Bimmer Guide

CCC is one of the first generation of iDrive found in BMW models till 2007. CIC was the next generation of iDrive that you will find in BMWs from 2008 till today. CCC to CIC changes included a different display, faster processor and a redesigned controller.

In 2012 BMW updated the CIC iDrive to CIC-HIGH. The update improved the processor speeds, memory, maps and hard drive capacity.

BMW owners will usually ask us “What is the difference between CIC vs. CCC on a BMW?” This blog post will help you learn how to tell the difference between CCC and CIC BMW navigation unit.

Learn the difference between CIC and CCC?

A quick way to tell if you have BMW CCC or CIC is to look at the CD & DVD slots.

If you have two slots CD and DVD it means you have CCC.
If you have only one CD slot it means that you have the BMW CIC unit. In this case, the navigation maps are stored in an internal hard drive.

BMW CCC Navigation

Another way to tell if you have CCC is to look at your BMW navigation screen also called infotainment.

This was the BMW CCC found on many BMW between 2000-2010. If you have CCC navigation you upgrade the maps by simply swapping out the DVD with one that has a newer map.

The BMW CCC unit does not allow you to enable DVD in motion. The reason is that is was not designed to play DVD in the first place.

There were two generations of CCC units:

1st Gen CCC installed from 2004 to 2006
- Chassis: E60 E63 64 E90 E92 E93 E87
2nd Gen CCC installed from 2007 to 2009
- Chassis: E60 E63 E64 E61 E89 E90 E91 E92 E93 E70 E71

The second generation CCC had several advantages such as faster processor, more buttons, starts up faster, better design. The second generation CCC was more reliable.

BMW CIC Navigation

The newer and more powerful navigation is the CIC. The easiest way to identify if you have BMW CIC unit is to look at the navigation.

BMW CIC unit is more powerful compared to the early CCC unit. It allows you to enable DVD playback or DVD in motion when applicable. It has more functionality than the CCC. Has a faster processor.

It also has a build it hard drive which is used to store maps. To upgrade the maps you will need to get a FSC code to update the maps in the hard drive.

BMW is constantly working on iDrive interface changes, as well as introducing newer, more advanced hardware and faster processors to support new features. The iDrive system (or the head unit, which is its main element) in each BMW defines not only the availability or absence of these very features, but also its price. And sometimes the financial difference is so drastic that you make an immediate decision – a 200 GB hard drive or full screen zoom for video playback may not be an absolute necessity for you.

However, there are some key distinctions between the iDrive versions that will really make a difference for a driver who likes to stream music from various devices, play films on the BMW display or use their favorite smartphone apps through the car’s system. And if something’s missing in your existing system, you’re not stuck with it.

What BMW Head Unit Do I Have?

So, there are some ways to determine which iDrive system you have:

Of course, this doesn’t guarantee that you will be able to determine your iDrive version with 100% accuracy, because in some countries the production month can be different. But at least you’ll have some understanding which head unit can be in your BMW.

iDrive	Series/Model	Timeframes
CCC (Car Communication Computer)	1-Series E81/E82/E87/E88	06/2004 – 09/2008
	3-Series E90/E91/E92/E93	03/2005 – 09/2008
	5-Series E60/E61	12/2003 – 11/2008
	6-Series E63/E64	12/2003 – 11/2008
	X5 Series E70	03/2007 – 10/2009
	X6 E72	05/2008 – 10/2009
CIC (Car Information Computer)	1-Series E81/E82/E87/E88	09/2008 – 03/2014
	1-Series F20/F21	09/2011 – 03/2013
	3-Series E90/E91/E92/E93	09/2008 – 10/2013
	3-Series F30/F31/F34/F80	02/2012 – 11/2012
	5-Series E60/E61	11/2008 – 05/2010
	5-Series F07	10/2009 – 07/2012
	5-Series F10	03/2010 – 09/2012
	5-Series F11	09/2010 – 09/2012
	6-Series E63/E64	11/2008 – 07/2010
	6-Series F06	03/2012 – 03/2013
	6-Series F12/F13	12/2010 – 03/2013
	7-Series F01/F02/F03	11/2008 – 07/2013
	7-Series F04	11/2008 – 06/2015
	X1 E84	10/2009 – 06/2015
	X3 F25	10/2010 – 04/2013
	X5 E70	10/2009 – 06/2013
	X6 E71	10/2009 – 08/2014
	Z4 E89	04/2009 – present
NBT (CIC-HIGH, also called the Next Big Thing – NBT)	1-Series F20/F21	03/2013 – 03/2015
	2-Series F22	11/2013 – 03/2015
	3-Series F30/F31	11/2012 – 07/2015
	3-Series F34	03/2013 – 07/2015
	3-Series F80	03/2014 – 07/2015
	4-Series F32	07/2013 – 07/2015
	4-Series F33	11/2013 – 07/2015
	4-Series F36	03/2014 – 07/2015
	5-Series F07	07/2012 – present
	5-Series F10/F11/F18	09/2012 – present
	6-Series F06/F12/F13	03/2013 – present
	7-Series F01/F02/F03	07/2012 – 06/2015
	X3 F25	04/2013 – 03/2016
	X4 F26	04/2014 – 03/2016
	X5 F15	08/2014 – 07/2016
	X5 F85	12/2014 – 07/2016
	X6 F16	08/2014 – 07/2016
	X6 F86	12/2014 – 07/2016
	i3	09/2013 – present
	i8	04/2014 – present
NBT Evo (the Next Big Thing Evolution) ID4	1-Series F20/F21	03/2015 – 06/2016
	2-Series F22	03/2015 – 06/2016
	2-Series F23	11/2014 – 06/2016
	3-Series F30/F31/F34/F80	07/2015 – 06/2016
	4-Series F32/F33/F36	07/2015 – 06/2016
	6-Series F06/F12/F13	03/2013 – 06/2016
	7-Series G11/G12/G13	07/2015 – 06/2016
	X3 F25	03/2016 – 06/2016
	X4 F26	03/2016 – 06/2016
NBT Evo (the Next Big Thing Evolution) ID5/ID6	1-Series F20/F21	07/2016 – present
	2-Series F22	07/2016 – present
	3-Series F30/F31/F34/F80	07/2016 – present
	4-Series F32/F33/F36	07/2016 – present
	5-Series G30/G31/G38	10/2016 – present
	6-Series F06/F12/F13	07/2016 – present
	6-Series G32	07/2017 – present
	7-Series G11/G12/G13	07/2016 – present
	X3 F25	07/2016 – present
	X3 G01	11/2017 – present
	X4 F26	07/2016 – present
	X5 F15/F85	07/2016 – present
	X6 F16/F86	07/2016 – present
MGU (Media Graphic Unit)	3-Series G20	09/2018 – present
	8-Series G14/G15	09/2018 – present
	X5 G05	09/2018 – present
	Z4 G29	09/2018 – present