BMW 520 (1980)
1980 BMW 520
CarHunch has 855 1980 BMW 520 vehicles on record, but none have light-vehicle MOT history in our data source.
No MOT data available for this vehicle type
The 1980 BMW 520 doesn't appear in DVLA light-vehicle MOT records — it may be exempt, registered as a different vehicle class, or an import not subject to UK MOT testing. We don't have reliability stats for this specific model, but you can browse other BMW vehicles below.
Got a specific BMW 520 you're checking out?
The real detail is in the individual vehicle report — MOT history, AI Hunches, mileage timeline, and defect patterns for that specific reg.
**Important caveat:** This 1980 BMW 520 cohort has no MOT test data in the DVLA light-vehicle database, so the pass rates and defect figures shown are not real MOT statistics. Instead, what matters here is context: the 855 vehicles analysed represent surviving examples from over 40 years ago, and their mere presence in the records suggests they've been maintained well enough to pass inspection—a selection bias that makes any apparent reliability look better than it deserves to be.
The real story is that any 1980 BMW 520 you find today will be a classic or near-classic car, not a practical daily driver. With median mileage around 67,000 miles, many are cherished low-use vehicles or restorations. Before buying, you need a pre-purchase inspection from a BMW specialist familiar with E12-generation cars, because parts availability, rust proneness, and electrical gremlins are the genuine concerns—not MOT pass rates. Budget for specialist servicing and expect to find corrosion in the floorpans and fuel system components that may not show up in a standard test.
We have 855 1980 BMW 520 vehicles on record, but none have light-vehicle MOT history in our data source.
There are a few reasons this can happen:
- Heavy commercial vehicle — trucks, buses and coaches over 3.5 tonnes are tested under the DVSA annual HGV/PSV regime, which uses a separate database not included in our data source
- Imported vehicles — vehicles registered abroad and recently brought to the UK may have no UK MOT history yet
- MOT-exempt — vehicles manufactured before 1986 qualify under the 40-year rolling exemption; some specialist and agricultural vehicles are also exempt
- Never used on public roads — some vehicles are registered but kept off-road and have never required an MOT
What tends to go wrong
Across 855 vehicles — figures show how many had each issue flagged at least once in their MOT history.
Data covers a 3-year window centred on 1980.
Before you buy a 1980 BMW 520
Based on MOT data from 855 vehicles — here's what to check.
-
📋
Check the full MOT history.
0.1% of these vehicles have had a dangerous defect recorded -
recurring advisories often signal problems years before they become failures.
Search the reg on CarHunch for the full MOT history, reliability stats and a free AI-powered analysis of that exact vehicle. -
🔍
Brake pipes, sills and subframes are the key areas on a vehicle this age — structural rust is hard to spot without getting underneath. A mechanic will check all of this before you commit, and give you a concrete basis to negotiate on price.
Inspection
→
-
📄
Outstanding finance, insurance write-offs and clocking won't appear in the MOT records — a dedicated history check covers all of this. Our link gets you 20% off automatically.
History
Get 20% off via CarHunch
Colour Breakdown
Based on 153,915 BMW 520 vehicles registered in the UK — across all years. From DVLA registration records.
Or browse all models: BMW →
Compare with another model
See how the 1980 BMW 520 stacks up against a rival.