Pass rate
82.5%
Around average — 3.5 pts behind the 86.0% that cars this age and mileage manage.
Across 97 recorded tests.
Typical repair bill £24–£56
2017 BMW 528 MOT pass rate
- 2017
- typical 59,131 mi
Only 97 tests of this exact model and year are in the DVSA data, below the 100 we ask for before a page goes in the index. The figures are still shown, because they are the only ones there are.
Check your postcode
Most common fault
Tyres
37.1% of faults · 19.8% nationally
mostly tread below the limit, cuts and sidewall bulges.
Which year to buy
- Best 2015 90.0% pass
- Avoid 2000 75.4% pass
Across the 9 years on record, a spread of 14.6 points. See every year →
- First-attempt pass
- 78.8%
- Typical mileage
- 59k mi
The 2017 BMW 528 MOT pass rate is 82.5% of its MOT tests — 3.5 points behind what its age and mileage predict. Tyres is the biggest single reason it fails, at 37.1% of what testers record.
Expert verdict
Tyres: 1.9× the national share
Tyres make up 37.1% of everything recorded on the 2017 BMW 528, against 19.8% nationally — 17.3 points above. Check all four tyres yourself, including the inner shoulders, and look at the date stamp — a tyre can pass on tread and still be six years old.
- Falls short of its own age and mileage. Like-for-like, cars this age and mileage expect about 86.0%; this one manages 82.5% — 3.5 points below. Age is a fair excuse; this is not age.
- When it fails, it costs. Only 35% of this model’s typical repairs come in under £30 in parts — the failures here tend to be the kind that need a garage rather than a bulb.
Written from this page's own figures: fault shares against the national composition, the like-for-like pass rate, and the priced repair list. How these are worked out
Watching a BMW 528? Get an email when these numbers change .
How does the 2017 BMW 528 compare?
Cars of this age and mileage average 86.0%, so this figure is 3.5 points behind what its age and mileage predict. On a first attempt, before any retests, the figure drops to 78.8%. The median 2017 BMW 528 in this dataset had covered 59,131 mi.
The single most recorded failure item is "Has ply or cords exposed", noted on 3.09% of tests.
- 97 recorded tests behind this page.
- 82.5% overall pass rate, 78.8% on a first attempt.
- Across every year of the BMW 528, the average is 85.2% — best year 2015 (90.0%), worst 2000 (75.4%).
Figures count every completed test on this vehicle-year in the dataset, including retests. See methodology for the exact definition.
This page's data
- Tests analysed
- 97
- Typical mileage (median)
- 59,131 mi
- Make and model
- BMW 528
- Updated
- 2026-11-07
Source: DVSA anonymised MOT test data (2023–2025), OGL v3.0.
Top part to budget for
Tyres
Usually a DIY or independent-garage job.
Does mileage affect the 528 MOT pass rate?
Pass rate by odometer reading. Bar lengths start at 52% so small gaps stay visible.
Where the BMW 528 is most common
Across all 528 model years on record (2000–2017): 1,988 BMW 528 cars tested in a recordable postcode area, across 4,349 tests. London (NW) has the most, with 69 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.
| # | Postcode area | Cars | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | London (NW) | 69 | 91.0% |
| 2 | Wembley (HA) | 59 | 95.1% |
| 3 | London (E) | 58 | 88.3% |
| 4 | Birmingham (B) | 55 | 86.1% |
| 5 | London (SE) | 52 | 86.6% |
| 6 | Hounslow (TW) | 49 | 84.0% |
| 7 | Guildford (GU) | 49 | 84.8% |
| 8 | Kingston upon Thames (KT) | 47 | 84.6% |
| 9 | High Wycombe (HP) | 45 | 85.7% |
| 10 | London (N) | 45 | 87.5% |
| 11 | London (SW) | 43 | 83.3% |
| 12 | Croydon (CR) | 42 | 93.2% |
| 13 | Reading (RG) | 41 | 80.2% |
| 14 | Hayes (UB) | 38 | 85.3% |
| 15 | Romford (RM) | 38 | 92.5% |
| 16 | Bristol (BS) | 36 | 78.3% |
| 17 | Crawley (RH) | 36 | 83.5% |
| 18 | London (W) | 36 | 90.1% |
| 19 | Enfield (EN) | 36 | 93.9% |
| 20 | Chelmsford (CM) | 35 | 88.9% |
The twenty areas with the most BMW 528 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 →
Regional pass rates for the 528
| Region | Tests | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| South East | 44 | 86.4% |
| East of England | 17 | 88.2% |
Regions come from the postcode area recorded at the test station. Areas on region borders are assigned to the region with the majority of their population.
