BMW 520I MOT reliability

BMW 520Is passed their MOT first time 88% of the time across 1,226 tests in 2025.

First-time pass rate

88%

MOTs analysed

1,226

Still licensed (GB)

–

Body type

–

Pass rate by year of first registration

Older cars fail more often, so compare a car with others of the same age. Years with very few MOTs can show extreme pass rates, even 0% or 100%, so give more weight to years with more tests.

In detail:

First registered

2022 hybrid

540 MOTs

Passed first time 87%. Typical mileage 25,107 (most between 18,036 and 33,451).

2024: 89% → 2025: 87%

Most common failures

Condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords (5.0%)
Condition: has a bulge, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure (2.0%)
Condition: has ply or cords exposed (1.7%)
Condition: fractured (1.3%)
Headlamp aim: too high (1.1%)

2022 petrol

9 MOTs

These figures come from only 9 MOT tests. With so few cars, a single pass or fail changes the percentages a lot, so treat them as a rough guide rather than a true average.

Passed first time 67%. Typical mileage 24,948 (most between 17,802 and 32,198).

Most common failures

Condition: has a cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords (22.2%)
Condition: has a bulge, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure (11.1%)

Where 2022 520Is fail

Wheels & tyres

9.6%

Lights & electrics

1.9%

Visibility & wipers

1.1%

Seat belts & other equipment

0.4%

Body, structure & corrosion

0.2%

Suspension & axles

0.2%

Looking at a particular car?

See its own MOT history, mileage and red flags, compared with these figures. Free.

Based on 2025 initial MOT tests in DVSA's anonymised MOT dataset (cars and light vans). Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Model details: Vehicle data by VehiclesDB.