Is the BMW 1 Series ULEZ compliant?

Most petrol BMW 1 Seriess from 2006 and diesels from September 2015 meet the Euro standards for London ULEZ and other UK clean-air zones, so they are generally exempt from the daily charge. Pure-electric versions are always exempt.

What insurance group is the BMW 1 Series in?

The BMW 1 Series sits in insurance group 23 of 50. Your actual premium still depends on age, postcode, annual mileage and no-claims history.

Is the BMW 1 Series reliable?

Our reliability score for the BMW 1 Series is 75 out of 100 (good), derived from DVSA MOT records, with a first-time MOT pass rate of about 86% at the reference age.

What economy does the BMW 1 Series get?

Expect roughly around 46 mpg combined for a typical BMW 1 Series, based on official figures and our running-cost model. Real-world figures vary with driving style, load and conditions.

What are the common problems on the BMW 1 Series?

On the BMW 1 Series, the issues that come up most by mileage include Tyres & wheels, Brakes and Suspension. The section above breaks down each one with its typical mileage, repair cost and severity.

How many BMW 1 Seriess are on UK roads?

About 400,032 BMW 1 Seriess are currently taxed and on the road in the UK, from DfT vehicle-licensing data.

Is the BMW 1 Series reliable?

The BMW 1 Series scores 75/100 on Forecourt's MOT-based reliability measure, ahead of 54% of the cars we track. That is computed from 5,791,140 real DVSA MOT test results.

How much does a used BMW 1 Series cost?

A 2023 BMW 1 Series with around 27,699 miles is worth roughly £18,500 today (typical range £16,700–£20,250). Dealer forecourt prices sit higher and part-exchange offers lower; newer or lower-mileage examples cost more.

How quickly does the BMW 1 Series depreciate?

A new BMW 1 Series typically loses about 35% of its value over the first three years, then depreciates more slowly. Buying at three to five years old avoids the steepest part of the curve.

What insurance group is the BMW 1 Series?

The BMW 1 Series sits in insurance group 23 of 50 — the middle of the scale. Exact premiums depend on the trim (some versions sit a few groups higher or lower), your age, postcode and no-claims history.

What goes wrong on a used BMW 1 Series?

The most common age-related issues we track for the BMW 1 Series are: tyres & wheels (typically around over 100k miles, £80-£500 to put right); brakes (typically around over 100k miles, £150-£500 to put right); suspension (typically around over 100k miles, £150-£450 to put right). A full service history and a recent MOT with no advisories are the best protection.

What does the BMW 1 Series cost to run?

Expect around 46 mpg combined, £195 a year in road tax, about £290 for a standard annual service. The full cost-of-ownership table above breaks this down per year and per mile for the exact year and mileage you choose.

Ranked #20 car in the UK · Hatchback · 18,526 units sold last year

BMW 1 Series

The current BMW 1 Series (F40, 2019 on) switched from rear-wheel drive to a front-wheel-drive platform shared with the 2 Series Active Tourer and MINI - a big change from the older, enthusiast-favourite rear-drive cars. In return it gained far more interior space and a more efficient package. The range runs from the 118i petrol to the 128ti and four-wheel-drive M135i hot hatches. Cross-shop the Audi A3 and Mercedes A-Class; if you specifically want rear-wheel drive, you need a pre-2019 1 Series.

Body: Hatchback
Years: 2018–2026
Fuel: Petrol / Diesel / Mild Hybrid
Economy: 46 mpg
Insurance: Group 23

The short version

65/100

Forecourt score

Value 82 · Reliability 58 · Insurance 47

The BMW 1 Series holds its value well and costs about average to run. Its MOT-based reliability is good, 75 out of 100, ahead of 58% of the cars we track. On three-year value retention it ranks better than 82% of models.

The Forecourt score blends how this car ranks against the catalogue on value retention, reliability and insurance cost (weighted 40/40/20). Higher is better; running cost is not yet folded in.

Pick your version

Estimates are tuned to the version you choose.

