Overview

Despite the company banging on about the advantages of rear-wheel drive for decades, the current BMW 1 Series is an entirely conventional front-wheel drive hatchback. Given that they’re now a common sight on Britain’s roads, it’s clearly not an issue for the vast majority of people.

The BMW 1 Series should certainly be near the top of your list if you value keen handling, and there’s a wide range of petrol and diesel engines to make the most of it. Of course, the 1 Series has plenty of competition to consider. There are similarly posh alternatives such as the Audi A3 and Mercedes-Benz A-Class, plus more mainstream rivals like the Volkswagen Golf.

Despite rivals moving to almost button-free interiors with plenty of touch-sensitive controls and screens, the 1 Series is rather more traditional. What it lacks in visual drama it more than makes up for in usability while quality impresses.

At the bottom of the 1 Series range is SE. It gets the basics such as 16-inch alloy wheels, auto lights and wipers, climate control, cruise control and automatic emergency braking, but we’d recommend jumping up to Sport trim. It doesn’t cost a great deal more and brings nattier 17-inch wheels, heated seats and more aggressive styling

The 128ti is a hot hatch with plenty of go-faster bits plus unique styling inside and out, while the top M135i is faster still. Neither add much in the way of additional equipment, though. You might want to consider an option pack or two on all models.

Click through our review to find out exactly how good the 1 Series is and whether it can beat rivals. We’ll tell you if it’s good to drive, how spacious it is, what it’ll cost you and how plush it is inside. Also, to learn a bit more about how we test cars, take a look at our explainer page.