All generations and engines together · 13,375 MOT tests in the 2025 data · typical mileage at age 7: 78k
One of the best saloons and estates for its age, though better than most per mile driven. Watch emissions/leaks and corrosion. A solid used buy, provided its MOT history has no repeating emissions/leaks advisories.
Split by first-registration year. Cars registered in a changeover year can belong to either generation.
Owner folklore from forums and the motoring press, with how well each report stands up. Most of it never shows up in an MOT, which is why this section exists at all.
All generations with the adaptive/self-levelling air suspension can develop a sagging corner, a dashboard warning light, or a compressor that runs almost constantly before giving up. It shows up most from around 60-100k miles or once the car passes eight years old, on both F01/F02 and G11/G12 cars. A full fix (compressor, valve block or airbag) runs from a few hundred pounds for one part up to £1,500-2,000 if several fail together. No manufacturer bulletin covers it, it is treated as wear and tear.
On the six-cylinder diesels (730d, 740d and siblings) the EGR cooler can crack and let glycol coolant weep into the intake side, which in rare cases has been linked to under-bonnet fires. BMW UK has run a recall on this since 2018, most recently reissued as R/2023/174, covering a huge number of diesel cars including the 7 Series, and the fix is free at a dealer. The measured MOT data for this model flags emissions and leaks as the standout fault category, and a leaking EGR cooler is exactly that kind of fault, a coolant leak feeding into the emissions system rather than dripping obviously onto the drive.
The twin-turbo N63 V8 fitted to the 750i and 750Li is known for burning oil between services, and early cars also suffered timing chain and fuel injector wear. BMW covered this in the US with a Customer Care Package extending cover to 10 years/120,000 miles after a class-action settlement, and issued bulletin B001314 for timing chain inspection and replacement. Ask for oil top-up history at a viewing; a chain job on this engine is a big strip-down and commonly quoted well over £2,000 if it has not already been done.
The N57 diesel in the 730d and 740d has its timing chain mounted at the back of the engine against the bulkhead, so a proper replacement means pulling the gearbox, which is why it is expensive. Owners on forums describe tensioners losing oil pressure on cold starts if oil changes have been stretched, letting the chain rattle and eventually stretch. It tends to appear from 90-150k miles and a repair is commonly quoted at £1,500-2,500 once labour is factored in.
Owners across generations report the iDrive screen freezing, going blank, or throwing a 'no signal' message, plus general electrical niggles that get worse the older the car, worst on E65/E66 with its CCC unit. Forum owners argue over whether it is a real fault or just an occasional software hiccup, a soft reset or software update usually sorts it out, but a screen or control unit that fails repeatedly points to a hardware fault and a four-figure repair.
Ranked from this model’s own MOT record, then from what owners report.
Saveable checklistThe physical checks its own defect data says are worth your time, most telling first.
These judge the seller’s upkeep rather than the model, and they are where the haggling money is.
The physical checks its own defect data says are worth your time, most telling first.
These judge the seller’s upkeep rather than the model, and they are where the haggling money is.
The physical checks its own defect data says are worth your time, most telling first.
These judge the seller’s upkeep rather than the model, and they are where the haggling money is.
Drawn from the reports above rather than the MOT data. These are the model-specific ones.
Computed from DVSA MOT results, all of Great Britain, 2025. Nothing here is opinion.
Share of tests where each item was recorded. The dark tick is the class average across all tracked models; bars are scaled within each group.
The rows that judge the model rather than its keeper. 5,838 tests in this band.
Tyres, pads and stone chips say more about how the car was driven and maintained than about how it was built.
Same segment (Saloons & estates), best MOT record first. Compare before you shortlist.