3 Days Ago
Australia's cheapest cars from luxury brands
You'll need to pay six digits for the most affordable Maserati, but the cheapest models from brands like Audi and BMW can be had for well under $100,000.
William Stopford
About the BMW 1 Series
Last updated Oct 23, 2024The 2023 BMW 1 Series is classified as a 5 Door Hatchback currently on sale in Australia as part of the F40 generation, starting from $49,900 MLRP for the 18i M SPORT and topping out at $82,500 for the M135i xDRIVE.
There are 10 variants available for our market and the current year model went on sale in Jan of 2023. The 1 Series is built in Germany and is available with Turbo Direct Fuel Injection , equipped with a 7 Speed Auto Dual Clutch Steptronic transmission with the drive sent to FWD. The 1 Series is offered with a 5 year, unlimited kilometre warranty.
Pros
- High-end cabin presentation
- Much more practical than the old 1er
- Punchy turbo engine
Cons
- Generic drive experience
- Lacking features expected of the price point
- Still can't match old 1er's rear-drive dynamics
BMW 1 Series Rating
Suzuki Baleno
Entry-level
Honda Civic
Best in class
Overall rating
8.5
7.4
8.9
BMW 1 Series News
2024 BMW 1 Series Reviews
2024 BMW 1 Series Price
| Variant | Price From* | Price To* |
|---|---|---|
| 18i M SPORT | $56,500 | $56,500 |
| M135i xDRIVE | $82,500 | $82,500 |
*excl. on-roads
All BMW 1 Series Pricing
2024 BMW 1 Series Specs
See our comprehensive details for the BMW 1 Series
2024 BMW 1 Series Dimensions
1434mm
1799mm
4319mm
The dimensions shown above are for the base model.
See all 2024 BMW 1 Series Dimensions2024 BMW 1 Series Boot Space
With the rear seats upright the 1 Series has a boot capacity of 380L, expanding to 1200L with the rear seats folded.
2024 BMW 1 Series Gallery
CarExpert High Resolution Photos of the BMW 1 Series
View 26 images
2024 BMW 1 Series Safety Rating
ANCAP awarded the BMW 1 Series a five-star safety rating when tested in 2019.
It received 83 per cent for adult occupant protection, 89 per cent for child occupant protection, 76 per cent for vulnerable road user protection, and 73 per cent for safety assist.
All 2022 BMW 1 Series come standard with the following safety features:
- Front, front-side and curtain airbags
- Autonomous emergency braking at city speeds
- Front and rear collision warning
- Lane departure warning
- Rear cross-traffic alert
- Front and rear parking sensors
- Reversing camera
2024 BMW 1 Series Fuel Economy
Claimed combined cycle fuel economy figures for the 2022 BMW 1 Series are as follows:
- 118i: 5.9L/100km
- 128ti: 6.8L/100km
- M135i xDrive Pure: 7.5L/100km
- M135i xDrive: 7.5L/100km
118i models require 95 RON premium unleaded petrol, whereas the rest of the range requires 98 RON.
All models have a 50L fuel tank.
| BMW 1 Series | Fuel Type | Combined |
|---|---|---|
| 18i M SPORT | PREMIUM UNLEADED PETROL | 5.9 |
| 18i SPORT COLLECTION | PREMIUM UNLEADED PETROL | 5.9 |
| 28ti | PREMIUM UNLEADED PETROL | 6.8 |
| M135i xDRIVE | PREMIUM UNLEADED PETROL | 7.5 |
Cost of ownership
What is the running and servicing costs of a BMW 1 Series?
All BMW 1 Series’s need servicing every 0 Months months or 0,000km km, whichever comes first.
How does the 2024 BMW 1 Series drive?
Our expert take on BMW 1 Series drivability.
While there are plenty of motorcycles with more power straight out of the box, it would be too simple to assume the entry-level 1 Series might be underpowered. It’s categorically incorrect.
Give the throttle a solid prod from a set of traffic lights and there’s plenty of go. There’s a decent sound to it, too, as there often is with three-cylinder engines.
Once you’re off and running though, there’s a smoothness and refinement to this three-cylinder powertrain befitting its luxury positioning.
Don’t count on a whole lot of feel from the steering, which doesn’t give much back to the driver, though I do like the weighting. On the other hand braking is solid, with good feel and progression from the pedal.
It feels solid in the corners too, even travelling at the maximum legal speeds in these parts. There’s more body bracing in this new model and you can feel the extra stiffness keeping the car in check when you’re leaning on it.
In the 128ti, the 2.0-litre turbo and eight-speed auto are a good pairing, shifting snappily on the move and allowing good control via the steering-mounted paddles.
Performance from the turbo’d four is strong, and the beefy mid-range means you can ride the 128ti’s torque band (380Nm on tap from 1500-4400rpm) making it a pretty effortless everyday driver. It also means it has plenty of shove when you’re giving it a go.
What isn’t so great is the occasional low-speed behaviour of the transmission, which I’ve noted countless times with BMW’s eight-speeders. It never seems to respond how you want it to, either being too lazy or too eager.
