BMW 1 Series review

Introduction

The BMW 1 Series has been a staple contender among premium family hatchbacks for many years, appealing to anyone looking to mix driver appeal and glamour with a dose of practicality.

This latest, third-generation 1 Series has one big change that's upset a few enthusiasts, though – it's driven by its front wheels rather than being rear-wheel drive. However, for most buyers, that's actually made it a far more accomplished family car.

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RRP from: £32,640

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1.5 120i MHT Sport Hatchback 5dr Petrol Hybrid DCT Euro 6 (s/s) (170 ps)

Expected annual mileage	5000
Term months	60
Deposit months	12
Monthly payment	£388.97
Initial payment	£4,667.64

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• Drive it, enjoy it, then give it back at the end

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£4,668 initial payment, 60 month contract, 5000 miles p/a. Subject to status and conditions.

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You see, the truth is, previous generations of the BMW 1 Series weren’t as good to drive as the 'Ultimate Driving Machine' hype suggested, with only more powerful (and expensive) six-cylinder versions able to take full advantage of the rear-wheel-drive layout.

On the latest model, BMW gives you a choice of petrol and diesel engines, and you can even get four-wheel drive if you opt for the ballistically quick hot-hatch version, the BMW M135i xDrive (which we've reviewed separately). Indeed, many of the mechanicals are taken from the BMW X1 and BMW X2 SUVs.

Here, we'll be finding out how the BMW 1 Series stacks up against a range of alternatives, including the Audi A3 and the Mercedes A-Class – as well as more mainstream alternatives, including the Mazda 3 and the VW Golf. We'll also tell you which engine and trim combination make the most sense.

Once you've decided on your next new car, you can make sure you don't pay over the odds for it by searching for the best prices on our free What Car? New Car Deals service. It's a great place to find the best new family car deals.

Overview

Following a comprehensive mid-life facelift, the BMW 1 Series remains competitive in the premium family car class, although it's not quite a class leader. Its main strengths are punchy performance and top-notch interior quality, while the relatively small boot is a shame, as is the infotainment system and climate control’s backwards step in user-friendliness.

Our pick

1.5 120i MHT M Sport Hatchback 5dr Petrol Hybrid DCT Euro 6 (s/s) (170 ps) review

RRP £34,640

Pros

• Sharp handling
• Punchy performance
• Class-leading interior quality

Cons

• Firm ride for a family car
• No plug-in hybrid option
• No iDrive rotary controller

Our pick

1.5 120i MHT M Sport Hatchback 5dr Petrol Hybrid DCT Euro 6 (s/s) (170 ps) review

RRP £34,640

Trims available

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Sport

The entry-level trim gets 17in alloy wheels, LED headlights, cruise control, heated cloth seats, illuminated aluminium interior trim, touchscreen infotainment and parking aids.

M Sport

Our recommended trim includes firmer suspension and M Sport styling touches plus 18in alloy wheels and more luxurious seat materials. That's on top of all the infotainment tech you get with entry-level Sport models.

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Performance & drive

What it's like to drive, and how quiet it is

In entry-level BMW 120 form, the 1 Series gets a 1.5-litre, three-cylinder petrol engine with 168bhp and can officially sprint from 0-62mph in 7.8 seconds. That’s fractionally quicker than an equivalent Audi A3 35 TFSI or Volkswagen Golf 1.5 TSI 150.

The other option – unless you go for the M135 – is the BMW 123. That gets a more powerful 215bhp 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine and four-wheel-drive for a pretty sprightly 0-62mph time of just 6.3 seconds.

Every 1 Series has a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox that delivers well-judged shifts in its default mode and snappy shifts when knocked into Sport mode. It helps make the BMW 120 an easy and relaxing companion once you're moving, but there is a big pause between pressing the accelerator and the car setting off from stationary.

The 1 Series in M Sport trim gets stiffer suspension than entry-level Sport versions, and we found it made the car feel more like a hot hatchback than a family car. Even so, while it doesn’t feel as calm over most urban surfaces as the more forgiving Audi A3 S line or VW Golf R-Line, it’s far from harsh or annoying, and stops short of feeling crashy.

