All generations and engines together · 68,422 MOT tests in the 2025 data · typical mileage at age 7: 71k
Better than most SUVs, by age and by mileage. Watch emissions/leaks and suspension. A solid used buy, provided its MOT history has no repeating emissions/leaks advisories.
Split by first-registration year. Cars registered in a changeover year can belong to either generation.
Owner folklore from forums and the motoring press, with how well each report stands up. Most of it never shows up in an MOT, which is why this section exists at all.
On the diesels, the exhaust gas recirculation cooler can leak coolant into the intake, where it mixes with soot and, at high enough temperatures, can melt the plastic inlet manifold or start an engine bay fire. BMW recalled around 268,000 diesel cars in the UK over it. For the X5 the affected build window is roughly April 2013 to June 2017 across the 25d, 30d and 40d, covering the N47, N57 and B47 engines. The remedy is free, but owners reported long waits for parts, so check the recall has actually been done rather than just issued.
This one is not folklore, it is in the X5's own MOT record. At ages 6 to 9, 4.5% of tests record a suspension pin, bush or joint as excessively worn, against a large SUV class average of 0.9%. That is five times the rate of its rivals, and it is the clearest single signal in the car's measured data. Road testers reach the same conclusion from the other end, rating the X5 badly for axle and suspension repair costs. A two tonne SUV on large wheels works its bushes hard, and replacement is not cheap.
Cars with rear self-levelling or full air suspension can sag overnight, usually at the back and often on one side first. The rubber air springs crack with age and start to leak, and because the compressor then runs constantly trying to hold the car level, it cooks itself. The tell is a humming or buzzing from the rear that will not stop. Owners and independents both stress diagnosing which part actually failed, because replacing a burnt out compressor without curing the leak that killed it simply burns out the next one.
The motor that drives the transfer case uses a plastic gear against metal, and the plastic teeth can strip. It shows up as a drivetrain or 4x4 warning light, juddering on full lock at low speed, or a car that feels like it is binding when parking. Most reports are on the 2007-2013 E70 and early F15 cars. Neglected transfer case fluid makes it worse, and owners repeatedly point out that the fluid is not a lifetime fill despite being treated as one, with problems surfacing where it was left past about 50,000 miles.
The 50i V8 built between roughly 2008 and 2013 puts its turbos inside the vee, and the heat hardens the valve stem seals early. The result is heavy oil consumption and blue smoke, on an engine where BMW's own stated allowance is already a quart every 750 miles. The same generation is known for timing chain tensioner wear, which lets the chain stretch and, at worst, jump. Both are cylinder head or engine out jobs. A 50i with no evidence of the seal and chain work having been done is a large bill waiting to happen.
The straight six diesel is generally well regarded and does not have the reputation of the smaller four cylinder N47, but its chain runs off the back of the engine. If it does need doing, the engine comes out, and owners report quotes in the region of three and a half thousand pounds. The advice from owners is consistent and cheap to follow: change the oil more often than the service indicator asks, and listen carefully on a cold start for any rattle or change in note from the back of the engine before you buy.
Ranked from this model’s own MOT record, then from what owners report.
Saveable checklistThe physical checks its own defect data says are worth your time, most telling first.
These judge the seller’s upkeep rather than the model, and they are where the haggling money is.
The physical checks its own defect data says are worth your time, most telling first.
These judge the seller’s upkeep rather than the model, and they are where the haggling money is.
The physical checks its own defect data says are worth your time, most telling first.
These judge the seller’s upkeep rather than the model, and they are where the haggling money is.
The physical checks its own defect data says are worth your time, most telling first.
These judge the seller’s upkeep rather than the model, and they are where the haggling money is.
Drawn from the reports above rather than the MOT data. These are the model-specific ones.
Computed from DVSA MOT results, all of Great Britain, 2025. Nothing here is opinion.
Share of tests where each item was recorded. The dark tick is the class average across all tracked models; bars are scaled within each group.
The rows that judge the model rather than its keeper. 26,111 tests in this band.
Tyres, pads and stone chips say more about how the car was driven and maintained than about how it was built.
Same segment (Family & large SUVs), best MOT record first. Compare before you shortlist.