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BMW 7 Series years to avoid

Ranked from 8 documented faults · reviewed by the VehicleFaults Research Team

Quick answer

On documented faults and where each build sits in the production run, the BMW 7 Series years to approach most carefully are 2015 and 2016. The 2022 and 2021 cars carry the least risk. No year is automatically a bad buy · service history and condition still decide it, so use the year-by-year table below as the starting point and then check the specific car.

The years to approach most carefully

2015 BMW 7 Series

Most risk

A 2015 car is first year of the generation, so it carries the launch teething faults and most of the recall activity. At roughly 149k miles, 6 of the 8 documented faults are usually already due.

2016 BMW 7 Series

Most risk

A 2016 car is an early build, while launch issues were still being worked through. At roughly 135k miles, 6 of the 8 documented faults are usually already due.

The best years to buy

2022 BMW 7 Series

Safer buy

A 2022 car is the final year of the generation, usually the best-built cars in the run. At roughly 54k miles, 0 of the 8 documented faults are usually already due.

2021 BMW 7 Series

Safer buy

A 2021 car is a late-run build, generally the most sorted part of the generation. At roughly 68k miles, 1 of the 8 documented faults are usually already due.

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Year-by-year risk

Faults due is how many of the 8 documented faults an average example of that year has usually already reached at typical mileage.

YearTypical milesFaults dueVerdict
2022~54k0 / 8Safer buy
2021~68k1 / 8Safer buy
2020~81k4 / 8Safer buy
2019~95k5 / 8Check carefully
2018~108k6 / 8Check carefully
2017~122k6 / 8Most risk
2016~135k6 / 8Most risk
2015~149k6 / 8Most risk

Guidance only · built from documented fault patterns and where each build sits in the production run, not from an individual car's condition.

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