1997 BMW 523i Se Auto — MOT History by Age

How cars manufactured in 1997 perform at MOT as they age

29 years

Current Age

58.3%

Latest Pass Rate

942

Total Tests (All Years)

124,560 mi

Avg Mileage (Latest)

Data from official DVSA MOT testing records

Compared to Average at Age 19

This car: 58.3%

Average: 55.4%

✅ 2.9% above average (7550 models compared)

How This Car Ages

Pass rate progression for the 1997 BMW 523i Se Auto as it ages.

12 yrs51.6%

→ ↑6.4%

13 yrs58.0%

→ ↓4.5%

14 yrs53.5%

→ ↓10.2%

15 yrs43.3%

→ ↑10.2%

16 yrs53.5%

→ ↓1.0%

17 yrs52.5%

→ ↑2.6%

18 yrs55.1%

→ ↑3.2%

19 yrs58.3%

📊 View as table

Age	Pass Rate	Tests
12 yrs	51.6%	252
13 yrs	58.0%	176
14 yrs	53.5%	142
15 yrs	43.3%	127
16 yrs	53.5%	99
17 yrs	52.5%	61
18 yrs	55.1%	49
19 yrs	58.3%	36

Pass Rate Trend

How the 1997 BMW 523i Se Auto pass rate changes as it ages, from first MOT to most recent.

📊 View as table

Built	Pass Rate	Tests
2016 (19 yrs)	58.3%	36
2015 (18 yrs)	55.1%	49
2014 (17 yrs)	52.5%	61
2013 (16 yrs)	53.5%	99
2012 (15 yrs)	43.3%	127
2011 (14 yrs)	53.5%	142
2010 (13 yrs)	58%	176
2009 (12 yrs)	51.6%	252

Year-by-Year MOT Results

2009High Fail Rate

51.6%

Age (yrs) 12Tests 252Avg Mileage 125,716Top Failure Brakes — 31.7%

2010High Fail Rate

58.0%

Age (yrs) 13Tests 176Avg Mileage 124,107Top Failure Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 24.4%

2011High Fail Rate

53.5%

Age (yrs) 14Tests 142Avg Mileage 127,628Top Failure Brakes — 33.8%

2012High Fail Rate

43.3%

Age (yrs) 15Tests 127Avg Mileage 131,338Top Failure Brakes — 38.6%

2013High Fail Rate

53.5%

Age (yrs) 16Tests 99Avg Mileage 134,347Top Failure Brakes — 74.7%

2014High Fail Rate

52.5%

Age (yrs) 17Tests 61Avg Mileage 130,223Top Failure Brakes — 67.2%

2015High Fail Rate

55.1%

Age (yrs) 18Tests 49Avg Mileage 123,253Top Failure Brakes — 73.5%

2016High Fail Rate

58.3%

Age (yrs) 19Tests 36Avg Mileage 124,560Top Failure Brakes — 80.6%

MOT results for 1997 BMW 523i Se Auto by test year
Test Year▲	Age (yrs)▲▼	Pass Rate▲▼	Tests▲▼	Avg Mileage▲▼	Top Failure▲▼
2009	12	51.6%	252	125,716	Brakes — 31.7%
2010	13	58.0%	176	124,107	Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment — 24.4%
2011	14	53.5%	142	127,628	Brakes — 33.8%
2012	15	43.3%	127	131,338	Brakes — 38.6%
2013	16	53.5%	99	134,347	Brakes — 74.7%
2014	17	52.5%	61	130,223	Brakes — 67.2%
2015	18	55.1%	49	123,253	Brakes — 73.5%
2016	19	58.3%	36	124,560	Brakes — 80.6%

Common MOT Failures

Top failure categories across all test years for 1997 BMW 523i Se Auto, with age trends.

Brakes

53.1%

↑ Increases with age

Suspension

33.4%

↑ Increases with age

Lamps, Reflectors and Electrical Equipment

24.2%

↑ Increases with age

Tyres

21.1%

↑ Increases with age

Exhaust, Fuel and Emissions

19.6%

↑ Increases with age

How Failures Change With Age

Comparing failure rates between the youngest and oldest test years.

Category	At Youngest	At Oldest	Change	Trend
Brakes	31.7% (12 yrs)	80.6% (19 yrs)	+48.9%	🔴 ↑
Suspension	12.3% (12 yrs)	33.3% (19 yrs)	+21.0%	🔴 ↑
Tyres	18.7% (12 yrs)	27.8% (19 yrs)	+9.1%	🔴 ↑

Other Manufacture Years

1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2005 2006

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About This Data

This page shows how BMW 523i Se Auto cars manufactured in 1997 perform at MOT as they age. Data spans from 2009 to 2016, covering 942 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.