Is the BMW 7 Series reliable?

On MOT evidence the BMW 7 Series is well above average. It passes 85.6% of tests once age and mileage are accounted for, against a national average of 72.3%, which ranks it 17 of 262 models with enough data for a fair comparison. This measures how often the car meets the MOT standard, not how often it breaks down or what a repair costs.

What is the most common MOT failure on a BMW 7 Series?

The item recorded most often is "A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn", which appears in 15.1% of failed BMW 7 Series tests. Because one failed test can list several items, these shares do not add up to 100%.

What do testers most often warn about on a BMW 7 Series?

The most common advisory is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", noted on 21.3% of all BMW 7 Series tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.

What mileage does a BMW 7 Series usually have at its MOT?

The average odometer reading recorded at test is 95,915 miles. This is the mileage across all tested examples of every age, not an annual figure, so treat it as a description of the fleet rather than a target for one car.

Does a BMW 7 Series get harder to pass as it ages?

Yes. At 3 to 5 years old, 92.2% of BMW 7 Series tests pass. By fifteen years or more, that falls to 75.0%. Nearly every model follows this pattern, which is why comparing raw pass rates between models is misleading unless age is accounted for.

Are most BMW 7 Series models petrol or diesel?

Of the BMW 7 Series cars tested, 63% are diesel, 22% are petrol, 10% are hybrid. Fuel type affects which items tend to fail, particularly emissions and exhaust components.

Model reliability file

BMW 7 Series MOT pass rate & common failures

From 18,523 recorded MOT tests of the BMW 7 Series, published by DVSA.

Data updated 29 July 2026

Quick answer

The BMW 7 Series passes 85.6% of MOT tests once results are adjusted for the age and mileage of the cars tested, against a national average of 72.3%. That is well above average, ranking it 17 of 262 models with enough data to compare fairly. Based on 18,523 tests. Its most commonly recorded failure is suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn, which appears in 15.1% of failed tests. Cars of this model average 95,915 miles on the odometer when tested.

At a glance

Pass rate, adjusted for age and mileage

85.6%national average72.3%unadjusted84.4%range covered97%rank17 of 262

The 7 Series is 13.3 percentage points above the national pass rate once age and mileage are accounted for, which is well above average. The unadjusted figure is 84.4%; the difference is what the age and mileage of this model’s fleet was hiding.

DVSA recorded wording

Most common failure items

Share of failed BMW 7 Series tests in which each item was recorded. One failed test often lists several items, so these do not sum to 100%.

1.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn15.1%
361 occurrencesSuspension arm bush worn explained
2.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements12.8%
305 occurrencesTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
3.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn11.7%
278 occurrencesSuspension arm bush worn explained
4.A tyre cords visible or damaged10.9%
261 occurrencesTyre ply or cord exposed, or the casing separating explained
5.A spring or spring component fractured or seriously weakened10.4%
247 occurrencesRoad spring broken or fractured explained
6.A tyre seriously damaged10.2%
244 occurrencesTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
7.Any fracture or welding defect on a wheel7.3%
173 occurrencesRoad wheel damaged, distorted or cracked explained
8.A suspension joint dust cover missing or no longer prevents the ingress of dirt etc6.3%
151 occurrencesSuspension joint dust cover missing or split explained
9.An SRS malfunction indicator lamp (MIL) indicates a system malfunction6.0%
142 occurrencesAirbag warning lamp on, or airbag missing explained
10.Windscreen washers not working or not providing sufficient fluid to clear the windscreen5.7%
136 occurrencesWiper or washer not working properly explained

Warnings without a failure

Most common advisories

Share of all BMW 7 Series tests carrying each advisory. The denominator differs from the failure list above because an advisory can be issued on a car that passed.

1.Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements21.3%
3,947 testsTyre worn close to the legal limit explained
2.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn8.8%
1,634 testsSuspension arm bush worn explained
3.Fluid leaking excessively and likely to harm the environment or to pose a safety risk to other road users8.4%
1,561 tests
4.Brake disc or drum excessively weakened, insecure or fractured6.2%
1,143 testsBrake disc worn, pitted or scored explained
5.Brake pipe damaged or excessively corroded5.2%
956 testsBrake pipe corroded explained
6.A brake lining or pad worn below 1.5mm4.8%
898 testsBrake drum or shoe worn or contaminated explained
7.A tyre seriously damaged4.7%
872 testsTyre damaged or deteriorated explained
8.A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn3.4%
636 testsSuspension arm bush worn explained

How wear changes the picture

Pass rate by vehicle age

3–5 yrs92%

6–8 yrs90%

9–11 yrs87%

12–14 yrs82%

15+ yrs75%

Bands holding too few tests to be meaningful are omitted rather than shown as a rate.

