BMW 520 MOT Pass Rate & Official DVSA Failure Statistics

BMW 520 MOT History and Failure Rates vs UK National Average

The BMW 520 passed on its first attempt in 80.8%, and its overall record sits +2.5 percentage points above the national average for all cars. These figures come from every recorded DVSA MOT test for the BMW 520 in the 2023–2025 data: 266,397 tests across 21 model years (2000–2020). 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 520 MOT Problems by Failure Category

Every MOT failure a tester records belongs to one inspection section of the DVSA manual. For the BMW 520, the Suspension 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 520's recorded defect strings, merged across its year pages.

Top Recorded BMW 520 DVSA MOT Test Statistics & Defect Descriptions

The descriptions below are the exact DVSA failure strings testers recorded most often for the BMW 520, each with how many of the model's 266,397 tests it was noted on.

• "Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view" (Minor) — noted on about 9,633 BMW 520 tests, 3.6% of the model's MOT record.
• "Coil spring fractured or broken" (Major) — noted on about 6,359 BMW 520 tests, 2.4% of the model's MOT record.
• "Position lamp not working" (Major) — noted on about 3,701 BMW 520 tests, 1.4% of the model's MOT record.
• "Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm" (Major) — noted on about 3,353 BMW 520 tests, 1.3% of the model's MOT record.
• "Ball joint excessively worn" (Major) — noted on about 2,276 BMW 520 tests, 0.9% of the model's MOT record.
• "Registration plate lamp(s) inoperative in the case of multiple lamps or light sources" (Minor) — noted on about 2,233 BMW 520 tests, 0.8% of the model's MOT record.

Best and Worst BMW 520 Model Years by Pass Rate

The strongest BMW 520 model year on record is 2019 (91.7% across 385 tests), and the weakest is 2005 (74.1%). The gap between them is 17.6 points. Years with fewer than 50 recorded tests are excluded, so these are the years with enough MOT history to mean something.

BMW 520 reliability is improving in the DVSA data — the pass rate moves about 0.8 points a year across the most recent model years shown above.

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

Pre-MOT Inspection Checklist for BMW 520 Owners

These checks follow this BMW 520's own most-recorded failure strings, starting with what a tester is most likely to flag on a BMW 520.

• 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 lights — “position lamp not working”

  Switch everything on and walk round the car: both headlamps on dip and main, every indicator, both brake lights, reverse, fog and the two number-plate lamps. A bulb is a few pounds and a five-minute job.

Derived from the DVSA failure strings testers recorded for the BMW 520. A check that finds nothing means the item is likely fine, not that the test is guaranteed.

Where the BMW 520 is most common

Across every 520 model year on record (2000–2020): 117,227 BMW 520 cars tested in a recordable postcode area, across 266,372 tests. Birmingham (B) has the most, with 5,397 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 520 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 520 MOT & Reliability