2023 BMW I7 Electric · M90 EDU

Recall R/2023/288 (9 October 2023) covers 100 UK i7 xDrive vehicles built between 14 October 2022 and 26 January 2023. Under certain conditions, extra loading on the wiper arm can cause loss of wiper movement; the dealer inspects the mechanism and replaces it if necessary. On a car whose driver assistance and visibility systems are networked, a wiper that stops mid-journey in British rain is both a safety and an MOT problem, and the small population means many used examples simply have no record of the work.

Parkers' verdict on i7 reliability is that it is too early to comment on a relatively new electric platform but buyers should keep an eye out for software issues in the sophisticated infotainment system. Warranty data for the wider 7 Series family backs that up: electrical faults account for 16.5 per cent of claims with an average bill of £397, and carwow notes that BMW's overall reliability rating is improving but still trails Lexus. In practice that means screen reboots, dropped phone pairing, camera or assistance warnings and dealer software campaigns rather than broken parts, which are cheap individually and irritating in aggregate.

The i7 rides on standard adaptive air suspension that can raise the nose by 20mm for steep drives and XXL speed bumps and lowers at motorway speed, with an optional active anti-roll system. That is also the region where 7 Series warranty money goes: suspension accounts for 33.9 per cent of claims on the nameplate with an average repair of £1,027, the largest single category by a wide margin. For a UK buyer the practical risks are perished air springs, failed height sensors, a compressor working too hard and salt-driven corrosion of the mountings around our wheel arches.