Fuel

Mild Hybrid · 1499cc

Power

156 ps

Drivetrain

FWD

Cam drive

Chain

Quoted MPG

46 mpg

The volume 1-Series. 1.5 three-cylinder turbo (B38) with 48V mild-hybrid in the F70 generation. Chain-driven, FWD. The BMW that drives like a Golf.

Tell us about the one you're looking at

Year of registration2023

20182026

Mileage on the clock27,699 mi

0Expected: 27,699180k

Conditiongood

PoorFairGoodExcellent

Tidy and well looked-after for its age — the typical car.

Region

Remembered as you browse other cars.

Know the registration?

Optional — fills in the exact year and ULEZ status for your specific car. The registration isn’t stored.

Estimated market value

£18,500

Range £15,600 – £21,600

medium confidence

When new (2023)£32,500Age-based value£21,125Mileage adjustment+£0Condition & region-£2Market calibration-£1,423Forecourt price£19,700Private sale£17,250Part-exchange£15,200

Buythis 3-year-old

Past the steep drop — most of the depreciation is behind it.

At 27,699 miles it’s about the ~31,524 typical for a 3-year-old.

Seen one for sale?

A data-led guide from the depreciation curve, UK parc trend and reliability — not financial advice.

The depreciation curve

How a 2023-registration BMW 1 Series loses value over time.

Marker = your selection
Dashed = mileage either side

What it costs to own

Over

Based on the 2023 car with 27,699 miles you entered above — worth about £18,500 today — here is the cost of owning it for the next 5 years, at roughly 9,233 miles a year.

5-year total

£20,367

Per year

£4,073

All-in per mile

£0.44

Fuel per mile

15.1p

If a company carAround £407/mo Benefit-in-Kind tax at the 40% rate (£204/mo at 20%) — 33% band

Depreciation£4,290

Fuel / energy£6,992

Servicing£2,570

Road tax£975

Insurance£5,540

If you're a company-car driver

At 33% BIK, a 40% taxpayer would pay about £407/month in company-car tax (£204/month at 20%) — on top of the running costs above. Full BIK table below for context.

Best age to buy — around 4 years

A 4-year-old example loses roughly £1,950 a year — under half the £6,300 a one-year-old sheds. The steepest drop is behind it.

Uses current UK pump and home-charging prices (DESNZ weekly), typical-driver insurance and manufacturer service intervals. "Fuel per mile" is just the energy input — so an EV at ~9p and a diesel at ~22p make running-cost comparison direct. A guide; your own costs will vary.

How it compares

Where this car ranks against the 340 vehicles in our index — higher is better.

Holds its valuebetter than 82%

Reliabilitybetter than 58%

Fuel economybetter than 59%

Cheap to insurebetter than 47%

Percentile rank across our full index. A measure is shown only where the data spreads meaningfully across the index.

Petrol, diesel, hybrid or EV?

How the available versions compare on price, running cost, and the headaches each tends to develop.

120i / 118d (volume)

BMW's premium hatch. Mk3 F40 broke with RWD heritage — now FWD/AWD only. Cross-shop Mercedes A-Class, Audi A3, VW Golf (cheaper, ICE). The M135i is the hot 1 Series — but enthusiasts mourn the old M140i. Old F20/F21 used market for RWD inline-6 fans.

New price: £36,000
Annual fuel / energy: £1,500
3-yr depreciation: 46%

Watch for

·iDrive 7 freezes early units (improved)
·Some 2.0d examples had EGR issues
·FWD/AWD only — broke RWD heritage (criticised by enthusiasts)
·Old M140i (used market, RWD inline-6) cult car

Fuel/energy costs based on this week’s UK averages (w/c 22/06/2026) · Petrol 153.3p/L, Diesel 172.5p/L, Electricity 27.0p/kWh · DESNZ

Estimated insurance

Group 23 of 50 (mid — around the UK average) · Comprehensive · 3 years NCB

Indicative annual comprehensive premiums for this car, by driver age band and risk profile. Pick the combination closest to your circumstances.

