Item: Used BMW 7 Series 2015-present
Rating: 4
Author: What Car? Team

The <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/mercedes-benz/s-class/saloon/used-review/n984">Mercedes-Benz S-Class</a> is the car that strides across this class like a colossus. It mixes a supremely comfortable ride with superb refinement. The interior is a spacious and sumptuous delight.

The <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/audi/a8/saloon/used-review/n17890">Audi A8</a> is a high-tech statement that offers a good, punchy range of engines, all of which give the car impressive speed and refinement. It’s quick, handsome, clever and refined with a high-quality interior.

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If you'd like to buy a <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/used-cars/bmw/7-series?used=true&amp;nearlynew=true&amp;postCode=tw1%203sp">used BMW 7 Series</a>, or any of the other cars mentioned here, check out our used car classified site <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/used-cars">here</a>.&nbsp;

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What is it like?

Ownership cost

Advice for buyers

Our recommendations

Alternatives

Saloon

Munich-based BMW is most famous for its sports saloons, in particular the 3 Series and 5 Series. However, it actually builds almost every type of car imaginable: everything from two-seat convertibles to seven-seat MPVs.

The cheapest model in the BMW range is the 1 Series hatchback, which is a rival to the Audi A3, Mercedes-Benz A-Class and Volkswagen Golf. Meanwhile, at the other extreme is the i8 plug-in hybrid sports car, which costs more than £100,000.

BMW was also quick to capitalise on the rise of the SUV and now has six in its range: the X1, X2, X3, X4, X5 and X6.

All of this makes it one of the big three German prestige brands, along with Audi and Mercedes-Benz.

7 SERIES

The BMW 7 Series is a capable luxury saloon that's great&nbsp;to drive. It's a good used buy, too

Used BMW 7 Series 2015-present

If you ignore the outrageous claimed fuel economy figure of the petrol-electric hybrid model, the 740e, which claims 134.5mpg, under the old NEDC tests, a figure one is unlikely to see in real-world conditions, it’s the 730d diesel that is the cheapest to run of the models currently available used, at a claimed 60.1mpg in its best trim. However, the latest 7 Series features the 725d, a newer model that features a 2.0-litre four-cylinder diesel that claims 61.4mpg in its most economical version. The 740d will claim 55.4mpg, and the 740Li petrol 41.5mpg, while the swift petrol 750i averages 35.3mpg.

The later post-facelift 7 Series was tested under the newer WLTP tests, where the 730d MHT averages 50.4mpg, the 730d xDrive 47.1mpg, the 7401 35.8mpg, the 745e 156.9mpg and the 750i 26.9mpg.

All 7 Series registered after April 2017 will attract a premium payment on top of the standard road tax, as they all cost more than £40,000 new. Cars registered before will have commensurately high annual road tax as they have relatively high CO2 figures. Current road tax costs are £150 a year, and luxury car tax £325 a year. Insurance groups are high at between 44 and 50, while servicing at a BMW main dealer is expensive.

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The BMW 7 Series is a capable luxury saloon that's great to drive. It's a good used buy, too


Entrance to the 7 Series’ club starts at around £21,000, this for an early 2015 car with an average to high mileage for the year and a full service history, bought from an independent dealer. Up the folding stuff to between £21,000 and £25,000 and you should find good 2016 models, again with an average mileage and a full history from an independent or franchised dealer, this representing a good saving on the new price. Look to spend £25,000 to £30,000 on 2017 cars, and between £30,000 and £35,000 on a good 2018 car. You'll need upwards of £35,000 to buy a post-facelift 2019 or 2020 car.&nbsp;

BMW’s superb 3.0-litre diesel engine offers 457lb ft of torque, and with a standard eight-speed auto there's plenty of instantly available power.&nbsp;

All trims are all well appointed, with the standard trim getting a 10.25in infotainment screen with BMW Professional Navigation, front and rear parking sensors, a rear-view camera, four-zone climate control, Nappa-leather seats with heating all round, a massaging function in the front seats and a rear-view camera.&nbsp;

Our favourite BMW 7 Series: 730d

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<h2>What we're looking for:</h2><ul><li>Plush ride and the ability to cruise in near-silence </li> <li>Powerful and efficient engine</li> <li>Space for passengers to stretch out in the rear seats</li> <li>Exquisite materials and build quality</li> <li>Endless luxuries on the options list</li> <li>Sensible fuel and tax bills</li></ul>

If you’re in the market for a luxury car, you’ll be after a sumptuous interior, a ride that can soak up the worst of the UK’s pockmarked roads and supreme refinement that allows you to travel at speed in near-silence.

