BMW 5 Series review - Boot space, practicality & dimensions

The BMW 5 Series is a large car that’s now particularly spacious on the inside, and it’s just as comfortable for those in the back as it is in the front. There’s a generous amount of both legroom and headroom, even with the optional panoramic sunroof, although limited door-pocket storage is a minor gripe. We wish the USB-C ports integrated into the front seat backs came as standard, rather than as part of the Comfort Pack, given it’s such an expensive car.

Does the BMW 5 Series have a big boot?

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The benefit to the latest BMW 5 Series having been developed on the same platform as the i5 electric model is that – unlike in the Mercedes E-Class – there’s plenty of space for the plug-in hybrid’s smaller battery and so both the petrol and PHEV boast the same amount of interior and boot space. The i5 itself, however, does have a slightly smaller boot at 490 litres, but it’s still quite generous compared to rivals such as the Mercedes EQE, which gets just 430 litres.

We do have some minor gripes about the 5 Series’ boot though – the cables for the plug-in models take up some of the boot space which, while huge, has a slightly awkward floor shape that makes stowing items trickier.

The BMW 5 Series Touring estate comes with 560 litres of boot space, and folding down the seats frees up a cavernous 1,700 litres of space, so it’s worth springing for this model if practicality is a priority.
 

Is the BMW 5 Series a good tow car?

The entry-level 520i and more powerful 550e plug-in hybrid can tow up to 2,000kg, which is a respectable figure for a car of this size. Go for the 530e plug-in hybrid, though, and its towing capacity is 200kg less. The i5 eDrive40 can tow the least, at up to 1,500kg, while the performance-focused M60 xDrive will haul up to 2,000kg.