Is BMW as reliable as Lexus?
Lexus comes out ahead: BMW 1.79 vs Lexus 0.58 NHTSA owner complaints per 1,000 vehicles sold (model years 2015–2022). BMW owners filed 3.1× as many complaints per vehicle sold as Lexus owners.
By CarWhere Research · Updated November 2026 · Method
Owner complaints filed with NHTSA per 1,000 vehicles sold (model years 2015–2022; published U.S. sales). Not a survey, not Consumer Reports' method, and not repair frequency.
BMW vs Lexus at a glance
| BMW | Lexus | |
|---|---|---|
| Complaints per 1,000 sold | 1.79 | 0.58 |
| Serious-safety complaints per 1,000 | 0.16 | 0.09 |
| Rank of 19 brands | #8 | #1 |
| Models covered | 10 | 8 |
| Vehicles sold (rated model years) | 1,960,279 | 1,799,736 |
| Owner complaints | 3,514 | 1,048 |
| Share of brand U.S. sales covered | 77.3% | 76.6% |
| Top complaint areas | Engine 29.5% · Electrical system 25.2% · Powertrain / transmission 12.4% | Air bags 16.6% · Fuel / propulsion 14.1% · Brakes 13.9% |
| Recall campaigns (vehicles covered) | 275 (8.7 million) | 61 (347,080) |
Model years 2015–2022. Lower is better. Serious-safety complaints are those where the owner reported a crash, a fire or at least one injury. Recall campaigns are NHTSA campaigns filed January 2016 to September 2026; vehicles covered counts a vehicle once per campaign.
What drives the numbers
- BMW's count is driven most by 2019 X5 complaints about electrical system and engine (195, 5.5% of BMW's complaints). Other models with rates above BMW's overall 1.79: X1 (3.25), X3 (1.86).
- Lexus's count is driven most by 2015–2017 RX complaints about engine and brakes (264, 25.2% of Lexus's complaints). Other models with rates above Lexus's overall 0.58: LS (1.45), GS (0.74), CT (0.93).
BMW vs Lexus complaints per 1,000 sold, by model year
Newer model years have had less time on the road, so their counts are still growing. Compare the two lines within a year, not one year against another.
| Model year | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BMW | 2.88 | 2.24 | 1.96 | 1.72 | 1.94 | 1.86 | 1.35 | 0.90 |
| Lexus | 0.64 | 0.67 | 0.77 | 0.46 | 0.64 | 0.51 | 0.53 | 0.35 |
What BMW and Lexus owners complain about
Share of each brand's NHTSA complaints naming the area (a complaint can name more than one).
BMW
- Engine29.5% · 1,035
- Electrical system25.2% · 887
- Powertrain / transmission12.4% · 434
- Fuel / propulsion8.5% · 297
- Air bags7.8% · 273
- Brakes6.5% · 228
Lexus
- Air bags16.6% · 174
- Fuel / propulsion14.1% · 148
- Brakes13.9% · 146
- Engine11.7% · 123
- Electrical system10.9% · 114
- Powertrain / transmission6.6% · 69
Model matchups
Each brand's best-selling model in the classes both sell, on the same per-1,000-sold measure.
Midsize SUVs: BMW X5 vs Lexus RX
The Lexus RX has fewer complaints per vehicle sold: BMW X5 1.96 vs Lexus RX 0.64 complaints per 1,000 sold. The X5's most-cited area is engine (30.6%); the RX's is air bags (18.5%).
1.96 complaints per 1,000 sold
- Basis:
- 875 complaints / 446,671 sold, MY 2015–2022 NHTSA
- Better years:
- None flagged
- Years to avoid:
- 2008, 2011, 2019, 2021, 2024
- Top complaint areas:
- Engine 30.6% · Electrical system 26.9% · Powertrain / transmission 16.5%
Lexus RX(whole line)
0.64 complaints per 1,000 sold
- Basis:
- 547 complaints / 853,444 sold, MY 2015–2022 NHTSA
- Better years:
- 2011, 2012, 2014
- Years to avoid:
- 2008, 2010, 2017, 2019, 2023, 2024
- Top complaint areas:
- Air bags 18.5% · Fuel / propulsion 15.4% · Engine 13.7%
Midsize cars: BMW 5 Series vs Lexus ES
The Lexus ES has fewer complaints per vehicle sold: BMW 5 Series 1.71 vs Lexus ES 0.55 complaints per 1,000 sold. The 5 Series's most-cited area is engine (34.1%); the ES's is air bags (23.4%).
BMW 5 Series
1.71 complaints per 1,000 sold
- Basis:
- 464 complaints / 270,769 sold, MY 2015–2022 NHTSA
- Better years:
- None flagged
- Years to avoid:
- None flagged
- Top complaint areas:
- Engine 34.1% · Electrical system 28.2% · Air bags 18.1%
Compact cars: BMW 3 Series vs Lexus IS
The Lexus IS has fewer complaints per vehicle sold: BMW 3 Series 1.43 vs Lexus IS 0.52 complaints per 1,000 sold. The 3 Series's most-cited area is engine (42.6%); the IS's is fuel / propulsion (22.4%).
