Car statistics

BMW 5 Series 530i statistics

How many BMW 5 Series 530is are still on the road in Great Britain, how many are declared off the road, and how the 530i compares with other versions of the BMW 5 Series. Built from DVLA licensing records, with MOT results for the BMW 5 Series.

A version of the BMW 5 Series. Recorded by DVLA as “530 I AUTO”, “530 I”, “530I”, “530I AUTO”, “530I A”.

Last updated
Records analysed
211 BMW 5 Series 530i records (licensed and SORN)
Methodology
View methodology
  • Licensed in Great Britain 77 −11.5% on a year earlier
  • Declared SORN 134 Off the road, not taxed
  • Still registered 11.2% Other BMW 5 Series versions 4.6%
  • Peak year 1996 1,595 licensed
  • Share of BMW 5 Series 0.1% of those licensed or SORN
  • Declared off the road 63.5% of those still registered are SORN

How many BMW 5 Series 530is are left in Great Britain?

There were 77 BMW 5 Series 530is licensed in Great Britain at the end of June 2026, and a further 134 declared off the road (SORN). The licensed count is 95.2% lower than its peak of 1,595 in 1996. More are declared SORN than are licensed: 63.5% of those still registered are off the road.

BMW 5 Series 530is licensed and SORN in Great Britain

This data records SORN from 2007, so the SORN line starts there.

BMW 5 Series 530is licensed and declared SORN in Great Britain at the end of each year
Year LicensedDeclared SORN
1994 1,235–
1995 1,534–
1996 1,595–
1997 1,551–
1998 1,534–
1999 1,548–
2000 1,534–
2001 1,580–
2002 1,569–
2003 1,505–
2004 1,406–
2005 1,319–
2006 1,161–
2007 1,005121
2008 821139
2009 671134
2010 533139
2011 398108
2012 300105
2013 25195
2014 208103
2015 20291
2016 179101
2017 155107
2018 134122
2019 125125
2020 103137
2021 103130
2022 96134
2023 88132
2024 83129
2025 82132
2026 77134

Source:DfT / DVLA End of June 2026 Updated

Fuel type

Source:DfT / DVLA End of June 2026 Updated

How many BMW 5 Series 530is have survived?

11.2% of BMW 5 Series 530is are still registered (licensed or SORN), measured against the most on the road at any year end since 1994. For other versions of the BMW 5 Series from the same era, the figure is 4.6%, so BMW 5 Series 530is are 2.5 times as likely to have survived.

Share still registered (licensed or SORN)

Compared with 19 other versions of the BMW 5 Series from the same era.

Share of BMW 5 Series 530is still registered compared with other BMW 5 Series versions of the same age
Version Share still registered
BMW 5 Series 530i 11.2%
Other BMW 5 Series versions of the same age 4.6%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of June 2026 Updated

BMW 5 Series MOT reliability

In 2025, 79.7% of BMW 5 Series MOT tests were passed first time, against 72.8% for all cars. Cars of the same ages pass 71.7% of the time, so the BMW 5 Series does better than average for its age, by 8.0 points.

DVSA's MOT results name the model, not the version, so these figures cover all BMW 5 Series tested, the 530i among them. For the full breakdown, including defects in detail and results year by year, see the BMW 5 Series page.

MOT first-time pass rate by age: BMW 5 Series vs all cars

Each bar pair covers cars of the same age, so an older fleet does not count against the model.

MOT first-time pass rate by vehicle age, BMW 5 Series compared with all cars
Vehicle age BMW 5 SeriesAll cars
3 years 86.7%89.5%
4–5 years 87.9%87.6%
6–7 years 86.8%83.0%
8–10 years 84.3%75.7%
11–14 years 76.4%65.5%
15–19 years 71.1%58.0%
20+ years 67.7%61.0%

Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated

Most common MOT failure categories

Tyres is the most common reason a BMW 5 Series fails. A failed test can have defects in more than one category.

Share of failed BMW 5 Series MOT tests with at least one defect in each category
Defect category Share of failed tests
Tyres 33.1%
Suspension 29.6%
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 27.5%
Brakes 16.0%
Visibility 12.9%
Noise, emissions and leaks 8.6%

Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated

Other versions of the BMW 5 Series

Versions of the BMW 5 Series with their own page. The BMW 5 Series page covers all 186,473 licensed, whatever the version.

BMW 5 Series 530i compared with other versions of the BMW 5 Series
Version Licensed SORN Still registered
BMW 5 Series 540i 242 578 26.2%
BMW 5 Series 535i Sport 86 334 21.8%
BMW 5 Series 528i 147 251 6.7%
BMW 5 Series 535i SE 170 226 8.1%
BMW 5 Series 530d M Touring 189 84 53.6%
BMW 5 Series 525 60 201 9.0%
BMW 5 Series 540i Sport 117 122 54.6%
BMW 5 Series 540i Touring 44 190 29.6%
BMW 5 Series 535d Sport Touring 114 113 53.9%
BMW 5 Series 530i 77 134 11.2%
BMW 5 Series 528i Sport 53 158 24.1%
BMW 5 Series 535d SE Touring 142 59 52.5%
BMW 5 Series 525 E Lux 31 84 8.2%

Data stories to read next

All insights

Data sources and methodology

Datasets used on this page
Figures Source Period Records Updated
Licensed and SORN counts Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport End of June 2026 211 BMW 5 Series 530i records (licensed and SORN) 2 October 2026
MOT results (whole model) Anonymised MOT tests and results Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency
Derived statistics UK Motoring
2025 204,690 MOT tests 15 September 2026
  • Figures cover Great Britain (England, Scotland and Wales). Northern Ireland is not included.
  • Licensed counts are vehicles with a current tax or exemption at the end of each year (or the latest quarter). SORN counts are shown separately, from 2007.
  • This version groups DVLA’s detailed model names “530 I AUTO”, “530 I”, “530I”, “530I AUTO”, “530I A”. Engine size, gearbox, number of doors and fuel are ignored, so every engine and gearbox counts together.
  • Survival compares the number still registered (licensed or SORN) with the most licensed at any year end since 1994, plus any first registered after that year. Other versions are those of the same model whose licensed count peaked in the same years, up to 2001.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.