Best and worst BMW M5 years to buy
Every model year, judged against the others.
Gathering every model year from NHTSA. The first look at a model can take a little while.
Every model year, judged against the others.
Gathering every model year from NHTSA. The first look at a model can take a little while.
NHTSA did not answer for model years 1996 to 2000, 2004, 2005, 2011, 2012, 2017, 2023, 2024 and 2027, so any with records are missing here. For 2003, 2015, 2020, 2022, 2025 and 2026, NHTSA answered only in part, so some counts say “No answer”. The verdicts may change once NHTSA answers. Try again in a minute.
Skip 2006.
None of the judged years of the M5 came out Worthy.
Pass years first, then the Maybe years with the most owner complaints against a typical year at the same age.
From owner complaints filed with NHTSA. Only years old enough to judge. Still have any car inspected.
Tap a year to open it. Bars are owner complaints filed with NHTSA: unverified, and not adjusted for how many were sold. The three small marks by a year show how sure its verdict is: three for high, one for low. How sure is the verdict? The 2026 to 2027 models are too new to judge.
SourceNHTSA’s complaint and recall datasets. Each year’s page links its own NHTSA record. NHTSA, checked Oct 30, 2026.
Worthy years with the fewest owner complaints against a typical year at the same age. A year with few sales can look the same.
None of the judged years of the M5 came out Worthy.
Judged years with enough more complaints than a typical year to reach Maybe or Pass.
Education, not financial or mechanical advice. Have any used car checked by a mechanic you trust before you buy.
Each year’s owner complaints, held up against a typical year of the M5 at the same age. Popular cars collect more complaints just by selling more, so a year is never compared with another model.
15× a typical year
77 vs 3 typical, counted as 5
Most named: Air bags
“Do not drive” and “park outside” are NHTSA’s own warnings on a recall, until it is fixed.
Scroll the table sideways to see more.
| Year | Verdict | Owner complaints | Recalls | Top problem area |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Not judged | No answer | 1 | No answer |
| 2025 | Not judged | No answer | 2 | No answer |
| 2022 | Not judged | 1 | No answer | No part named |
| 2021 | Not judged | 3 | 1 | Electrical |
| 2020 | Not judged | No answer | 3 | No answer |
| 2019 | Not judged | 8 | 3 | Engine |
| 2018 | Not judged | 4 | 3 | Engine |
| 2016 | Not judged | 1 | 2 | No part named |
| 2015 | Not judged | 3 | No answer | Brakes |
| 2014 | Not judged | 2 | 1 | Engine |
| 2013 | Not judged | 10 | 21 do not drive | Engine |
| 2010 | Not judged | 1 | 2 | Air bags |
| 2009 | Not judged | 0 | 2 | None on file |
| 2008 | Not judged | 6 | 2 | Electrical |
| 2007 | Not judged | 6 | 1 | Air bags |
| 2006 | Pass | 124 | 1 | Air bags |
| 2003 | Not judged | 18 | No answer | Air bags |
| 2002 | Not judged | 20 | 22 do not drive | Engine |
| 2001 | Not judged | 4 | 31 do not drive | Air bags |
| 1995 | Not judged | 0 | 1 | None on file |
SourceNHTSA’s complaint and recall datasets. Each year’s page links its own NHTSA record. NHTSA, checked Oct 30, 2026.