What fails a 2017 528
Everything a tester recorded on this vehicle, grouped into the inspection sections that produced it. The notch on each bar is the national share, so you can see at a glance whether this car is unusual or just ordinary.
A test can record several items, so these percentages do not add up to 100%. The exact strings, with prices, are in the full DVSA record at the bottom of this page.
Before your test
Three checks worth doing on a 2017 528
These are not generic tips — they are the faults recorded most often on this exact model, rewritten as things you can check yourself. All three take about ten minutes and cost nothing.
-
Check the suspension joints 3.1% of tests
“linkage ball joint dust cover ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated”
With the car parked on level ground, rock the top of each front wheel in and out while someone watches the suspension arm. Clunks, or rubber boots split and greasy, are what testers record here.
-
Check the wipers and washers 2.1% of tests
“wipers blade defective”
Run the wipers with the screen wet: they should clear it in one sweep without smearing or juddering. Top the washer bottle up and check both jets hit the screen.
-
Check the lights 1.0% of tests
“anti-lock braking system warning lamp indicates an ABS fault”
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.
Shares are the proportion of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item, so they overlap: one test can record several.
What it costs to get a 2017 528 through its MOT
Across the 10 items that are recorded most often on this model, the average repair comes to £24–£56 — and 35% of those repairs are parts that cost under £30.
- Average repair across the 10 common items
- £24–£56
- Cheapest common item: anti-lock braking system warning lamp…
- £3–£15
- Dearest common item: rbt (sp) efficiency below requirements
- £45–£110
- Common items a careful owner can do at home
- 100%
- Repairs that still cost under £30
- 35%
Estimates from typical UK parts prices, weighted by how often each item appears in 97 MOT tests on this vehicle. They exclude diagnostics, retest fees and garage labour where the part is a DIY fit, and they are not figures from the DVSA dataset. Older and higher-mileage examples cost more than the average. How these estimates are built → · All MOT repair costs → · Cheapest cars to put through a test →
Every year of the 528, side by side
9 model years on record, from 2000 to 2017. Across them the pass rate runs from 75.4% to 90.0% — a spread of 14.6 points. The bar under each year is the item that failed it most often.
- 2000 75.4% steering rack gaiter missing or…
- 2010 83.2% coil spring fractured or broken
- 2011 84.4% coil spring fractured or broken
- 2012 89.9% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2013 82.7% coil spring fractured or broken
- 2014 90.0% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2015 90.0% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2016 89.1% windscreen damaged but not…
- 2017 82.5%has ply or cords exposed
Colour is the pass rate on a fixed scale, so a block means the same thing on any model. Each year links to its own page with the full fault breakdown.
Compare the 2017 BMW 528 with another year
The raw pass rate mostly measures age. The year comparison adds the like-for-like figure, the mileage bands and the repair bill.
Other 2017 cars with a similar record
- Mercedes-Benz Vito 82.3%
- Peugeot 308 82.8%
- Volkswagen Touareg 82.8%
- Fiat Punto 82.2%
- Peugeot 2008 82.9%
- Citroen C4 82.9%
Closest pass rates among 2017 cars with at least 2,000 tests, so a small sample cannot flatter itself into the list. See the full rankings: best and worst MOT pass rates.
