Item: Used BMW 1 Series 2019-present
Rating: 4
Author: What Car? Team

The latest <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/audi/a3/hatchback/review/n77">Audi A3</a>&nbsp;may not be as impressive as its predecessor, but it's still the best premium family car you can buy. A larger infotainment screen&nbsp;and a standard digital instrument cluster should keep tech fans happy.

If sportiness isn't your bag, try a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/mercedes-benz/a-class/hatchback/used-review/n19118">Mercedes A-Class</a>. This generation is far superior to what went before thanks to a supple ride and greater practicality. The 1.3-litre petrol is a surprise too, especially in A200 form, where it is fast enough for any given situation, yet returns excellent fuel economy and exemplary refinement at a cruise.

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<h2 dir="ltr"><a href="https://www.whatcar.com/used-cars/bmw/1-series?nearlynew=true&amp;used=true&amp;yearFrom=2019">Find a used BMW 1 Series with What Car? &gt;&gt;</a></h2>

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What is it like?

Ownership cost

Advice for buyers

Our recommendations

Alternatives

<h3>Camshaft</h3>

A small number of 1 Series&nbsp;built between 18-28 February 2020 could have an issue with the bolts that hold&nbsp;the camshaft in place inside the engine working loose. Speak to your local BMW dealer for further information because extensive engine repair work will need to be carried out on any of these.

<h3>Driver's airbag</h3>

The fabric for the driver's airbag could be damaged during deployment, compromising safety. This recall applies to cars manufactured between 28 January and 11 March 2020, and affected examples will need to have the airbag replaced to solve the problem.

The current generation of 1 Series is too new to have been included in our most recent What Car? Reliability survey. However, BMW as a brand has improved dramatically over the&nbsp;results of previous years, finishing in ninth place, so the hope is that reliability shouldn't be a problem.

If you'd&nbsp;like to see the full reliability list, head to the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/news/2020-what-car-reliability-survey/n20042">What Car? Reliability Survey</a>&nbsp;pages for more information.

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&nbsp;

Hatchback

Munich-based BMW is most famous for its sports saloons, in particular the 3 Series and 5 Series. However, it actually builds almost every type of car imaginable: everything from two-seat convertibles to seven-seat MPVs.

The cheapest model in the BMW range is the 1 Series hatchback, which is a rival to the Audi A3, Mercedes-Benz A-Class and Volkswagen Golf. Meanwhile, at the other extreme is the i8 plug-in hybrid sports car, which costs more than £100,000.

BMW was also quick to capitalise on the rise of the SUV and now has six in its range: the X1, X2, X3, X4, X5 and X6.

All of this makes it one of the big three German prestige brands, along with Audi and Mercedes-Benz.

1 SERIES

It may not be the cheapest, but the&nbsp;1 Series is good to drive and practical and a fine used choice.

Used BMW 1 Series 2019-present

<h3>MPG</h3>

There isn't a lot of difference between the 116d and 118d diesel models at 61.4mpg and 60.1mpg, respectively. The 120d is worse at 51.4mpg, but then it's is laden with the added weight of four-wheel drive and an auto 'box.

The 118i petrol is pretty light on the purse strings with 47.1mpg, while&nbsp;the 128ti isn't too shabby at 40.9mpg, given its&nbsp;performance. The worst is the M135i at just 35.3mpg.

<h3>Road tax (VED)</h3>

Most versions sneak under the £40,000 luxury car tax threshold and avoid the supplementary fee above the standard yearly flat-rate cost. The current flat-rate fee is £150 a year. To find out more about the current <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/advice/buying/car-tax-changes-in-2019-%E2%80%93-what-do-i-need-to-know/n1153">road tax costs, click here</a>.&nbsp;

It may not be the cheapest family car out there, but this generation of the BMW 1 Series is good to drive and practical, making it a fine used choice.

Pricing for an entry-level BMW 1 Series 118i starts at around £19,000, with most diesel models costing between&nbsp;£500-£1000 more. Spend between £20,000 and £25,000 on a good 2020 car. If you want to get the most potent M135i, increase your budget to at least £30,000.&nbsp;To keep up to date with used prices, use our free valuation tool to make sure you're getting the best deal.

<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/car-valuation/">Check the value of a used BMW 1 Series with What Car? Valuations</a>

<h3>Engine</h3>

Unless you cover huge mileages, the regular 118i petrol should suit you just fine. It can be a touch thrummy at idle, but things&nbsp;smooth&nbsp;out once up to speed.&nbsp;

<h3>Specification</h3>

Sport is a good compromise if you want some luxuries with a softer ride, but we'd suggest plumping for the M Sport because this adds front seat heating, leather seats and power folding mirrors. It also gets you firmer suspension that improves handling while also keeping the ride pliant enough over bigger bumps.