Further, the ride is quite choppy even by hot hatch standards. You feel every road imperfection and undulation, and it’s ‘engaging’ or ‘connected’ until it becomes tiresome and annoying. It’s not completely crashy but a layer of adjustability to the M Sport suspension in the form of adaptive damping would be welcome.
In the M135i xDrive, if it wasn’t for the smattering of BMW badges and the cabin layout, which is distinctly BMW in design, I probably would have thought I was driving a Mini. Yes, they obviously share mechanical hardware, but that rear-drive BMW DNA that was so great in the previous generation has been lost, and it’s worse off for it.
There’s plenty of grip courtesy of the xDrive all-wheel drive system, but drive it hard and it doesn’t always inspire confidence.
Performance in a straight line is very muscular, as you’d expect given the outputs and all-paw running gear. However, like I mentioned earlier, there’s nothing about it that screams BMW to you.
The M135i feels marginally more comfortable than the 128ti I sampled around the same time, though it’s still quite firm for daily use in the city. You feel most imperfections in the road with the standard chassis setup, though opting for the adaptive dampers would add more adjustability.
2024 BMW 1 Series Options
Options list for the BMW 1 Series
You can find more details on all the options and inclusions across the BMW 1 Series variants on the official website, and within the official BMW 1 Series specifications page.
2024 BMW 1 Series Colours
What colours are available for the BMW 1 Series
The BMW 1 Series is available in the following exterior paint colours:
- Alpine White
- Black Sapphire (+$1308)
- Melbourne Red (+$1308)
- M Misano Blue (+$1308)
- Skyscraper Grey (+$1308)
- Storm Bay metallic (+$2000)
- Frozen Pure Grey metallic (+$3846)
The 118i Sport is only available in solid black paint.
2024 BMW 1 Series Warranty
What is the warranty on a BMW 1 Series?
The BMW 1 Series offers a 5 year unlimited kilometre warranty. This is separate to the warranty on offer under Australian Consumer Law which can be greater for certain parts based on what is deemed as a reasonable period of time.
2024 BMW 1 Series vs other Small's to consider
The BMW 1 Series has a number of competitors because the 1er spans from a turbo three-cylinder powertrain, to a high-output turbo four-cylinder with all-wheel drive.
The most obvious of competitors is the Mercedes-Benz A-Class which is also the German automaker's entry-level offering.
Both the BMW and Mercedes offer high-end, premium-looking interiors with elements of soft-touch materials and metal accents.
Option lists on both the 1er and A-Class are quite extensive and can get expensive if you get trigger happy.
The 1 Series also gets cross-shopped with the BMW X1, X2, Mini five-door hatch, and Clubman which all share the same UKL platform.
BMW 128ti models have a sportier edge and compete against the likes of the Ford Focus ST, Renault Megane RS and Volkswagen Golf GTI. The 128ti though offers a more premium-feeling interior though.
The Focus ST is arguably just as focused and packs a lot more technology as standard, while the Golf GTI is more comfortable day-to-day with similar performance.
Range-topping M135i xDrive models compete against the likes of the Audi S3, Mercedes-AMG A35, and Volkswagen Golf R.
At this end of the 1 Series range, it can get quite expensive and is missing features that are expected of the price point.
The M135i xDrive though doesn't offer the tech or all-round usability of an Audi S3 or Volkswagen Golf R, nor can it blow any of its direct rivals out of the water in terms of straight-line performance or corner-carving ability.
Should you buy the 2024 BMW 1 Series
Is this the right car for you? Out experts buy or not guide.
As a daily driver, the entry-level BMW 1 Series makes a lot of sense.
The 128ti in isolation it’s a fun, sporty little hatchback, and it retains core BMW strengths like interior quality, comfort and interior technology.
However, it’s let down by somewhat expensive options, a ride that may be too firm for some in daily use, and the fact that enthusiasts like myself will always lust for a rear-drive BMW driving experience. Again, this feels more like a big Mini and less like a small BMW to drive.
With the M135i xDrive, while it looks racy inside and out, and has an engine with the outputs and exhaust note to put a smile on your face, the M Performance version of BMW’s smallest passenger model doesn’t do enough to distinguish itself from rival front-biased AWD hot hatches, and lacks the character of something like a Mini JCW Hatch or JCW Clubman.
There’s no disputing its performance or premium cabin, but the M135i doesn’t offer the tech or all-round usability of an Audi S3 or VW Golf R, nor can it blow any of its direct rivals out of the water in terms of straight-line performance or corner-carving ability.
BMW 1 Series FAQs
The cheapest BMW 1 Series is the 18i M SPORT that starts from $49,900.
The most expensive BMW 1 Series is the M135i xDRIVE that starts from $82,500.
The best towing capacity of a BMW 1 Series is 1300Kg offered by the following variants
- 18i M SPORT
- 18i SPORT
The largest BMW 1 Series is the M135i xDRIVE which measures 1799mm wide, 4402mm in length and sits 1484mm tall.
The most powerful BMW 1 Series is the M135i xDRIVE which has 233kW of power from its Turbo Direct Fuel Injection engine.
The BMW 1 Series is built in Germany and shipped to Australia.
The heaviest BMW 1 Series is the M135i xDRIVE which weighs 2085 kg (kerb weight).
The BMW 1 Series uses premium unleaded petrol.