No-claims bonus3 years

0 yearsBaseline: 3 years15+

Risk profile:

Estimated annual premium · typical, age 33-39

£1,108/ year

Roughly £92 per month

Typical

Average UK driver — 3 years NCB, average postcode, no recent claims.

Age band	Lower risk	Typical	Higher risk
Age 17-25	£2,526	£3,158	£4,105
Age 26-32	£1,319	£1,551	£1,892
Age 33-39Selected	£975	£1,108	£1,307
Age 40-49	£828	£920	£1,067
Age 50+	£738	£820	£968

How we estimate this

Indicative annual comprehensive premium estimates. The 'Typical' figure represents an average UK driver in each age band; Lower and Higher risk show the realistic spread driven by factors UK insurers legitimately price on (postcode, occupation, claims history, NCB, voluntary excess, modifications). Based on 10,000 miles/yr, £250 voluntary excess, and the no-claims bonus selected above. Always get individual quotes before buying.

Expected annual costs

Adjust the annual mileage to match how you'll actually use the car. Insurance is what you selected above (age 33-39, typical risk, 3 yrs NCB).

Annual mileage9,233 mi/yr

2,000UK avg for this model: 9,23330,000

Routine service

£290

Annual main-dealer service

Major service

£280

Every 2 years, annualised

Road tax

£195

Standard rate, post year-one

Fuel

£1,360

46 mpg, £1.49/L

Insurance

£1,108

Age 33-39, group 23

Clean-air zones

✓ ULEZ compliant

Mild Hybrid variants are compliant with London ULEZ and all UK clean-air zones.
All petrol variants meet Euro 4 standards and are ULEZ compliant.

Based on London ULEZ standards — Birmingham, Bath, Bristol, Sheffield, Glasgow and other UK clean-air zones generally follow the same rules.

Total expected£3,233 / year

Excludes depreciation and unscheduled repairs (see next section).

Unexpected costs

What out-of-warranty repairs typically run, by mileage band. Your selected mileage is highlighted.

0-30k miles

£120

per year · low risk

30-60k miles

£360

per year · low risk

60-100k miles

£780

per year · medium risk

100k+ miles

£1,350

per year · high risk

Tyres

195/65 R15 · 205/55 R16 · 215/45 R17

What a full set of four will cost you (including fit and balance), and which brand each tier of buyer should pick. A typical set lasts about 24,000 miles.

Budget

£300

set of 4, fitted · £60 per tyre

Mid-range

£440

set of 4, fitted · £95 per tyre

Premium

£620

set of 4, fitted · £140 per tyre

What to fit

Optional extras worth paying for

Factory options ranked by how much of their original cost they recover at resale. Anything above 70% return tends to make money back; below 40% is paying for your own enjoyment.

Option	New cost	Added used value	Return
Tow bar (factory-fit) Niche, but the buyers who want one will pay for it.	£650	£450	69%
Parking sensors & reversing camera Near-expected now — its absence costs more than its presence returns.	£500	£300	60%
Heated seats / cold-weather pack	£450	£200	44%
Adaptive / matrix LED headlights	£900	£400	44%
Metallic or premium paint Almost universal — an unusual colour is the bigger resale risk.	£600	£200	33%
Panoramic / opening roof	£1,100	£350	32%
Advanced driver-assistance pack	£1,500	£450	30%
Larger alloy wheels	£700	£200	29%
Premium sound system	£800	£200	25%

Parts most likely to fail

Drawn from owner reports and warranty data. Filtered for relevance to 27,699 miles.

Watch now

Failure typically happens around your current mileage.

Upcoming

A known weak point — but you haven't reached its usual mileage yet.

Already due

Past its usual failure mileage. Either already fixed, or about to.

Tyres & wheelsUpcoming

Typical at over 100k milesCost £80-£500medium severityParts high

Recorded in 7.6% of MOT tests over 100k miles — from 5,701,749 DVSA MOT tests analysed.

BrakesUpcoming

Typical at over 100k milesCost £150-£500medium severityParts high

Recorded in 7.1% of MOT tests over 100k miles — from 5,701,749 DVSA MOT tests analysed.

