BMW 5 Series Review 2024

The BMW 5 Series is a superb executive saloon, with top notch refinement and quality throughout. Like its predecessor, BMW's trademark driving enjoyment shines through on a challenging road, although some might feel that the interior feels a little flat against the equally excellent Mercedes-Benz E-Class. However, if your heart’s set on the BMW, you’re unlikely to be disappointed. It has a wonderfully finished cabin and is packed with the latest convenience and safety tech. It also provides ample space for a family of four and is an outstanding long-distance motorway cruiser. Read on for our full review of the BMW 5 Series. 

As the sector’s regular best-selling model, when things are good for the 5 Series, they are good for everyone. This is because when the Five is booming, business is booming thanks to the BMW being the desired choice of so many company car drivers.

Launched in 2017 and updated in 2020, this generation of 5 Series refined BMW’s executive saloon to the point where it’s debatable if you need to bother with any of its bigger or more overtly sporting large cars. Like its predecessor, it gave the Audi A6, Jaguar XF and Mercedes E-Class renewed cause for concern.

It’s easy to see why, too. The 5 Series is a superb executive saloon, with top notch refinement and quality throughout. Like its predecessor, BMW's trademark driving enjoyment shines through on a challenging road, although some might feel that the interior feels a little flat against the equally excellent Mercedes-Benz E-Class. However, that’s a very subjective matter.

If your heart’s set on the BMW, you’re unlikely to be disappointed. It has a wonderfully finished cabin and is packed with the latest convenience and safety tech. It also provides ample space for a family of four and is an outstanding long-distance motorway cruiser.  

That’s true even if you go for the basic 520i or 520d models. Despite forming the entry point into the 5 Series range, both come with an automatic transmission as standard, plus they are powerful, torquey and quiet, providing plenty of overtaking punch. Should your budget or company car allowance permit, then the 530e or 545e plug-in hybrid models are even quicker, yet more economical. You also have the choice of the 550i model for superlative performance.

As good as the 5 Series is on a long run, it really stands out on a country road. Compared to rivals from Mercedes-Benz and Audi, the BMW is a touch much more poised and direct, giving a real sense of connection between the driver and the road. If you really enjoy driving, this is the best car in its class and puts even the Jaguar XF in the shade.

The front seats provide plenty of adjustment, while the back row provides ample space. The boot, too, is a decent size but since this is a saloon its practicality is limited if you want to carry bulky stuff. But if space is a big concern you can always go for the Touring version, which is about as practical as cars come.

It means the BMW is very easy to recommend, though you may want to try the Merc just to make sure the 5 Series is perfect for you.

Looking for a second opinion? Check out heycar's review of the BMW 5 Series.

The centre stack is angled slightly toward the driver and the instrument binnacle has clear, easy-to-read dials, while the layout looks like an evolution of the earlier car rather than a radical, all-new change. That said, everything is logical and easy-to-use.

There are plenty of modern touches too, like a digital instrument binnacle framed by traditional dial surrounds. There are even high-tech touches like gesture control for the infotainment system, though in practice this feels like a gimmick rather than a useful feature.

There’s nothing gimmicky about the generosity of space or range of adjustment for the driver. Every 5 Series model enjoys a supportive, cosseting seat with an ideal driving position easy to achieve thanks to the variety of movement in the seat. There’s plenty of room in the back and the boot offers room to deal with lots of cargo.

While Audi and Mercedes-Benz have built entire reputations based on the quality of their materials and how they are screwed together, BMW has been more about driving ability. However, this overlooks the fact the BMW 5 Series is every bit as well put together as its key rivals from its fatherland.

All 5 Series models come with leather upholstery as standard, which imparts a feeling of quality straight away. This is enhanced by the hide having a more premium finish than that found in more mainstream saloon cars. The rest of the plastics and materials in the Five are equally well produced and put together with care and attention.

The 5 Series has the latest version of BMW’s iDrive set-up and it’s very easy to use, with a dial to scroll few various menus and settings. It’s very intuitive and means you can do most things without distracting yourself from the road ahead, whether you’re tweaking the zoom level on the map or changing radio station.

We’re not convinced the Gesture Control function is worth bothering with, but it does mean you don’t have to reach as far to work some basic functions on the screen. However, when there are steering wheel buttons to adjust the stereo’s volume, it seems a bit pointless to twirl your finger in front of the screen.

A three-year old BMW 5 Series can be yours from £27,500 if you choose a 520d SE with around 30,000 miles on the clock. This will most likely come from a car supermarket or BMW's approved used scheme but will have a full service record and be ready for plenty more miles.

Look for a 530e similar age and mileage and the price will start around the £33,000 mark for an SE model and the M Sport will come in around £1500 more.

Few will opt to pay outright for a new 5 Series, but those that do can take comfort from its strong residual values.

