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BMW 5 Series exhaust, emissions and leaks problems

DVSA MOT tests 2022–2025 · 67,547 MOT tests · Updated

At 7 years, 0.9 in 100 MOT tests of the BMW 5 Series failed on exhaust, emissions and leaks, against 1.7 for all class 4 vehicles the same age (all test years; 67,547 MOT tests) [1].

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  • Against all class 4 vehicles the same age: fails less often than all class 4 vehicles the same age (0.5–0.6×) (all test years), 630 MOT tests with a fail
  • By age: seen at 23 ages from 3 to 25 years, 849,601 MOT tests
  • Most common fail: Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction, 0.5 per 100 MOT tests

Figures are for the model as a whole, not for one car.

What the MOT tests show

What we know

0.9 fails per 100 MOT tests at 7 years, against 1.7 for all class 4 vehicles tested at 7 (all test years). The BMW 5 Series fails less often here.

Why it matters

An exhaust, emissions and leaks fail stops the car passing until it is fixed; the most common one is rated major by DVSA.

What to check

Start the car from cold and look for smoke at the exhaust, listen for blowing joints, and look under the engine and gearbox for fresh oil or fluid drips.

BMW 5 Series exhaust, emissions and leaks fails by age

BMW 5 Series exhaust, emissions and leaks fails per 100 MOT tests by ageSolid line: the BMW 5 Series. Dashed line: all cars the same age. The table below lists every value.02463 years: 0.7 per 100 (all cars 0.5), 40,180 MOT tests34 years: 0.8 per 100 (all cars 0.7), 52,688 MOT tests5 years: 1.0 per 100 (all cars 1.0), 60,820 MOT tests56 years: 1.1 per 100 (all cars 1.3), 67,176 MOT tests7 years: 0.9 per 100 (all cars 1.7), 67,547 MOT tests78 years: 0.8 per 100 (all cars 2.1), 64,813 MOT tests9 years: 0.8 per 100 (all cars 2.4), 64,050 MOT tests910 years: 0.9 per 100 (all cars 2.8), 63,107 MOT tests11 years: 1.2 per 100 (all cars 3.2), 58,713 MOT tests1112 years: 1.4 per 100 (all cars 3.7), 51,065 MOT tests13 years: 1.8 per 100 (all cars 4.3), 43,268 MOT tests1314 years: 2.2 per 100 (all cars 5.1), 36,243 MOT tests15 years: 2.6 per 100 (all cars 5.7), 33,196 MOT tests1516 years: 2.5 per 100 (all cars 6.2), 31,618 MOT tests17 years: 2.7 per 100 (all cars 6.5), 28,722 MOT tests1718 years: 3.0 per 100 (all cars 6.8), 23,783 MOT tests19 years: 3.2 per 100 (all cars 7.0), 17,415 MOT tests1920 years: 3.6 per 100 (all cars 7.0), 12,850 MOT tests21 years: 4.1 per 100 (all cars 7.1), 9,723 MOT tests2122 years: 3.9 per 100 (all cars 7.0), 7,949 MOT tests23 years: 4.4 per 100 (all cars 6.9), 6,384 MOT tests2324 years: 4.6 per 100 (all cars 7.0), 4,837 MOT tests25 years: 5.4 per 100 (all cars 7.1), 3,454 MOT tests25
Fails per 100 MOT tests by age, all first-use years pooled. BMW 5 Series All class 4 vehicles the same age Shaded: over 18 years, survivors only.
AgeMOT testsFails per 100All class 4 vehicles the same age
340,1800.70.5
452,6880.80.7
560,8201.01.0
667,1761.11.3
767,5470.91.7
864,8130.82.1
964,0500.82.4
1063,1070.92.8
1158,7131.23.2
1251,0651.43.7
1343,2681.84.3
1436,2432.25.1
1533,1962.65.7
1631,6182.56.2
1728,7222.76.5
1823,7833.06.8
19*17,4153.27.0
20*12,8503.67.0
21*9,7234.17.1
22*7,9493.97.0
23*6,3844.46.9
24*4,8374.67.0
25*3,4545.47.1

All first-use years of the BMW 5 Series pooled at each age, against all class 4 vehicles at that age over all 2022–2025 test years. * Only survivors are still tested at this age.

What fails in the exhaust, emissions and leaks at 7 years

Fails

Advisories (not fails)

Diagnose engine warning light cost

Repair figures are estimates, not quotes: how we estimate repair costs.

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  • Model risks for this year and fuel
  • What similar cars did at their next MOT
  • Repairs ahead
  • Viewing checklist

See a sample report

By engine and fuel

  • 2.0 diesel: 1.1 per 100 at 7 years, fails less often than diesel class 4 vehicles the same age (0.5× (0.45–0.54×)) (all test years; 43,258 MOT tests)
  • 3.0 diesel: 1.1 per 100 at 7 years, fails less often than diesel class 4 vehicles the same age (0.4–0.6×) (all test years; 11,172 MOT tests)
  • 2.0 hybrid: 0.2 per 100 at 7 years, about average for hybrid class 4 vehicles the same age (all test years; 6,487 MOT tests)

How to check on a test drive

Start the car from cold and look for smoke at the exhaust, listen for blowing joints, and look under the engine and gearbox for fresh oil or fluid drips.

The most common advisory here in MOT records: Transmission oil leaks: leak, but not excessive.

Check one BMW 5 Series, not the average

The figures here describe BMW 5 Series cars as a group. These free tools answer for one car. Each line says what the tool reads.

Other BMW 5 Series problems

Exhaust, emissions and leaks on rival models

Questions people ask

Does the BMW 5 Series have more exhaust, emissions and leaks problems than other cars?

0.5 to 0.6 times the exhaust, emissions and leaks fail rate of all class 4 vehicles the same age at 7 years (all test years), from 67,547 MOT tests. The interval is clear of 0.8 in the same direction at 12 of the 23 ages seen (ages up to 18 with at least 100 MOT tests with a fail).

How common are BMW 5 Series exhaust, emissions and leaks problems?

0.9 in 100 MOT tests at 7 years failed on exhaust, emissions and leaks, against 1.7 for all class 4 vehicles the same age (all test years; 67,547 MOT tests).

What is the most common BMW 5 Series exhaust, emissions and leaks fail?

0.5 in 100 MOT tests at 7 years: Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction (345 MOT tests with it).

Sources

  1. Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency, Anonymised MOT tests and results, 2022 to 2025. DVSA MOT data, Open Government Licence v3.0, 849,601 MOT tests. Accessed 7 Oct 2026.
  2. Office for National Statistics, Consumer price inflation, local price quotes (car repair items). ONS price quotes, series 610236. Accessed 7 Oct 2026.

Parts: against all class 4 vehicles at the same age, all 2022–2025 test years pooled, not adjusted for mileage. Breakdowns and non-MOT faults are not in this data. How we compare