Pass rate, every year
2,965 tests across 4 model years, 2020–2023.
+8.0 pts vs the national average
Pass rate, every year
2,965 tests across 4 model years, 2020–2023.
+8.0 pts vs the national average
Best year to buy
2020 90.8%
The strongest of the 4 years on record. See the 2020 page →
Worst year to buy
2022 88.2%
2.6 points below the 2020 peak. See the 2022 page →
The BMW X5 XDRIVE40D MOT pass rate is 89.0%, +8.0 percentage points above the UK average. That is 2,965 DVSA MOT tests recorded between 2020 and 2023. This page lists the most common BMW X5 XDRIVE40D MOT failures by category, names the best and worst model years, and finishes with a pre-MOT checklist you can run at home.
The BMW X5 XDRIVE40D passed on its first attempt in 87.8%, and its overall record sits +8.0 percentage points above the national average for all cars. These figures come from every recorded DVSA MOT test for the BMW X5 XDRIVE40D in the 2023–2025 data: 2,965 tests across 4 model years (2020–2023). A test still carries exactly one pass or fail verdict.
| Measure | This model |
|---|---|
| Tests analysed | 2,965 |
| Overall pass rate | 89.0% |
| Passed on first attempt | 87.8% |
| Average mileage at test | 33,589 mi |
| Model years covered | 2020–2023 (4 years) |
| Versus UK national average | +8.0 pts above |
Figures are computed from every recorded DVSA test for this model in the 2023–2025 data.
Every MOT failure a tester records belongs to one inspection section of the DVSA manual. For the BMW X5 XDRIVE40D, the Tyres section leads the record — the breakdown below shows where the recorded failures cluster, then the exact strings behind the three biggest sections.
| Inspection section | Share of failures |
|---|---|
| Tyres | 62% |
| Visibility | 19% |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 8% |
| Identification of the vehicle | 4% |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 3% |
| Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems | 2% |
| Suspension | 1% |
| Road Wheels | 0% |
Shares are over the BMW X5 XDRIVE40D's recorded defect strings, merged across its year pages.
Around 62% of the recorded BMW X5 XDRIVE40D failures fall in the Tyres section of the MOT inspection manual. Testers recorded "Has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords" (5.2%), "Has ply or cords exposed" (2.7%), "Has a bulge, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure" (0.8%) among the BMW X5 XDRIVE40D's tyres faults.
Around 19% of the recorded BMW X5 XDRIVE40D failures fall in the Visibility section of the MOT inspection manual. Testers recorded "Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view" (1.8%), "Wipers blade defective" (0.8%), "Washers provides insufficient washer liquid" (0.1%) among the BMW X5 XDRIVE40D's visibility faults.
Around 8% of the recorded BMW X5 XDRIVE40D failures fall in the Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment section of the MOT inspection manual. Testers recorded "Side repeaters not working" (0.8%), "Headlamp aim too high" (0.3%) among the BMW X5 XDRIVE40D's lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment faults.
The descriptions below are the exact DVSA failure strings testers recorded most often for the BMW X5 XDRIVE40D, each with how many of the model's 2,965 tests it was noted on.
The strongest BMW X5 XDRIVE40D model year on record is 2020 (90.8% across 152 tests), and the weakest is 2022 (88.2%). The gap between them is 2.6 points. Years with fewer than 50 recorded tests are excluded, so these are the years with enough MOT history to mean something.
| Year | Tests | Pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 X5 XDRIVE40D | 51 | 90.2% |
| 2022 X5 XDRIVE40D | 1,487 | 88.2% |
| 2021 X5 XDRIVE40D | 1,275 | 89.6% |
| 2020 X5 XDRIVE40D | 152 | 90.8% |
Newest model year first. Only years with at least 50 recorded tests are listed.
These checks follow this BMW X5 XDRIVE40D's own most-recorded failure strings, starting with what a tester is most likely to flag on a BMW X5 XDRIVE40D.
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 wipers and washers — “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.
the number plates — “registration plates does not conform to the specified requirements”
Check both plates are present, legible and correctly spaced, with the postcode of the supplier and the BS AU 145e mark. A private plate in the wrong style is a fail before the car is even looked at.
Derived from the DVSA failure strings testers recorded for the BMW X5 XDRIVE40D. A check that finds nothing means the item is likely fine, not that the test is guaranteed.
Across every X5 XDRIVE40D model year on record (2020–2023): 2,202 BMW X5 XDRIVE40D cars tested in a recordable postcode area, across 2,965 tests. Birmingham (B) has the most, with 60 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 | Birmingham (B) | 60 | 83.5% |
| 2 | Newcastle upon Tyne (NE) | 58 | 92.0% |
| 3 | Glasgow (G) | 52 | 89.5% |
| 4 | Peterborough (PE) | 45 | 92.6% |
| 5 | Reading (RG) | 44 | 82.8% |
| 6 | Coventry (CV) | 44 | 96.5% |
| 7 | Aberdeen (AB) | 43 | 86.6% |
| 8 | Sheffield (S) | 43 | 84.1% |
| 9 | Guildford (GU) | 42 | 82.0% |
| 10 | Chelmsford (CM) | 41 | 92.7% |
| 11 | Leicester (LE) | 39 | 93.5% |
| 12 | High Wycombe (HP) | 34 | 85.4% |
| 13 | Nottingham (NG) | 33 | 81.0% |
| 14 | Romford (RM) | 32 | 85.4% |
| 15 | Ipswich (IP) | 32 | 81.0% |
| 16 | Warrington (WA) | 32 | 87.5% |
| 17 | Ashford (TN) | 32 | 91.7% |
| 18 | Edinburgh (EH) | 31 | 85.7% |
| 19 | Ilford (IG) | 31 | 83.3% |
| 20 | Leeds (LS) | 31 | 95.0% |
The twenty areas with the most BMW X5 XDRIVE40D 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 →
89.0% of the 2,965 recorded BMW X5 XDRIVE40D MOT tests ended in a pass, +8.0 percentage points above the national average. 87.8% of those passed on the first attempt.
2020 is the strongest BMW X5 XDRIVE40D year on record at 90.8%, while 2022 is the weakest at 88.2%. The year-by-year table below lists every model year with at least 50 recorded tests.
The most recorded BMW X5 XDRIVE40D failures are "Has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords" and "Has ply or cords exposed" — together around 8% of tests, mostly in the Tyres section.