What are the most common problems with a BMW 650i?

At MOT, engine oil leaks is flagged more often than on other cars the same age.

What should I ask the seller before buying a used BMW 650i?

Any recent work on the engine oil leaks? (Flagged at MOT 1.7× as often on the BMW 650i as on other cars the same age.) Can I see the service history and receipts for any big jobs?

Used car guide · 2005–2017

BMW 650i common problems and MOT failures

What goes wrong on a used BMW 650i, year by year: known faults from UK buying guides, the parts flagged at MOT more than on other cars (from 3,213 MOTs done during 2023–2025), and what to check before you buy one.

3,213MOTs done in 2023–2025, all years of this model

2007best year at its MOT

Pick the year

Most years have their own guide. The year is when the car was first registered (it’s on the logbook, or check the reg below).

2017 2016 2015 2011 2008 2007 2006 2005

What usually goes wrong with a BMW 650i?

We haven’t found widely reported faults for the BMW 650i in the UK buying guides we use yet. That doesn’t mean it has none, so check the car carefully and look at the MOT weak spots below.

Common BMW 650i MOT failures to check

Parts flagged at MOT well above the usual rate for cars the same age. From the DVSA’s results for every MOT done in Great Britain during 2023–2025.

Engine oil leaks
up to 1.7× usual

Stands out on cars registered in 2006.

Rough price £80–£600 our estimate

At the viewing: Look under the engine and where the car is usually parked for fresh oil. Ask whether the leak has been looked at.

BMW 650i MOT pass rate by year

Of the years since 2005 with plenty of MOT tests, the 2007 BMW 650i did best (77% passed first time, 20 points above all 2007 cars) and the 2006 did worst (73%, 17 points above all 2006 cars). Older cars fail more, so compare each year with all cars registered the same year.

Year	Pass first time	All cars that year	MOT tests
2017	84%	80% +4	124 (small sample)
2016	79%	77% +2	161 (small sample)
2015	85%	74% +11	121 (small sample)
2011	77%	62% +15	217 (small sample)
2008	79%	57% +22	306 (small sample)
2007	77%	57% +20	732
2006	73%	56% +17	1,222
2005	72%	57% +15	330 (small sample)

Questions to ask the seller before buying a BMW 650i

Ask before you travel to see it. A seller who knows the car will have answers, and receipts.

Any recent work on the engine oil leaks? (Flagged at MOT 1.7× as often on the BMW 650i as on other cars the same age.)
Can I see the service history and receipts for any big jobs?

Looking at a BMW 650i?

Check the actual car: its own MOT history, whether it already shows these weak spots and what to ask the seller. Free, no sign-up.

Where this comes from: MOT figures are the DVSA’s anonymised results for every MOT test done in Great Britain during 2023–2025, grouped by the year each car was first registered. How many are on the road is from the Department for Transport’s vehicle licensing statistics. Known faults are from UK buying guides, in our own words, with links. How we score