BMW Maintenance Schedule & Costs
By CarWhere Research · Updated
BMW doesn't publish service prices, so we don't put a dollar figure on BMW maintenance. BMW Ultimate Care Scheduled Maintenance covers 36 months or 36,000 miles, whichever first, from original in-service date. BMW's published oil-change interval: condition Based Service (CBS): the car's BMW Maintenance System forecasts engine-oil service by date and mileage from sensors, elapsed time and driving profile.
Est. per year
Not priced
no OEM prices
Brand rank
#19 of 25
cost, then complaints
Free maintenance
Yes
36 months or 36,000 miles, whichever fir
Models covered
2
0 priced
BMW maintenance schedule
Intervals and items from BMW's own maintenance guides and owner's manuals, linked row by row. Your engine and driving conditions can change them; the manual for your car wins.
| Interval | Service items | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Every engine oil service (per CBS) |
| 2026 BMW All Models Maintenance booklet (incl. BMW Ultimate Care) |
| Every 2nd oil service (approx. 20,000 mi) |
| 2026 BMW All Models Maintenance booklet (incl. BMW Ultimate Care) |
| Every 3rd oil service (approx. 30,000 mi) |
| 2026 BMW All Models Maintenance booklet (incl. BMW Ultimate Care) |
| Every 4th oil service (approx. 40,000 mi) |
| 2026 BMW All Models Maintenance booklet (incl. BMW Ultimate Care) |
| Every 5th oil service (approx. 50,000 mi) |
| 2026 BMW All Models Maintenance booklet (incl. BMW Ultimate Care) |
| Every 6th oil service (approx. 60,000 mi) |
| 2026 BMW All Models Maintenance booklet (incl. BMW Ultimate Care) |
| Per CBS (date-based) |
| 2026 BMW All Models Maintenance booklet (incl. BMW Ultimate Care) |
| Long-life |
| 2026 BMW All Models Maintenance booklet (incl. BMW Ultimate Care) |
| 1,200 miles (M models only) |
| 2026 BMW All Models Maintenance booklet (incl. BMW Ultimate Care) |
Oil-change interval
Normal service: Condition Based Service (CBS): the car's BMW Maintenance System forecasts engine-oil service by date and mileage from sensors, elapsed time and driving profile. The booklet equates the 2nd oil service with approx. 20,000 miles (i.e., roughly 10,000 miles per oil service).
Severe or special conditions: No fixed severe schedule; CBS shortens intervals for short trips, cold starts, idling, stop-and-go and high-rpm driving.
Oil: Factory-filled with BMW-approved fully synthetic oil; see Owner's Manual for the specific approval.
Source: 2026 BMW All Models Maintenance booklet (incl. BMW Ultimate Care)
Free / included maintenance
BMW Ultimate Care Scheduled Maintenance
Term: 36 months or 36,000 miles, whichever first, from original in-service date (2026 vehicles bought from an authorized US BMW center); transferable to subsequent owners
Covers: At no cost when called for by the BMW Maintenance System: engine oil and filter, brake fluid replacement, vehicle check, M 1,200-mile running-in service, plus 'combine with engine oil' items — cabin microfilter(s), remote key battery, engine air filter, spark plugs, and front differential/final drive oil (M). Excludes brake pads and discs (incl. carbon ceramic), parking brake shoes, wiper blades, engine drive belt, tires, alignment/rotation, and services done early or outside authorized BMW centers.
Source: 2026 BMW All Models Maintenance booklet (incl. BMW Ultimate Care)
| What | Amount | Source |
|---|---|---|
| BMW Ultimate Care covered scheduled maintenance (first 3 yrs/36k mi) | $0 ('at no expense to you') | 2026 BMW All Models Maintenance booklet (incl. BMW Ultimate Care) |
| BMW Oil Change Plan (3 years) — oil and filter changes incl. labor, max 2 per contract year; only for vehicles past 60 months/60,000 miles with no active plan; not available in DE, WI, FL, NH | $249 plus taxes and disposal fees | BMW Maintenance Plans — Ultimate Care (bmwusa.com, redirects to bmwusaservice.com/ultimatecare) |
BMW maintenance cost by model
BMW doesn't publish service prices, so models aren't priced; the complaint rate is the comparable number.
BMW vs other brands
BMW ranks #19 of 25. Priced brands are ordered by the average of their models' estimates; brands that don't publish service prices follow, ordered by complaint rate.
