<?xml version="1.0"?>
<ownershipDocument>

    <schemaVersion>X0306</schemaVersion>

    <documentType>4</documentType>

    <periodOfReport>2014-06-12</periodOfReport>

    <notSubjectToSection16>0</notSubjectToSection16>

    <issuer>
        <issuerCik>0001109189</issuerCik>
        <issuerName>BASIC ENERGY SERVICES INC</issuerName>
        <issuerTradingSymbol>BAS</issuerTradingSymbol>
    </issuer>

    <reportingOwner>
        <reportingOwnerId>
            <rptOwnerCik>0001605236</rptOwnerCik>
            <rptOwnerName>aPriori Capital Partners LLC</rptOwnerName>
        </reportingOwnerId>
        <reportingOwnerAddress>
            <rptOwnerStreet1>767 FIFTH AVENUE</rptOwnerStreet1>
            <rptOwnerStreet2></rptOwnerStreet2>
            <rptOwnerCity>NEW YORK</rptOwnerCity>
            <rptOwnerState>NY</rptOwnerState>
            <rptOwnerZipCode>10153</rptOwnerZipCode>
            <rptOwnerStateDescription></rptOwnerStateDescription>
        </reportingOwnerAddress>
        <reportingOwnerRelationship>
            <isDirector>0</isDirector>
            <isOfficer>0</isOfficer>
            <isTenPercentOwner>1</isTenPercentOwner>
            <isOther>0</isOther>
            <officerTitle></officerTitle>
            <otherText></otherText>
        </reportingOwnerRelationship>
    </reportingOwner>

    <reportingOwner>
        <reportingOwnerId>
            <rptOwnerCik>0001124685</rptOwnerCik>
            <rptOwnerName>DLJ MERCHANT BANKING PARTNERS III LP</rptOwnerName>
        </reportingOwnerId>
        <reportingOwnerAddress>
            <rptOwnerStreet1>767 FIFTH AVENUE</rptOwnerStreet1>
            <rptOwnerStreet2></rptOwnerStreet2>
            <rptOwnerCity>NEW YORK</rptOwnerCity>
            <rptOwnerState>NY</rptOwnerState>
            <rptOwnerZipCode>10153</rptOwnerZipCode>
            <rptOwnerStateDescription></rptOwnerStateDescription>
        </reportingOwnerAddress>
        <reportingOwnerRelationship>
            <isDirector>0</isDirector>
            <isOfficer>0</isOfficer>
            <isTenPercentOwner>1</isTenPercentOwner>
            <isOther>0</isOther>
            <officerTitle></officerTitle>
            <otherText></otherText>
        </reportingOwnerRelationship>
    </reportingOwner>

    <reportingOwner>
        <reportingOwnerId>
            <rptOwnerCik>0001605237</rptOwnerCik>
            <rptOwnerName>aPriori Capital Partners III LLC</rptOwnerName>
        </reportingOwnerId>
        <reportingOwnerAddress>
            <rptOwnerStreet1>767 FIFTH AVENUE</rptOwnerStreet1>
            <rptOwnerStreet2></rptOwnerStreet2>
            <rptOwnerCity>NEW YORK</rptOwnerCity>
            <rptOwnerState>NY</rptOwnerState>
            <rptOwnerZipCode>10153</rptOwnerZipCode>
            <rptOwnerStateDescription></rptOwnerStateDescription>
        </reportingOwnerAddress>
        <reportingOwnerRelationship>
            <isDirector>0</isDirector>
            <isOfficer>0</isOfficer>
            <isTenPercentOwner>1</isTenPercentOwner>
            <isOther>0</isOther>
            <officerTitle></officerTitle>
            <otherText></otherText>
        </reportingOwnerRelationship>
    </reportingOwner>

