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BMW 5 Series.

The best BMW 5 Series years are 2016, 2015, 2020. Years to avoid: 2008, 2011. Across 2010-2022, it has a Lemon Index of 58, where 100 is the average car and lower is better.

Reliability by year, 2000 to 2025.

58Lemon Index · 100 = average car

Better than average. Whole model, 2010-2022: 1.7× fewer complaints than average.

Best year 2016 · Worst year 2008

BMW 5 Series
Photo shows a BMW 5 Series. Dinkun Chen, Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0 · background removed

Every year. Lower is better. Tap a year for its full report.

2000641.6× fewer complaints2001502× fewer complaints2002551.8× fewer complaints2003–few complaints200491about average2005–few complaints2006731.4× fewer complaints2007621.6× fewer complaints20082142.1× the complaints2009–few complaints2010751.3× fewer complaints20111901.9× the complaints2012601.7× fewer complaints2013303.3× fewer complaints2014382.6× fewer complaints2015156.7× fewer complaints2016147.1× fewer complaints2017214.8× fewer complaints2018611.6× fewer complaints2019392.6× fewer complaints2020185.6× fewer complaints2021651.5× fewer complaints2022502× fewer complaints2023–few complaints2024–few complaints2025–few complaints

Scores before 2010 are rough: fewer owners filed complaints back then.

Best years to buy

2016.

2016147.1× fewer complaints than average2015156.7× fewer complaints than average2020185.6× fewer complaints than average

Years to avoid

2008.

20082142.1× the average car's complaints20111901.9× the average car's complaints

Quick answers.

Is the BMW 5 Series a good car?

Yes, it draws fewer complaints than the average car, by owner complaints to the government per car sold (2010-2022: Lemon Index 58; 100 is average). Some years are much better than others: the best is 2016 and the worst is 2008.

What are the best BMW 5 Series years to buy?

By owner complaints per car sold: 2016, 2015, 2020.

What BMW 5 Series years should you stay away from?

The years with the most complaints per car sold: 2008, 2011.

How many recalls does the BMW 5 Series have?

94 safety recalls across the 26 model years we track. Most: 2006 (11), 2021 (8), 2008 (6). Each year's page lists them.

What are the most common BMW 5 Series problems?

Across every year, owners' complaints to the government name engine, tires and electrical most. Some years are much worse than others: see the chart above.

Every year in one table
YearIndexCompared with averageComplaintsTop complaintRecallsCrash testMPG
2000641.6× fewer complaints than average28airbags (32%)2—16–21
2001502× fewer complaints than average21airbags (33%)4—16–21
2002551.8× fewer complaints than average23transmission & drivetrain (13%)4—16–22
2003–too few complaints to score17speed control (41%)2—16–22
200491about average36airbags (19%)0—17–22
2005–too few complaints to score17airbags (29%)0—17–21
2006731.4× fewer complaints than average29electrical (34%)11—18–21
2007621.6× fewer complaints than average30electrical (17%)2—18–22
20082142.1× the average car's complaints97fuel system, gasoline (43%)6—18–21
2009–too few complaints to score18fuel system, gasoline (56%)2—18–21
2010751.3× fewer complaints than average34fuel system, gasoline (41%)2—18–22
20111901.9× the average car's complaints114tires (38%)5★★★★★17–25
2012601.7× fewer complaints than average37tires (32%)4★★★★★17–27
2013303.3× fewer complaints than average21engine (33%)4★★★★★17–27
2014382.6× fewer complaints than average23engine (26%)6★★★★★19–30
2015156.7× fewer complaints than average7visibility (29%)1★★★★★19–30
2016147.1× fewer complaints than average5airbags (40%)4★★★★★19–30
2017214.8× fewer complaints than average9steering (22%)1★★★★★18–27
2018611.6× fewer complaints than average27seat belts (33%)4—23–30
2019392.6× fewer complaints than average16brakes (31%)2—24–29
2020185.6× fewer complaints than average5fuel system, gasoline (20%)6—25–28
2021651.5× fewer complaints than average16electrical (19%)8—25–28
2022502× fewer complaints than average13automatic emergency braking (38%)4—25–28
2023–too few complaints to score9engine (33%)2—25–28
2024–too few complaints to score18service brakes, hydraulic (44%)6—28–30
2025–too few complaints to score3automatic emergency braking (33%)2—24–31

Lemon Index = safety complaints filed with the government within 3 years, per car sold, against the average car of the same model year. 100 is average, lower is better. How it works

BMW 5 Series transmission problems by year →

Updated

Free to use with credit: Source: The Lemon Index (lemonindex.com). Get the data