests in an area, where a percentage is noise rather than a finding. How this model's pass rate varies by postcode →

Frequently Asked Questions: BMW 518 MOT & Reliability