MODELYEARINDEX

BMW 7 Series

155 complaints across 4 scored model years .

Which years to avoid

Ownership label · BMW 7 Series Full report
F
Grade 2010–2016
2012 vs model median 2.6×
Model median3× median
Engine 11
Drivetrain 6
Tires & Wheels 3
Avoid

2012

Best

2010 · 2016

Year by year

Severity-weighted complaints filed in each model year’s first 60 months on the road, so every year is measured over an identical window.

Severity-weighted complaint volume and grade by model year for the BMW 7 Series
Year Complaint volume vs median Reports Grade
2010
0.55× 11 A
2012
2.63× 33 F
2013
1.05× 12 B
2016
0.95× 16 B
2023 P
1.93× 31 D
2024 P
0.78× 11 B

P — provisional. These years have not completed 60 months on the road, so their totals are incomplete and they are excluded from the verdict.

What it costs to run

EPA figures for the most recent model year on record.

EPA fuel economy and drivetrain
Combined MPG20
City / Highway17 / 25
Engine4.4L, 8 cyl
DriveRear-Wheel Drive
Annual fuel cost$3,800

Recalls

No recall campaigns are on record for this model.

Others in Full-Size Cars

Same body and size class. Each grade describes that model against its own history — these are not ranked against each other.

Other models in the same segment
Model Years to avoid Grade
Acura RLX
none flagged
C
Audi A6
2019
C
Audi A7
2019
C
Audi A8
none flagged
C
BMW 5 Series
20112012
B
Buick Lacrosse
20112012
C
Cadillac XTS
2013
C
Chevrolet Impala
20112014
C

How this was calculated

Every model year is scored over an identical window: complaints filed with NHTSA during the first 60 months after that model year went on sale. Without this, older cars look worse purely because they have had longer to accumulate reports.

Limitations. Complaints are unverified reports submitted voluntarily by owners; they are allegations, not findings, and reporting rates vary between models. Model years with fewer than 60 months on the road are marked provisional and excluded from verdicts. Cross-model comparison is withheld pending production-volume data.

Working 2012 7 Series
Complaints in window
33
Severity-weighted
52.5
Model median (weighted)
20
vs model median
2.63×
Recall campaigns (weighted)
0
Open investigations
0
Score 34.4 F