BMW 5 Series saloon (2010-2016) - Reliability & safety

The BMW 5 Series handles well and has tremendous badge appeal, but perhaps more importantly it does pretty well in the less glamorous but vital reliability and safety stakes, too.

BMW 5 Series reliability

The BMW 5 Series did reasonably well in our 2016 Driver Power customer satisfaction survey, where it finished 53rd out of 150 cars. A 78th-place finish for reliability indicates it offers average dependability, although owners ranked it highly for build quality.

Safety

Safety is equally as strong for the BMW and it received a five-star rating from Euro NCAP. Adult occupant protection was rated very highly, with a 95% score, while the corresponding figure for child occupants was 83%. Pedestrian protection was very high, too, at 78%.

The testers commented: "The 5 Series is fitted with an 'active bonnet'. When a pedestrian is struck, actuators lift all four corners of the bonnet away from hard structures underneath. This creates more space to absorb the energy of a struck pedestrian, lowering injury values."

The 5 Series also scored the maximum possible 100% in the safety assist category. The car boasts a full complement of airbags and stability control, while options include a lane-departure warning system and a head-up display, which projects information such as sat-nav directions and speed limits on to the windscreen, limiting the need for you to take your eyes off the road.