PickBestCar

BMW

3 Series

F30/F31 generation, 2012-2019

Our verdict

7.0 / 10

Brilliant to drive, but buy the right engine and insist on proof of servicing

The F30 is a five-star-safe, comfortable and genuinely enjoyable saloon or estate, and the later cars (mid-2015 on, with the newer engines) are the safer bet. The money pits are specific: the early N47 diesel and N20 petrol timing chains, neglected short-trip diesels, and anything with a patchy service record. Buy on history, not on how shiny it looks.

The F30 is the sixth-generation BMW 3 Series, sold from 2012 to 2019. F30 is the saloon and F31 is the Touring estate (the Gran Turismo hatch, F34, is a separate body not covered by the engine list here). It is rear-wheel drive on almost every version, which is what gives it that sharp, balanced feel when you drive it, and also means it wants decent tyres and a bit more care in snow and ice than a front-wheel-drive hatchback.

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