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Bmw 4 door saloon vs Bmw 520: reliability comparison

MOT pass rates, common faults and mileage compared from real UK MOT data.

Bmw 4 door saloon
77%
MOT pass rate · 1 vehicles
Bmw 520
78%
MOT pass rate · 156,398 vehicles
Verdict: On MOT pass rate the Bmw 4 door saloon (77%) and Bmw 520 (78%) are very close — weigh the individual measures below, and remember condition depends on age, mileage and upkeep.

Head to head

Measure Bmw 4 door saloon Bmw 520
MOT pass rate 77% 78% ✓
MOT failure rate 23% 22% ✓
Faults & advisories per test 2.7 1.6 ✓
Dangerous-fault share 4% 3% ✓
Average mileage 123,438 mi 134,460 mi
Sample size (vehicles) 1 156,398

Most common faults

Bmw 4 door saloon

  1. Offside Front Brake pipe slightly corroded (3.6.B.2c)
  2. Offside Front Service brake binding but not excessively (1.2.1 (f))
  3. Offside Brake pipe slightly corroded Front to rear (3.6.B.2c)
  4. Offside Headlamp aim too low and too far to the right. (1.8)
  5. Offside Rear Inner Brake pipe slightly corroded (3.6.B.2c)
  6. Offside Front Tyre slightly damaged/cracking or perishing (5.2.3 (d) (ii))

Bmw 520

  1. Nearside Rear Tyre worn close to the legal limit (4.1.E.1)
  2. Offside Rear Tyre worn close to the legal limit (4.1.E.1)
  3. Offside Rear Tyre worn close to legal limit/worn on edge (5.2.3 (e))
  4. Nearside Rear Tyre worn close to legal limit/worn on edge (5.2.3 (e))
  5. Under-trays fitted obscuring some underside components
  6. Nearside Front Tyre worn close to legal limit/worn on edge (5.2.3 (e))

Reliability FAQ

On MOT pass rate the Bmw 4 door saloon (77%) and Bmw 520 (78%) are very close — weigh the individual measures below, and remember condition depends on age, mileage and upkeep.

Full Bmw 4 door saloon report Full Bmw 520 report Most reliable cars

Pass rates are computed over completed (pass/fail) MOT tests. Reliability also depends on age, mileage and upkeep — see each model's page for the full picture.