Is the Bmw 518 reliable?

The Bmw 518 has an average MOT pass rate of 78% across 9 years, based on 3,951 tests in 2024. That's 4 points below the national average of 82%. The most reliable year is 2015 with a 90% pass rate.

Which year Bmw 518 is best?

The 2015 Bmw 518 has the highest MOT pass rate at 90%, while the 1992 model has the lowest at 65%. There's a 25 percentage point spread between the best and worst years.

Bmw 518 Running Costs, MOT Pass Rates & Reliability

Bmw 518

Reliability, running costs, and MOT data across 9 years from 3,951 real MOT tests.

Avg Pass Rate

78%

Total Tests

3,951

Best Year

2015 (90%)

Years Covered

How reliable is the Bmw 518?

vs national average-4% (82% avg)

vs Bmw brand average-10% (88% avg)

Best to worst year spread25 percentage points

Reliability trendImproving over years

Bmw 518 by Year

Year	Pass Rate	Tests	Avg Mileage
2017	82%	33	93,782 mi
2016	88%	509	112,019 mi
2015	90%	1,003	120,415 mi
2014	87%	1,559	126,361 mi
2013	82%	621	122,687 mi
1995	69%	90	120,162 mi
1994	71%	58	140,924 mi
1992	65%	40	129,755 mi
1990	71%	38	88,970 mi

Checking a specific Bmw 518?

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About the Bmw 518

The Bmw 518 has been tested 3,951 times in 2024 MOT data across 9 model years (1990 to 2017), with an average pass rate of 78%. That's close to the national average of 82%. Available as diesel and petrol.

Best and Worst Years

The 2015 model is the most reliable with a 90% pass rate from 1,003 tests. The 1992 model has the lowest at 65%. With a 25 point spread, choosing the right year makes a big difference to reliability.

Reliability Trend

Newer BMW 518s show better MOT pass rates than older ones, with an average improvement of 14 percentage points.

Mileage Across Years

The oldest model in our data (1990) averages 88,970 miles, while the newest (2017) averages 93,782 miles.

Compared to the Bmw brand average of 88%, the 518 is 10 points lower, placing it among the less reliable Bmw models.

Click any year in the table above to see detailed running costs, individual reliability data, and comparisons with similar cars.