SuspensionUpcoming

Typical at over 100k milesCost £150-£450medium severityParts high

Recorded in 7.3% of MOT tests over 100k miles — from 5,701,749 DVSA MOT tests analysed.

Lighting & signallingUpcoming

Typical at over 100k milesCost £15-£120low severityParts high

Recorded in 5.6% of MOT tests over 100k miles — from 5,701,749 DVSA MOT tests analysed.

Driver's viewUpcoming

Typical at over 100k milesCost £60-£300low severityParts high

Recorded in 3.1% of MOT tests over 100k miles — from 5,701,749 DVSA MOT tests analysed.

EmissionsUpcoming

Typical at over 100k milesCost £150-£800medium severityParts high

Recorded in 1.9% of MOT tests over 100k miles — from 5,701,749 DVSA MOT tests analysed.

"Parts low/medium/high" indicates how easy the replacement part is to source — discontinued or specialist parts mean longer workshop time and bigger bills.

Safety rating

Euro NCAP's independent crash-test rating for the BMW 1 Series, from its 2019 assessment.

5/5

TEST YEAR2019

Rating expired (test protocol superseded)

The passenger compartment of the 1-series remained stable in the frontal offset test.

Independent crash-test data from Euro NCAP. Star ratings reflect the test protocol of the year shown — newer protocols are stricter, so a 5-star from 2024 represents a higher bar than a 5-star from 2014.

MOT outlook

How this model fares at its MOT as it ages — from 5,791,140 real DVSA test records.

MOT pass rate by age

87.6% at 3yr → 86% at 25yr

A 3-year-old 1 Series passes its MOT 87.6% of the time; by 25 years that has slipped to 86%. The y-axis is zoomed to this model’s range so the trend is readable.

Longevity

0%of 59-year-old examples are still taxed and on the road — a useful read on how well the model lasts.

From 75 vehicles registered in 1967.

Survival by registration year

0% of 1967 cars still on the road

Each point is one registration cohort. Older cars on the left, newer on the right. A flatter line means the model holds up over time; a steep drop means cohorts disappear from UK roads faster.

What’s on the road

The fuel-type split of every 1 Series currently MOT’d in the UK. From 588,489 vehicles.

Diesel 50.0%
Petrol 44.5%
Hybrid 5.1%

Common MOT failures by mileage

The defect categories this 1 Series fails on most often, and how the failure rate climbs as the miles add up — from the same DVSA test records.

Category	0-30k	30-60k	60-100k	100k+
Tyres & wheels	4%	6%	7%	8%
Brakes	1%	2%	4%	7%
Suspension	—	1%	3%	7%
Lighting & signalling	1%	1%	3%	6%
Driver's view	1%	2%	2%	3%
Emissions	—	1%	1%	2%

Share of MOT tests in each mileage band with at least one defect in that category. The peak band for each is highlighted.

Typical mileage by age

The average odometer reading for a 1 Series at MOT, by age — measured from the same DVSA records, not assumed. A useful yardstick for whether a given car has done more or fewer miles than its age suggests.

0 yr29,199
1 yr16,089
2 yr25,234
3 yr31,524
4 yr40,221
5 yr48,652
6 yr57,175
7 yr65,609
8 yr73,913
9 yr81,768
10 yr89,125
11 yr95,635

Mean recorded mileage at MOT by vehicle age, from DVSA test records (ages with at least 10 tests shown).

Reliability

75/ 100

Good

Composite of MOT pass rate, defect prevalence and cohort survival from 5,701,749 tests — high confidence.

MOT outlook · age 5 years

86%first-time pass rate

54th percentile — About catalogue average

Based on 560,878 MOT tests · ranked against 248 catalogue models with comparable data

Where this car sits in the catalogue

Pass-rate distribution across 248 catalogue models

Things owners say

01The key thing to know: 2019-on cars are front-wheel drive. If rear-drive handling is what you're after, that's the previous generation.
02Many cars ride on run-flat tyres, which firm up the ride and cost more to replace - budget for it and check tyre condition.
03The M135i is quick and AWD-secure but check for hard use; the lighter front-drive 128ti is the keener driver's pick.

