• Plug-in hybrid 745e is most efficient
• Diesel 730d best for longer commutes
• BMW offers servicing packs to control costs

What are the running costs

With a choice of plug-in hybrid and mild-hybrid diesel engines, the 7 Series should prove comparatively frugal. However, it’s still a big car and all those engines have plenty of power, so don’t go expecting miracles.

The plug-in hybrid 745e looks the most parsimonious on paper, but you’ll need an extremely specific lifestyle for that to make sense. If you can charge at home and most of your journeys are short, it’ll reward you with low fuel bills, but it’ll be a little thirsty on long trips. If you’re regularly wafting up and down motorways, the 730d will manage the best part of 50mpg.

That said, the xDrive versions of the 730d are no more economical than the more powerful 740d xDrive, and both will drink diesel faster than the rear-drive car. The difference isn’t huge, though, and both all-wheel-drive 7 Series diesels will easily top 40mpg on a long drive.

View detailed MPG and CO2 figures on the BMW 7 Series specs pages

Servicing and warranty

Servicing the 7 Series shouldn’t be outrageous – at least not when compared with the usual crop of luxury saloons. BMW is even offering a ‘pay monthly’ servicing plan that allows you to spread the cost of maintenance across the year.

As standard, the 7 Series comes with a three-year, unlimited-mileage warranty, and that can be extended through the BMW Insured Warranty scheme. With three levels of cover, the scheme is designed to offer peace of mind for vehicles with up to 100,000 miles on the clock. But when Lexus is offering a warranty that can effectively be extended to 10 years, it doesn’t look all that impressive.

Reliability

• BMW has a good reputation for reliability
• Build quality is exceptional
• Engines are tried and tested

The 7 Series has not had any major reliability issues, and despite the plethora of on-board gadgets, we expect that to remain the case. Like any other car, it’s been tested to and beyond its limits to ensure that every component and new element of technology will work perfectly for many years.

Most engines have seen service in other BMW models, and have proved reliable there – so we’d expect a similar performance in the new 7 Series, while the V12 and plug-in hybrid options have been created following years of painstaking development.

Of course, the new cabin has a more bespoke, hand-finished feel than any previous model, but despite these fine materials, it all looks to be solidly constructed and hard-wearing. According to the vehicle inspectorate VOSA, there has been one recall so far for this generation 7 Series, relating to a possible airbag issue.