Pass rate, every year
13,930 tests across 4 model years, 2019–2022.
+5.5 pts vs the national average
Pass rate, every year
13,930 tests across 4 model years, 2019–2022.
+5.5 pts vs the national average
Best year to buy
2020 88.2%
The strongest of the 4 years on record. See the 2020 page →
Worst year to buy
2021 85.9%
2.3 points below the 2020 peak. See the 2021 page →
The BMW X5 XDRIVE45E MOT pass rate is 86.5%, +5.5 percentage points above the UK average. That is 13,930 DVSA MOT tests recorded between 2019 and 2022. This page lists the most common BMW X5 XDRIVE45E 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 XDRIVE45E passed on its first attempt in 84.6%, and its overall record sits +5.5 percentage points above the national average for all cars. These figures come from every recorded DVSA MOT test for the BMW X5 XDRIVE45E in the 2023–2025 data: 13,930 tests across 4 model years (2019–2022). A test still carries exactly one pass or fail verdict.
| Measure | This model |
|---|---|
| Tests analysed | 13,930 |
| Overall pass rate | 86.5% |
| Passed on first attempt | 84.6% |
| Average mileage at test | 43,578 mi |
| Model years covered | 2019–2022 (4 years) |
| Versus UK national average | +5.5 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 XDRIVE45E, 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 | 63% |
| Visibility | 24% |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 9% |
| Suspension | 2% |
| Identification of the vehicle | 1% |
| Seat belts and supplementary restraint systems | 0% |
Shares are over the BMW X5 XDRIVE45E's recorded defect strings, merged across its year pages.
Around 63% of the recorded BMW X5 XDRIVE45E 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" (5.6%), "Has ply or cords exposed" (3.9%), "Has a bulge, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure" (0.8%) among the BMW X5 XDRIVE45E's tyres faults.
Around 24% of the recorded BMW X5 XDRIVE45E failures fall in the Visibility section of the MOT inspection manual. Testers recorded "Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view" (3.1%), "Wipers blade defective" (0.5%), "Washers provides insufficient washer liquid" (0.4%) among the BMW X5 XDRIVE45E's visibility faults.
Around 9% of the recorded BMW X5 XDRIVE45E failures fall in the Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment section of the MOT inspection manual. Testers recorded "Side repeaters not working" (1.0%), "Headlamp aim too high" (0.6%) among the BMW X5 XDRIVE45E's lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment faults.
The descriptions below are the exact DVSA failure strings testers recorded most often for the BMW X5 XDRIVE45E, each with how many of the model's 13,930 tests it was noted on.
The strongest BMW X5 XDRIVE45E model year on record is 2020 (88.2% across 3,539 tests), and the weakest is 2021 (85.9%). The gap between them is 2.3 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 X5 XDRIVE45E | 2,881 | 85.9% |
| 2021 X5 XDRIVE45E | 6,626 | 85.9% |
| 2020 X5 XDRIVE45E | 3,539 | 88.2% |
| 2019 X5 XDRIVE45E | 884 | 86.2% |
Newest model year first. Only years with at least 50 recorded tests are listed.
These checks follow this BMW X5 XDRIVE45E's own most-recorded failure strings, starting with what a tester is most likely to flag on a BMW X5 XDRIVE45E.
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 lights — “headlamp aim too high”
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.
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 X5 XDRIVE45E. A check that finds nothing means the item is likely fine, not that the test is guaranteed.
Across every X5 XDRIVE45E model year on record (2019–2022): 9,326 BMW X5 XDRIVE45E cars tested in a recordable postcode area, across 13,930 tests. Birmingham (B) has the most, with 311 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) | 311 | 83.6% |
| 2 | Sheffield (S) | 233 | 83.1% |
| 3 | Leicester (LE) | 226 | 88.6% |
| 4 | Guildford (GU) | 218 | 83.6% |
| 5 | Reading (RG) | 198 | 84.8% |
| 6 | Kingston upon Thames (KT) | 198 | 88.1% |
| 7 | Peterborough (PE) | 162 | 85.4% |
| 8 | High Wycombe (HP) | 161 | 87.0% |
| 9 | Nottingham (NG) | 159 | 87.0% |
| 10 | Glasgow (G) | 153 | 87.1% |
| 11 | London (NW) | 151 | 93.9% |
| 12 | Coventry (CV) | 151 | 92.0% |
| 13 | Doncaster (DN) | 147 | 92.0% |
| 14 | Warrington (WA) | 143 | 88.7% |
| 15 | Swindon (SN) | 141 | 90.9% |
| 16 | Newcastle upon Tyne (NE) | 141 | 87.7% |
| 17 | Stockport (SK) | 137 | 84.2% |
| 18 | Crawley (RH) | 137 | 79.8% |
| 19 | Milton Keynes (MK) | 137 | 81.4% |
| 20 | Derby (DE) | 137 | 86.4% |
The twenty areas with the most BMW X5 XDRIVE45E 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 →
86.5% of the 13,930 recorded BMW X5 XDRIVE45E MOT tests ended in a pass, +5.5 percentage points above the national average. 84.6% of those passed on the first attempt.
2020 is the strongest BMW X5 XDRIVE45E year on record at 88.2%, while 2021 is the weakest at 85.9%. The year-by-year table below lists every model year with at least 50 recorded tests.
The most recorded BMW X5 XDRIVE45E 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 9% of tests, mostly in the Tyres section.