FuelFacts

2001 BMW 740il MPG & Specs — Real-World vs EPA, All Trims

Every gas trim of this model takes premium.

18
MPG combined (15 city / 22 hwy)
$3,900
est. fuel / year (today's prices, 15k mi)
Premium
gas type

Is the 2001 BMW 740il good on gas?

At up to 18 MPG combined, the 2001 BMW 740il is worse than average for a Large Cars — that class averages about 20.3 MPG across 2,605 EPA-tested versions, so it's on the thirsty side for its size.

Real-world MPG vs the EPA number

The EPA figures above come from a standardized dynamometer test, not the open road — real-world MPG typically runs a bit lower depending on your driving, climate and terrain. That's true of every car on this site, old or new.

This 2001 model was originally EPA-tested under the pre-2008 2-cycle method, which didn't account for highway speeds over 60 mph, air-conditioner use, or cold starts. When EPA overhauled the test for model year 2008, city ratings fell by about 12% and highway by about 8% on average industry-wide — and EPA retroactively adjusted every 1984-2007 rating to the stricter standard so old and new cars could be compared fairly. The MPG above is already on that modern scale — the window sticker on this car when it was new likely showed a higher, pre-2008-method number.

At today's AAA national average price — $4.68/gal for premium gas as of 2026-07-05 — the most efficient trim runs about $3,900/year (roughly $325/month, about $26.00 per 100 miles) at the EPA's assumed 15,000 miles/year, using an estimated 833 gallons a year. We don't estimate a cost-per-fill since exact tank size isn't in the public EPA dataset, but the per-100-mile figure scales to any tank. Current national average gas prices →

2001 BMW 740il trims & fuel economy

Trim (engine / transmission)FuelMPGFuel/yr (today's price)
4.4L 8-cyl, Automatic 5-spd, RWDPREMIUM18$3,900
Where the EPA lists premium, that’s the fuel the maker specified for the mileage test — many such engines run on regular with slightly less power/MPG. Whether premium is required or just recommended is an owner’s-manual detail the EPA dataset omits, so we don’t guess it.

2001 BMW 740il specs

What the EPA test-car listings record for this model year — every combination sold is a row in the trims table above.

Engine options4.4L 8-cyl
TransmissionAutomatic 5-spd
Drive typeRWD
EPA body classLarge Cars
FuelPremium

Other years of the BMW 740il

1999 BMW 740il1998 BMW 740il1997 BMW 740il1996 BMW 740il1995 BMW 740il1994 BMW 740il1993 BMW 740il

Similar cars (Large Cars)

2001 Chrysler LHS2001 Ford Taurus FFV2001 BMW 750il2002 Chrysler Concorde2002 Lincoln Continental2000 BMW 740il/740il Protection

Cars that take premium · Cheapest cars to fuel · Where fuel grade depends on the trim · Fuel guides

1 trim(s) · EPA FuelEconomy.gov data retrieved 2026-07-24 · fuel prices AAA national average as of 2026-07-05.