2020 BMW 5 Series MOT pass rate: 89.8% (12,564 tests)

2020-registered BMW 5 Seriess passed 89.8% of 12,564 MOT tests in 2023–2025 — broadly in line with same-age cars (89.9%). This is one of the lower-scoring 5 Series years after correcting for vehicle age — inspect the individual car carefully.

89.8%Pass rate, 2020 cars

99.8Age-adjusted index (100 = average)

12,564Tests analysed

35,320 miMedian mileage at test

91.3% / 89.6%Petrol vs diesel pass rate

Is the 2020 5 Series getting worse?

Pass rate of 2020-registered cars across recent test years:

Test year	Pass rate
2023	89.8% -1.1 vs same-age
2024	90.1% +0.2 vs same-age
2025	89.4% +0.4 vs same-age

The raw rate normally falls as cars age. The “vs same-age” figure compares this cohort with all UK cars registered in the same year, so normal ageing is not mistaken for a bad model year.

What fails on a 2020 5 Series

#	System	Defects recorded	Share
1	Tyres	1,204	64.8%
2	Road Wheels	149	8.0%
3	Brakes	114	6.1%
4	Visibility	80	4.3%
5	Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment	78	4.2%
6	Suspension	70	3.8%

All 5 Series years compared

Registration year	Tests	Pass rate	Vs same-age	Median mileage
2006	2,266	71.5%	+7.1 pts	158,396
2007	2,644	75.5%	+10.3 pts	154,847
2008	2,411	77.1%	+12.0 pts	151,353
2009	2,106	76.8%	+10.4 pts	145,498
2010	1,967	78.7%	+11.3 pts	136,057
2011	3,205	77.7%	+8.5 pts	131,341
2012	17,658	78.2%	+7.0 pts	120,731
2013	17,544	77.9%	+4.6 pts	113,936
2017	39,528	87.0%	+3.0 pts	68,020
2018	55,868	88.8%	+2.4 pts	58,656
2019	46,100	89.3%	+0.9 pts	47,470
2020 (this page)	12,564	89.8%	-0.2 pts	35,320
2021	3,555	91.5%	+1.1 pts	37,768
2022	2,216	90.7%	-0.6 pts	35,803

Weighing up which year to buy? See the full ranking: BMW 5 Series years to avoid.

Buying a 2020 5 Series? Two checks first

Free MOT history checkThe exact car’s failures, advisories and mileage trail — sellers can’t edit it
Topdon OBD2 scannersTopdon diagnostic scanners with full-system readouts
XTOOL diagnostic toolsXTOOL code readers for petrol and diesel cars
Autel UK testersAutel professional-grade diagnostic testers

FAQs

Is a 2020 BMW 5 Series reliable?

2020-registered examples passed 89.8% of their MOT tests (12,564 tests, 2023–2025), -0.2 points versus all UK cars registered in the same year. At roughly 6 years old with a median 35,320 miles, condition now varies car by car — always check the individual MOT history.

What mileage is too high for a 2020 5 Series?

The median tested example shows 35,320 miles. Anything far beyond that isn't automatically bad — a motorway-mile car with consistent service records often beats a low-mileage school-run car — but price accordingly and scrutinise the mileage trail for gaps or drops.

Source: DVSA Anonymised MOT tests and results, 2023–2025 extracts (96 million Class 4 initial tests; retests excluded). Only vehicles old enough for a routine first MOT are included. Age-adjusted figures compare the model-year cohort with all vehicles of the same registration year tested in the same calendar year. Contains public sector information licensed under OGL v3.0.