Safety recalls

Manufacturers occasionally issue safety recalls to fix a fault free of charge. You can check whether the BMW 1 Series, or your exact vehicle, has any outstanding recalls on the official DVSA service.

Check on GOV.UK

Opens the Driver & Vehicle Standards Agency recall checker. Choose the make, model and year of manufacture — no registration needed.

Theft risk

A general indicator from UK 2025 theft data and this car’s characteristics — not a prediction for any one vehicle.

Whole-car theft

Around average

Theft risk is around the UK average. Like most modern cars it has keyless entry, so relay theft is the method to guard against.

Parts theft

Higher

Hybrid versions are a catalytic-converter target — a hybrid cat is rich in precious metals and can be cut out in about a minute.

Worth doing

Keep keys in a Faraday pouch and away from the front door to block relay attacks.
A catalytic-converter guard or forensic marking makes a hybrid far less appealing to cut.

Clean-air zones

Whether driving a BMW 1 Series into a UK clean-air zone will cost you anything. Rules use the same Euro standard across most zones — petrol from 2006 and diesel from 2015 onwards are exempt; pure electric is always exempt.

Charging zones for cars

City	Area	Daily charge	Likely outcome
London	All of Greater London (within the M25)	£12.50	Likely exempt Diesel from September 2015 meets Euro 6.
Birmingham	Inside the A4540 Middleway	£8.00	Likely exempt Diesel from September 2015 meets Euro 6.
Bristol	City centre and part of the Portway	£9.00	Likely exempt Diesel from September 2015 meets Euro 6.
Glasgow	City centre	—	Likely exempt Diesel from September 2015 meets Euro 6.
Edinburgh	City centre	—	Likely exempt Diesel from September 2015 meets Euro 6.
Aberdeen	City centre	—	Likely exempt Diesel from September 2015 meets Euro 6.
Dundee	City centre	—	Likely exempt Diesel from September 2015 meets Euro 6.

Zones that don't charge private cars

Bath — City centre (Private cars and motorbikes are not charged).
Bradford — Outer ring road and the Aire Valley (Private cars are not charged).
Sheffield — Inside the A61 inner ring road (Private cars are not charged).
Newcastle & Gateshead — City centres and the Tyne, Swing, High Level and Redheugh bridges (Private cars are not charged).
Portsmouth — Part of the city centre (Applies to taxis, PHVs, buses, coaches and HGVs only).

Model-level guidance only. To check a specific registration, use the official gov.uk clean-air zone checker. Zone charges and boundaries are set by local councils and change over time.

Company car tax

What HMRC's Benefit-in-Kind charge looks like if you ran this BMW 1 Series as a company car, by tax year and income-tax band. Calculated from a CO₂ of 142 g/km, using £37,000 as the P11D value.

Tax year	BIK %	Tax @ 20%	Tax @ 40%	Monthly @ 20%	Monthly @ 40%
2025-26	33%	£2,442	£4,884	£204	£407
2026-27	34%	£2,516	£5,032	£210	£419
2027-28	35%	£2,590	£5,180	£216	£432
2028-29	35%	£2,590	£5,180	£216	£432
2029-30	35%	£2,590	£5,180	£216	£432

P11D value is approximated from the latest new price; the exact figure on your tax code will depend on options fitted. The 4% diesel surcharge applies only to non-RDE2 (pre-2021) diesels — we assume RDE2 compliance for current models. Bands and rates from HMRC's Autumn Budget 2024 confirmation through 2029/30.

Servicing & the dealer network

How well-supported BMW is across the UK — a practical read on how easy servicing, parts and warranty work will be to find.

Franchised UK dealers

~145

Large network

Premium mainstream

Network size relative to the UK's largest (BMW is 3.2% of all franchised outlets)

Servicing, parts and warranty work are easy to find UK-wide, and most independent garages know the brand well — which keeps maintenance competitive.

For context, the UK has roughly 4,500 franchised car-dealer outlets in total, plus about 15,500 independent garages.

