BMW 8 Series review - Reliability and safety

There’s no Euro NCAP independent crash test data for the BMW 8 Series, but as one of the German marque’s flagship models, it comes loaded with all the safety kit you can imagine. There aren’t many cars on the road that can boast a similar array of cameras and sensors intended to create a protective monitoring zone all around the car, and as you would expect there’s a full complement of passive and active safety technology, including intelligent active cruise control, lane-keeping assistance and autonomous emergency braking.

The head-up display should help to keep the driver focused, in spite of the potential distraction of the car’s impressive infotainment screens, it can also be toggled between M mode and the standard set up - placing more emphasis on the speedometer and rev counter. The basic structural engineering of the 8 Series, with its extremely rigid Carbon Core platform, stands you in good stead too if the worst should happen.

Customer satisfaction is improving with BMW finishing in 16th place (out of 29 brands) in the manufacturer ratings - up from 21st position the previous year, and ahead of Audi and Mercedes.

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Warranty

The standard BMW warranty applies to the 8 Series, which means you get three-years cover with unlimited mileage – the same offer as Mercedes. You can also extend the warranty a year at a time for extra cash, as long as you’ve kept up to date with servicing and inspection requirements. It’s not a brilliant warranty package compared to some, but it’s better than Audi which limits you to 60,000 miles.

Servicing

The 8 Series has a service regime based on usage and constantly monitored oil quality, and while most can expect an annual service, some owners may find it stretches out to two years. Servicing costs won’t be as high as some exotic rivals, but the cost of wear items like brakes and tyres will be high.