BMW 5 Series years to avoid: 2020, 2022

Last updated 16 August 2026 · OBDCode UK editorial

Inspect most carefully: 2020, 2022. Strongest in the data: 2008 or 2010. The ranking uses 209,632 MOT test records across 14 qualifying registration-year cohorts in the 2023–2025 DVSA test extracts and compares each cohort with all UK cars of the same age. Counts are test records, not unique vehicles. Same-vehicle follow-up for common certificate lines on this model is further down: how often the same item failed the next year, and how often the car was not tested again.

Every 5 Series year, ranked

The age-adjusted MOT index sets 100 as the pass rate of all UK cars registered in the same year and tested in the same calendar year. Higher is better. This prevents an old car being labelled a “bad year” simply because it is old.

Rank	Year	Index	Vs same-age	Pass rate	Tests
1	2008 Strong	112.0	+12.0 pts	77.1%	2,411
2	2010 Strong	111.3	+11.3 pts	78.7%	1,967
3	2009	110.4	+10.4 pts	76.8%	2,106
4	2007	110.3	+10.3 pts	75.5%	2,644
5	2011	108.5	+8.5 pts	77.7%	3,205
6	2006	107.1	+7.1 pts	71.5%	2,266
7	2012	107.0	+7.0 pts	78.2%	17,658
8	2013	104.6	+4.6 pts	77.9%	17,544
9	2017	103.0	+3.0 pts	87.0%	39,528
10	2018	102.4	+2.4 pts	88.8%	55,868
11	2021	101.1	+1.1 pts	91.5%	3,555
12	2019	100.9	+0.9 pts	89.3%	46,100
13	2020 Inspect	99.8	-0.2 pts	89.8%	12,564
14	2022 Inspect	99.4	-0.6 pts	90.7%	2,216

Why 2020 and 2022 rank lower

The 2020 cohort passes 89.8% of tests (-0.2 points versus same-age cars) at a median 35,320 miles, with tyres the leading failure system. The 2022 cohort passes 90.7% of tests (-0.6 points versus same-age cars) at a median 35,803 miles, with tyres the leading failure system. This is population-level evidence, not a known-fault list: service history, engine version and the individual MOT record can outweigh the registration-year average.

What happened next on this model

Year rankings are age-adjusted pass rates. The figures below are a same-vehicle follow-up for certificate lines that appear often enough on this model (at least 200 cars). They are not a repair quote and they do not isolate a turbo, DSG, or clutch part.

Shock absorbers has light misting of oil — 2,758 cars · 7.2% failed the same item the next year · 7.4% were not tested again
Ball joint has slight play — 291 cars · 5.5% failed the same item the next year · 18.9% were not tested again
Condition has a cut but not deep enough to reach the ply or cords — 907 cars · 5.3% failed the same item the next year · 6.3% were not tested again
Track rod end ball joint has slight play — 279 cars · 5.0% failed the same item the next year · 18.3% were not tested again
Rigid brake pipes corroded, covered in grease or other material — 368 cars · 3.0% failed the same item the next year · 23.1% were not tested again

National rankings for the not-retested gap: cars not tested again. Repair-hold rates: repairs that did not hold.

How to use this before buying

Rankings describe the cohort, not the car. A cherished 2020 example beats a neglected 2008 one — always run the specific reg through the free MOT history check.
Read the advisories. Repeated notes for the same component across years mean the owner has been ignoring it. Decode them in our advisory library.
Scan before you pay. A 2-minute OBD scan reveals stored faults the dashboard hides — see our scanner guide.

FAQs

Which 5 Series years should I avoid?

Based on 209,632 MOT tests adjusted against cars of the same age, 2020, 2022 are the lower-scoring outliers. That is a prompt for closer inspection, not proof that every car from those years is bad.

What is the best 5 Series year to buy used?

2008 and 2010 lead the age-adjusted MOT ranking. The score compares each registration year with all UK cars of the same age; the specific car's history and condition still take priority.

Is the 5 Series reliable overall?

Across 209,632 tests, the median age-adjusted index is 105.8 (100 equals the pass rate of all cars registered in the same year). Use the spread between years as one signal, then check the individual registration.

What data is required before a years-to-avoid guide is published?

We publish a guide only when a model has at least five registration-year cohorts old enough for a routine first MOT, each based on at least 1,500 Class 4 initial MOT tests pooled across the stated DVSA extract years, and at least 60,000 tests across those cohorts. From the models that pass those gates, this release includes the 220 models with the largest pooled samples. Retests are excluded.

How are the Strong and Inspect labels assigned?

Strong considers only the two highest-ranked registration-year cohorts and labels either one that is within 1.5 index points of the best. Inspect considers only the three lowest-ranked cohorts and labels a year only when its index is no higher than 100 and at least 2 points below the model median. Counts are MOT test records, not unique vehicles.

Methodology: index = 100 + the model-year cohort’s MOT pass-rate difference versus all UK vehicles registered in the same year and tested in the same calendar year. Pass rate uses DVSA result codes (P + PRS) ÷ (P + PRS + F): passes and passes after rectification at the test divided by those outcomes plus failures. Class 4 initial-test records only; retests excluded; at least 1,500 records per registration-year cohort. “Strong” considers the top two cohorts within 1.5 index points of the best. “Inspect” considers only the bottom three cohorts, then requires an index no higher than 100 and at least 2 points below the model median. Counts are test records, not unique vehicles. Association is not proof of a model-year defect. Source: DVSA Anonymised MOT tests and results, 2023–2025 extracts. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.