Car statistics

BMW 5 Series 540i Sport statistics

How many BMW 5 Series 540i Sports are still on the road in Great Britain, how many are declared off the road, and how the 540i Sport compares with other versions of the BMW 5 Series. Built from DVLA licensing records.

A version of the BMW 5 Series. Recorded by DVLA as “540I SPORT AUTO”, “540 I SPORT AUTO”, “540I SPORT”, “540 I SPORT”.

Last updated
Records analysed
236 BMW 5 Series 540i Sport records (licensed and SORN)
Methodology
View methodology
  • Licensed in Great Britain 116 −14.7% on a year earlier
  • Declared SORN 120 Off the road, not taxed
  • Still registered 53.9% Other BMW 5 Series versions 34.2%
  • Peak year 2006 505 licensed
  • Share of BMW 5 Series 0.1% of those licensed or SORN
  • Declared off the road 50.8% of those still registered are SORN

How many BMW 5 Series 540i Sports are left in Great Britain?

There were 116 BMW 5 Series 540i Sports licensed in Great Britain at the end of March 2026, and a further 120 declared off the road (SORN). The licensed count is 77.0% lower than its peak of 505 in 2006. More are declared SORN than are licensed: 50.8% of those still registered are off the road.

BMW 5 Series 540i Sports licensed and SORN in Great Britain

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

BMW 5 Series 540i Sports licensed and declared SORN in Great Britain at the end of each year
Year LicensedDeclared SORN
2000 106
2001 298
2002 458
2003 504
2004 500
2005 505
2006 505
2007 4974
2008 4897
2009 46512
2010 44420
2011 41627
2012 36128
2013 31935
2014 29734
2015 26450
2016 23867
2017 20487
2018 19196
2019 172100
2020 167104
2021 163102
2022 142116
2023 134117
2024 131110
2025 116122
2026 116120

Source:DfT / DVLA End of March 2026 Updated

Fuel type

Source:DfT / DVLA End of March 2026 Updated

How many BMW 5 Series 540i Sports have survived?

53.9% of the BMW 5 Series 540i Sports first registered since 2001 are still registered, licensed or SORN. For other versions of the BMW 5 Series first registered in the same years, the figure is 34.2%, so BMW 5 Series 540i Sports are 1.6 times as likely to have survived.

Share still registered (licensed or SORN)

Compared with 22 other versions of the BMW 5 Series first registered in the same years.

Share of BMW 5 Series 540i Sports still registered compared with other BMW 5 Series versions of the same age
Version Share still registered
BMW 5 Series 540i Sport 53.9%
Other BMW 5 Series versions of the same age 34.2%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of March 2026 Updated

BMW 5 Series 540i Sport registrations over time

First registrations of BMW 5 Series 540i Sports in Great Britain were highest in 2001, when this data begins, at 202. In 2025, 0 were registered.

Registered for the first time, by year

BMW 5 Series 540i Sports registered for the first time in Great Britain, by year
Year First registrations
’01 202
’02 171
’03 48
’04 1
’05 1
’06 0
’07 0
’08 2
’09 2
’10 1
’11 0
’12 0
’13 1
’14 0
’15 0
’16 2
’17 1
’18 2
’19 0
’20 2
’21 2
’22 0
’23 0
’24 0
’25 0

Source:DfT / DVLA 2001 to 2025 Updated

BMW 5 Series 540i Sport engine sizes and fuel types

Of the 117 BMW 5 Series 540i Sports licensed in the UK at the end of 2025, 98.3% have an engine of 4,301cc to 4,400cc.

Engine sizes, end of 2025

DVLA records engine size in 100cc bands.

BMW 5 Series 540i Sports licensed in the UK at the end of 2025, by engine size
Engine size Share of those licensed
4,301cc to 4,400cc 115 licensed 98.3%
Other sizes 2 licensed 1.7%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of 2014 to end of 2025 Updated

Engine size and fuel together, end of 2025
Engine size Fuel Licensed Share
4,301–4,400cc Petrol 112 95.7%
4,301–4,400cc Other 3 2.6%

Fuel type, 2014 to 2025

Share of those licensed at the end of each year.

BMW 5 Series 540i Sports licensed in the UK by fuel type, share of each year’s total
Year PetrolOther
2014 96.7%3.0%
2015 96.7%2.9%
2016 97.6%2.0%
2017 98.1%1.9%
2018 97.9%2.1%
2019 97.7%2.3%
2020 98.2%1.8%
2021 98.2%1.8%
2022 97.9%2.1%
2023 98.5%1.5%
2024 98.5%1.5%
2025 97.4%2.6%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of 2014 to end of 2025 Updated

United Kingdom figures from DfT table VEH0220 (licensed cars at the end of each year, SORN excluded), so they differ slightly from the Great Britain counts elsewhere on this page. This covers cars DVLA records under this version’s name only; the BMW 5 Series page covers every version. How we use engine sizes.

Other versions of the BMW 5 Series

Versions of the BMW 5 Series with their own page. The BMW 5 Series page covers all 187,690 licensed, whatever the version.

BMW 5 Series 540i Sport compared with other versions of the BMW 5 Series
Version Licensed SORN Still registered
BMW 5 Series 540i 235 581 26.1%
BMW 5 Series 535i Sport 86 329 21.5%
BMW 5 Series 535i SE 157 236 8.0%
BMW 5 Series 528i 140 251 6.6%
BMW 5 Series 530d M Touring 196 80 54.2%
BMW 5 Series 525 55 205 9.0%
BMW 5 Series 540i Sport 116 120 53.9%
BMW 5 Series 540i Touring 45 190 29.7%
BMW 5 Series 535d Sport Touring 119 111 54.6%
BMW 5 Series 528i Sport 54 160 24.5%
BMW 5 Series 530i 76 137 11.3%
BMW 5 Series 535d SE Touring 139 61 52.2%
BMW 5 Series 525 E Lux 26 89 8.2%

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 March 2026 236 BMW 5 Series 540i Sport records (licensed and SORN) 15 September 2026
Registered for the first time Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport 2001 to 2025 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 “540I SPORT AUTO”, “540 I SPORT AUTO”, “540I SPORT”, “540 I SPORT”. 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 number first registered since 2001. Other versions are those of the same model with the same average year of first registration.
  • First registrations count vehicles registered in Great Britain for the first time, including used imports.

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