Where each one leads
BMW X5
- Against cars of the same year, the BMW X5 comes out better in New York safety inspections (fails 50% less often than average) than the Ford Explorer (fails 20% less often than average).
- On Canada's official test the most frugal 2026 BMW X5 uses 9.4 l/100 km, the 2026 Ford Explorer 10.4.
Ford Explorer
- Fewer Ford Explorer cars in the Netherlands carry an illogical odometer record (1.0% against 3.4%).
- NHTSA rates the 2027 Ford Explorer at 5 of 5 stars, the 2026 BMW X5 at 4.
- New Ford Explorer cars registered in Europe in 2022 average 75 g/km of CO₂ on the WLTP test, against 113 for the BMW X5 in 2022.
Only measures that do not depend on how many cars were sold: pass and failure rates against cars of the same age, ratings, fuel use and CO₂. How we compare
At a glance
| BMW X5 | Ford Explorer | |
|---|---|---|
| Model years in the US safety record | 1999–2026 | 1984–2027 |
| New cars registered in Europe | 367,747 (2010–2022) | 10,009 (2010–2022) |
| Licensed in the United Kingdom | 106,389 | 16,800 |
| On the road in the Netherlands | 27,193 | 7,417 |
| In traffic in Finland | 111 | 1,617 |
EEA new-car registrations (CC BY 4.0) · DVLA licensed vehicles (OGL v3.0) · RDW (CC0) · Traficom (CC BY 4.0) · generations: Wikidata (CC0).
Reliability and problems
| BMW X5 | Ford Explorer | |
|---|---|---|
| UK MOT first-time pass rate | 78% | — |
| … against cars of the same age | +10% | — |
| New York safety inspections failed | 0.7% | 1.2% |
| … against cars of the same year | −50% | −20% |
| Illogical odometer records (NL) | 3.4% | 1.0% |
| US owner complaints | 3,165 | 34,627 |
| Most complaints about | Engine | Power train |
| Model year with most complaints | 2012 (271) | 2002 (3,295) |
| US recall campaigns | 103 | 142 |
| Manufacturer service bulletins | 5,465 | 5,035 |
| NHTSA defect investigations | 22 | 155 |
Complaint, recall and bulletin counts grow with the number of cars sold and are not adjusted for it. UK MOT: DVSA anonymised MOT results (OGL v3.0); New York: DMV inspections; complaints, recalls, bulletins and investigations: NHTSA (public domain); odometer: RDW (CC0).
Safety
| BMW X5 | Ford Explorer | |
|---|---|---|
| NHTSA overall rating | 4★ (2026) | 5★ (2027) |
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program, most recent rated model year (public domain).
Fuel, emissions and price
| BMW X5 | Ford Explorer | |
|---|---|---|
| Official combined fuel use, Canada | 9.4 l/100 km (2026) | 10.4 l/100 km (2026) |
| Real-world use in Europe, diesel hybrid | 9.1 l/100 km | — |
| Real-world use in Europe, petrol hybrid | 12.4 l/100 km | — |
| Real-world use in Europe, diesel | 9.0 l/100 km | — |
| Real-world use in Europe, petrol | 14.8 l/100 km | — |
| Official CO₂ of new cars in Europe | 113 g/km | 75 g/km |
| Average power of new cars in Europe | 220 kW (295 hp) | 267 kW (358 hp) |
| Average mass in running order | 2,389 kg | 2,547 kg |
| Dutch list price when new (median) | €111,371 | €77,709 |
| Average odometer in Finland | 218,000 km | 86,000 km |
Canada: NRCan Fuel Consumption Ratings, most frugal version of the latest year (OGL Canada). Europe: EEA monitoring of new-car CO₂ and on-board fuel meters (OBFCM), CC BY 4.0. Price: RDW catalogue price (CC0). Finland: Traficom (CC BY 4.0).