Approximate figures, curated from public UK industry sources (NFDA, Car Dealer Magazine). Franchised networks shrink year on year — these indicate network size, not an exact count.

Dimensions & weight

Length

4,300 mm

Width

1,790 mm

Height

1,460 mm

Kerb weight

1,350 kg

Boot

380–1,250 L

Fuel tank

48 L

How many are still out there

Of every BMW 1 Series ever registered in the UK, this is what's actively on the road, parked off the road on a SORN, or gone for good.

Total ever registered

423,878

Currently taxed & on road

400,032

94% of all registered

SORN (off road)

23,846

6% of all registered

Scrapped or exported

UK fleet trend — 2014 to 2025

-0.5% vs 2024

281,306400,032

Source: DfT VEH0124 vehicle licensing statistics (year-end 2025) · Updated 1 Jul 2026

Common questions

BMW 1 Series, answered

Is the BMW 1 Series ULEZ compliant?: Most petrol BMW 1 Seriess from 2006 and diesels from September 2015 meet the Euro standards for London ULEZ and other UK clean-air zones, so they are generally exempt from the daily charge. Pure-electric versions are always exempt.
What insurance group is the BMW 1 Series in?: The BMW 1 Series sits in insurance group 23 of 50. Your actual premium still depends on age, postcode, annual mileage and no-claims history.
Is the BMW 1 Series reliable?: Our reliability score for the BMW 1 Series is 75 out of 100 (good), derived from DVSA MOT records, with a first-time MOT pass rate of about 86% at the reference age.
What economy does the BMW 1 Series get?: Expect roughly around 46 mpg combined for a typical BMW 1 Series, based on official figures and our running-cost model. Real-world figures vary with driving style, load and conditions.
What are the common problems on the BMW 1 Series?: On the BMW 1 Series, the issues that come up most by mileage include Tyres & wheels, Brakes and Suspension. The section above breaks down each one with its typical mileage, repair cost and severity.
How many BMW 1 Seriess are on UK roads?: About 400,032 BMW 1 Seriess are currently taxed and on the road in the UK, from DfT vehicle-licensing data.

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Same underpinnings

Built on the BMW FAAR / UKL platform

Front-wheel-drive transverse-engine platform for BMW's smaller models, also shared with current Mini. Different badges, often substantially different residuals, but broadly the same mechanicals and repair cost profile.

BMW Front-wheel-drive Architecture · BMW

Common questions

BMW 1 Series, answered from the data

Is the BMW 1 Series reliable?: The BMW 1 Series scores 75/100 on Forecourt's MOT-based reliability measure, ahead of 54% of the cars we track. That is computed from 5,791,140 real DVSA MOT test results.
How much does a used BMW 1 Series cost?: A 2023 BMW 1 Series with around 27,699 miles is worth roughly £18,500 today (typical range £16,700–£20,250). Dealer forecourt prices sit higher and part-exchange offers lower; newer or lower-mileage examples cost more.
How quickly does the BMW 1 Series depreciate?: A new BMW 1 Series typically loses about 35% of its value over the first three years, then depreciates more slowly. Buying at three to five years old avoids the steepest part of the curve.
What insurance group is the BMW 1 Series?: The BMW 1 Series sits in insurance group 23 of 50 — the middle of the scale. Exact premiums depend on the trim (some versions sit a few groups higher or lower), your age, postcode and no-claims history.
What goes wrong on a used BMW 1 Series?: The most common age-related issues we track for the BMW 1 Series are: tyres & wheels (typically around over 100k miles, £80-£500 to put right); brakes (typically around over 100k miles, £150-£500 to put right); suspension (typically around over 100k miles, £150-£450 to put right). A full service history and a recent MOT with no advisories are the best protection.
What does the BMW 1 Series cost to run?: Expect around 46 mpg combined, £195 a year in road tax, about £290 for a standard annual service. The full cost-of-ownership table above breaks this down per year and per mile for the exact year and mileage you choose.

Answers are generated from this car's Forecourt data — DVSA MOT records, DfT licensing statistics and our valuation model — and update with the weekly data refresh.