BMW 1 Series Review & Prices

The BMW 1 Series is a posh family hatchback with a high-quality cabin and loads of cutting-edge tech. You may also be considering the Audi A3 or Mercedes A-Class if you’re shopping for a premium hatchback, and the 1 Series was updated in 2024 with a new look and an updated cabin.

The 1 Series has always been the go-to if you want a premium hatchback with a sporty edge. It’s a bit like choosing a pair of Yeezys over some Dr. Marten loafers.

There are very few small cars which feel as posh inside as the BMW 1 Series, and this was only improved during the 2024 update. All the materials feel soft and yielding and everything is really solid. Quality in here is much better than it is in a Mercedes A-Class.

The tech you get inside is also really impressive. All cars get a huge curved display atop the dashboard comprising a 10.7-inch touchscreen and a 10.3-inch digital driver’s display, and it’s all very responsive and easy to use.

Watch: BMW M135 review

As is the case in most BMWs the driving position is spot on. There’s loads of adjustment in the seats and steering wheel for all drivers big and small to get comfortable. Once you’re ready to go, there are also plenty of cubby holes for you to empty your pockets into.

Moving to the rear seats, the space on offer is best described as adequate. If you’re only carrying two people back there then they’ll have enough legroom, however headroom could be a struggle for taller adults. Getting three people back there is also a tight squeeze, and a Volkswagen Golf is more adept at carrying rear passengers.

Boot space is also down on some of this car's key competitors. In the basic petrol model you get significantly less space than an Audi A3 or Honda Civic have to offer, however the BMW’s load area is a nice square shape and there isn’t much of a lip to haul items over.

As for engines, there are just three on offer and they’re all petrol-powered. Entry-level models get a 1.5-litre three-cylinder with 170hp, then there’s a 2.0-litre with 218hp or the range-topping M135 hot hatchback with 300hp and all-wheel drive.

Once you’ve loaded the car up and hit the road, the first thing you’ll notice is that even the entry-level petrol model has a hot hatch feel to it. The steering is responsive and it’s great fun to thread down a country road, though the performance-focused M135 isn't as exciting as the Volkswagen Golf R, even if there's no denying it's fast in a straight line. The sportiness does come at the expense of comfort though, because even the normal 1 Series is a bit firmer than an Audi A3.

This is especially apparent around town, where the car jitters around over potholes and broken surfaces. Still, at least the steering is nice and light and you get decent all-round visibility. Things settle down on the motorway, where the cabin feels nice and hushed. There’s just a hint of tyre roar disturbing the peace, but the 1 Series is a relaxing car for covering long distances.

So the BMW 1 Series is great to drive, packed with tech and really well-made. Some alternatives are more comfortable though, and quite a lot of features are pricey options.

Check out the latest BMW 1 Series deals if you fancy this as your next car and want to save some cash, or browse offers on other BMW models. You can also take a look at used 1 Series’ available now, and don’t forget that you can also sell your current car through Carwow for a great price.

The BMW 1 Series starts from roughly the same price as a Mercedes A-Class, and it’s a touch more expensive than an Audi A3. However, costs begin to mount up once you start ticking boxes on the options list.

All cars come with a 10.7-inch touchscreen, a digital driver’s display, LED lights and 17-inch alloy wheels as standard. If you step up to the M Sport model you then get 18-inch alloys, more aggressive styling, adaptive suspension and sports seats.

If you want keyless entry, that’ll either cost you £520 or you can get it as part of a £1,500 technology pack which also includes adaptive LED headlights and power-folding mirrors. Automatic air conditioning is also a £480 option, which feels a bit mean on a car this premium.

Adaptive cruise control will also set you back £1,700, something you’ll want if you do a lot of motorway miles and a feature that a Honda Civic gets as standard.

Once you get to the range-topping M135 model it looks very expensive indeed, especially as the interior doesn't feel quite posh enough for the price, and you're still missing some kit you'd expect for the money.