BMW 3 Series
1.43 complaints per 1,000 sold
- Basis:
- 491 complaints / 343,292 sold, MY 2016–2022 NHTSA
- Better years:
- None flagged
- Years to avoid:
- None flagged
- Top complaint areas:
- Engine 42.6% · Electrical system 22.4% · Fuel / propulsion 10.2%
Lexus IS
0.52 complaints per 1,000 sold
- Basis:
- 107 complaints / 205,032 sold, MY 2015–2022 NHTSA
- Better years:
- None flagged
- Years to avoid:
- None flagged
- Top complaint areas:
- Fuel / propulsion 22.4% · Electrical system 15% · Wheels & tires 12.1%
Full-size SUVs: BMW X7 vs Lexus GX
The Lexus GX has fewer complaints per vehicle sold: BMW X7 1.76 vs Lexus GX 0.31 complaints per 1,000 sold. The X7's most-cited area is electrical system (28.3%); the GX's is brakes (19.1%).
BMW X7
1.76 complaints per 1,000 sold
- Basis:
- 173 complaints / 98,555 sold, MY 2019–2022 NHTSA
- Better years:
- None flagged
- Years to avoid:
- None flagged
- Top complaint areas:
- Electrical system 28.3% · Engine 26.6% · Powertrain / transmission 19.7%
Lexus GX
0.31 complaints per 1,000 sold
- Basis:
- 68 complaints / 221,192 sold, MY 2015–2022 NHTSA
- Better years:
- None flagged
- Years to avoid:
- None flagged
- Top complaint areas:
- Brakes 19.1% · Suspension 13.2% · Electrical system 10.3%
Large cars: BMW 7 Series vs Lexus LS
The BMW 7 Series has fewer complaints per vehicle sold: BMW 7 Series 1.04 vs Lexus LS 1.45 complaints per 1,000 sold. The 7 Series's most-cited area is electrical system (25.4%); the LS's is engine (22.5%).
BMW 7 Series
1.04 complaints per 1,000 sold
- Basis:
- 71 complaints / 68,244 sold, MY 2015–2022 NHTSA
- Better years:
- None flagged
- Years to avoid:
- None flagged
- Top complaint areas:
- Electrical system 25.4% · Engine 23.9% · Seat belts 9.9%
Lexus LS
1.45 complaints per 1,000 sold
- Basis:
- 40 complaints / 27,508 sold, MY 2015, 2016, 2018, 2019 NHTSA
- Too few sold to rate:
- 2017, 2020–2022
- Better years:
- None flagged
- Years to avoid:
- None flagged
- Top complaint areas:
- Engine 22.5% · Fuel / propulsion 17.5% · Brakes 17.5%
How these numbers are calculated
complaints per 1,000 sold = NHTSA owner complaints filed for model years 2015–2022 ÷ U.S. vehicles sold in calendar years 2015–2022 × 1,000
Complaints come from NHTSA's public owner-complaint database (NHTSA data), counted once per complaint and matched across NHTSA's trim and body-style names. Vehicles sold are published U.S. calendar-year sales per nameplate. Model years with fewer than 5,000 sold are too few to rate and are left out. A brand gets a score only when its covered models number at least 3 and make up at least 70% of its U.S. sales; rates under 10% apart are called close.
This is the federal complaint rate, not an owner survey or repair-frequency figure. Consumer Reports publishes a survey-based ranking that measures something different. Full method and brand ranking.
Questions
Is BMW as reliable as Lexus?
Lexus comes out ahead: BMW 1.79 vs Lexus 0.58 NHTSA owner complaints per 1,000 vehicles sold (model years 2015–2022). BMW owners filed 3.1× as many complaints per vehicle sold as Lexus owners.
Which has more serious complaints, BMW or Lexus?
Counting only complaints that report a crash, fire or injury, BMW logs 0.16 per 1,000 sold and Lexus 0.09. Those are 9% of BMW's complaints and 16% of Lexus's.
Where do BMW and Lexus rank overall?
BMW ranks #8 and Lexus #1 of the 19 brands with enough sales data, ranked by NHTSA complaints per 1,000 sold for model years 2015–2022.
What do BMW and Lexus owners complain about most?
BMW: engine (29.5%), electrical system (25.2%), powertrain / transmission (12.4%). Lexus: air bags (16.6%), fuel / propulsion (14.1%), brakes (13.9%). Shares are of each brand's complaints for model years 2015–2022; one complaint can name more than one area.
Which has more recalls, BMW or Lexus?
From January 2016 to September 2026, NHTSA lists 275 BMW recall campaigns covering 8,732,802 vehicles and 61 Lexus campaigns covering 347,080. Vehicles covered counts each vehicle once per campaign, so one car in three recalls counts three times. Recalls are fixes the maker files, a different signal from owner complaints.
Is the BMW X5 more reliable than the Lexus RX?
The Lexus RX has fewer complaints per vehicle sold: BMW X5 1.96 vs Lexus RX 0.64 complaints per 1,000 sold. Based on 446,671 and 853,444 vehicles sold. Years to avoid on the X5: 2008, 2011, 2019, 2021, 2024. Years to avoid on the RX: 2008, 2010, 2017, 2019, 2023, 2024.
Is the BMW 5 Series more reliable than the Lexus ES?
The Lexus ES has fewer complaints per vehicle sold: BMW 5 Series 1.71 vs Lexus ES 0.55 complaints per 1,000 sold. Based on 270,769 and 404,917 vehicles sold. Years to avoid on the ES: 2008–2011.