Car statistics
BMW 5 Series 540i Touring statistics
How many BMW 5 Series 540i Tourings are still on the road in Great Britain, how many are declared off the road, and how the 540i Touring 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 44 −12.0% on a year earlier
- Declared SORN 190 Off the road, not taxed
- Still registered 29.6% Other BMW 5 Series versions 14.4%
- Peak year 2002 779 licensed
- Share of BMW 5 Series 0.1% of those licensed or SORN
- Declared off the road 81.2% of those still registered are SORN
How many BMW 5 Series 540i Tourings are left in Great Britain?
There were 44 BMW 5 Series 540i Tourings licensed in Great Britain at the end of June 2026, and a further 190 declared off the road (SORN). The licensed count is 94.4% lower than its peak of 779 in 2002. More are declared SORN than are licensed: 81.2% of those still registered are off the road.
BMW 5 Series 540i Tourings licensed and SORN in Great Britain
This data records SORN from 2007, so the SORN line starts there.
| Year | Licensed | Declared SORN |
|---|---|---|
| 1994 | 85 | – |
| 1995 | 193 | – |
| 1996 | 246 | – |
| 1997 | 354 | – |
| 1998 | 563 | – |
| 1999 | 695 | – |
| 2000 | 730 | – |
| 2001 | 775 | – |
| 2002 | 779 | – |
| 2003 | 770 | – |
| 2004 | 753 | – |
| 2005 | 747 | – |
| 2006 | 718 | – |
| 2007 | 688 | 42 |
| 2008 | 635 | 57 |
| 2009 | 599 | 51 |
| 2010 | 522 | 74 |
| 2011 | 434 | 81 |
| 2012 | 336 | 85 |
| 2013 | 272 | 92 |
| 2014 | 223 | 97 |
| 2015 | 211 | 99 |
| 2016 | 180 | 123 |
| 2017 | 164 | 128 |
| 2018 | 133 | 148 |
| 2019 | 109 | 163 |
| 2020 | 89 | 171 |
| 2021 | 86 | 172 |
| 2022 | 73 | 176 |
| 2023 | 62 | 185 |
| 2024 | 57 | 180 |
| 2025 | 45 | 189 |
| 2026 | 44 | 190 |
Source:DfT / DVLA End of June 2026 Updated
Fuel type
Source:DfT / DVLA End of June 2026 Updated
How many BMW 5 Series 540i Tourings have survived?
29.6% of BMW 5 Series 540i Tourings 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 14.4%, so BMW 5 Series 540i Tourings are 2.1 times as likely to have survived.
Share still registered (licensed or SORN)
Compared with 16 other versions of the BMW 5 Series from the same era.
| Version | Share still registered |
|---|---|
| BMW 5 Series 540i Touring | 29.6% |
| Other BMW 5 Series versions of the same age | 14.4% |
Source:DfT / DVLA End of June 2026 Updated
BMW 5 Series 540i Touring fuel economy and CO2
The Vehicle Certification Agency’s new car data lists the BMW 5 Series 540i Touring from 2000, when the data begins, to 2004. On the NEDC test (listings 2000 to 2004), official combined fuel economy for its petrol versions ranges from 22.1 to 22.8 mpg, with CO2 of 299 to 307 g/km.
| Engine and fuel | Combined mpg | CO2 g/km | Listed | Euro standard | Versions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4.4 petrol | 22.1–22.8 | 299–307 | 2000–2004 | Euro 3 | 2 |
Source:VCA July 2000 to 15 September 2026 Updated
- Official figures from laboratory type-approval tests. VCA says they may not be achieved in real-world driving, and should not be used to rank cars with similar figures.
- These are the VCA listings we could match to the BMW 5 Series 540i Touring by name. The BMW 5 Series page covers every version.
- Engine sizes are rounded to the nearest 0.1 litre. A version is one line in VCA’s data (description, gearbox, engine and fuel), counted once however many years it was listed. Matched from VCA’s model name “5 Series E39”. How we use VCA’s figures.
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 Touring 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 | 234 BMW 5 Series 540i Touring 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 “540I TOURING AUTO”, “540 I TOURING AUTO”, “540I TOURING”, “540 I TOURING”. 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.