8 Of The Most Reliable BMW Models Ever Built, Ranked

Hearing the letters BMW strung together instantly conjures two thoughts in a gearhead's mind: beautifully designed vehicles and potentially expensive maintenance. Making the problem even worse, if something goes wrong, these cars aren't cheap to fix. Still, it's unfair to say that all BMWs are unreliable. Actually, it'd be downright wrong — we've found plenty of empirical data from J.D. Power, Kelly Blue Book, and RepairPal for this list that shows the brand has produced more than a few dependable cars.

The problem for car fans is that the used market can get oversaturated with BMWs, making it extremely alluring. You can often pick up a classic BMW 7 Series or an E46 at surprisingly affordable prices. However, rest assured, if you go down this route without proper guidance, there's always a chance that you'll end up paying an astronomical amount for repairs. So avoid this trap and keep reading to find out the eight most reliable models from the Bavarian behemoth.

This article has been reviewed by our Executive Editor to ensure all purchasing recommendations contained within meet the highest editorial standards.

Squeezing onto the list is the 2022 BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe, which J.D. Power gave this model a quality and reliability score of 84 and costs $1,229 per year to maintain on average. 

BMW was on to something when it launched the 4 Series in 2014 because by 2022 it had become the brand's best-selling non-SUV model. Originally, you could only get the 4 Series as a two-door convertible or coupe, but BMW soon expanded the line with the four-door Gran Coupe. This model has had three recalls for issues regarding seat belts, sunroof assembly, and software for the body control module, and it's important to remember that if you're thinking of buying any used car that's had a recall, you should always check to see if the problem was fixed.

The two most popular engines in the 2022 4 Series Gran Coupe are the 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-four and the 3.0-liter turbocharged inline-six. The 2.0-liter variant puts out 255 horsepower and 295 lb-ft of torque, whereas the 3.0-liter bumps these figures up to 382 horsepower and 368 lb-ft of torque.

The 2007 BMW Z4 is perhaps one of the most surprising models on this list. After all, it's a nearly 20-year-old BMW roadster, and that is not an age or car type you usually associate with reliability. 

Still, the data doesn't lie – J.D. Power gives the 2007 Z4 a solid quality and reliability score of 85, and it costs just $698 to maintain annually. The 2007 Z4 has been recalled twice, and both recalls were related to engine cooling components.

Now, any James Bond aficionados should remember the 1995 Z3 and 1998 Z8 fondly — Steve Jobs was also among the Z8's many fans – but for some, the Z4 managed to fly under the radar. It'd be a shame to let this model pass you by, however, as its 3.0-liter inline-six M54 puts out 215 horsepower and is one of the most reliable engines BMW ever built.

Bimmer enthusiasts who prefer to be driven rather than drive will be happy to see that the 2022 7 Series made it onto this list. 

J.D. Power gives the 2022 7 Series a quality and reliability score of 85, while RepairPal estimates its yearly maintenance costs to be $1,027 once the manufacturer's warranty is up. So far, this model has only had one recall relating to a risk of a short circuit in the battery cell. However, it's worth noting that this recall only applies to the 2022 7 Series 745e hybrid.

Prospective buyers should be happy to know there are plenty of engine options available for the 2022 7 Series. The entry-level inline-six produces up to 335 horsepower and 331 lb-ft of torque. Of course, if that's not doing it for you, the range-topping 6.6-liter twin-turbo V12 spits out 600 horsepower and 627 lb-ft of torque, which should be enough to satisfy anyone's thirst for speed.

Having just launched in 2019, the BMW 8 Series is the automaker's most recent offering and the pick of the bunch in terms of reliability is the 2022 model. 

The 2022 BMW 8 Series Gran Coupe gets a J.D. Power quality and reliability score of 85. Since this vehicle is relatively new, we can't get accurate annual repair costs, but according to RepairPal, the average annual repair cost for a BMW is $968. One notable downside to this model is that, despite being just a year old, it's already had two recalls. Specifically, the 8 Series has been recalled for windows that close without the electronic key present and for transmission oil leaks.

Originally, this model was only available as a coupe, but the Gran Coupe launched in 2020 and gave buyers the option to have the brand's flagship sports car with all the practicality of a 5-door sedan.

