Car statistics by year

2012 BMW 7 Series

BMW 7 Series cars first registered in 2012: how they did at their 2025 MOT, what failed them, how far they have been driven and how many are still on the road. Compared with every car first registered in 2012, so like is set against like.

A year of the BMW 7 Series. “2012” is the year of first registration.

Last updated
Records analysed
779 MOT tests of 2012 BMW 7 Series cars
Methodology
View methodology
  • MOT first-time pass rate, 2025 83.8% All 2012 cars 63.6%
  • Typical mileage at the MOT 115,300 miles; all 2012 cars 90,800
  • Left at the end of 2025 781 69.9% of the 1,118 at the end of 2014
  • Tests with an advisory 46.0% All 2012 cars 62.0%
  • MOT tests in 2025 779 normal tests in Great Britain

How do 2012 BMW 7 Series do at their MOT?

In 2025, at about 13 years old, 83.8% of 2012 BMW 7 Series MOT tests were passed first time, against 63.6% for all cars first registered in 2012. 2012 BMW 7 Series did better than average for their age, by 20.2 points. A year earlier the same cars passed 82.5% of the time (all 2012 cars 64.5%).

MOT pass rate by year of first registration: BMW 7 Series vs all cars

Each pair of bars is one year of first registration, tested in 2025. Older cars pass less often, so compare each BMW 7 Series bar with the all-cars bar beside it.

MOT first-time pass rate in 2025 by year of first registration, BMW 7 Series compared with all cars
First registered BMW 7 SeriesAll cars
’06 73.3%56.9%
’08 75.1%57.0%
’10 85.0%59.3%
’11 81.5%61.5%
’12 83.8%63.6%
’13 82.0%66.0%
’14 84.4%69.1%
’15 83.3%72.6%
’16 89.4%75.6%
’17 88.4%79.1%
’18 90.0%81.8%
’19 91.3%84.4%

Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated

Most common MOT advisories on the 2012 BMW 7 Series

An advisory is something the tester noticed that did not fail the test but may need work soon. 46.0% of 2012 BMW 7 Series tests had at least one (all 2012 cars 62.0%). These are the things to check on one you are thinking of buying.

Most common advisories

Most common MOT advisories on 2012 BMW 7 Series tests, 2025
Advisory Share of tests
Tread depth: worn close to legal limit or worn on edge Tyres 20.3%
Engine oil leak, but not excessive Noise, emissions and leaks 10.3%
Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened Brakes 8.6%
Suspension arms: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement Suspension 6.8%
Brake pads: wearing thin Brakes 5.8%
Shock absorbers: light misting of oil Suspension 3.7%
Suspension arms: ball joint has slight play Suspension 3.7%
Brake discs: worn, but not excessively Brakes 1.8%
Tyres: cut but not deep enough to reach the ply or cords Tyres 1.3%

Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated

What mileage is normal for a 2012 BMW 7 Series?

Half of the 2012 BMW 7 Series tested in 2025 had covered fewer than 115,300 miles. A quarter had covered fewer than 90,500 and a quarter more than 142,500. For all cars first registered in 2012, the middle figure was 90,800 miles, so 2012 BMW 7 Series have been driven 27.0% further than average.

Mileage at the 2025 MOT

Odometer readings at each car’s latest MOT of the year. The bar covers the middle half of cars; the line the middle 80%.

Odometer readings at the 2025 MOT, 2012 BMW 7 Series and all 2012 cars, by percentile
10% 25% Median 75% 90% Cars
2012 BMW 7 Series 66,300 90,500 115,300 142,500 170,300 759
All 2012 cars 47,100 66,700 90,800 117,400 145,000 1,483,042
miles

Half of the 2012 BMW 7 Series tested in 2025 had covered fewer than 115,300 miles.

Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated

How many 2012 BMW 7 Series are left?

At the end of 2014, 1,118 2012 BMW 7 Series were on the DVLA record in the United Kingdom (these counts start in 2014). By the end of 2025, 781 were: 657 licensed and 124 declared off the road (SORN). That is 69.9% still on the record, against 83.1% for all cars first registered in 2012.

Share still on the record since 2014

Cars licensed or SORN at each year end, as a share of the number at the end of 2014. Cars scrapped or exported leave the record. Late registrations and imports can push the share above 100%.

