Used BMW 5 Series Saloon 2017-2023 reliability

When viewing a used car, always follow our used car buying checklist.

Bodywork

The BMW 5 Series is a big car, and while you get parking sensors as standard, you should still check the alloy wheels for kerb grazes. Smaller ones are less likely to attract damage, but irrespective of wheel size, a sizeable chunk of metal missing from the wheel rim might suggest a high-speed kerb impact that could also have affected the suspension system.

Electrics

You’ll also find a great deal of electronic toys inside the 5 Series, so spend some time familiarising yourself with all the buttons’ functions and check that they all do what they’re supposed to.

Recalls have been issued for the following. Check with your local BMW dealer that all remedial work has been carried out.

Leaking glycol coolant could create in combination with soot and oil sediments in the EGR module ignitable deposits.

The EGR cooler may leak presenting a fire risk.

The ball head connecting the brake pedal and the master brake cylinder the ball head might not be locked properly into the ball cage. If the driver accidentally pulls up the brake pedal the brake switch would be activated permanently. This will cause: The brake lamps to be illuminated even while driving A Check Control Message would not alert the driver. An engine start or gear selection would be possible without brake actuation. If the driver's door were opened after switching off the engine the gear would not switch automatically to "P" as designed.

Curtain airbags may have propellant which may have a humidity level higher than specification and in the event of a collision may not deploy correctly increasing the risk of injury.

If the retaining ring inside the steering gear has not been fitted correctly the sealing cap would not be fixed axially and might start moving. If the sealing cap has moved the ball return channel would not be fixed anymore and might move out of position possibly resulting in a ball jam accompanied by an extensively increased steering force and possibly lock.

The engine counterbalance shaft bearing bushing into the crankcase may be out of specification

The battery cables on the 48V starter generator may not have been sufficiently secured during the production process.

The rear drive shafts may not fulfil the durability requirements.

In very rare cases welding beads were not always completely removed in the cleaning process during battery production.

A possibility of impurities contained in the HV batteries may cause short circuits.

Click here for more information. Contact your local BMW dealer if you believe your vehicle is involved in a recall.

Reliability rating 96.7%

Petrol BMW 5 Series models are less prone to problems than diesels, with a fault rate of 15% (versus 20%). What’s more, 80% of petrols were fixed for free, versus just 25% of diesels. Forty percent of repairs took a day or less, and only 20% took more than a week. Non-engine electrics were the main weak point.

Our latest reliability data shows petrol 5 Series models in a good light; they finished in second place out of 24 cars with a 96.7% record. Diesel variants scored a disappointing 79.8%.

For the full list of executive and luxury saloon cars in our survey click here.

In the same What Car? Reliability Survey, BMW as a brand ranked eighth out of 31 manufacturers, which is respectable, with a score of 94%. See the full list of manufacturers here.

Used BMW 5 Series: owners' reliability data

Owners told us about their experience with the BMW 5 Series (2017-2023) as part of our annual Reliability Survey.

Most of our readers said their cars were proving to be reliable, but minor issues were reported by some owners – mostly relating to the car’s infotainment system, seats and suspension and bodywork.

While readers on the whole seemed satisfied with BMW’s dealers, some noted that the cost of maintenance, as well as some consumable items, were higher than they expected.