BMW 5 Series 520i M Sport petrol RWD automatic

Sustainability rating
2025
46%

BMW 5 Series 520i M Sport petrol RWD automatic

Sustainability rating
2025
46%

Our verdict

Tested here is the BMW 520i – a premium limousine equipped with a 2 litre turbo-charged petrol engine supported by a 48 V-mild hybrid system. Given its luxurious specification and relatively high unladen weight of 1,800 kg, the vehicle achieves an adequate score of 46% and collects 2½ Green stars. The most challenging area of assessment are the greenhouses gases, where the car scores poorly due to the combustion of relatively high amounts of fossil fuel.

  • The exhaust emissions control system keeps pollutants very low, providing minimal air quality impact. The tyre abrasion score is good, but brake abrasion reduction potential is limited. The production and fuel supply emissions slightly worsen the score.
  • Fuel use is moderate but limits the sustainability scoring. Lab test measurement resulted in 5.6–7.8 l/100 km, while the mixed trip On-road test needed 5.7 l/100 km.
  • Fossil fuel combustion drives high GHG emissions: the average direct propulsion GHG emissions are measured with 149 g CO2/km. The additional emissions from the other LCA phases further reduce the score.
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6.5 10 Clean Air

The BMW's exhaust aftertreatment is efficient and robust under a variety of conditions. The typical pollutants are kept low even under harsh acceleration conditions in the Highway Test. Particle number is far below the legal limit. The On-road tests confirm these findings. Thanks to its exhaust performance, the 520i proves to have a minimal impact on local air quality. It scores well for tyre abrasion but collects only about one fourth of the points for brake abrasion mitigation due to the limited energy recuperation capacity of the mild hybrid system. The pollutants associated with vehicle production and supply of the fuel deteriorate the final Clean Air Index score slightly.

Exhaust emissions

good
8.1 10

good

7.410
NMHC NOX NH3 CO PN PM Score
Legal test (WLTP) 5.88
Warm weather 8.310
Highway 6.810
Winter cold start 7.310
Winter warm start 8.310

good

9.210
NMHC NOX NH3 CO PN PM Score
Real-world mixed drive 8.710
Short city trip 9.410
Congestion 2.02
  • good
  • adequate
  • marginal
  • weak
  • poor
  • n.a.
Non-exhaust emissions

marginal
5.1 10

adequate

4.56
Result Score
Influence of mass 1.53
Wheel alignment 1.01
Accelerator response 2.02

weak

1.66
Result Score
Brake dust mitigation 0.04
Brake dust containment 0.06
Recuperative braking - warm test 1.66
  • good
  • adequate
  • marginal
  • weak
  • poor
  • n.a.
Additional Life Cycle Assessment information

marginal
3.3 10
Pollutants
*Exhaust emissions are not contributing to the score in Additional Life Cycle Assessment information because they are scored in the Exhaust emissions section above.
4.7 10 Energy Efficiency

The car's petrol consumption figures are adequate for a vehicle of this type but the large BMW does not impress in the area of energy efficiency. Consumption figures of 7.4 l/100 km in the -7°C Cold Winter test or 7.8 l/100 km in the Highway Test limit the car's sustainability performance. In a real-world mixed On-road trip, Green NCAP measured 5.7 l/100 km while the short urban trip needed 6.8 l/100 km. In terms of life cycle assessment, the total primary energy demand benefits from the absence of a heavy battery, the production of which would further increase the need for energy. Nevertheless, the amounts of fuel needed by the conventional combustion engine to propel the large 5 series limit the achievable score also in this section.

Energy demand

weak
4.7 10

weak

2.710
Legal test (WLTP)
5.9 l/100 km
Warm weather
5.6 l/100 km
Highway
7.8 l/100 km
Winter cold start
7.4 l/100 km
Winter warm start
6.1 l/100 km

good

9.910
Total LCA energy consumption
*Direct propulsion energy share is not shown, it is included in ‘Fuel/energy supply’
Energy source share in total LCA consumption
Rolling resistance

marginal
5.7 10
  • good
  • adequate
  • marginal
  • weak
  • poor
  • n.a.
2.7 10 Greenhouse Gases

While the production of a conventional vehicle emits less greenhouse gases compared to an electric car, the subsequent combustion of fossil fuels disproportionally increases the emissions, leaving the BMW with a low score in this part of the assessment. The average direct GHG emissions in Green NCAP's lab tests are 149 g CO2‑eq./km. A further 100 g CO2‑eq./km are added, which are related to production, maintenance and end-of-life treatment, as well as the emissions originating from the petrol fuel supply processes.

Exhaust GHG emissions

weak
1.2 10
In laboratory
Legal test (WLTP)
133.1 g CO₂-eq./km
Warm weather
128 g CO₂-eq./km
Highway
177.5 g CO₂-eq./km
Winter cold start
168 g CO₂-eq./km
Winter warm start
138.3 g CO₂-eq./km
Additional Life Cycle Assessment information

adequate
7.7 10
Total LCA GHG Emissions
*The scoring does not consider the direct exhaust GHG emissions at the tailpipe, because they are scored separately in ‘Exhaust GHG emissions’ above.

Vehicle Life Cycle Average Emissions 60 (+/-)
(Best 53 | Worst 68)

  • good
  • adequate
  • marginal
  • weak
  • poor
  • n.a.

Specifications

  • Vehicle class Large Family Car
  • Power/Torque 153 kW/330 Nm
  • Engine size 1,998 cc
  • Declared consumption 5.9 l/100 km
  • Declared CO2 133 g/km
  • Mass 1,805 kg
  • Heating concept Waste heat
  • Tyres 245/40 275/35 R20
  • Emissions class Euro 6 EA
  • Tested car WBA11FJ010CV1XXXX
  • Publication date 12 2025
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Disclaimer

Driving Experience

Consumption & Range

adequate
Estimated actual consumption What consumption can be expected in real world conditions?

adequate
Conditions Urban Rural Highway Mixed
Warm weather
7.8
5.3
6.2
6.8
l/100 km
Cold winter
10.0
5.8
7.3
8.1
l/100 km
Accuracy of display Is the consumption figure on the display correct?

good
  • good
  • adequate
  • poor
  • n.a.
Cold Winter Performance

not applicable
Charging Capability

not applicable

Green NCAP comments

The Driving Experience evaluation of conventional vehicles focuses only on the performance in the section 'Consumption and Range'. The BMW 520i's estimated real-world consumption figures are seen as adequate in all conditions – warm weather and cold winter, urban, rural, highway and mixed driving scenarios. The consumption readings on the board computer display are very accurate.

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