The full DVSA record for the 2017 BMW 528 10 failure items · 6 advisories · 10 inspection categories · mileage brackets · all of it in the page, none of it above the fold
Every inspection category
Shares of the 89 individual items recorded on this vehicle, and the same share across all cars nationally. A single test can record several items, so a row is not a percentage of tests.
| Category | Items | This car | Nationally | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tyres | 33 | 37.10% | 19.76% | +17.34 |
| Brakes | 27 | 30.30% | 20.89% | +9.41 |
| Suspension | 7 | 7.90% | 20.98% | −13.08 |
| Visibility | 6 | 6.70% | 4.97% | +1.73 |
| Road Wheels | 6 | 6.70% | 0.75% | +5.95 |
| Non-component advisories | 5 | 5.60% | 4.18% | +1.42 |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 2 | 2.20% | 12.21% | −10.01 |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 1 | 1.10% | 5.52% | −4.42 |
| Identification of the vehicle | 1 | 1.10% | 1.76% | −0.66 |
| Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems | 1 | 1.10% | 0.82% | +0.28 |
The exact failure items, in the tester's words
| Recorded item | Severity | Tests | Est. cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Has ply or cords exposed Tyres | Major | 3.1% | £45–95 |
| Linkage ball joint dust cover ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated Suspension | Minor | 3.1% | £18–45 |
| Rbt (sp) efficiency below requirements Brakes | Major | 2.1% | £45–110 |
| Wipers blade defective Visibility | Minor | 2.1% | £8–22 |
| Wipers does not clear the windscreen effectively Visibility | Major | 2.1% | £8–22 |
| Anti-lock braking system warning lamp indicates an ABS fault Brakes | Major | 1.0% | £3–15 |
| Brake pads less than 1.5 mm thick Brakes | Major | 1.0% | £18–45 |
| Electronic stability control warning lamp indicates a fault Brakes | Major | 1.0% | £3–15 |
| Fixing missing Road Wheels | Major | 1.0% | £20–55 |
| Has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords Tyres | Major | 1.0% | £45–95 |
Severity is as recorded: Major and Dangerous fail the test outright; Minor and Advisory do not. Costs are estimates from typical UK parts prices — see how they are built.
What testers noted without failing the car
Advisories are the early warnings — the same parts a year or two before they fail. Reading them is how you tell a car that has been maintained from one that has been patched.
| Recorded item | Severity | Tests | Est. cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres | Advisory | 21.6% | £45–95 |
| Brake pads less than 1.5 mm thick Brakes | Advisory | 10.3% | £18–45 |
| Brake discs in such a condition that it is seriously weakened Brakes | Advisory | 6.2% | £45–110 |
| Badly distorted Road Wheels | Advisory | 4.1% | £20–55 |
| Flexible brake hoses ferrule excessively corroded Brakes | Advisory | 4.1% | £25–70 |
| Has a tear, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure Tyres | Advisory | 3.1% | £45–95 |
Pass rate by mileage
| Mileage | Tests | Pass rate | Median odometer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-30k | 12 | 75.0% | 20,536 mi |
| 30-60k | 39 | 87.2% | 46,706 mi |
| 60-90k | 28 | 85.7% | 68,829 mi |
| 90-120k | 13 | 76.9% | 104,469 mi |
| 120k+ | 5 | 60.0% | 127,179 mi |
Source: 97 recorded tests on this vehicle-year. Every row above is recomputed from the same DVSA extract as the rest of the page — see the methodology.
2017 528 MOT questions
What is the MOT pass rate for a 2017 BMW 528?
82.5% of the 97 2017 BMW 528 tests in this dataset passed, against a national average of 86.0% for cars first used in 2017. First-attempt pass rate: 78.8%.
What are the most common MOT failures on a 2017 BMW 528?
The three most recorded items are has ply or cords exposed (3.09%), linkage ball joint dust cover ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated (3.09%), rbt (sp) efficiency below requirements (2.06%). Percentages are the share of tests on this vehicle that recorded the item.
Does mileage affect the 2017 BMW 528 MOT pass rate?
Yes. Cars under 30,000 miles passed 75.0% of the time, falling to 60.0% for those over 120,000 miles. The median 2017 BMW 528 in this dataset had covered 59,131 mi.