According to the metrics we used to create this list, a used 2017 BMW X3 is one of the best buys you can find thanks to relatively low prices and a pretty high reliability rating — but there's just one caveat. 

J.D. Power gives the 2017 X3 quality and reliability score of 86, while RepairPal lists its annual maintenance cost as $879 on average. The caveat is that the 2017 X3 has had five recalls for a range of issues including the EGR cooler, child seat latch strap, fuel pump failure on diesel models, intake manifold defects also occurring on diesel models, and the electric power assist steering system.

However, both of the X3's gasoline engine options appear to have stood the test of time. The entry-level 2.0-liter inline-four turbocharged engine makes 240 horsepower and 258 lb-ft of torque, whereas the range-topping 3.0-liter inline-six powerplant produces 300 horsepower and 300 lb-ft of torque. Regardless of what motor you opt for, there's plenty of power on tap, but pound for pound, the 2.0-liter makes a compelling argument.

The BMW 2022 X1, which is the company's flagship subcompact SUV, receives a J.D. Power quality and reliability score of 86 in addition to a slightly lower-than-average annual repair cost of $915 after its warranty is up. 

However, there are two recall issues to be aware of. The first 2022 X1 recall occurred because the driver's airbag did not deploy as intended during a crash, while the second recall was due to a fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source. As you might imagine, that is an extremely serious safety hazard, but thankfully this only affected five vehicles — in contrast, the airbag recall affected over 15,000 cars.

There's only one powerplant available for the 2022 BMW X1, the turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-four, which puts out an impressive 228 horsepower and 258 lb-ft of torque. Although this is the most limited model on the list in terms of engine options, its J.D. Power quality and reliability score means you should be able to buy with confidence.

The 2016 BMW 5 Series sits right at the top of the J.D. Power quality and reliability score for any BMW model with an 88. This model also has the lowest annual repair cost of any BMW on this list as RepairPal says it costs just $697 per year to maintain. 

With all that said, Kelly Blue Book lists nine recalls for the 2016 5 Series, which is more than any other model on this list. The recall issues include the airbag inflator failing to deploy, inaccurate vehicle location, rear assembly seats not fitting correctly, the driver's airbag inadvertently deploying, passenger side airbag malfunctions, front seat belt retractor issues, problems with the EGR cooler, and more.

Still, not every 2016 5 Series model was affected by every recall. Just make sure you do your due diligence while researching your potential used car purchase to ensure that any problems related to these recalls have been addressed.

In an article about reliability, it'd be fair to think that the number one model would be somewhat boring, but that couldn't be further from the case, as the sporty 2017 BMW 2 Series takes the top spot by a country mile. 

Things start off strong with a J.D. Power quality and reliability score of 88, which is the same as the 2016 5 Series. However, unlike the 5 Series, which had nine recalls, the 2017 2 Series has had no recalls, according to Kelly Blue Book. Furthermore, this model has a $922 annual maintenance cost, which is pretty much in line with the average maintenance cost of a BMW.

BMW absolutely nailed it when the automaker launched the 2 Series in 2014. The subcompact car is sleek, nimble, relatively affordable, and has plenty of power on tap whether you get the 248 horsepower turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-four or the 335 horsepower turbocharged inline-six. Don't take our word for it — the car's stand-out features and strong reliability led J.D. Power to rank it as the BMW 2 Series as the best small premium car of 2017, beating competition from Audi and Mercedes-Benz.

Of course, no matter how reliable any car model is, there will always be lemons, but there are objective measures of reliability. We used J.D. Power's quality and reliability score as our main metric to determine reliability, but if two models have the same score, they're differentiated by how many recalls they've had according to Kelly Blue Book. If we still couldn't separate the two models, the more reliable car was the one with the lowest annual maintenance cost, using data determined by RepairPal.

This gives us a well-rounded point of view when it comes to real-world reliability, but since we're using J.D. Power's quality and reliability score as our primary metric, it's worth noting that its scores are weighted toward more common models, so you're not likely to find one-off or limited-edition BMWs with outstanding quality and reliability scores.