    <reportingOwner>
        <reportingOwnerId>
            <rptOwnerCik>0001605303</rptOwnerCik>
            <rptOwnerName>aPriori Capital Partners L.P.</rptOwnerName>
        </reportingOwnerId>
        <reportingOwnerAddress>
            <rptOwnerStreet1>767 FIFTH AVENUE</rptOwnerStreet1>
            <rptOwnerStreet2></rptOwnerStreet2>
            <rptOwnerCity>NEW YORK</rptOwnerCity>
            <rptOwnerState>NY</rptOwnerState>
            <rptOwnerZipCode>10153</rptOwnerZipCode>
            <rptOwnerStateDescription></rptOwnerStateDescription>
        </reportingOwnerAddress>
        <reportingOwnerRelationship>
            <isDirector>0</isDirector>
            <isOfficer>0</isOfficer>
            <isTenPercentOwner>1</isTenPercentOwner>
            <isOther>0</isOther>
            <officerTitle></officerTitle>
            <otherText></otherText>
        </reportingOwnerRelationship>
    </reportingOwner>

    <reportingOwner>
        <reportingOwnerId>
            <rptOwnerCik>0001605039</rptOwnerCik>
            <rptOwnerName>aPriori Capital GmbH</rptOwnerName>
        </reportingOwnerId>
        <reportingOwnerAddress>
            <rptOwnerStreet1>MAXIMILIANHOEFE, MAXIMILIANSTRASSE 13</rptOwnerStreet1>
            <rptOwnerStreet2></rptOwnerStreet2>
            <rptOwnerCity>MUNICH</rptOwnerCity>
            <rptOwnerState>2M</rptOwnerState>
            <rptOwnerZipCode>80539</rptOwnerZipCode>
            <rptOwnerStateDescription>GERMANY</rptOwnerStateDescription>
        </reportingOwnerAddress>
        <reportingOwnerRelationship>
            <isDirector>0</isDirector>
            <isOfficer>0</isOfficer>
            <isTenPercentOwner>1</isTenPercentOwner>
            <isOther>0</isOther>
            <officerTitle></officerTitle>
            <otherText></otherText>
        </reportingOwnerRelationship>
    </reportingOwner>

    <reportingOwner>
        <reportingOwnerId>
            <rptOwnerCik>0001207059</rptOwnerCik>
            <rptOwnerName>SCHNABEL SUSAN C</rptOwnerName>
        </reportingOwnerId>
        <reportingOwnerAddress>
            <rptOwnerStreet1>11400 W. OLYMPIC BOULEVARD SUITE 1400</rptOwnerStreet1>
            <rptOwnerStreet2></rptOwnerStreet2>
            <rptOwnerCity>LOS ANGELES</rptOwnerCity>
            <rptOwnerState>CA</rptOwnerState>
            <rptOwnerZipCode>90064</rptOwnerZipCode>
            <rptOwnerStateDescription></rptOwnerStateDescription>
        </reportingOwnerAddress>
        <reportingOwnerRelationship>
            <isDirector>0</isDirector>
            <isOfficer>0</isOfficer>
            <isTenPercentOwner>1</isTenPercentOwner>
            <isOther>0</isOther>
            <officerTitle></officerTitle>
            <otherText></otherText>
        </reportingOwnerRelationship>
    </reportingOwner>

    <reportingOwner>
        <reportingOwnerId>
            <rptOwnerCik>0001605215</rptOwnerCik>
            <rptOwnerName>Taylor Colin A.</rptOwnerName>
        </reportingOwnerId>
        <reportingOwnerAddress>
            <rptOwnerStreet1>110 FETTER LANE</rptOwnerStreet1>
            <rptOwnerStreet2></rptOwnerStreet2>
            <rptOwnerCity>LONDON</rptOwnerCity>
            <rptOwnerState>X0</rptOwnerState>
            <rptOwnerZipCode>EC4A 1AY</rptOwnerZipCode>
            <rptOwnerStateDescription>UNITED KINGDOM</rptOwnerStateDescription>
        </reportingOwnerAddress>
        <reportingOwnerRelationship>
            <isDirector>0</isDirector>
            <isOfficer>0</isOfficer>
            <isTenPercentOwner>1</isTenPercentOwner>
            <isOther>0</isOther>
            <officerTitle></officerTitle>
            <otherText></otherText>
        </reportingOwnerRelationship>
    </reportingOwner>

