2021 BMW M

Owner complaints, recalls, fuel economy and safety ratings from public NHTSA and EPA data, updated Oct 17, 2026.

Fuel economy

16–26 mpgcombined; city 13–23, highway 20–32; every version of this model year

Five years of fuel

$15,480–$25,150U.S. average; Ohio $14,580–$23,700 at local prices; every version of this model year; fuel only, not other costs of owning it; 15,000 miles a year, at EIA fuel prices for the week of Oct 12, 2026

NHTSA overall safety rating

Not ratedNHTSA has no overall rating for this year

Recall campaigns

11over its history; check a VIN for open ones

Owner complaints

19filed with NHTSA; not adjusted for sales

Trims

NHTSA's VIN data lists these trims for the 2021 M. A trim's engine and numbers are shown as its own only where EPA names versions after the trim and no other version could be it; "seen with" means a source shows that engine on the trim, not that it was the only one. Recalls and complaints cover the whole model year: whether a recall applies to a car depends on its VIN, on NHTSA's recall lookup.

• GC
• M3 Competition
• M4 Competition
• M5
• M5 Competition
• M8
• M8 Competition
• M8 Competition GC
• M8 GC

Problems owners report

Owners have filed 19 complaints with NHTSA about the 2021 M. These are unverified owner reports, counted by the part of the car they name; one complaint can name several parts. Counts aren't adjusted for how many were sold, so they don't show how reliable a car is.

Complaints by model year

Newer years have had less time to collect complaints, and counts aren't adjusted for sales, so a shorter bar doesn't mean a more reliable year.

1. 200655
2. 200713
3. 200891
4. 200945
5. 201016
6. 201141
7. 20126
8. 201325
9. 20147
10. 201519
11. 201637
12. 201723
13. 201848
14. 20198
15. 202063
16. 202119
17. 20224
18. 20232
19. 20242
20. 20253
21. 20260

Every M year side by side

Recalls

NHTSA lists 11 recall campaigns for the 2021 M over its history. Campaigns are matched by model and year, so each one may apply to a given car, and its repair may already be done: check a VIN on NHTSA's recall lookup for the open recalls on that exact car.

Service bulletins and investigations

Carmakers sent NHTSA 355 service bulletins and notices that cover the 2021 M, the latest on May 5, 2026. They tell dealers how to fix known issues.

The parts they mention most: equipment (140), electrical system (114), structure (38), engine and engine cooling (31), equipment adaptive/mobility (28).

NHTSA defect investigations

Opening an investigation isn't a finding of a defect. Outcomes are as NHTSA's summary states them. A recall is shown as an investigation's outcome only where NHTSA's summary names it; other recalls NHTSA's file lists with it are marked as listed, not caused.

Maintenance

Oil

The owner's manual gives the oil and how often to change it. We show oil facts only once we've checked them against the manual, and we haven't yet for the 2021 M.

Oil change near you: Jiffy Lube · Take 5

Specs

EPA class: subcompact cars. EPA greenhouse gas score: 2–5 out of 10. Each version EPA tested:

Swipe the table sideways for more columns.

Sources and dates

• U.S. EPA fuel economy data, file of Sep 29, 2026
• NHTSA owner complaints, file of Oct 17, 2026
• NHTSA recalls, file of Oct 17, 2026
• NHTSA manufacturer communications, file of Oct 17, 2026
• NHTSA defect investigations, file of Oct 17, 2026
• NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings, file of Aug 7, 2026
• U.S. Energy Information Administration, file of Oct 12, 2026

Fuel cost: EPA mpg with fuel prices for the week of Oct 12, 2026 and electricity prices for Jul 2026. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (Oct 2026). Complaints are unverified reports owners filed with NHTSA. About the data