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In association with MotorEasy
Car of the Year Awards 2024: Best family car interior
There are several types of family car, but here we’re looking at traditional hatchbacks: large enough to be practical, yet compact enough to be easy and enjoyable to drive...
BMW 1 Series 118i M Sport
![COTY 2024 logo with Motoreasy](https://media.whatcar.com/wc-image/2024-01/coty_24_logo_1.png)
![Blue BMW 1 Series side driving](https://media.whatcar.com/fit-in/760x503/wc-image/2024-01/bmw-1-series-driving-side.jpg)
The phrase ‘you get what you pay for’ usually suggests that anything bought cheaply probably isn’t very good, but it can work the other way too, as the BMW 1 Series proves. Yes, this upmarket family hatchback will cost you more to buy than a Toyota Corolla, but the pay-off is that you get an interior worthy of an executive car.
It may not have the visual wow factor of the rival Mercedes A-Class inside, but the 1 Series is screwed together better than that car (and the Audi A3); it all feels as solid as a rock, and the materials are plush in the places you touch frequently.
![BMW 1 Series infotainment screen BMW 1 Series infotainment screen](https://media.whatcar.com/wc-image/2024-01/bmw-1-series-infotainment-screen.jpg)
The infotainment system is the best in class, too, with clear menus, a responsive screen and a dial controller between the front seats that’s much easier and safer to use while driving than a touchscreen.
True, the Seat Leon beats it for rear seat space, but adults in the back get more room in the 1 Series than in an A-Class. No risk of being short-changed here, then.
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