BMW F40 sat nav update
The first front-wheel-drive 1 Series, about 2019 to 2024: check that your car was built with navigation, then keep its iDrive 7 maps up to date.
Sat nav update result
We identified your Map Update!
Enter your VIN to find out whether this F40 has navigation, whether its iDrive 7 unit takes the LIVE or JOY maps, and the latest map version. You pay nothing to look.
Which sat nav does the F40 have?
The F40 was a big change for the 1 Series. It is the first front-wheel-drive car to carry the name, and its navigation moved on just as far from the F20 it replaced. Instead of the older units found in its predecessor, an F40 with navigation runs BMW's MGU unit with iDrive 7. That leaves only two situations to tell apart:
| Navigation | Unit | Map family | Activation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Live Cockpit Plus or Professional | MGU, iDrive 7 | Mostly LIVE (£59.99); JOY on some later units, priced the same | FSC file, no code to type |
| Entry-level system | May have no navigation | No map to update | Not applicable |
The F40 was built from about 2019 to 2024, and those years should be read as approximate. Across the iDrive 7 BMWs we have checked by VIN, the LIVE maps are the norm, with a few later units on JOY. The check above tells you which of the two your own car needs, or whether it has navigation at all.
Easier than ever
Which map does your 1 Series need? Just type your VIN.
We have made it easier than ever to find the right map and confirm it is compatible with your navigation unit. Type your VIN into the search box at the top of this page and we will show the unit your car was built with, the map it needs and the price. Checking is free.
What iDrive 7 means in an F40, and how to tell what yours has
Start with the basic question: does the car have sat nav? An F40 built with the entry-level system may have no navigation, and then there is simply nothing to update. A screen without any navigation or map menu is a likely sign of that, but only the VIN check can confirm it.
Where navigation is fitted, it comes with BMW Live Cockpit Plus or Live Cockpit Professional, and either way the hardware behind it is the MGU unit running iDrive 7. In practice that means three things for an owner. The maps can arrive over the air while the car's subscription or free period is active. When that stops, a USB update takes over. And activation is handled by an FSC file that the car reads for itself, not a code typed on screen. The map family is usually LIVE, though some later units use JOY instead.
- No navigation or map menu: may have no sat nav, nothing to update
- Live Cockpit Plus or Professional: MGU, iDrive 7
- Usual map family: LIVE, £59.99
- Some later units: JOY, confirm by VIN
Over the air or USB: is your F40 still updating itself?
Anyone moving up from an F20 may be used to buying a fresh map on a USB stick whenever the old one starts to feel dated. On an F40 that may not be necessary yet. While the car's map update subscription or free period is active, iDrive 7 brings in new maps over the air, and a USB update would only repeat what the car is already doing.
Your answer is in the My BMW app, or in the BMW ConnectedDrive Store after signing in. Still running? Then the maps will keep refreshing by themselves. Ended? The over-the-air downloads stop there, and a USB update with an FSC file becomes the route to newer maps. Hoping to avoid paying altogether? Can you update a BMW sat nav for free? sets out the options.
How to update the maps in your F40
Check the app first
Open My BMW and make sure the car has stopped receiving maps over the air.
Confirm by VIN
The VIN shows if navigation is fitted and if the unit needs LIVE or JOY (£59.99 either way).
Set up the USB stick
LIVE: maps and FSC file on exFAT. JOY: the FSC files from the ZIP go in a folder named FSC.
Install from the stick
With the car stationary, plug in and follow the screen until the update is confirmed.
Neither map family asks you to type a code: the F40 reads its activation from the FSC file on the USB stick, so copy everything over exactly as supplied and leave the file names as they are. LIVE covers Europe in one package. Park away from traffic, somewhere open, and let the installation run to the end. BMW FSC code explained covers how FSC activation works.
Apple CarPlay in the F40
The F40 would normally have CarPlay from the factory, as other iDrive 7 BMWs do. That puts it outside our USB CarPlay activation, which exists for NBT EVO cars with Navigation Professional. If you cannot find CarPlay on your F40, the My BMW app is worth a look before you do anything else. The older 1 Series is where activation can come into play, and BMW 1 Series Apple CarPlay explains it; for other models, try does my BMW have Apple CarPlay?
The 1 Series either side of the F40
The F20 1 Series that the F40 replaced is a different proposition. Over its life it used CIC, NBT and NBT EVO, each with its own map family, and the earlier units are activated with a typed code rather than an FSC file, so an older 1 Series needs its own guide. The F40 has since given way to the F70, which uses BMW's newest iDrive; this page does not cover it.
BMW F40 sat nav FAQ
My F40 does not seem to have a map. Can it still be updated?
Possibly not. Some F40s were built with an entry-level system that may have no navigation at all, and in that case there is no map for us to update. Before ordering anything, enter the VIN: the check shows whether the car has a navigation unit and, if it does, which map it takes.
Where can I see whether my F40 is still getting map updates over the air?
The My BMW app is the quickest place, or the BMW ConnectedDrive Store once you have signed in and added the car. Look for the status of the map update subscription or free period. If it is still active there is nothing to buy yet; once it has lapsed, a USB update with an FSC file takes over from the downloads.
Is the map different for Live Cockpit Plus and Live Cockpit Professional?
Not as a rule. Both are built around the MGU unit with iDrive 7, which takes the LIVE maps, with JOY on some later units instead. The cockpit name on the spec sheet matters less than the unit in the car, and the VIN check reads that directly.
My 1 Series is one of the later F40s. Will it take LIVE or JOY?
It could be either. Some later MGU units use the JOY maps rather than LIVE. Both cost £59.99 but are supplied differently: LIVE as maps plus an FSC file for an exFAT stick, JOY as a ZIP archive of FSC files that go in a folder named FSC on the stick. The VIN check tells you which one your car needs.
Can I update the maps the same way I did on my old F20?
Not directly. Depending on when it was built, the F20 used CIC, NBT or NBT EVO, each with its own map family, and CIC and NBT are activated with a typed code. The F40 runs iDrive 7, gets its maps over the air while the subscription or free period is active, and takes a LIVE or JOY update by USB after that.