What gets tested

The 7 Series fleet

Average mileage recorded at test: 95,915
Fuel mix of tested cars: Diesel63.0%
Petrol22.3%
Hybrid9.8%
Diesel hybrid4.8%

Trim names grouped into this model (14)

Recorded exactly as DVSA holds them. Trim-level names are rolled up so one model is not split across a dozen thin pages.

7 SERIES ACTIVE HYBRID
730D M SPORT MHEV AUTO
730D MHEV AUTO
730D XDRIVE M SPORT MHEV AUTO
730D XDRIVE MHEV AUTO
730LD M SPORT MHEV AUTO
730LD MHEV AUTO
740D XDRIVE M SPORT MHEV AUTO
740D XDRIVE MHEV AUTO
740LD XDRIVE M SPORT MHEV AUTO
740LD XDRIVE MHEV AUTO
740LI M SPORT AUTO
750E XDRIVE M SPORT AUTO
M760E XDRIVE AUTO

Check a specific BMW 7 Series

A model average tells you the pattern. Its own MOT record tells you the car.

Compare within the range

Other BMW models

BMW 3 Series — 80.0% adjusted
BMW 1 Series — 77.6% adjusted
BMW 5 Series — 82.0% adjusted
BMW 2 Series — 82.9% adjusted
BMW X1 — 79.5% adjusted
BMW 4 Series — 83.2% adjusted
All BMW models

Similar test volumes

Compare against other makes

Seat Mii — 74.3% adjusted, ranked 118
Citroen C5 — 69.6% adjusted, ranked 175
Volkswagen Caravelle — 72.4% adjusted, ranked 141
Abarth 595 — 76.0% adjusted, ranked 95

Common questions

Is the BMW 7 Series reliable?: On MOT evidence the BMW 7 Series is well above average. It passes 85.6% of tests once age and mileage are accounted for, against a national average of 72.3%, which ranks it 17 of 262 models with enough data for a fair comparison. This measures how often the car meets the MOT standard, not how often it breaks down or what a repair costs.
What is the most common MOT failure on a BMW 7 Series?: The item recorded most often is "A suspension pin, bush or joint excessively worn", which appears in 15.1% of failed BMW 7 Series tests. Because one failed test can list several items, these shares do not add up to 100%.
What do testers most often warn about on a BMW 7 Series?: The most common advisory is "Tyre tread depth not in accordance with the requirements", noted on 21.3% of all BMW 7 Series tests. An advisory is not a failure: it flags something that will likely need attention before the next test.
What mileage does a BMW 7 Series usually have at its MOT?: The average odometer reading recorded at test is 95,915 miles. This is the mileage across all tested examples of every age, not an annual figure, so treat it as a description of the fleet rather than a target for one car.
Does a BMW 7 Series get harder to pass as it ages?: Yes. At 3 to 5 years old, 92.2% of BMW 7 Series tests pass. By fifteen years or more, that falls to 75.0%. Nearly every model follows this pattern, which is why comparing raw pass rates between models is misleading unless age is accounted for.
Are most BMW 7 Series models petrol or diesel?: Of the BMW 7 Series cars tested, 63% are diesel, 22% are petrol, 10% are hybrid. Fuel type affects which items tend to fail, particularly emissions and exhaust components.

How this was worked out

Method and limits

Figures come from the DVSA anonymised MOT testing dataset, published under the Open Government Licence. Only class 4 initial tests are counted: retests are excluded so a car appears once, and abandoned tests are excluded entirely. The adjusted rate is directly standardised across twenty-five age and mileage bands and reweighted onto the national distribution, so this model is compared against cars that have lived a similar life rather than against a younger or lighter-used fleet.

An MOT measures whether a car met a legal standard on the day. It is not a breakdown record, a service history or a running-cost estimate, and a pass rate is a property of a fleet rather than a prediction about one car.