Even in basic form the 1 Series feels like a hot hatch to drive, however it’s not as comfortable as some alternatives

In town

Around town the 1 Series is pretty easy to drive. All cars get an automatic gearbox as standard so stop-start traffic isn’t too much of an issue, although it can be a little slow to respond when you put your foot down unless you’re in sport mode, which is annoying if you’re trying to nip out at a junction.

The suspension is also quite firm and jittery at low speeds, with large potholes sending a thud through the cabin. An Audi A3 is more comfortable for bumbling around town.

It’s easy to manoeuvre though thanks to the light steering and decent visibility, with just an over-the-shoulder blind spot causing problems while parking. This is easily remedied with the standard-fit reversing camera, although if you want the really handy 360-degree camera system you’ll have to pay £2,750 for the Technology Plus Pack.

You may want to go for that pack if you struggle with parking though, because it also includes an automatic parking feature which will get you both into and out of tight spaces, as well as a reversing assistant which can retrace your steps backwards to get you out of a tricky situation.

On the motorway

At higher speeds that firm suspension smooths out nicely, and it’s a relaxing car to cover long distances in. There’s very little wind noise entering the cabin, although there is a bit more tyre roar than you get in a Volkswagen Golf.

Adaptive cruise control is a pretty pricey option if you want to take the sting out of a long drive, however it’s well worth it if you spend a lot of time on the motorway. It’ll steer to keep you in lane and maintain a safe distance from the car in front of you.

On a twisty road

It’s on a winding back road that the BMW 1 Series really shines. It may not be rear-wheel drive like 1 Series of old, but it’s still great fun to chuck around corners. That firm suspension does a great job of eliminating body roll, and the steering is really responsive as well. The Audi A3 is still more comfortable if you just want to relax and waft home, but the BMW can settle down nicely when you don’t feel like being a hooligan.

Despite this, the M135 model isn't actually as much fun to drive as alternatives such as the Honda Civic Type R and Volkswagen Golf R. It's fast and perfectly capable of going round corners quickly, but the brakes are too squidgy, the steering gives little feedback about what the front tyres are doing and the gearbox is a bit slow to respond. You just don't get the urge to have fun on a twisty road, which sort of defeats the object of this model.

There’s loads of interior storage in the 1 Series, but the rear seats are a bit tight and the boot isn’t massive

There’s loads of space up front in the BMW 1 Series, and all drivers will be able to find their ideal driving position because there’s plenty of adjustment in the seats and the steering wheel.

You also get an abundance of cubbies to keep your bits and bobs out of harm's way. The door bins will easily swallow a large bottle with room to spare, and you get a decent-sized glove box. There are a couple of cupholders in front of the gear selector and there’s even more storage under the armrest.

Charging your various devices is no bother either. All cars get two USB-C ports up front and a 12 volt socket, and a wireless charging pad can also be added as an option.

Space in the back seats

Moving to the rear seats the 1 Series is fairly average. Kneeroom is decent, however headroom could prove to be a bit tight for taller adults. It’s a squeeze to get three in the back as well because of the way the roof curves in at the sides. The boxier VW Golf is better for carrying three.

Fitting a baby seat is easy though. The doors open wide enough to get it in without too much faff, and the ISOFIX anchors are really easy to access. There’s just about enough room for a rear-facing seat as well without pushing the front chairs forward.

Storage in the back seats is good as well. You get a couple of cup holders in the centre armrest and door bins which will fit a large bottle. Rear passengers won’t be fighting over charging points either thanks to the two USB-C ports.

Boot space

The amount of boot space you get in the 1 Series changes drastically depending on what engine you go for. The standard 1.5-litre and 2.0-litre petrol are mild hybrids, and so there are batteries under the boot floor which means you get 300 litres of space. The M135 on the other hand doesn’t have the electrical gubbins to contend with, and as such it gets 380 litres of space.

