BMW M5 MOT Pass Rate & Official DVSA Failure Statistics

BMW M5 MOT History and Failure Rates vs UK National Average

The BMW M5 passed on its first attempt in 89.0%, and its overall record sits +8.8 percentage points above the national average for all cars. These figures come from every recorded DVSA MOT test for the BMW M5 in the 2023–2025 data: 11,648 tests across 17 model years (2000–2019). 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 M5 MOT Problems by Failure Category

Every MOT failure a tester records belongs to one inspection section of the DVSA manual. For the BMW M5, 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 M5's recorded defect strings, merged across its year pages.

Top Recorded BMW M5 DVSA MOT Test Statistics & Defect Descriptions

The descriptions below are the exact DVSA failure strings testers recorded most often for the BMW M5, each with how many of the model's 11,648 tests it was noted on.

• "Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view" (Minor) — noted on about 251 BMW M5 tests, 2.2% of the model's MOT record.
• "Coil spring fractured or broken" (Major) — noted on about 152 BMW M5 tests, 1.3% 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 96 BMW M5 tests, 0.8% of the model's MOT record.
• "Ball joint dust cover severely deteriorated" (Minor) — noted on about 82 BMW M5 tests, 0.7% of the model's MOT record.
• "Malfunction indicator lamp inoperative or indicates a malfunction" (Major) — noted on about 63 BMW M5 tests, 0.5% of the model's MOT record.
• "Has ply or cords exposed" (Major) — noted on about 61 BMW M5 tests, 0.5% of the model's MOT record.

Best and Worst BMW M5 Model Years by Pass Rate

The strongest BMW M5 model year on record is 2008 (95.4% across 283 tests), and the weakest is 2002 (86.5%). The gap between them is 8.9 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 M5 Owners

These checks follow this BMW M5's own most-recorded failure strings, starting with what a tester is most likely to flag on a BMW M5.

• 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 suspension joints — “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.

Derived from the DVSA failure strings testers recorded for the BMW M5. A check that finds nothing means the item is likely fine, not that the test is guaranteed.

Where the BMW M5 is most common

Across every M5 model year on record (2000–2019): 6,220 BMW M5 cars tested in a recordable postcode area, across 11,647 tests. Birmingham (B) has the most, with 232 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 M5 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 M5 MOT & Reliability