Your cheapest (and smallest) options are the Audi A6, Mercedes E-Class and brilliant BMW 5 Series, the latter of which is so good we voted it our 2017 Car of the Year. Larger options that are definitely worth considering if you plan to travel in the back include the BMW 7 Series, Audi A8 and the Mercedes S-Class, which is beautifully finished inside and not as expensive to run as you might think.

Or if money really is no object at all, the Rolls-Royce Ghost is hard to overlook – especially in extended-wheelbase form. It’s as opulent as cars get.

Luxury

This is a large car so check the extremities of its body carefully for dents and scrapes picked up in urban car parks. Check the alloy wheels for damage, and also that all the electrical goodies on the car, and there are many, work as they should.

Reported problems with the 7 Series are so far few, and the previous generation had a reasonable record for reliability. However, the car didn’t feature in our most recent reliability survey, but its smaller sibling the 5 Series did. The present version, the 2017 onwards model, finished up in third place out of eight cars in the luxury car class, while the previous model, the 2010-2017 generation, finished top.

The previous 5 Series appears to be slightly more robust than the latest version, with owners telling us that 17% had a fault. More than three-quarters of those cars remained driveable and half were repaired in a day or less. All work was done for free.&nbsp;

According to owners, 17% of the latest 5 Series models had a problem. The most frequently cited related to bodywork, followed by the engine and its electrical systems. There were also non-engine electrical issues including problems with the air-con, infotainment system and sat-nav. More than three-quarters of the cars could be driven and all work was done for free.

BMW as a brand finished in ninth&nbsp;place out of 31&nbsp;manufacturers.

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Great long-running rivalries have littered history throughout the years, and the same is true in the top-flight luxury car world.

For years, <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/make/bmw">BMW</a> has been churning out its impressive <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/bmw/7-series/saloon/used-review/n17388">7 Series luxury limo</a>, and for years it’s always had to play second fiddle to the imperious <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/mercedes-benz/s-class/saloon/used-review/n984">Mercedes&nbsp;S-Class.</a> However mighty and unbeatable BMW’s more lowly cars have been, executive icons such as the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/bmw/3-series/saloon/used-review/n20393">3 Series</a> and the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/bmw/5-series/saloon/used-review/n991">5 Series</a>, the flagship 7 Series has never quite lunged far enough forward into the public’s affections to topple the Merc phenomenon.

This latest one, the sixth-generation model launched in 2015, is so loaded with high-quality tech and all of the engineering prowess the Munich firm can muster that it could only emerge as a truly impressive car, and it is. It uses carbonfibre and aluminium extensively to make it both stronger and lighter, so this large car can jink through bends like a much smaller one, while its occupants go around in unabashed luxury and in the utmost refinement.

There’s a range of strong and hushed engines, starting with the 261bhp 3.0-litre and 315bhp diesels in the 730d and 740d, then going up to the four petrol options including the 321bhp 740Li, the 444bhp V8 750i and the four-cylinder hybrid 740e. Heading the range is the 592bhp 6.6-litre V12 M760Li, which is capable of 205mph.

There are three main trim levels in the range. Of course, they are all well appointed, with the standard trim getting a 10.25in infotainment screen with BMW Professional Navigation, front and rear parking sensors, a rear-view camera, four-zone climate control, Nappa-leather seats with heating all round, a massaging function in the front seats and a rear-view camera. Exclusive trim adds BMW Gesture Control to operate the infotainment with a swipe of your hand, soft-close doors and massaging seats in the rear. M Sport models just offer a sportier look with bigger alloy wheels, more aggressively styled bumpers and darker wood on the inside.

Performance is pretty effortless in all of these, and elsewhere much work has been done to make this long limo handle as well as those smaller Beemers. There is a hint of uncertainty to its low-speed ride, but otherwise it glides supremely.

On top of this refinement, comfort and isolation, the interior of the 7 Series is also rather splendid. The driving position is excellent, and there’s plenty of space within its opulent and leather-lined cocoon, its seats are supportive and the design is first class.

If you fancy an alternative to an S-Class the time has come to consider this 7 Series. It will please the driver, the passengers will be cosseted and as a good used buy it’ll make itself an invaluable companion to many looking for a luxury-car bargain.

As a bonus, the 7 Series received a mid-life facelift in 2019, complete with a bigger grille, more efficient engines, extra sound deadening and an updated infotainment system. Engine choices became the 730Ld MHT (mild hybrid technology), the 740d MHT, the 740i, the 745e plug-in hybrid, and the 750i.&nbsp;&nbsp;

If you'd like to buy a <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/used-cars/bmw/7-series?used=true&amp;nearlynew=true&amp;postCode=tw1%203sp">used BMW 7 Series</a>, or any of the other cars mentioned here, check out our used car classified site <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/used-cars">here</a>.&nbsp;

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Used BMW 7 Series 2015-present review

Our recommendations

Which used BMW 7 Series saloon should I buy?