BMW 518 reliability, MOT pass rate and rarity

Time Period & Model

Time period snapshot: Last 5 years

Manufacturer: BMW

Model: 518

Model reliability rank

MOT-based rank from 14,106 selected-period tests.

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Overall MOT pass rate

82.7%

Share of this model's 14,106 selected-period MOT tests that pass.

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Efficiency, emissions & tax

Average MPG

CO2 emission

Euro emissions

Tax cost

£370/yr

Vehicle list price over £40,000?NoYes

Average vehicle miles

133,626

Solid average mileage for this model.

Life expectancy miles

133,849

Moderate mature-fleet mileage expectation.

Average vehicle age

12.8

Comfortable mid-life age pattern.

Vehicles represented

2,063

2,063 valid MOT, 0 under 3 years.

Tests analysed

14,106

14,106 MOT tests in the selected period.

Rarity ranking

Based on Make & Model

Very Rare

2,063On the road

Insight summary

BMW 518 is a very rare model in this snapshot, with 2,063 represented vehicles and 0.00% of the active UK pool tracked by AutoRank. For the last 5 years, it has a pass rate of 82.7% from 14,106 MOT tests, with a reliability score of 56. The current pool shows an average of 133,626 miles and an average age of 12.8 years, while mature-fleet mileage is estimated at 133,849 miles. Diesel leads the fuel split, followed by petrol, and the most frequent defect themes are windscreen damage, tyre condition and coil springs. The practical read is that the BMW 518 looks a little better than average, but still rewards careful checks on mileage and maintenance.

Fuel type breakdown (by model)

Fuel	Vehicles
DIESEL	1,953
PETROL	110

Euro NCAP Safety

No NCAP tests found for this model.

Top 25 most common defects (by model)

Defect	Count
Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view (3.2 (a) (i))	194
Nearside Rear Tyre tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm (5.2.3 (e))	183
Offside Rear Tyre tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm (5.2.3 (e))	165
Windscreen washer provides insufficient washer liquid (3.5 (a))	118
Offside Front Coil spring fractured or broken (5.3.1 (b) (i))	103
Nearside Front Position lamp not working (4.2.1 (a) (ii))	73
Engine MIL inoperative or indicates a malfunction (8.2.2.2 (g))	70
Nearside Front Coil spring fractured or broken (5.3.1 (b) (i))	69
Offside Rear Coil spring fractured or broken (5.3.1 (b) (i))	66
Rear Brake pad(s) less than 1.5 mm thick (1.1.13 (a) (ii))	64
Nearside Front Windscreen wiper does not clear the windscreen effectively (3.4 (b) (ii))	63
Nearside Windscreen wiper does not clear the windscreen effectively (3.4 (b) (ii))	63
Front Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view (3.2 (a) (i))	58
Nearside Front Tyre tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm (5.2.3 (e))	51
Offside Rear Tyre has ply or cords exposed (5.2.3 (d) (ii))	50
Tyre pressure monitoring system malfunctioning or obviously inoperative (5.2.3 (h))	50
Nearside Rear Road wheel fixing missing (5.2.1 (a) (i))	49
Front Windscreen washer provides insufficient washer liquid (3.5 (a))	46
Offside Front Tyre tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm (5.2.3 (e))	46
Nearside Rear Tyre has ply or cords exposed (5.2.3 (d) (ii))	45
Engine MIL inoperative or indicates a malfunction (8.2.1.2 (h))	44
Front Windscreen wiper does not clear the windscreen effectively (3.4 (b) (ii))	44
Nearside Front Road wheel fixing missing (5.2.1 (a) (i))	44
Nearside Front Windscreen wiper blade defective (3.4 (b) (i))	43
Nearside Rear Coil spring fractured or broken (5.3.1 (b) (i))	41

All 25 defects ranked by recorded countShowing 1,842 defects across this top 25 set

Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view (3.2 (a) (i))

194

Nearside Rear Tyre tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm (5.2.3 (e))

183

Offside Rear Tyre tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm (5.2.3 (e))

165

Windscreen washer provides insufficient washer liquid (3.5 (a))

118

Offside Front Coil spring fractured or broken (5.3.1 (b) (i))

103

Nearside Front Position lamp not working (4.2.1 (a) (ii))

Engine MIL inoperative or indicates a malfunction (8.2.2.2 (g))

Nearside Front Coil spring fractured or broken (5.3.1 (b) (i))

Offside Rear Coil spring fractured or broken (5.3.1 (b) (i))

Rear Brake pad(s) less than 1.5 mm thick (1.1.13 (a) (ii))

Nearside Front Windscreen wiper does not clear the windscreen effectively (3.4 (b) (ii))

Nearside Windscreen wiper does not clear the windscreen effectively (3.4 (b) (ii))

Front Windscreen damaged but not adversely affecting driver's view (3.2 (a) (i))

Nearside Front Tyre tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm (5.2.3 (e))

Offside Rear Tyre has ply or cords exposed (5.2.3 (d) (ii))

Tyre pressure monitoring system malfunctioning or obviously inoperative (5.2.3 (h))

Nearside Rear Road wheel fixing missing (5.2.1 (a) (i))

Front Windscreen washer provides insufficient washer liquid (3.5 (a))

Offside Front Tyre tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm (5.2.3 (e))

Nearside Rear Tyre has ply or cords exposed (5.2.3 (d) (ii))

Engine MIL inoperative or indicates a malfunction (8.2.1.2 (h))

Front Windscreen wiper does not clear the windscreen effectively (3.4 (b) (ii))

Nearside Front Road wheel fixing missing (5.2.1 (a) (i))

Nearside Front Windscreen wiper blade defective (3.4 (b) (i))

Nearside Rear Coil spring fractured or broken (5.3.1 (b) (i))

BMW 518 reliability and MOT data