BMW 3 Series - Reliability and safety

​BMW has a reputation for making solidly reliable cars, and feedback from our Driver Power customer satisfaction survey is improving. In 2022, The German manufacturer finished in 16th place out of 29 brands (up from 21st position in the previous year), which is positive news but still shows room for improvement.

The 3 Series finished in 32nd spot out of 75 cars in the Driver Power best cars to own poll, which was the strongest performance of any BMW model.

Euro NCAP put the seventh-generation 3 Series through a rigorous safety testing procedure in 2019 and awarded it a full five stars. Adult and child occupant protection achieved 97 per cent and 87 per cent, respectively.

Additional safety systems come under what BMW terms Active Guard Plus. This includes speed limit information, lane departure warning, a collision and pedestrian warning system with a city brake function, plus cruise control with braking function.

For a more comprehensive suite of safety systems, buyers can add the Driving Assistant Professional package for around £2,200. This includes active cruise control, steering and lane control assistant, lane keeping assistant with active side collision protection, priority warning and wrong-way warning systems and cross-traffic alert. BMW’s Connected+ service is offered as standard, which can alert the emergency services in the event of an accident.

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Warranty

BMW offers a three-year unlimited mileage warranty on the 3 Series, and this also includes a three-year subscription to the BMW Emergency breakdown service. This is broadly similar to the warranty offered by Mercedes, but better than the 60,000 mile limit favoured by Audi. The BMW warranty can be extended after the initial three-year period with either monthly or annual payments and differing levels of cover.

BMW’s paintwork warranty lasts for three years, while its anti-corrosion warranty is of 12 years in duration.

Servicing

The 3 Series will require servicing approximately every 20,000 miles, dependent on the car’s use and mileage covered. BMW runs its Pay Monthly Service Plan with prices for the 3 Series starting from around £26 per month.