BMW 1 Series review - Reliability & safety

BMW doesn’t tend to perform particularly well in terms of customer satisfaction in our Driver Power owner surveys, but the BMW 1 Series itself came smack in the middle of the top 50 models in 25th place in the 2024 edition. Customers liked its handling, build quality and infotainment, although running costs and value for money were less impressive.

BMW 1 Series reliability

BMW reliability across the brand seems to be slightly better than average, with 21.4% of owners reporting having had an issue with their BMW in the first year. Most of these were related to electronics or other issues, but we haven’t heard of any specific horror stories. In terms of general brand satisfaction, BMW came in 14th place out of 32 manufacturers in 2024 – that’s ahead of most of its German rivals and a notable improvement on its 21st-place finish in 2023.

Safety

The 1 Series was awarded the maximum five-star safety rating by Euro NCAP in 2019. It performed well in the adult and child occupant protection categories, as well as for pedestrian safety and active safety features. For comparison, the very high-scoring Mazda3 scored 98% for adult protection, versus 83% for the 1 Series, and 81% rating for vulnerable road users, compared with 76% for the 1 Series.

There are some new features, including a head-up display that can keep your eyes on the road ahead more of the time. Auto emergency braking is standard, with the ability to spot pedestrians and vehicles, along with lane-departure warnings. Optional systems include rear collision and cross-traffic warnings and lane-keeping assistance.