BMW 330e (2024) review: simply the best plug-in hybrid
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BAYERISCHE MOTOREN WERKE
BMW revised the 330e in mid 2024 to keep it competitive with the newer Mercedes-Benz C 300 e. The headline change is it now has a larger battery pack with a longer maximum electric range. That means you should now be able to do a couple of days’ worth of commuting without burning a drop of fuel.If that’s not enough, the 330e has all the features we love about the standard 3 Series – namely its supportive seats, excellent driving position, smartly understated styling and user-friendly infotainment system. You can also have it in BMW’s Touring body style which, unsurprisingly, is one of our favourite hybrid estate cars.Keep reading for our full BMW 3 Series hybrid review.
Are you an automotive engineer? Are you racking your brains, trying to come up with a good design for a plug-in hybrid saloon? Well, pay very close attention because you’ve just stumbled across the very best the market currently has to offer. The BMW 330e.Why do we like it so much? Well, it’s great to drive for a start. It’s not perfect, but the way it toes the line between efficiency and driver engagement is masterful. It’s also fabulously well-made and, for all you Need For Speed fans, it has an amusing push-to-pass mode called XtraBoost that cranks the powertrain’s combined output up to 289bhp.
PART 1
BMW 330e
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BMW 330e
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PART 2
When you’re not trying to do an impersonation of a Tesla, BMW reckons that new battery can net you between 256.8 and 353.1mpg (which, spoiler alert, it won’t – but it is more efficient than before). And, because it had the tech lying around its workshop, BMW has chucked an 11kW on-board charger at the 330e to speed up recharge times.
What’s new?
Loads of incremental tweaks, but they add up to make a great car even better. The biggest difference is a new, more energy-dense 19.5kWh battery pack that’s increased the 330e’s maximum electric range from 37 to 63 miles.
Apart from that, the car’s basically unchanged from when it was last updated in 2022. There’s a slightly tweaked steering wheel design, some new seat upholstery finishes and updated materials for the centre console. And that’s your lot. But why would BMW mess with a formula that’s already perfect?
What are the specs?
The 330e teams the same 2.0-litre, four-cylinder petrol engine you’ll find in the regular 320 with an electric motor. And, because this is BMW, it’s neatly integrated into the car’s eight-speed automatic gearbox.
The packaging is so good that the casing is just 15mm longer than the standard eight-speed auto fitted elsewhere in the 3-series range. Having the motor in this position is great for efficiency, too – particularly when it comes to brake-energy regeneration.
The petrol engine provides 181bhp and 221lb ft, while the electric motor gives up to 111bhp and an instant 195lb ft – although as is usually the case with hybrid systems, you can’t just add those two figures together to get the car’s total power output.
BMW 330e
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Before you buy
The 330e is only available in two specifications – Sport and M Sport. The former is priced from £46,985 and comes as standard with LED headlights, automatic three-zone air conditioning, cruise control and front and rear parking sensors.M Sport models are a little more expensive, starting from £48,235. For the extra money, you get 18-inch alloy wheels, a racy M Sport body kit and model-specific seat upholstery with M Sport tricolour piping. In other words, you’re getting more show and no extra go.
PART 3
Before you buy
It’s also worth remembering that there are some plug-in hybrids that can go further on electric power than the 330e. The Mercedes C 300 e, for example, has a claimed EV range of 71 miles, while the recently updated Volkswagen Golf eHybrid can cover a whopping 88 miles on battery power. The Golf is also about £10,000 cheaper than the 330e. But neither drive as well and neither are screwed together with the same care.
The end.
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