Car statistics by year

2016 BMW 7 Series

BMW 7 Series cars first registered in 2016: 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 2016, so like is set against like.

A year of the BMW 7 Series. “2016” is the year of first registration.

Last updated
Records analysed
1,476 MOT tests of 2016 BMW 7 Series cars
Methodology
View methodology
  • MOT first-time pass rate, 2025 89.4% All 2016 cars 75.6%
  • Typical mileage at the MOT 81,200 miles; all 2016 cars 65,300
  • Left at the end of 2025 1,431 72.1% of the 1,984 at the end of 2016
  • Tests finding a dangerous defect 4.0% All 2016 cars 6.7%
  • Tests with an advisory 25.1% All 2016 cars 48.6%
  • MOT tests in 2025 1,476 normal tests in Great Britain

How do 2016 BMW 7 Series do at their MOT?

In 2025, at about 9 years old, 89.4% of 2016 BMW 7 Series MOT tests were passed first time, against 75.6% for all cars first registered in 2016. 2016 BMW 7 Series did better than average for their age, by 13.8 points. A year earlier the same cars passed 88.5% of the time (all 2016 cars 77.5%).

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
’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%
’20 92.2%86.9%
’21 91.4%88.4%

Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated

Most common MOT failures on the 2016 BMW 7 Series

Drive shafts: constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt was the most common single reason a 2016 BMW 7 Series failed, on 12.8% of about 200 failed tests. By area of the car, tyres failed most often (42.3% of failed tests; all 2016 cars 27.6%). 4.0% of tests found at least one dangerous defect, against 6.7% for all cars first registered in 2016. A failed test can have several defects, so shares add up to more than 100%.

Most common reasons for failure

Share of failed tests with each defect. The same fault on any wheel or side counts once.

Most common specific MOT defects on failed 2016 BMW 7 Series tests, 2025
Defect Share of failed tests
Drive shafts: constant velocity boot split or insecure, no longer prevents the ingress of dirt Body, chassis, structure 12.8%
Tyres: ply or cords exposed Tyres 10.3%
Tyre pressure monitoring system: malfunctioning or obviously inoperative Tyres 9.6%
Tyres: cut in excess of the requirements deep enough to reach the ply or cords Tyres 8.3%
Tyres: tread depth below requirements of 1.6mm Tyres 8.3%
Malfunction indicator lamp: inoperative or indicates a malfunction Noise, emissions and leaks 7.7%
Tyres: bulge, caused by separation or partial failure of its structure Tyres 7.7%

Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated

Failure categories: BMW 7 Series vs all 2016 cars

The marker shows the share for all cars first registered the same year.

Share of failed 2016 BMW 7 Series MOT tests with a defect in each category, with all 2016 cars for comparison
Category Share of failed tests
Tyres 42.3%
Body, chassis, structure 14.7%
Visibility 14.7%
Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment 10.9%
Road wheels 10.9%
Brakes 10.3%
Suspension 9.6%
Noise, emissions and leaks 7.7%

Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated

Most common MOT advisories on the 2016 BMW 7 Series

An advisory is something the tester noticed that did not fail the test but may need work soon. 25.1% of 2016 BMW 7 Series tests had at least one (all 2016 cars 48.6%). These are the things to check on one you are thinking of buying.

Most common advisories

Most common MOT advisories on 2016 BMW 7 Series tests, 2025
Advisory Share of tests
Tread depth: worn close to legal limit or worn on edge Tyres 12.5%
Brake pads: wearing thin Brakes 3.3%
Brake discs: worn, pitted or scored, but not seriously weakened Brakes 3.0%
Suspension arms: pin or bush worn but not resulting in excessive movement Suspension 2.6%
Brake discs: worn, but not excessively Brakes 1.8%
Flexible couplings: slightly deteriorated Body, chassis, structure 1.4%
Child seat fitted not allowing full inspection of adult belt Non-component advisories 1.3%
Tyres: slightly damaged or cracking or perishing Tyres 1.2%
Nail in tyre Non-component advisories 1.1%
Tyres: cut but not deep enough to reach the ply or cords Tyres 1.1%

Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated

What mileage is normal for a 2016 BMW 7 Series?

Half of the 2016 BMW 7 Series tested in 2025 had covered fewer than 81,200 miles. A quarter had covered fewer than 60,100 and a quarter more than 105,800. For all cars first registered in 2016, the middle figure was 65,300 miles, so 2016 BMW 7 Series have been driven 24.3% 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, 2016 BMW 7 Series and all 2016 cars, by percentile
10% 25% Median 75% 90% Cars
2016 BMW 7 Series 44,300 60,100 81,200 105,800 133,100 1,397
All 2016 cars 32,200 47,000 65,300 86,000 108,800 2,323,151
miles

Half of the 2016 BMW 7 Series tested in 2025 had covered fewer than 81,200 miles.

Source:DVSA,UK Motoring analysis 2025 Updated

How many 2016 BMW 7 Series are left?

At the end of 2016, 1,984 2016 BMW 7 Series were on the DVLA record in the United Kingdom. By the end of 2025, 1,431 were: 1,317 licensed and 114 declared off the road (SORN). That is 72.1% still on the record, against 94.1% for all cars first registered in 2016.

Share still on the record since 2016

Cars licensed or SORN at each year end, as a share of the number at the end of 2016. Cars scrapped or exported leave the record. Late registrations and imports can push the share above 100%.

2016 BMW 7 Series on the DVLA record at each year end as a share of the number at the end of 2016, compared with all 2016 cars
Year end 2016 BMW 7 SeriesAll 2016 cars
2016 100.0%100.0%
2017 90.9%100.0%
2018 88.6%99.0%
2019 82.1%96.5%
2020 79.9%96.5%
2021 81.1%96.6%
2022 78.5%96.4%
2023 75.7%95.6%
2024 73.9%95.0%
2025 72.1%94.1%

Source:DfT / DVLA End of 2025 Updated

Recalls that may affect cars built around 2016

6 of the BMW 7 Series’s 46 recalls in DVSA’s records cover cars built during 2016. 5 have no build dates, so could apply to any year.

The 2016 on this page is the year of first registration, not the year the car was built. A car first registered early in 2016 may have been built in 2015, and recalls apply to particular build dates and VINs, so check the recalls either side too.

BMW 7 Series recalls whose build dates include 2016
Launched Concern Built Vehicles
27 Oct 2025 Replace the Engine Starter Motor 17 Mar 2016 to 22 Feb 2019 493
12 Sept 2022 In rare cases the starter motor can inadvertently be activated permanently presenting a risk of a thermal event 17 Mar 2016 to 22 Feb 2019 25,982 (all models)
22 Aug 2022 Undetected EGR System leaks may cause thermal activity in the intake manifold 25 Aug 2015 to 29 Jun 2020 322,745 (all models)
18 May 2020 If the head air bag is deployed the ignitor may separate from the inflator 13 Jul 2016 to 5 Apr 2017 161 (all models)
7 Jul 2017 Oil cooler may leak 10 May 2016 to 1 Jun 2017 71
22 May 2017 Front brake efficiency may be reduced 10 May 2016 to 27 Mar 2017 37

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 1,476 MOT tests of 2016 BMW 7 Series cars 15 September 2026
Cars on the record Vehicle licensing statistics Department for Transport End of 2025 1,431 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 2016; retests are excluded. “All cars” means every car we match to a model, first registered in 2016.
  • 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.