BMW 7 Series 2017: reliability & common MOT faults

At a glance

How 1,518 first tests went in 2025.

Passed first time: 88 in every 100
Did not pass first time: 12 in every 100176 failed first-attempt tests
The typical car: 8 yearsabout 73,407 miles
First tests counted: 1,518

How we count this. Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Only Class 4 cars on their first MOT of the year are counted. A car that fails and is fixed at the test station still counts as a fail in the first-attempt rate. These are raw results, not adjusted for age, mileage, or peer mix. The MOT does not test engine or gearbox internals.

Note:

These are patterns across 2017 BMW 7 Series vehicles in 2025, not a prediction that any one car will have them. Faults are grouped by part of the car. They come from MOT defect codes, not manufacturer bulletins, recalls or a diagnosis of any one car.

Body and structure

One fault: drive shaft joints and boots (front), 5.4 times as often as on similar cars.

Figures below are measured across the 169 of 176 failed first attempts (96.0%) that recorded an odometer reading in 2025. Mileage is needed to compare like with like. 4.0% of failures are excluded because no mileage was recorded, so treat these shares as indicative for this model year.

We only list faults with at least 20 failures and a rate of about 2.0 times that of similar cars, which keeps one-off results out of the list.

Drive shaft joints and boots (front)

Failed on 33 first tests5.4 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

A constant velocity boot that is only severely deteriorated is Minor. It is Major once it is missing, split or insecure so that it no longer prevents the ingress of dirt. A transmission joint excessively worn is Major, and graded Dangerous when it is so worn it is likely to fail.

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.

MOT pass rates

How first tests ended, and how the pass rates are counted.

Passed first time: 88in every 100; Passed on the first test.
Fixed at the station: 2in every 100; Failed, then fixed at the test station the same day.
Failed: 10in every 100; Did not pass, and were not fixed at the test station.

First-attempt pass 88.4% of 1,518 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 89.9%: cars fixed at the test station also count as a pass. The 2 fixed and the 10 not fixed make the 12 in every 100 that did not pass first time.

Same model, other years

Passed first time in every 100, all tested in 2025.

Newer cars are younger, so look for a jump rather than the climb. A year earlier (2024), when these cars were a year younger, 89 in every 100 passed first time.

Year	Passed first time	First tests
2005	71 in every 100	400
2006	73 in every 100	668
2007	77 in every 100	460
2008	74 in every 100	504
2009	83 in every 100	426
2010	85 in every 100	523
2011	81 in every 100	725
2012	83 in every 100	762
2013	81 in every 100	688
2014	84 in every 100	829
2015	83 in every 100	683
2016	89 in every 100	1,399
2017 This car	88 in every 100	1,518
2018	90 in every 100	1,373
2019	91 in every 100	1,404
2020	92 in every 100	828
2021	91 in every 100	834
2022	92 in every 100	574

FAQs

Short answers about how to read this model-year guide.

Is the 2017 BMW 7 Series reliable?

The 2017 BMW 7 Series follows the pattern of the model years either side. In 2025, 88.4% of 1,518 first MOTs on the 2017 BMW 7 Series passed first time (PRS: items fixed at the station the same day, counted as a fail). The official-style rate including PRS is 89.9%. Among 176 failed first-attempt MOT tests (test year 2025), Drive shaft joints and boots (front) appears more often than on similar cars (19.5% of those tests; 33 observed failures; about 5.4× more often than similar cars). There is no single reliability score here; this is a pre-purchase checklist built from DVSA open data, not a guarantee for any individual car.

What common MOT faults stand out on the BMW 7 Series 2017?

Among failed first-attempt tests we highlight patterns that appear more often than on similar cars. Top example: Drive shaft joints and boots (front) (19.5% of those tests; 33 observed failures; about 5.4× more often than similar cars). These are statistical signals, not a diagnosis of any individual car.

Why does Drive shaft joints and boots (front) stand out?

Drive shaft joints and boots (front) shows up more often than on similar cars (19.5% of those tests; 33 observed failures; about 5.4× more often than similar cars). That does not prove a design fault. Age, mileage, and how the car was used still matter. Treat it as a pre-purchase checkpoint, not a manufacturer service bulletin.

What are common problems with the 2017 BMW 7 Series?

Common MOT problem areas for the 2017 BMW 7 Series include Drive shaft joints and boots (front). These are the faults that stand out compared with similar cars, not a complete list of what can go wrong on any individual car.

What does this BMW 7 Series 2017 MOT report cover?

This page highlights MOT failure patterns for the 2017 BMW 7 Series (registration year) using UK DVSA open data for the selected test year. Patterns are compared with cars of a similar age and mileage. It is a buyer checklist from MOT defect statistics, not a full service history or manufacturer service-bulletin list.

Does this include engine and gearbox problems?

No. MOT tests do not cover engine internals, gearboxes, or many electronic modules. Patterns here come from MOT defect statistics only and should not be read as engine or gearbox reliability scores.

About this data

How this page is built and what it can (and can't) say.

These figures come from UK MOT open data for this model year. We surface common failure patterns against similar cars, not a full reliability score, and not a pass/fail verdict on any individual vehicle.

2024 2025

What we include

UK Class 4 cars only. Normal MOT tests (not retests); first test per vehicle per calendar year; results pass, PRS, or fail.

Same-day repairs

PRS means the car failed items that were fixed at the test station and then passed the same day. We count PRS as a first-attempt fail in headline rates so same-day repairs do not hide problems.

How we compare

We compare this model year with other Class 4 cars of similar age and mileage in the same test year. This model family is left out of the peer group so the car is not measured against itself.

What this does not cover

MOTs do not cover engine internals, gearboxes, or many electronics; this is not a full reliability score.
Common faults come from MOT defect stats, not manufacturer TSBs or recalls.
Age and mileage matching reduces, but does not remove, differences in how cars were used and maintained.
If the data for a car is too thin to say anything useful, we say so rather than guess.

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