Does the BMW 5 Series fail the MOT on body, chassis and structure more than it should?
The BMW 5 Series records 1.62 body, chassis and structure failure items per 100 initial MOT tests (2019–2024), against 5.63 expected for a car of the same age mix: less than expected for its class and age (−4.01, 95% interval −4.06 to −3.97). It ranks 516 of 663 models on body, chassis and structure (1 = most failures above expected).
Data release dvsa-2024-v2 (24 Sep 2026) · page updated 30 Sep 2026 · all models on body, chassis and structure · check a BMW 5 Series by registration
What exactly fails on body, chassis and structure?
The most frequent DVSA defect wording in this group on the BMW 5 Series is “A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot severely deteriorated”, recorded 5,941 times in 2019–2024.
| DVSA defect wording | Items | Per 100 tests |
|---|---|---|
| A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot severely deteriorated | 5,941 | 0.47 |
| Exhaust system leaking or insecure | 3,399 | 0.27 |
| Vehicle structure corroded to the extent that the rigidity of the assembly is seriously reduced | 1,603 | 0.13 |
| A transmission shaft constant velocity joint boot missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc | 1,456 | 0.11 |
| Fuel system leaking, or missing or ineffective filler cap | 1,260 | 0.10 |
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 1,273,419 (initial tests) · Method: failure items (major and minor) grouped by DVSA's defect tree; wordings with 30+ items · Updated: 30 Sep 2026 · Release: dvsa-2024-v2 · CSV
If a BMW 5 Series gets a body, chassis and structure advisory, how often does it fail next time?
7.0% of BMW 5 Series MOTs with a body, chassis and structure advisory were followed by a fail in the same group at the next MOT, typically 12.1 months and 4,786 miles later (15,684 advisories followed).
Source: DVSA MOT bulk data (OGL v3.0) · Window: 2019–2024 · n = 15,684 (advisories followed) · Method: the same vehicles followed to their next ordinary MOT · Updated: 30 Sep 2026 · Release: dvsa-2024-v2 · CSV
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