The upside to a firm ride is impressive body control in the bends. If you enjoy a sporty drive, you’ll find the 1 Series a willing partner on a demanding country road. The quick steering gives the car a lively feel and body lean through quick changes of direction is minimal. It also gets less upset over undulations than the softer Mercedes A-Class.

At higher speeds, the 1 Series is fairly civilised – as is the rival Audi A3. Wind noise is low and the suspension is quiet, even over lumpy surfaces, but there is a fair amount of road noise. The A-Class is quieter on motorways.

The 1 Series’ engine has moved ahead of the A-Class and is far closer to a four-cylinder A3. The engine sounds grumbly on start-up but fades into the background on the move, and the stop-start system working seamlessly.

The consistent brake-pedal response makes it easy to bring the car to a smooth stop, although the regenerative braking system could activate more smoothly when you lift off the accelerator pedal in the car’s default Personal mode.

If you want more poke in your 1 Series, there's also a hot hatch variant. To read about that see our BMW M135 review.

"I find the BMW 1 Series agile and eager to change direction, aided by smooth, precise and responsive steering. That said, the Audi A3 is a touch more engaging thanks to a more natural handling balance." – Oliver Young, Reviewer

Interior

The interior layout, fit and finish

Build quality in the BMW 1 Series remains class-leading. It lacks some of the dramatic visual wow factor of the Mercedes A-Class but everything is screwed together beautifully and feels plush. The optional M Sport Pro Pack adds some branded stitching on the dashboard, M Sport seatbelts and bespoke ambient lighting.

The dashboard and door tops are covered with vegan leather or soft-touch plastics, and all the metallic detailing on the dashboard is aluminium, not sprayed plastic (which you find in some Mercedes models). We also love the wide selection of cloth or artificial leather seats.

Speaking of the seats, the 1 Series gives you plenty of movement to the driver's seat, and also lots of height and reach adjustment for the steering wheel. You have to pay extra for lumbar adjustment but it's not too expensive (nor is full electric adjustment).

The standard seats are comfortable enough, but you can also upgrade to M Sport seats, which feel as though they've been plucked straight out of a BMW M4. They come with chunky side bolsters to hold you in place in bends and an illuminated M logo on the headrest. They make a whole lot more sense in the BMW M135 than the 120 or 123.

The forward view in the 1 Series is as good as in an Audi A3 or Mercedes A-Class thanks to its slim windscreen pillars and a clear view over the dashboard. You get LED headlights as standard, and can upgrade them to adaptive LEDs as part of the Technology Pack, allowing you to leave them on high beam without dazzling anyone.

The 1 Series' chunky rear pillars restrict the view over your shoulder, but front and rear parking sensors, a rear-view camera and a semi-automatic parking assistance function come as standard. A Parking Assistant Professional package is available as an option and allows you to park your car using your smartphone.

All 1 Series now have a curved display screen that comprises a 10.7in digital driver's display and a 10.3in infotainment touchscreen that's angled towards the driver. It’s a good set-up and places the screen within easy reach – but there's a problem.

You see, while the pre-facelift 1 Series had a rotary controller to help you navigate the infotainment menus, the latest version doesn't. You can only control the system through touchscreen prods or voice commands, and unfortunately the user interface seems as though it was designed to work with a rotary controller.

The Audi A3 and Mercedes A-Class don't have rotary controllers either, but they do have proper switches for the climate-control settings – on the latest 1 Series you have to change the temperature and fan speed using the touchscreen, which is fiddlier.

The 1 Series' comes with DAB radio, Bluetooth, sat-nav, Android Auto, Apple CarPlay and a six-speaker, 100-watt stereo. Options include a head-up display and a 12-speaker Harman Kardon surround-sound system.

"If BMW had kept the iDrive system’s rotary controller, I think the 1 Series' mid-life facelift would have been a slam dunk. Unfortunately, they didn’t, and the new system is quite distracting to use." – Oliver Young, Reviewer

Passenger & boot space

How it copes with people and clutter

You’ll have no complaints about space up front in the BMW 1 Series. There are bigger family cars but it has lots of elbow room, and more head and leg room than its key rivals, the Audi A3 and Mercedes A-Class.

The door bins are a decent size, and you get a big glovebox and a generous storage cubby under the central armrest. Combined with a couple of trays below the front centre air vent, you'll have plenty of places to put your bits and pieces.