More will take the finance root and BMW offers its Select personal contract plan, hire purchase, and personal contract plan. All of these can be tailored over variable periods and with different deposits that dictate how much you pay per month.

Should you be feeling flush, the cheapest way into a new BMW 5 Series is the 520i SE that costs from £42,605. To move up to the M Sport trim adds £3500 to the bill. The other petrol-only engine option is the M550i xDrive that has four-wheel drive and costs a substantial £77,030 without any options.

Diesels in the 5 Series range are taken care of by the 520d that costs £43,775 for the SE model and the same £3500 more for the M Sport as with its petrol counterpart.

Then there are the plug-in hybrid models that begin with the 530e SE from £52,980. It can be bought in M Sport trim, and both versions can also have four-wheel drive added for an additional cost. The 545e with its more powerful engine comes with all-wheel drive as standard to justify its prices starting at £61,345.

For company car drivers, the 530e plug-in hybrid makes keen sense as it comes with carbon dioxide emissions of as little as 31g/km. This means Benefit in Kind payments at 12%, while combined fuel economy is cited at 201.8mpg. The 545e isn’t far behind with 166.2mpg and 39g/km CO2 output, so it sits in BIK bands 12-14 depending on the exact trim you choose. Both the plug-in hybrid models pay first-year road tax of just £10.

The 520d is another popular business user option thanks to 126g/km, 58.9mpg, and BIK rates of 30- to 33%. It pays £210 in road tax for the first year, while the 520i petrol driver divvies up £255 in the same period. The petrol driver if presented with official combined economy of 45.6mpg and 142g/km CO2 output for BIK payments ranging between 33- and 36%.

With the 550i xDrive, you probably aren’t too concerned about running costs, but for the record it turns in an official combined consumption of 26.6mpg along with 243g/km of CO2. That means first-year road tax of a wallet-bruising £2220, while BIK payments are based on a banding of 37%.

As for insurance, the 5 Series saloon is on a par with its main rivals and sits in groups between 36 and 44 based on the engine and trim you opt for.

It shrugs off most lumps with calm efficiency, yet in corners there’s taut control and excellent steering feedback.

There is a slight firmness to the 5 Series, so you would be well advised to choose the Variable Damper Control option that smooths out the car’s responses. M Sport versions have firmer suspension settings, but you can deselect this and have the SE’s suspension tune instead.

Taking this route does not undermine the 5 Series superb handling in any way, shape or form. Rather, it lets you make the most of the Five’s wonderful balance and cornering poise as you’re not constantly scanning the road surface for battered tarmac to avoid. Next to its rivals, the BMW is easily the finest handling executive saloon on the market and not even the supple Jaguar XF gets close enough to worry the BMW.

The range kicks off with the 520i’s four-cylinder turbocharged 2.0-litre motor with 184PS. It’s smooth and punchy enough for most needs, while the 530i uses the same engine in a higher state of tune.

The other petrol-only models is the 550i with a near-supercar 530PS to deliver 0-62mph in just 3.8 seconds.

Then there is the 530e plug-in hybrid with its 292PS. It has an electric-only range of up to 37 miles. Go for the 545e and you get a brawnier 394PS but with a reduced EV driving range of up to 34 miles.

The 2.0-litre turbodiesel in the 190PS 520d is ideal for almost all needs. It covers 0-62mph in 7.2 seconds and always feels willing and smooth and refined.

In Euro NCAP tests, the BMW 5 Series scored a full five-star rating, but it was marked down not including lane departure warning as standard.

You can add the Lane Departure Warning as part of the Driving Assistant package that comes with cross-traffic warning, rear collision prevention, lane change warning, and speed limit information. You could also upgrade this to Driving Assistant Profesional for even greater safety.

All 5 Series have twin front, side and curtain airbags, and Isofix child seat mounts fitted to the outer rear seats. BMW also includes autonomous emergency braking and a deployable bonnet that pops up to create a bigger cushion for a pedestrian if the come into contact with the car.

Choose the BMW 5 Series saloon and you can pull an unbraked trailer with a weight of up to 750kg. Hitch up a trailer with brakes and that limit goes up to 2000kg.

A tow bar from BMW is a £1095 optional extra.

SE is the base trim for the BMW 5 Series saloon and it comes with just about everything you need or want. There are alloy wheels, LED lights, front and rear parking sensors, automatic gearbox, and adaptive cruise control. Inside, you’ll find leather seats with part-electric adjustment, air conditioning, and BMW 12.3-inch digital main instrument cluster. This is matched by the 12.3-inch infotainment touchscreen display that comes with sat-nav and easily hooks up to your smartphone.

The M Sport version of the 5 Series offers larger wheels, firmer suspension (which can be deleted for no additional cost back to the softer SE spec), and different interior trim inlays. There are also sport front seats and steering wheel.

The M550i xDrive has its own specific set of equipment, but it’s essentially the same as an M Sport model.