2012 BMW 7 Series on the DVLA record at each year end as a share of the number at the end of 2014, compared with all 2012 cars
Year end 2012 BMW 7 SeriesAll 2012 cars
2014 100.0%100.0%
2015 96.8%97.0%
2016 95.8%98.2%
2017 94.2%97.4%
2018 91.7%96.3%
2019 89.5%95.2%
2020 88.4%93.9%
2021 84.6%93.0%
2022 82.3%91.4%
2023 78.8%89.2%
2024 73.6%86.5%
2025 69.9%83.1%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of 2025 Updated

Recalls that may affect cars built around 2012

3 of the BMW 7 Series’s 46 recalls in DVSA’s records cover cars built during 2012. 5 have no build dates, so could apply to any year.

The 2012 on this page is the year of first registration, not the year the car was built. A car first registered early in 2012 may have been built in 2011, and recalls apply to particular build dates and VINs, so check the recalls either side too.

BMW 7 Series recalls whose build dates include 2012
Launched Concern Built Vehicles
1 Aug 2022 The exhaust gas recirculation cooler may leak over time and cause thermal incident 27 Jan 2012 to 21 May 2015 319,399 (all models)
7 Dec 2018 Exhaust gas recirculation module cooler could leak 27 Jan 2012 to 21 May 2015 225,449 (all models)
16 Nov 2016 Front airbags and seat belt tensioners may fail to deploy when needed 2 Dec 2011 to 28 Jun 2012 1,047 (all models)

Every BMW 7 Series recall · Check a specific car on GOV.UK · How we match recalls

Recall details come from manufacturers through DVSA. “Vehicles” is the number the manufacturer reported; “all models” means the figure covers everything in the recall. A recall listed here may not apply to a particular car: only the manufacturer or GOV.UK can say for its VIN.

Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis January 1992 to September 2026 Updated

Other years of the BMW 7 Series

15 years of the BMW 7 Series, by year of first registration, have their own page with MOT results, common faults, mileage and how many are left. Against all cars of the same age, the 2010 cars did best at their 2025 MOT (85.0% passed first time) and the 2021 cars worst (91.4%).

BMW 7 Series by year of first registration
Year Registered Left Pass rate All cars
2006 1,006 73.3% 56.9%
2008 642 75.1% 57.0%
2010 633 85.0% 59.3%
2011 841 81.5% 61.5%
2012 781 83.8% 63.6%
2013 711 82.0% 66.0%
2014 1,125 884 84.4% 69.1%
2015 885 696 83.3% 72.6%
2016 1,984 1,431 89.4% 75.6%
2017 2,056 1,482 88.4% 79.1%
2018 1,615 1,326 90.0% 81.8%
2019 1,584 1,422 91.3% 84.4%
2020 905 851 92.2% 86.9%
2021 971 869 91.4% 88.4%
2022 730 645 93.6% 89.4%

Registered: cars on the DVLA record at the end of the year they were first registered (these counts start in 2014, so older years show a dash). Left: licensed or declared SORN at the end of 2025. Both cover the United Kingdom. Pass rate: first-time passes at normal MOT tests in Great Britain in 2025; all cars: every car first registered the same year.

Data sources and methodology

Datasets used on this page
Figures Source Period Records Updated
MOT results and mileage Anonymised MOT tests and results Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency
Derived statistics UK Motoring
2025 779 MOT tests of 2012 BMW 7 Series cars 15 September 2026
Cars on the record Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport End of 2025 781 cars still on the record (licensed or SORN) 15 September 2026
  • MOT figures cover normal tests in Great Britain in 2025 of BMW 7 Series cars first registered in 2012; retests are excluded. “All cars” means every car we match to a model, first registered in 2012.
  • Year of first registration is DVSA’s first-use date: when the car was first registered, in the UK or abroad.
  • Defects and advisories are DVSA’s descriptions made readable. Where on the car a defect was found (side, front or rear) is ignored, so the same fault on any wheel counts once per test.
  • Mileage is the odometer reading at each car’s latest normal MOT of the year, as recorded by the tester. A few readings are in kilometres or mistyped; percentiles are not thrown by a handful of outliers.
  • Cars on the record come from DfT table VEH0124 and cover the United Kingdom, including Northern Ireland; MOT figures cover Great Britain only.
  • DVSA records the model name typed in at the test. We match those names to DVLA’s generic models, so a handful of tests may be counted under a close relative.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.