BMW 5 Series at the MOT – elegant mileage eater with flaws

Used car check
BMW 5 Series at the MOT – elegant mileage eater with flaws

The “Auto Bild TÜV Report 2024” calls the BMW 5 Series a “valiant long-distance runner”. However, the high mileage does not leave the upper middle class model completely unscathed, as the results of the vehicle's general inspection show.

Business glider, elegant mile-eater – that's how you could aptly describe the BMW 5 Series. It is an upper middle class model that is often used as a company car and offers comfort and dynamic features. It is intended to embody nobility and luxury.

However, this is sometimes contradicted by its performance in the main vehicle inspection (HU). One or two defects can probably be traced back to the high mileage.

Model history

The eighth generation of the 5 Series has been on the streets since 2024. The sixth (F10) and seventh (G30) generations under consideration went on sale in 2010 and 2017 respectively. The F10 received a facelift in 2013, which included design retouches and new safety assistants.

The successor G30 received its facelift in 2020 (including optical changes to the front and rear, changes to the engine range) and retired in 2024.

Body and variants

The 5 Series is available as a notchback sedan and as a Touring, as the station wagons are called at BMW. In the sixth generation, the Touring has the abbreviation F11, in the seventh G31.

Both editions also have long wheelbase versions, and plug-in hybrids were also produced. The sporty versions traditionally have an “M” in their name, of which the M5 CS xDrive with 467 kW/635 hp is the most powerful.

Dimensions (according to ADAC, without long versions)

• sixth generation: 4.90 to 4.91 meters x 1.86 meters x 1.46 to 1.47 meters (L x W x H), trunk volume: 520 liters (sedan); 375 liters (hybrid); 560 to 1670 liters (station wagon)
• seventh generation: 4.94 to 4.97 meters x 1.87 to 1.90 meters x 1.47 to 1.50 meters (L x W x H), trunk volume: 530 liters (sedan); 410 liters (hybrid); 570 to 1700 liters (station wagon)

Strengthen

In terms of the chassis, everything is top notch in the newer 5 Series. The drive shafts are exemplary in both generations. The older model performs relatively better in terms of lighting than the newer BMW and is therefore above average.

According to the “Auto Bild TÜV Report 2024”, there is also virtually no criticism of the brake components, regardless of the generation, neither of the lines and hoses nor of the function of the foot or parking brake. The exhaust systems are also durable.

weaknesses

The older 5 Series stands out with increased complaint rates in the axle suspension, especially during the third check at the age of seven, springs and dampers are also more often worn out, this from the third MOT onwards.

“Its steering joints are also approaching the average defect rate, but remain below it,” says the report. From the fifth inspection onwards, the front lights of the F10 fail more frequently, and oil loss is a major issue in both generations, except for MOTs number four and five. The emissions test (AU) causes the 5 Series to rattle every now and then from the second MOT onwards.

Breakdown behavior

The 5 Series has been ranked well or very well in the ADAC breakdown statistics for years. The breakdown hotspots include: cooling or heating hoses on models first registered in 2012 and 2013, generators and crankshaft pulleys (both in 2010).

Engines

• sixth generation: Petrol (four-, six- and eight-cylinder, rear- and all-wheel drive): 135 kW/184 hp to 441 kW/600 hp; Diesel (four-cylinder, rear- and all-wheel drive): 105 kW/143 hp to 160 kW/218 hp; Hybrid (six-cylinder and electric motor, rear-wheel drive): 250 kW/340 hp (system output)
• seventh generation: Petrol (four-, six- and eight-cylinder, rear- and all-wheel drive): 125 kW/170 hp to 467 kW/635 hp; Diesel (four-cylinder, rear- and all-wheel drive): 105 kW/143 hp to 160 kW/218 hp; Hybrid (four-cylinder or six-cylinder and electric motor, rear- and all-wheel drive): 150 kW/204 hp to 290 kW/394 hp (system output)

Dealer sales value according to information from Deutsche Automobil Treuhand (DAT) with statistically expected kilometers – three price examples

• 530i Touring (G31; 6/2017); 185 kW/252 hp (four-cylinder); 118,000 kilometers; 22,811 euros
• 518d (F10; 6/2013); 105 kW/143 hp (four-cylinder); 202,000 kilometers; 8,546 euros
• 530e xDrive (6/2020); 135 kW/184 HP (plug-in hybrid); 73,000 kilometers; 26,176 euros