With 300 litres on offer the 1 Series is 80 litres down on an Audi A3 and it has 50 litres less than a Mercedes A-Class. If maximum boot space is a priority for you, then the Skoda Octavia has 640 litres on offer.

With the seats folded you get 1,135 litres to play with in the mild hybrid models, or 1,200 litres in the M135. You can get through loading thanks to a 40:20:40 folding rear seat, and they lie almost flat so loading heavy stuff towards the front is easy. You also get a couple of bag hooks to stop your shopping from rolling around.

The 1 Series has one of the most premium-feeling cabins in its class and technology is great, however some of the controls are a bit fiddly

The BMW 1 Series has an interior which feels like it’s from a much larger car thanks to the excellent build quality and posh-feeling materials. Everything feels properly solid and there are plenty of soft touch plastics around the place.

You can also get some funky-looking ambient lighting which livens things up a bit. The overall design may not be as interesting as a Mercedes A-Class, but the BMW blows that car out of the water when it comes to build quality.

All cars get a 10.7-inch touchscreen infotainment system as standard, and it’s pretty easy to use. Some of the menus are a tad confusing, but the screen itself is bright and responsive and you’ll probably just use the standard-fit Apple CarPlay or Android Auto most of the time.

It’s a shame that BMW has done away with the swivel wheel in the centre console, because that was much easier to use on the move than prodding around at the screen. You do get voice commands though which work well. The standard-fit 10.3-inch digital driver’s display is also very good, with plenty of options to customise it as you want and it’s really easy to read at a glance.

As part of the 2024 update, the 1 Series also now does without physical climate controls. This is a shame because the ones you use through the touchscreen are much trickier to operate on the move. On the whole though, the 1 Series has one of the best interiors in this class.

The engine lineup for the 1 Series is very simple, because there are just three to choose from. All of them are petrol powered, there are no diesels on offer, and there’s no manual gearbox option anymore either. Check out an Audi A3 if you want a posh hatch with a third pedal.

The entry-level car has a 1.5-litre three-cylinder engine with 170hp, and it’ll be more than sufficient for most people’s needs. It’ll do 0-60mph in 7.8 seconds so it feels nippy enough, and it’ll return up to 52mpg. There’s also a 2.0-litre model with 218hp which does 0-60mph in 6.3 seconds, and has a claimed economy of 48mpg.

Of those two engines the basic 1.5-litre unit is your best bet for the added economy, but if you want proper hot hatch thrills then you’ll need the M135. That car has a 300hp 2.0-litre engine with all-wheel drive, and it’ll do 0-60mph in 4.9 seconds.

The M135 will cost you a lot more in road tax for the first year than the other two models, with a bill of £1,095 compared to £220 for the 1.5 and £270 for the 2.0-litre. With no plug-in hybrid or electric models on offer here, company car buyers may want to look elsewhere to get lower benefit in kind rates. Something like a Cupra Born may be a better bet.

The BMW 1 Series scored the maximum five stars when Euro NCAP tested it back in 2019, however the updated 2024 model hasn’t been put through its paces. This doesn’t matter too much though because the car’s basic structure is the same as before, so you can rest assured that it’ll protect you and your family well if the worst should happen.

To prevent an accident from happening in the first place, all cars come with autonomous emergency braking, a reversing camera and rear parking sensors. Adaptive cruise control is an expensive option to add, but it does make motorway cruising less stressful. The 360-degree camera and parking assist options are also worth going for to keep you safe from those pesky curbs and bollards.

The previous generation 1 Series was rated highly for reliability in numerous surveys during its production run, and the new model has continued this trend and has regularly outscored other compact premium offerings in its class.

It comes with a three-year unlimited mileage warranty, which can be extended for up to 100,000 miles after the initial three-year period. There are three levels of cover from fully comprehensive to a basic driveline option which covers the main engine and driveline components for work up to £5,000. You also get a 12-year anti-corrosion warranty as standard.