    <nonDerivativeTable>
        <nonDerivativeTransaction>
            <securityTitle>
                <value>Common Stock, par value $0.01 per share</value>
            </securityTitle>
            <transactionDate>
                <value>2014-06-12</value>
            </transactionDate>
            <deemedExecutionDate></deemedExecutionDate>
            <transactionCoding>
                <transactionFormType>4</transactionFormType>
                <transactionCode>S</transactionCode>
                <equitySwapInvolved>0</equitySwapInvolved>
            </transactionCoding>
            <transactionAmounts>
                <transactionShares>
                    <value>5545898</value>
                </transactionShares>
                <transactionPricePerShare>
                    <value>25.50</value>
                </transactionPricePerShare>
                <transactionAcquiredDisposedCode>
                    <value>D</value>
                </transactionAcquiredDisposedCode>
            </transactionAmounts>
            <postTransactionAmounts>
                <sharesOwnedFollowingTransaction>
                    <value>5831903</value>
                    <footnoteId id="F2"/>
                </sharesOwnedFollowingTransaction>
            </postTransactionAmounts>
            <ownershipNature>
                <directOrIndirectOwnership>
                    <value>I</value>
                </directOrIndirectOwnership>
                <natureOfOwnership>
                    <value>See Notes</value>
                    <footnoteId id="F1"/>
                    <footnoteId id="F2"/>
                </natureOfOwnership>
            </ownershipNature>
        </nonDerivativeTransaction>
    </nonDerivativeTable>

    <derivativeTable></derivativeTable>

    <footnotes>
        <footnote id="F1">This Form 4 is being filed jointly by the following (each, a &quot;Reporting Person,&quot; and, collectively, the &quot;Reporting Persons&quot;):  DLJ Merchant Banking Partners III, L.P. (&quot;MB III LP&quot;); DLJ Offshore Partners III, L.P. (&quot;Offshore Partners III&quot;); DLJ Offshore Partners III-1, C.V. (&quot;Offshore Partners III-1&quot;); DLJ Offshore Partners III-2, C.V. (&quot;Offshore Partners III-2&quot;); DLJ MB PartnersIII GmbH &amp; Co. KG (&quot;PartnersIII GmbH&quot;); Millennium Partners II, L.P. (&quot;Millennium&quot;); MBP III Plan Investors, L.P. (&quot;MBP III&quot; and, together with MB III LP, Offshore Partners III, Offshore Partners III-1, Offshore Partners III-2, PartnersIII GmbH, Millennium, the &quot;Funds&quot;); aPriori Capital Partners LLC (&quot;aPriori&quot;); aPriori Capital Partners L.P. (&quot;aCP&quot;); aPriori Capital Partners III LLC (&quot;aCP III&quot;); aPriori Capital GmbH (&quot;aCP GmbH&quot;); Susan C. Schnabel and Colin A. Taylor.</footnote>
        <footnote id="F2">Represents shares of Common Stock held as follows: 4,519,861 shares directly by MB III LP; 311,578 shares directly by Offshore Partners III; 79,860  shares directly by Offshore Partners III-1; 56,887 shares directly by Offshore Partners III-2; 37,742 shares directly by PartnersIII GmbH; 25,580 shares directly by Millennium; and 800,395 shares directly by MBP III.  Each of the Reporting Persons disclaims beneficial ownership of the securities except to the extent of such person's pecuniary interest therein, and the inclusion of the shares in this report shall not be deemed to be an admission of beneficial ownership of the reported shares for the purposes of Section 16 of the Exchange Act or otherwise.</footnote>
    </footnotes>

    <remarks>Exhibit 99.1 (Joint Filer Information) incorporated herein by reference.</remarks>

    <ownerSignature>
        <signatureName>aPriori Capital Partners LLC, By: /s/ Susan C. Schnabel , Authorized Person</signatureName>
        <signatureDate>2014-06-12</signatureDate>
    </ownerSignature>
</ownershipDocument>