Our favourite&nbsp;BMW 1 Series: 1.5 118i M Sport

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<h2>What we're looking for:</h2><ul><li>Plenty of practical space </li> <li>Low running costs </li> <li>A comfortable ride </li> <li>A healthy equipment list </li> <li>Quality materials and thoughtful touches inside </li> <li>Rock-solid reliability</li></ul>

Family cars arguably have the toughest brief of all: they have to be good at pretty much everything. They’re used as the daily drive, on the school run or work commute (often both), and have to be able to cope with a family’s clutter on weekends and holidays.

The Skoda Scala is a relative newcomer, but it's&nbsp;already carved out a name for itself in this segment.&nbsp;If you're looking for a moderately priced car that combines a supple ride, neat handling, a spacious interior and a capacious boot&nbsp;it's well worth a look.&nbsp;Alternatively, if you're looking for entertaining handling then the&nbsp;BMW 1 Series may well be for you. It's great to drive, rides well&nbsp;and also comes with a top-notch interior, featuring one of our very favourite infotainment systems.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The Toyota Corolla&nbsp;is another great choice. This latest version of one of the world's best-selling cars of all time can be had with a choice of two different petrol-electric hybrid engines, both of which should mean&nbsp;potentially lower fuel bills. It's comfortable, well equipped and should be very reliable, too.&nbsp;

Family

Because this generation hasn't been out for very long and the majority of used examples will be within the franchised dealer network, most should still look like new.&nbsp;

If you're buying through the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/news/bmw-approved-used-car-scheme/n22097">BMW approved used scheme</a>, make sure that the infotainment system has been updated to the current&nbsp;software.&nbsp;

Conformity is what you need in order to sell cars. Which could well be why&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/used-reviews/make/bmw">BMW</a> ditched the rear-wheel-drive layout that made <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/bmw/1-series/hatchback/used-review/n798">the old 1 Series&nbsp;</a>unique in favour of a tried and trusted&nbsp;front-wheel-drive layout that yields more passenger space. Is this a bad thing? Not really, because the 1 Series is as competent as ever and a few more examples sold means that used car buyers have a greater pool to pick from.

The underpinnings for the 1 Series are shared with Mini, so it's no surprise that the range of engines on offer&nbsp;is similar&nbsp;as well. There are three petrol engines, starting with the&nbsp;lovely 138bhp 1.5 in the 118i,&nbsp;then a potent 261bhp 2.0 128ti, and finally a 302bhp 2.0 in the M135i. Diesel fanciers also have three choices with the 113bhp 1.5 116d, 148bhp 2.0 118d&nbsp;or 187bhp 2.0 120d. The top model M135i and 120d have four-wheel drive and an eight-speed automatic gearbox as standard (this auto was also an option&nbsp;on the 118d), with the rest being front-wheel drive with either a six-speed manual or seven-speed <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/news/which-type-of-automatic-gearbox-should-i-buy/n17022#4">dual-clutch</a> auto.

Continuing the pattern of three into the trim choices lets&nbsp;you pick from SE, Sport, or M Sport. SE models have 16in alloys, LED headlights, climate control, front and rear parking sensors and an&nbsp;8.8in touchscreen infotainment system. Sport models have bigger, 17in wheels and more supportive sports seats in the front, along with dual-zone climate control. M Sport has sharper exterior and interior styling touches plus 18in alloys. These can be upgraded to 19in with the M Sport Plus pack that also adds adaptive suspension to stiffen or soften the ride accordingly.

The 1 Series gives a good initial impression of sportiness with quick-reacting steering and low levels of body lean in bends, but grip levels are noticeably lower than rivals such as the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/audi/a3/hatchback/review/n77">Audi A3</a> or <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/mercedes-benz/a-class/hatchback/used-review/n19118">Mercedes A-Class</a>&nbsp;display, and the brakes&nbsp;aren't very progressive either,&nbsp;making&nbsp;smooth stops at traffic lights a challenge. The bigger brakes in the M Sport Pro pack are far better. Road noise is more prevalent than you'll find in the 1 Series's aforementioned rivals, and this is only made worse with bigger wheels.

Thankfully, the interior is a step above what you'll find in a contemporary A3. Plusher&nbsp;plastics and an easy to operate infotainment system put it ahead of <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/used-reviews/make/audi">Audi</a>, although it doesn't have the visual appeal of the A-Class. Space up front is good, though, with lots of head, leg and shoulder room. Rear passengers benefit massively compared with the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/bmw/1-series/hatchback/used-review/n798">older 1 Series</a> because there's more space&nbsp;to stretch out and the central tunnel is smaller and affords a bigger area for your feet.

On paper, boot capacity is up on the A-Class and on a par with the A3. However, this measurement includes the void under the false floor, so the usable space above that is reduced.&nbsp;

If you're interested in finding a <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/used-cars/bmw/1-series?nearlynew=true&amp;used=true&amp;yearFrom=2019">used 1 Series</a>, or any of the other Family cars mentioned here, head over to the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/used-cars">Used Car Buying</a>&nbsp;pages to find lots of cars listed for sale at a great price.

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Used BMW 1 Series 2019-present review

Alternatives

What alternatives should I consider to a used BMW 1 Series hatchback?