How many BMW M5s are still on the road in Great Britain, how many are declared off the road, how new registrations have changed and which fuels they use. Built from DVLA licensing records and 3,827 DVSA MOT tests.
Licensed in Great Britain5,864−3.1% on a year earlier
Declared SORN2,655Off the road, not taxed
MOT first-time pass rate, 202587.6%Cars of the same ages 65.9%
Rank by number licensedNo. 415of 1,159 models we cover
Peak year20226,376 licensed
Average annual mileage3,531miles a year
How many BMW M5s are left in Great Britain?
There were 5,864 BMW M5s licensed in Great Britain at the end of March 2026, and a further 2,655 declared off the road (SORN).
That is 8.0% fewer than the peak of 6,376 in 2022.
BMW M5s licensed in Great Britain
Numbers peaked in 2022 and have fallen every year since, as older cars are scrapped faster than new ones are registered.
In 2025, 87.6% of BMW M5 MOT tests were passed first time,
against 72.8% for all cars.
Cars of the same ages as the BMW M5s tested pass 65.9% of the time, so the BMW M5 does better than average for its age, by 21.7 points. In 2024 its pass rate was 87.4%.
MOT first-time pass rate by age: BMW M5 vs all cars
Comparing like with like: each bar pair covers cars of the same age, so an older average age does not count against a model.
0%
50%
100%
8–10 years
11–14 years
15–19 years
20+ years
BMW M5
All cars
MOT first-time pass rate by vehicle age, BMW M5 compared with all cars
Suspension is the most common reason a BMW M5 fails its MOT,
appearing on 26.4% of failed tests. A failed test can have defects in
more than one category, so shares add up to more than 100%.
2.7% of BMW M5 tests found at least one dangerous defect, against 7.3% for all cars.
Most common MOT failure categories
Share of failed BMW M5 MOT tests with at least one defect in each category
The single most common reason a BMW M5 failed its MOT in 2025 was
“Coil spring: fractured or broken”, on 10.8% of 474 failed tests.
29.4% of tests ended with at least one advisory, a problem to watch that did not fail the test; the most common was “Tread depth: worn close to legal limit or worn on edge”.
The same fault on any wheel or side counts once.
Most common reasons for failure
Share of failed tests with each defect. A test can fail for more than one.
Most common specific MOT defects on failed BMW M5 tests, 2025
Of the 6,139 BMW M5s licensed in the UK at the end of 2025, 79.5% have an engine of 4,301cc to 4,400cc, and 17.6% have an engine of 4,901cc to 5,000cc. The share with an engine of 4,301cc to 4,400cc has grown from 39.9% in 2014 to 79.5%.
Engine sizes, end of 2025
DVLA records engine size in 100cc bands.
BMW M5s licensed in the UK at the end of 2025, by engine size
Engine size
Share of those licensed
4,301cc to 4,400cc 4,878 licensed
79.5%
4,901cc to 5,000cc 1,078 licensed
17.6%
3,401cc to 3,500cc 105 licensed
1.7%
Other sizes 78 licensed
1.3%
Source:DfT / DVLAEnd of 2014 to end of 2025Updated
Engine size and fuel together, end of 2025
Engine size and fuel together, end of 2025
Engine size
Fuel
Licensed
Share
4,301–4,400cc
Petrol
4,878
79.5%
4,901–5,000cc
Petrol
1,078
17.6%
3,401–3,500cc
Petrol
105
1.7%
Engine sizes, 2014 to 2025
Share of those licensed at the end of each year, for the most common sizes.
BMW M5s licensed in the UK by engine size, share of each year’s total
Year
4,301–4,400cc
4,901–5,000cc
3,401–3,500cc
2014
39.9%
54.6%
2.6%
2015
44.3%
50.6%
2.4%
2016
51.0%
44.4%
2.1%
2017
52.3%
43.0%
2.1%
2018
58.0%
37.9%
1.9%
2019
67.5%
29.0%
1.7%
2020
70.4%
26.2%
1.7%
2021
74.0%
22.9%
1.6%
2022
76.5%
20.4%
1.6%
2023
79.2%
18.3%
1.3%
2024
79.8%
17.4%
1.5%
2025
79.5%
17.6%
1.7%
Source:DfT / DVLAEnd of 2014 to end of 2025Updated
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.
How we use engine sizes.
BMW M5 fuel economy and CO2
The Vehicle Certification Agency’s new car data lists the BMW M5 from 2025, and still lists it. plug-in hybrid versions are rated at 51.4 to 176.6 mpg (weighted).
Official WLTP figures by engine and fuel, listed 2025 to 2026
Official WLTP figures by engine and fuel, listed 2025 to 2026
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.
Plug-in hybrid figures are VCA’s weighted values, which count driving on battery power as
well as on fuel.
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 names “M5”, “M5 Saloon”, “M5 Touring”. How we use VCA’s figures.
BMW M5 safety recalls
DVSA lists 10 safety recalls for the BMW M5 since 1992, the first in 2012. The most recent was launched on 17 March 2026.
Checking and re-securing the air-conditioning wiring harness
Launched 17 March 2026DVSA recall R/2026/092Manufacturer ref. 0061510900 0061520900
Defect
The Safety Recall relates to the air-conditioning wiring harness located behind the dashboard. On the affected vehicles the wiring harness was fixed very close to a screw connection on the interior microfilter housing cover. The microfilter of the air conditioning system will be regularly replaced as part of the oil service. It cannot be ruled out that cables may be damaged when replacing the microfilter during a workshop visit. The filter cover has to be removed from the lower part of the instrument panel. After replacing the filter the cover has to be refitted at which point the wires may become damaged or trapped. If the wiring harness is damaged this could lead to malfunctions of the air conditioning system as well as to a short circuit. In case of a short circuit a sensor may overheat while the vehicle is in operation. As a result smoke may develop from the instrument panel and subsequently a fire cannot be ruled out.
Remedy
On the affected vehicles the air-conditioning wiring harness will be checked repaired if necessary and re-secured in a modified fixing.
A recall applies to cars built on particular dates or with particular VINs, not to every BMW M5. The details come from manufacturers through DVSA, which says they may be delayed or
incomplete. To check a specific car, use GOV.UK’s vehicle recall check or ask the manufacturer or a
dealer. How we match recalls to models.
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.
First registrations count vehicles registered in Great Britain for the first time, including used imports.
Models are grouped by DVLA’s generic model name, so every generation and trim counts together.
MOT figures cover normal tests of cars aged three and over in 2025; retests are excluded. Age is rounded to the nearest year.
DVSA records the model name typed in at the test. We match those names to DVLA’s generic models, so a handful of tests may be counted under a close relative.
