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1983 BMW 5 Series — MOT History by Age

How cars manufactured in 1983 perform at MOT as they age

43 years
Current Age
63.3%
Latest Pass Rate
247
Total Tests (All Years)
101,755 mi
Avg Mileage (Latest)

Data from official DVSA MOT testing records

Insufficient data for same-age comparison.

How This Car Ages

Pass rate progression for the 1983 BMW 5 Series as it ages.

26 yrs63.5%
27 yrs55.3%
28 yrs65.9%
29 yrs53.3%
30 yrs58.3%
34 yrs63.3%

Bar chart showing pass rate by car age from 26 to 34 years

Fail Rate %
📊 View as table
AgePass RateTests
26 yrs63.5%63
27 yrs55.3%47
28 yrs65.9%41
29 yrs53.3%30
30 yrs58.3%36
34 yrs63.3%30

Pass Rate Trend

How the 1983 BMW 5 Series pass rate changes as it ages, from first MOT to most recent.

Trend shows improving over 6 years

Pass Rate %
📊 View as table
BuiltPass RateTests
2017 (34 yrs)63.3%30
2013 (30 yrs)58.3%36
2012 (29 yrs)53.3%30
2011 (28 yrs)65.9%41
2010 (27 yrs)55.3%47
2009 (26 yrs)63.5%63

Year-by-Year MOT Results

2009High Fail Rate
63.5%
Age (yrs) 26Tests 63Avg Mileage 97,341Top Failure Brakes — 17.5%
2010High Fail Rate
55.3%
Age (yrs) 27Tests 47Avg Mileage 105,640Top Failure Brakes — 23.4%
2011
65.9%
Age (yrs) 28Tests 41Avg Mileage 105,612Top Failure Brakes — 22.0%
2012High Fail Rate
53.3%
Age (yrs) 29Tests 30Avg Mileage 102,810Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 23.3%
2013High Fail Rate
58.3%
Age (yrs) 30Tests 36Avg Mileage 106,987Top Failure Brakes — 50.0%
2017High Fail Rate
63.3%
Age (yrs) 34Tests 30Avg Mileage 101,755Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 70.0%

Common MOT Failures

Top failure categories across all test years for 1983 BMW 5 Series, with age trends.

Brakes
31.0%
↑ Increases with age
Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment
30.4%
↑ Increases with age
Suspension
24.4%
↑ Increases with age
Driver's View of the Road
20.8%
↑ Increases with age
Exhaust, Fuel and Emissions
17.2%
— Consistent

How Failures Change With Age

Comparing failure rates between the youngest and oldest test years.

CategoryAt YoungestAt OldestChangeTrend
Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment17.5% (26 yrs)70.0% (34 yrs)
+52.5%
🔴 ↑
Brakes17.5% (26 yrs)53.3% (34 yrs)
+35.8%
🔴 ↑
Driver's View of the Road7.9% (26 yrs)40.0% (34 yrs)
+32.1%
🔴 ↑
Suspension12.7% (26 yrs)36.7% (34 yrs)
+24.0%
🔴 ↑
Exhaust, Fuel and Emissions15.9% (26 yrs)13.3% (34 yrs)
-2.6%
🟢 ↓

Other Manufacture Years

Looking for the best year to buy? See the full comparison on the BMW 5 Series page →

About This Data

This page shows how BMW 5 Series cars manufactured in 1983 perform at MOT as they age. Data spans from 2009 to 2017, covering 247 tests. Pass rates naturally decline with age as components wear.

Based on DVSA anonymised MOT test data (2005–2024). Crown copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0.

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