What are the inspection figures for BMW 518 Automatic and BMW X3, per age band?

BMW 518 Automatic vs BMW X3: 3-5 years: 85 versus 84. 6-8 years: 72 versus 70. 12-14 years: 73 versus 77. 100 = country average for that age band in this country.

Are any recalls known for BMW 518 Automatic or BMW X3?

BMW 518 Automatic: 1. BMW X3: 1.

Where do these figures come from?

DVSA MOT-statistiek (data through 03/09/2026) Both models use the same source and the same reference date.

BMW 518 Automatic vs BMW X3

Figures per shared age band: numerator, denominator and country index for both models, from the same source.

Age	BMW 518 Automatic		BMW X3		Difference (percentage points)
Age	Inspections with a defect	Country index	Inspections with a defect	Country index	Difference (percentage points)
3-5 years	882 of 8109 (10.9%)	85	772 of 7169 (10.8%)	84	+0.11
6-8 years	6398 of 46619 (13.7%)	72	4152 of 31126 (13.3%)	70	+0.38
12-14 years	3270 of 12316 (26.6%)	73	4906 of 17564 (27.9%)	77	-1.38

100 = country average for that age band in this country.

Recalls and complaints

BMW 518 Automatic

Official item from EU Safety Gate
EU Safety Gate, data through 07/08/2026

BMW X3

Official item from EU Safety Gate
EU Safety Gate, data through 07/08/2026

What this does not show

The country index is an average across the entire fleet of this model in this country, not a failure probability for one specific vehicle.
A complaint share is a share of reported complaints, not a failure probability for all vehicles of this model.
The age correction is already built into each band; differences between generations or trims within the same model are not.
These figures apply to United Kingdom and are not directly comparable to a figure from another country.

Frequently asked questions

What are the inspection figures for BMW 518 Automatic and BMW X3, per age band?
BMW 518 Automatic vs BMW X3: 3-5 years: 85 versus 84. 6-8 years: 72 versus 70. 12-14 years: 73 versus 77. 100 = country average for that age band in this country.
Are any recalls known for BMW 518 Automatic or BMW X3?
BMW 518 Automatic: 1. BMW X3: 1.
Where do these figures come from?
DVSA MOT-statistiek (data through 03/09/2026) Both models use the same source and the same reference date.

Methodology

Each row compares inspections from the same age band, in the same country.

The country index rescales the model's defect rate so that 100 equals the country average for that band.

Two models are only compared if they share at least two age bands.

What counts as a failed inspection differs per country; never compare a figure on this page with a figure from another country.

Citation

BMW 518 Automatic vs BMW X3, United Kingdom, data through 3 September 2026. https://uk.plateop.com/modellen/vergelijk/bmw-5-series-vs-bmw-x3

View as JSONCC BY 4.0