2020 BMW M5 reliability

Is it reliable?

Owners have filed 2 complaints with NHTSA about the 2020 BMW M5 over 7 years — 0 per year. That is fewer complaints per year than most M5 years here — under the median of the other years, which is 0. NHTSA has 3 recalls on file, including Camera and Automatic transmission.

2013 BMW M5 — Photo by Matti Blume, resized from the original. Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 4.0

Complaints

Per year

Recalls

Years on the road

What owners report

The complaints owners file most often name Engine (2 of 2), then Electrical system (1) and Powertrain (1).

Next to 2019 and 2021

The 2019 M5 has 8 complaints, 0 per year, and the 2021 has 2 complaints, 0 per year. The 2020 has about the same number of complaints per year as the 2019. The 2020 has fewer complaints per year than the 2021.

The complaint rate is complaints filed in this year’s first 3 years on the road, divided by however many of those years have passed. Recalls are a separate count. The numbers are for the US-market 2020 BMW M5. How we count. Data as of 2026-10-16.

Recalls (3)

Recall back-over prevention, sensing system, camera 2020-09-30 · NHTSA campaign 20V598000

Summary BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2020-2021 X3 sDrive 30i, X3 xDrive 30i, X3M 40i, X3 xDrive 30e, X4 xDrive 30i, X4M 40i, 530i, 540i, 540i xDrive, M550i xDrive, M5, 550e, 550e xDrive, and 550e iPerformance vehicles. A small portion of the rearview image may be slightly obscured. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard number 111, "Rear Visibility."

Remedy BMW will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, if necessary, program the rearview camera with updated software. The recall began November 18, 2020. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.

Recall powertrain, automatic transmission 2019-12-11 · NHTSA campaign 19V883000

Summary BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2019-2020 M5 and 2020 M8 Gran Coupe, M8 Coupe, and M8 Convertible vehicles. The transmission wiring harness can become damaged, resulting in an electrical short circuit.

Remedy BMW will notify owners, and dealers will replace any damaged transmission harnesses. All harnesses will be rerouted and secured. These repairs will be performed, free of charge. The recall is expected to begin February 3, 2020. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.

Recall back-over prevention, sensing system, camera 2019-09-27 · NHTSA campaign 19V684000

Summary BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2018 540d, 2018-2020 530i, 530i xDrive, 540i, 540i xDrive, M550i xDrive, M5, 530e, 530e xDrive, X3 sDrive, X3 xDrive, X3 M40i, X3 M, and 2019-2020 X4 xDrive, X4 M40i, X4 M, X7 xDrive, X7 M50i, 740Li, 740Li xDrive, 750Li, 750Li xDrive, 8 Series Convertible and Coupe 840i, 840i xDrive, M850i xDrive, X5 sDrive, X5 xDrive, X5 M50i, X6 xDrive, X6 M50i, 330i, 330i xDrive, M340i, M340i xDrive, Z4 sDrive, Z4 M40i, 740Le xDrive and 745Le xDrive, 2018-2019 640i xDrive Gran Turismo and Rolls-Royce Phantom, 2019 M850i xDrive Gran Coupe and Rolls-Royce Cullinan and 2020 Toyota Supra vehicles. The back-up camera and display settings can be adjusted such that the rear view image is no longer visible and the system will retain that setting the next time the vehicle is placed in reverse. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 111, "Rearview Mirrors."

Remedy BMW will notify owners, and dealers will update the back-up camera software, free of charge. The recall began November 8, 2019. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417 or Rolls-Royce at 1-877-877-3735. Toyota owners may contact Toyota customer service at 1-888-270-9371.

Complaints by component (2 total)

Engine

Electrical system

Powertrain

Crash-flagged

Fire-flagged

Injury reports

Death reports

Complaints filed per year

Excerpts from recent NHTSA complaint filings

"2020 BMW M5 a metal-shavings engine failure at highway speed is a safety event. I had total catastrophic engine failure at less than 50,000 miles. No warning lights, found metal shavings in the engine system and engine…"
Powertrain, Electrical system, Engine · filed 2026-08-29
"Coolant expansion tank is leaking on fuel injectors, coils and plugs on engine below causing ‘drivetrain malfunction’ which puts vehicle into Limp Mode. Car can begin to shudder, misfire and stall. BMW has an SIB on the…"
Engine · filed 2024-05-31

NHTSA crash ratings

Version	Overall	Front	Side	Rollover
2020 BMW M5 4 DR AWD	Not rated	Not rated	Not rated	Not rated

Stars are how this vehicle did in NHTSA crash tests. They are a safety result, separate from the complaint record. Not rated means that test was not run for this version.

Fuel economy

Trim	Engine	Transmission	Drive	City	Hwy	Combined	Annual fuel cost
M5	4.4L, 8-cyl	Automatic (8-speed)	All-wheel drive	15	21	17 MPG	$4700
M5 Competition	4.4L, 8-cyl	Automatic (8-speed)	All-wheel drive	15	21	17 MPG	$4700

Specs and fitment

F90 generation, 2018–2023

Body styles Sedan

Oil 0W-30 (BMW LL; ~10.6 qt with filter) , 10.6 qt capacity

Tire size 275/40R19 or 275/35R20 front; 285/40R19 or 285/35R20 rear (staggered) front / 285/40R19 or 285/35R20 (staggered rear) rear

Known issues for this generation

Recall 19V883000 covers certain 2019-2020 M5 vehicles (with 2020 M8 Gran Coupe, Coupe, and Convertible; ~3,012 units total) where the transmission wiring harness can be damaged and short-circuit, shifting the transmission to neutral and causing loss of propulsion; dealers replace damaged harnesses and reroute and secure all harnesses. Recall 19V513000 covers certain 2019 M5 vehicles (with 2020 750i xDrive, M850i, X5 xDrive50i, and X7 xDrive50i; ~115 units) where the high-pressure fuel pump may not be properly attached, risking a fuel leak and fire; dealers replace the pumps. Recall 19V684000 covers certain M5 models among a large multi-model rearview-camera software campaign (~257,473 units) where the backup image may be missing. Recall 20V598000 covers certain 2020-2021 M5 models among another rearview-camera software campaign (~312 units).

Compare

Previous year 2019 BMW M5 See every BMW M5 model year →

Frequently asked questions

Is the 2020 BMW M5 reliable?

What are common problems with a 2020 BMW M5?

The complaints owners file most often name Engine (2 of 2), then Electrical system (1) and Powertrain (1).

Is the 2020 BMW M5 more reliable than the years next to it?

Has the 2020 BMW M5 been recalled?

The 2020 BMW M5 has 3 recalls on file with NHTSA. See the recalls table on this page for dates, components, and remedies.

How many complaints have owners filed about the 2020 BMW M5?

Owners have filed 2 complaints about the 2020 BMW M5 with NHTSA.

What mpg does a 2020 BMW M5 get?

EPA-rated combined fuel economy for the 2020 BMW M5 is 17 MPG. See the fuel economy table on this page for city and highway figures by engine and transmission.

What engine oil does a BMW M5 use?

F10 models list several BMW LL viscosities (~10 qt); F90 commonly lists 0W-30 (~10.6 qt); G90 commonly lists 0W-30 (~11.4 qt).

What tire sizes does a BMW M5 use?

OEM fitments are staggered across generations, from F10 265-front/295-rear packages through F90 275/285 and G90 285/40R20 front with 295/35R21 rear.

What transmission-harness recall covers certain F90 M5 models?

Recall 19V883000 covers certain 2019-2020 M5 vehicles (with M8 models in the same campaign) where the transmission wiring harness can be damaged.