The space on offer in the back of the 1 Series isn’t as impressive. Six-footers will feel their heads brushing the roof but anyone shorter should be comfortable. There’s more leg room than you get in an A-Class and more foot space under the front seats.

We'd recommend avoiding the optional panoramic sunroof, because while it doesn’t eat into head room up front, it does create a curve in the roof lining that swoops down in front of a rear passenger's eye line.

As with the A3 and A-Class, there's nothing amazing about seating flexibility in the 1 Series, and the rear seats don't slide or recline. They fold in a 60/40 split, unless you pay extra for a 40/20/40 split. Every A-Class has 40/20/40 split seats, as do most versions of the A3 (the cheapest version gets 60/40 split seats.

Strangely, the BMW M135 hot hatch has a bigger boot – with 380 litres – than the otherwise more sensible 120 and 123 versions, which get 300 litres (because their mild-hybrid tech takes up space).

For comparison, the Mercedes A-Class has up to 350 litres while the Audi A3 has 380. Note that those figures exclude plug-in hybrid versions, which lose some boot volume.

The BMW 120 and 123 boots are quite shallow but do have a wide rectangular storage well under the floor. There's only a small load lip at the entrance and you can also add an electric tailgate as part of the Technology Pack.

“I find it a bit odd that the hot hatch version of the 1 Series has more boot space than the others. That’s because the mild-hybrids lose 80 litres of boot capacity to their battery.” – Oliver Young, Reviewer

Buying & owning

Everyday costs, plus how reliable and safe it is

On paper, the BMW 1 Series looks a touch more expensive than the Audi A3 and Mercedes A-Class but it’s not quite that simple.

You see, the line-up has been slimmed down and the entry-level SE trim has been dropped. That means you need to compare an entry-level BMW 120 against a higher specification A3 or A-Class, which gives a difference of a few hundred pounds rather than thousands. You can compare prices for all models using our New Car Deals pages.

With its new 48-volt mild-hybrid system, the 120 now has an official fuel economy figure (52.3mpg), broadly matching its rivals. We saw an indicated figure of around 45mpg on a long motorway stint. Expect to see roughly a 5-10mpg drop if you choose the BMW 123 instead (and another if you opt for the hot hatch version, the BMW M135).

However, it's a shame a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) 1 Series is not an option, especially for company car drivers looking for lower BIK tax rates.

In terms of trims, you can choose between Sport and M Sport. Sport gets 17in alloy wheels, LED headlights, heated cloth seats, cruise control, illuminated aluminium interior trim, touchscreen infotainment and parking aids.

We’d recommend stepping up to M Sport trim, which gets firmer suspension, more distinctive styling, 18in alloy wheels, and suede-like Alcantara and artificial leather seats. You can opt for adaptive suspension on M Sport cars but we don't think the improvements it delivers justify the extra cost.

All versions of the 1 Series include automatic emergency braking (AEB), lane-departure warning, traffic-sign recognition, speed-limit assist and a system to warn you if you get too close to the car in front.

On top of that, the optional Driving Assistant Professional package adds an upgraded AEB system that looks out for pedestrians, plus, blind-spot monitoring, adaptive cruise control and rear cross-traffic alert.

The pre-facelift 1 Series received a full five-star rating when it was tested in 2019 by the safety experts at Euro NCAP, but upon testing the facelifted version in 2025 (under stricter conditions), a four-star rating was issued. Its weakest area was adult occupant protection (78%), with the report citing poor protection of the driver's chest and left leg during frontal impacts. Protection of the rear-seat passenger behind them was poor, too. Other areas – child occupant (84%), vulnerable road users (85%) and safety assist (80%) – thankfully scored higher. Still, it's a disappointing overall result, especially considering the rival Audi A3 scored five stars.

The 1 Series is covered by a three-year, unlimited mileage warranty, which matches the cover offered by Mercedes and beats Audi’s three-year warranty, which is limited to 60,000 miles. BMW as a brand came sixth out of 30 car makers in the 2025 What Car? Reliability Survey, beating Mercedes and Audi (in joint 22nd).

“The 1 Series starts at a higher price than its main rivals but I think it's important to note that that’s because BMW has removed entry-level SE trim and the base 118i engine.” – Oliver Young, Reviewer

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