Sometimes it is hard to keep up with all the new and old BMWs out there, but the manufacturer helped make this a little simpler by using chassis codes. These are internal codes for each style or generation that is a shorthand form to explain body and platform types. The chassis codes are a mix of letters and numbers that identify each car.
All BMWs from the 1960s until 2008 used a chassis code starting with “E.” The E stood for Entwicklung, which is German for development. After BMW ran out of numbers to associate with the “E” code, they started going down the alphabet to use chassis codes starting with “F” (2009-2019), and now onto “G” (2016-Present). Although the “F” and “G” do not have any German word associated with them, it made sense to continue to go down the alphabet to easily keep track of each new model.
Over the years BMW has released so many models that it is sometimes hard to follow or remember which chassis code you have. That being said, it is very important to know as well, because it easily distinguishes which model you have if you are doing research on features, maintenance, or troubleshooting.
To make this easy, we have compiled all the common codes below for you to reference. Note this list only goes to present day (2025).
| Series | Chassis Code | Years |
| 1 Series | E81 | 2007-2011 |
| 1 Series | E82 | 2008-2013 |
| 1 Series | E87 | 2004-2011 |
| 1 Series | E88 | 2008-2013 |
| 2 Series | F22 | 2014–2021 |
| 2 Series | F23 | 2014–2021 |
| 2 Series | F44 | 2020–present |
| 2 Series | F87 M2 | 2016-2021 |
| 2 Series | G42 | 2021–present |
| 2 Series | G87 M2 | 2023–present |
| 3 Series | E21 | 1975–1983 |
| 3 Series | E30 | 1982–1994 |
| 3 Series | E36 | 1990–2000 |
| 3 Series | E46 | 1998–2006 |
| 3 Series | E90/E91/E92/E93 | 2005–2013 |
| 3 Series | F30/F31/F34 | 2012–2019 |
| 3 Series | G20/G21 | 2019–present |
| 3 Series | G80 M3 | 2021-present |
| 3 Series (Neue Klasse) | NA0/NA1 | 2026 (coming) |
| 4 Series | F32/F33/F36 | 2013–2020 |
| 4 Series | G22/G23/G26 | 2020–present |
| 4 Series | G82 M4 | 2020–present |
| 4 Series | G83 M4 | 2021–present |
| 5 Series | E12 | 1972–1981 |
| 5 Series | E28 | 1981–1988 |
| 5 Series | E34 | 1988–1996 |
| 5 Series | E39 | 1995–2004 |
| 5 Series | E60 | 2003–2010 |
| 5 Series | F10 | 2010–2017 |
| 5 Series | G30/G31 | 2017–present |
| 5 Series | F90 M5 | 2018-2023 |
| 5 Series | G90/G99 M5 | 2024-present |
| 6 Series | E24 | 1976–1989 |
| 6 Series | E63/E64 | 2003–2010 |
| 6 Series | F06/F12/F13 | 2011–2018 |
| 7 Series | E23 | 1977–1986 |
| 7 Series | E32 | 1986–1994 |
| 7 Series | E38 | 1994–2001 |
| 7 Series | F01/F02 | 2008–2015 |
| 7 Series | G11/G12 | 2015–2022 |
| 8 Series | E31 | 1990–1999 |
| 8 Series | F91/F92/F93 M8 | 2020-present |
| 8 Series | G14/G15/G16 | 2018–present |
| X1 | E84 | 2009–2015 |
| X1 | F48 | 2016–2022 |
| X1 | U11 | 2023–present |
| X3 | E83 | 2003–2010 |
| X3 | F25 | 2010–2017 |
| X3M | F97 | 2020-2024 |
| X3 | G01 | 2017–present |
| X3 | G45 | 2024–present |
| X3M | G97 | 2025 (coming) |
| X5 | E53 | 1999–2006 |
| X5 | E70 | 2006–2013 |
| X5 | F15 | 2014–2016 |
| X5M | F85 | 2015-2018 |
| X5M | F95 | 2020-2024 |
| X5M | G95 | 2025 (coming) |
| X6 | E71 | 2008-2014 |
| X6 | F16 | 2015-2019 |
| X6 | G06 | 2020-2024 |
| X6 | G66 | 2025 (coming) |
| X6M | F86 | 2015-2019 |
| X6M | F96 | 2020-2024 |
| X6M | G96 | 2025 (coming) |
| X5 | G05 | 2018–present |
| Z3 | E36/7 | 1995-2002 |
| Z4 | E85/E86 | 2002-2008 |
| Z4 | E89 | 2009-2016 |
| Z4 | G29 | 2018-present |
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