| # | Brand | Est. per year | Median complaints / 1,000 | Included maintenance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tesla | $1,511 | — | None confirmed |
| 2 | Toyota | $1,463–$1,769 | 0.182 (5 models) | ToyotaCare: 2 years or 25,000 miles, whichever comes first, for model years 2026 and earlier |
| 3 | Mazda | $1,535–$1,746 | 0.317 (4 models) | None confirmed |
| 4 | Volkswagen | $1,535–$1,769 | 0.337 (2 models) | Carefree Maintenance (part of Carefree Coverage): 2 years — covers the 10,000- and 20,000-mile scheduled services, or scheduled services for two years, whichever occurs first |
| 5 | GMC | $1,704 | 0.867 (2 models) | GMC First Service Visit: First scheduled service visit for new GMC owners |
| 6 | Ram | $1,704 | 0.968 (1 model) | None confirmed |
| 7 | Hyundai | $1,535–$1,769 | 0.759 (4 models) | Hyundai Complimentary Maintenance (HCM): 3 years or 36,000 miles, whichever comes first |
| 8 | Subaru | $1,619–$1,769 | 0.405 (2 models) | None confirmed |
| 9 | Honda | $1,535–$1,787 | 0.497 (5 models) | Honda Maintenance Program: 1 year / 12,000 miles on 2026 models |
| 10 | Chevrolet | $1,704–$1,769 | 0.517 (3 models) | Chevrolet Complete Care — covered first maintenance visit: One visit within the first 12 months of ownership |
| 11 | Ford | $1,704–$1,769 | 0.672 (2 models) | None confirmed |
| 12 | Kia | $1,746–$1,769 | 0.756 (4 models) | None confirmed |
| 13 | Jeep | $1,746–$1,769 | 1.19 (4 models) | None confirmed |
| 14 | Nissan | $1,746–$1,787 | 0.355 (6 models) | Nissan Maintenance Care: Up to 3 oil changes within 2 years or 24,000 miles, whichever comes first |
| 15 | Porsche | $1,824–$2,168 | — | Included First Service: First scheduled service at 1 year/10,000 miles on new internal-combustion Porsches |
| 16 | Lexus | Not priced | 0.202 (1 model) | LexusCare complimentary maintenance: First two scheduled services: 6 months/5,000 miles and 12 months/10,000 miles, whichever comes first |
| 17 | Acura | Not priced | 0.874 (2 models) | Acura Maintenance Program: 1 year / 12,000 miles |
| 18 | Audi | Not priced | — | Audi Signature Care Scheduled Maintenance: Included with every new model-year 2026 Audi: scheduled services in the first 3 years/30,000 miles, whichever occurs first |
| 19 | BMW | Not priced | — | BMW Ultimate Care Scheduled Maintenance: 36 months or 36,000 miles, whichever first, from original in-service date |
| 20 | Cadillac | Not priced | — | Cadillac First Maintenance Visit: First service visit at a participating dealer within the first year of vehicle delivery |
| 21 | Genesis | Not priced | — | Genesis Complimentary Scheduled Maintenance (with Service Valet): 3 years / 36,000 miles, whichever comes first |
| 22 | Land Rover | Not priced | — | None confirmed |
| 23 | Lincoln | Not priced | — | Lincoln complimentary scheduled maintenance: 4 years / 50,000 miles |
| 24 | Mercedes-Benz | Not priced | — | None confirmed |
| 25 | Volvo | Not priced | — | Volvo Complimentary Factory Scheduled Maintenance: MY2026 gas mild-hybrid/plug-in hybrid: first two scheduled services |
Frequently asked questions
Is BMW expensive to maintain?
BMW doesn't publish service prices, so we don't put a dollar figure on BMW maintenance. BMW Ultimate Care Scheduled Maintenance covers 36 months or 36,000 miles, whichever first, from original in-service date. BMW's published oil-change interval: condition Based Service (CBS): the car's BMW Maintenance System forecasts engine-oil service by date and mileage from sensors, elapsed time and driving profile.
What is the cheapest BMW to maintain?
BMW doesn't publish service prices and none of its models are in our per-1,000-sold complaint study, so we don't name a cheapest model.
How often does a BMW need an oil change?
BMW's published oil-change interval: condition Based Service (CBS): the car's BMW Maintenance System forecasts engine-oil service by date and mileage from sensors, elapsed time and driving profile.
Does BMW include free maintenance?
Yes: BMW Ultimate Care Scheduled Maintenance, 36 months or 36,000 miles, whichever first, from original in-service date. At no cost when called for by the BMW Maintenance System: engine oil and filter, brake fluid replacement, vehicle check, M 1,200-mile running-in service, plus 'combine with engine oil' items — cabin microfilter(s), remote key battery, engine air filter, spark plugs, and front differential/final drive oil (M).
Related
Sources and method
Schedules, oil intervals and included maintenance come from BMW's own documents. Dollar estimates are AAA category benchmarks (or, for Porsche, Porsche's plan prices), never invented per-model prices. Complaint rates: NHTSA complaints ÷ published U.S. sales (CarWhere analysis).
- Your Driving Costs 2025 (brochure: cost per mile by vehicle category) — AAA (maintenance cents per mile by category)
- Your Driving Costs 2025 fact sheet (methodology) — AAA (what the maintenance line includes)
- NHTSA vehicle owner complaints database — National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (complaints per 1,000 sold is a CarWhere calculation)
- 2026 BMW All Models Maintenance booklet (incl. BMW Ultimate Care) — BMW (opened 2026-11-06)
- BMW Maintenance Plans — Ultimate Care (bmwusa.com, redirects to bmwusaservice.com/ultimatecare) — BMW (opened 2026-11-06)