Compare the2026 BMW 7 SeriesVS 2026 Mercedes E-Class Sedan

Both the 7 Series and E-Class Sedan have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The 7 Series has power child safety locks, allowing the driver to activate and deactivate them from the driver's seat and to know when they're engaged. The E-Class Sedan’s child locks have to be individually engaged at each rear door with a manual switch. The driver can’t know the status of the locks without opening the doors and checking them.

The BMW 7 Series has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags help prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The E-Class Sedan doesn’t offer a front passenger side knee airbag.

The 7 Series has standard Active Headrests, which use a specially designed headrest to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Active Headrests system moves the headrests forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The E-Class Sedan doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

When descending a steep, off-road slope, the 7 Series xDrive’s standard Hill Descent Control allows you to creep down safely. The E-Class Sedan doesn’t offer Hill Descent Control.

The 7 Series’ standard lane departure warning system alerts a temporarily inattentive driver when the vehicle begins to leave its lane and gently nudges the vehicle back towards its lane. A lane departure warning system costs extra on the E-Class Sedan.

The BMW 7 Series’ optional Surround View offers available integrated front and rear camera washers, ensuring clear, all-weather visibility without the need for manual cleaning. In contrast, the Mercedes E-Class Sedan lacks camera washers, requiring you to manually clean the cameras for optimal performance.

Both the 7 Series and the E-Class Sedan have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, driver alert monitors, available all wheel drive and around view monitors.

The 7 Series’ corrosion warranty is 7 years longer than the E-Class Sedan’s (12 vs. 5 years).

BMW pays for scheduled maintenance on the 7 Series for 3 years and 36,000 miles. BMW will pay for oil changes, air filter replacements, cabin filter replacement, brake fluid replacement, inspections, and any other required maintenance. Mercedes doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the E-Class Sedan.

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the 7 Series’ reliability 21 points higher than the E-Class Sedan.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2025 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that BMW vehicles are better in initial quality than Mercedes vehicles. With 14 fewer problems per 100 vehicles, JD Power ranks BMW higher than Mercedes.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2025 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that BMW vehicles are more reliable than Mercedes vehicles. J.D. Power ranks BMW above average in long-term dependability. With 13 more problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, Mercedes is rated below average.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ March 2026 Auto Issue reports that BMW vehicles are more reliable than Mercedes vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks BMW 14 places higher in reliability than Mercedes.

The 7 Series has more powerful engines than the E-Class Sedan:

As tested in Motor Trend the 740i 3.0 turbo 6-cylinder hybrid is faster than the E 450 Sedan 3.0 turbo 6-cylinder hybrid:

On the EPA test cycle the 7 Series running on electricity gets better mileage than the E-Class Sedan:

On the EPA test cycle the 740i xDrive running its gasoline engine gets better fuel mileage than the E 450 Sedan 3.0 turbo 6-cylinder Hybrid (24 city/31 hwy vs. 22 city/31 hwy).

The 750e can travel with zero emissions for 35 miles. The E-Class Sedan can’t move without running its internal combustion engine.

The 7 Series’ standard fuel tank has 2.1 gallons more fuel capacity than the E-Class Sedan (19.5 vs. 17.4 gallons).

For better stopping power the 7 Series’ brake rotors are larger than those on the E-Class Sedan:

For better traction, the 7 Series has larger tires than the E-Class Sedan (F:255/45R20 & R:285/40R20 vs. 225/55R18). The 7 Series’ tires are larger than the largest tires available on the E-Class Sedan (F:255/45R20 & R:285/40R20 vs. F:245/45R19 & R:275/40R19).

The 7 Series’ standard 255/45R20 front and 285/40R20 rear tires provide better handling because they have a lower 45 series front and 40 series rear profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the E-Class Sedan’s standard 55 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the 7 Series has standard 20-inch wheels. Smaller 18-inch wheels are standard on the E-Class Sedan.

The 7 Series 750e/760i offers active sway bars, which help keep it flat and controlled during cornering, but disconnect at lower speeds to smooth the ride and offer greater off-road suspension articulation. This helps keep the tires glued to the road on-road and off. The E-Class Sedan doesn’t offer an active sway bar system.

The front and rear suspension of the 7 Series uses air springs for a smoother, controlled ride than the E-Class Sedan, which uses coil springs. Air springs maintain proper ride height and ride more smoothly.

The 750e/760i offers an available adjustable active suspension system, which counteracts cornering forces actively, limiting body roll and improving handling and stability. Mercedes doesn’t offer an active suspension on the E-Class Sedan.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the 7 Series’ wheelbase is 10 inches longer than on the E-Class Sedan (126.6 inches vs. 116.6 inches).

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the 7 Series is 1.5 inches wider in the front and .2 inches wider in the rear than the track on the E-Class Sedan.

The front grille of the 7 Series uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The E-Class Sedan doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

Because it has more passenger and cargo room, the EPA rates the 7 Series a Large car, while the E-Class Sedan is rated a Mid-size.

The 7 Series has 10 cubic feet more passenger volume than the E-Class Sedan (110 vs. 100).

The 7 Series has 2.5 inches more front headroom, 3.2 inches more front shoulder room, 1 inch more rear headroom and 7.1 inches more rear legroom than the E-Class Sedan.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the 7 Series’ available rear seats recline. The E-Class Sedan’s rear seats don’t recline.

The 7 Series has a larger trunk than the E-Class Sedan (13.7 vs. 12.7 cubic feet).

The 7 Series’ instruments include an oil pressure gauge and a temperature gauge - which could save your engine! Often ‘idiot lights’ don’t warn you until damage has been done. The E-Class Sedan does not have an oil pressure gauge.

The 7 Series’ optional power side swing out doors make it much easier to load and unload kids and cargo. One touch opens the door, before you even get to the car. The E-Class Sedan doesn’t offer a power rear door.

Optional air conditioned front and rear seats keep the 7 Series’ passengers comfortable and take the sting out of hot leather in summer. The E-Class Sedan doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats in the rear.

The 7 Series has a standard heated steering wheel to take the chill out of steering on extremely cold winter days before the car heater warms up. A heated steering wheel costs extra on the E-Class Sedan.

Both the 7 Series and the E-Class Sedan offer optional massaging front seats. The 7 Series also offers optional massaging rear seats in order to maximize comfort and eliminate fatigue on long trips. Massaging rear seats aren’t available in the E-Class Sedan.

Both the BMW 7 Series and the Mercedes E-Class Sedan have a standard Qi wireless phone charging system in the front seat. To easily keep personal devices charged in the rear seat, without cables tangling and wearing out, the 7 Series also offers an optional wireless charging system in the rear seat. The E-Class Sedan does not.