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, with MOT results for the BMW 5 Series.
- Licensed in Great Britain 117 −8.6% on a year earlier
- Declared SORN 122 Off the road, not taxed
- Still registered 54.6% Other BMW 5 Series versions 33.8%
- Peak year 2006 505 licensed
- Share of BMW 5 Series 0.1% of those licensed or SORN
- Declared off the road 51.0% of those still registered are SORN
How many BMW 5 Series 540i Sports are left in Great Britain?
There were 117 BMW 5 Series 540i Sports licensed in Great Britain at the end of June 2026, and a further 122 declared off the road (SORN). The licensed count is 76.8% lower than its peak of 505 in 2006. More are declared SORN than are licensed: 51.0% 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.
| Year | Licensed | Declared SORN |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 106 | – |
| 2001 | 298 | – |
| 2002 | 458 | – |
| 2003 | 504 | – |
| 2004 | 500 | – |
| 2005 | 505 | – |
| 2006 | 505 | – |
| 2007 | 497 | 4 |
| 2008 | 489 | 7 |
| 2009 | 465 | 12 |
| 2010 | 444 | 20 |
| 2011 | 416 | 27 |
| 2012 | 361 | 28 |
| 2013 | 319 | 35 |
| 2014 | 297 | 34 |
| 2015 | 264 | 50 |
| 2016 | 238 | 67 |
| 2017 | 204 | 87 |
| 2018 | 191 | 96 |
| 2019 | 172 | 100 |
| 2020 | 167 | 104 |
| 2021 | 163 | 102 |
| 2022 | 142 | 116 |
| 2023 | 134 | 117 |
| 2024 | 131 | 110 |
| 2025 | 116 | 122 |
| 2026 | 117 | 122 |
Source:DfT / DVLA End of June 2026 Updated
Fuel type
Source:DfT / DVLA End of June 2026 Updated
How many BMW 5 Series 540i Sports have survived?
54.6% 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 33.8%, 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.
| Version | Share still registered |
|---|---|
| BMW 5 Series 540i Sport | 54.6% |
| Other BMW 5 Series versions of the same age | 33.8% |
Source:DfT / DVLA End of June 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
| 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.
| 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 | 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.
| Year | Petrol | Other |
|---|---|---|
| 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.
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 540i Sport 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.
| Vehicle age | BMW 5 Series | All 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.
| 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.
| 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
Data sources and methodology
| Figures | Source | Period | Records | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Licensed and SORN counts | Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport | End of June 2026 | 239 BMW 5 Series 540i Sport 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 |
| Registered for the first time | Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport | 2001 to 2025 | – | 2 October 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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