The 3 Series Is Mid Changeover, So Read This First
BMW revealed an all new eighth generation 3 Series at the end of September 2026 and opened order books the same day, with first deliveries expected around the turn of 2026 into 2027. The outgoing seventh generation saloon and Touring are the cars that have been in showrooms up to now.
That means which generation a particular lease is for is a real question rather than a detail, and it is worth settling before you compare quotes. Both are covered below. Ask us which one any specific agreement relates to and we will tell you plainly rather than let you assume.
The New 3 Series
Two petrol engines at launch, both with 48 volt mild hybrid assistance and an eight speed automatic:
- 320, with 211hp and 243lb ft, driving the rear wheels. The core car, and still rear wheel drive, which remains the reason a lot of people choose a 3 Series over its rivals.
- M350 xDrive, with 443hp and 428lb ft from a 3.0 litre straight six and all wheel drive. Worth being clear that this is an M Performance model rather than a full M car; the M3 is a different thing again.
The boot is 450 litres, and at launch the new car is a saloon only. BMW has not announced a Touring, so if you need the estate, that is the outgoing generation for now. A plug-in hybrid is confirmed to be joining the range over the coming year, though BMW has not yet said what it will be called or how powerful it will be.
On trims, BMW names the M Sport package and the M Sport package Pro, with the 320 as the starting point beneath them.
The Outgoing Saloon and Touring
The seventh generation, facelifted in 2024, is available as a saloon and a Touring estate, in Sport or M Sport, with the M Sport Pro package as an option.
- 320i, a 184hp petrol. The straightforward choice.
- 330e, a plug-in hybrid with 292hp combined, a 19.5kWh usable battery and a WLTP electric range of 53 to 63 miles as a saloon or 54 to 61 as a Touring. It takes an 11kW three phase AC charge, which is quicker than most plug-in hybrids manage.
- M340i xDrive, a 374hp 3.0 litre six cylinder mild hybrid with all wheel drive.
All use the eight speed Steptronic automatic. Boots are 480 litres for the saloon and 500 litres for the Touring to the parcel shelf, though the 330e gives up around 105 litres in the saloon and comes down to 410 litres as a Touring, because the battery has to go somewhere.
There Is No 320d Any More
This is the thing worth being honest about, and it surprises almost everyone. There is no diesel in the UK 3 Series range at all. The diesels were dropped from the outgoing car at the 2024 update, and the new generation launches with two petrol engines and no diesel either.
For twenty years the 320d was the default company car in Britain, so if that is what you came here expecting, it is no longer an option. The practical replacements are the 330e plug-in hybrid if you can charge, which will cover most ordinary weeks on electricity and sits far lower on benefit in kind, or a petrol if you cannot. Rates change each tax year, so take the current figures from your accountant. If high mileage diesel is genuinely what you need, tell us and we will look at other brands rather than talk you into the wrong car.
3 Series or i3? They Are Different Cars
BMW has brought back the i3 name for a fully electric saloon that sits alongside the 3 Series, and BMW's own marketing describes it as the electric member of the 3 Series family. That is easy to misread.
They are separate cars built on different architecture. The 3 Series is the petrol and plug-in hybrid car on this page; the i3 is fully electric and has its own page. If you want an electric BMW of this size, it is the i3 you want, not a version of the 3 Series.
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BMW 3 Series Leasing FAQs
Yes. An all new eighth generation was revealed at the end of September 2026 and opened for order the same day, with first deliveries expected around the turn of 2026 into 2027. The outgoing generation is what has been in showrooms, so ask us which one a particular quote relates to.
No. The diesels were dropped from the UK range at the 2024 update of the outgoing car, and the new generation launched with two petrol engines and no diesel. If you specifically need a high mileage diesel, tell us and we will look at other brands rather than put you in the wrong car.
Two petrols, both with 48 volt mild hybrid assistance and an eight speed automatic. The 320 has 211hp and drives the rear wheels. The M350 xDrive has 443hp from a 3.0 litre straight six with all wheel drive. A plug-in hybrid is confirmed to join during the coming year.
Not at launch. The new generation is a saloon only for now and BMW has not announced a Touring. The outgoing generation is available as both a saloon and a Touring, so that is the route to an estate at the moment.
450 litres on the new saloon. On the outgoing car it is 480 litres for the saloon and 500 litres for the Touring, with the 330e plug-in hybrid giving up around 105 litres in the saloon and coming down to 410 litres as a Touring.
They are separate cars. The 3 Series uses petrol engines and a plug-in hybrid. The i3 is a fully electric saloon on different architecture with its own page. BMW's own marketing calls the i3 the electric member of the 3 Series family, which makes them sound like one range, but they are not.
53 to 63 miles on the WLTP test as a saloon, or 54 to 61 as a Touring, from a 19.5kWh usable battery. It also takes an 11kW three phase AC charge, which is faster than most plug-in hybrids accept and makes a real difference if you charge at work.
LetsLease is a credit broker rather than the lender. We arrange the agreement and place it with a funder such as Lex Autolease, Novuna, Ayvens or Santander, and that funder owns the vehicle and holds the agreement with you. Because we work across several funders rather than one, we can compare how each prices the same car.