New BMW 3 Series (G50): Specs, Prices, M350 and How It Compares

Last updated: 30 September 2026

Every new 3 Series gets judged twice. The first time is on launch day, when the press work out how it drives. The second comes a few years later, when people like us work out how it looks lowered, on the right wheels, with a splitter on.

With the G50, we've gone straight to the second test. We like the answer enough to order one.

The new BMW 3 Series is the eighth generation, codenamed G50. It's a petrol mild-hybrid saloon built on a heavily reworked version of the outgoing G20's platform, sold alongside an electric i3 that shares its looks but not its underpinnings. UK prices start at £44,975 for the 320, and the range-topping M350 xDrive, powered by a 443 hp version of the B58 straight-six, costs from £66,785. In the US, the range starts at $49,900 for the 330.

The new BMW 3 Series at a glance

How much is the new BMW 3 Series?

Four versions make up the UK launch line-up, and the US gets its own mix of models. Prices are on-the-road in the UK and MSRP in the US.

US prices exclude the $1,350 destination and handling fee, and the US i3 50 xDrive has a preliminary EPA-estimated range of 446 to 468 miles. If the M350's outputs look different between markets, they aren't: Europe quotes metric horsepower (443 PS), while the US quotes 437 hp. It's the same engine.

The i3 reaches UK customers first, in autumn 2026, with the petrol cars following in January 2027. US deliveries of every model start in the first quarter of 2027. There's no manual gearbox, and the entry-level 318 sold in other markets isn't coming to the UK. An i3 M60 xDrive follows in 2027, with a plug-in hybrid due later.

UK trims run from the standard car through M Sport and M Sport Pro, with the M350 as a standalone model. For anyone planning to modify, the trim matters, because it decides which factory styling parts you start with.

Source: BMW UK. In the US, the equivalent M Sport Professional package also adds a gloss black boot spoiler.

What's the difference between the new 3 Series and the BMW i3?

BMW gave itself an unusual brief: two powertrains on two completely different platforms, presented to customers as one 3 Series. Line a petrol car up next to an i3 and, from straight ahead or straight behind, you'd struggle to tell them apart.

The differences show up down the side. The petrol car has a longer bonnet to make room for the straight-six, and a much longer gap between the front wheel and the door, which is the easiest way to tell which is which in traffic. The i3 is slightly wider, 25 mm taller and rides on a wheelbase around 38 mm longer, with a shorter, more tapered nose.

Metric figures converted from BMW USA data.

Underneath, they're twins with different skeletons. The i3 sits on BMW's Neue Klasse electric platform, where the battery pack forms part of the car's structure and its top cover doubles as the cabin floor. The petrol G50 has no battery in the floor to stiffen it, so BMW's engineers built that stiffness through the body structure and bracing instead.

If that sounds familiar, look at MINI. The current petrol Cooper (F66) is a heavily reworked version of the car it replaced, while the Cooper Electric (J01) sits on a completely separate electric platform. From the kerb they look like the same car. Underneath, they're very different. BMW has now done the same thing with its most important model.

They're even built in different places. The petrol G50 comes from Dingolfing, BMW's largest European plant and the place that first built 3 Series in 1980. The i3 is built in Munich, where the very first 3 Series rolled off the line in 1975. The four- and six-cylinder engines are made at BMW's plant in Steyr, Austria.

Is the new BMW 3 Series based on the G20?

Yes. The petrol G50 is a heavily reworked evolution of the CLAR platform under the outgoing G20 3 Series, rather than an all-new car.

It's slightly bigger than the G20 in every direction, with a longer wheelbase and wider tracks front and rear, and it's heavier too. The suspension layout is the same type as before, a double-joint spring strut front axle and a five-link rear, but almost everything about how it's set up has changed. BMW has added more caster and less static negative camber at the front, more negative camber at the rear, a revised steering ratio and preloaded anti-roll bar mounts at both ends, which reduce initial body roll without needing overly stiff springs. The M350 gets extra bracing on top: a strut tying the front suspension towers to the front of the car, and a V-shaped brace running towards the rear axle.

Those who've already sat in one say the heritage is obvious from the driver's seat. The seating position and the shape of the cabin around you feel just like a G20, even though almost everything you look at and touch has changed.

That's no bad thing. The G20's platform went on to underpin the G80 M3, so it's a well-proven base, and BMW has spent its development money refining it rather than starting again. For anyone who modifies cars, that could matter more than anything else in the press pack. More on that shortly.

The B58, one more time: BMW M350 engine and specs

The M350 xDrive is powered by the B58, BMW's three-litre turbocharged straight-six, now paired with a 48V mild hybrid system. We should declare an interest. The B58 is one of our favourite engines of the last decade, and seeing it carry on in a new 3 Series is very good news indeed.

It first appeared in 2015 in the F30 340i, making 326 hp. Since then it has powered almost every six-cylinder BMW worth talking about, from the M140i and M240i to the M340i and Z4 M40i, and even Toyota's Supra. Its reputation is well earned: a big spread of mid-range torque, a proper straight-six sound, and a toughness the tuning world has spent years exploring.

The M350's version is more thoroughly reworked than the badge suggests. BMW lists new turbochargers, reshaped combustion chambers, modified intake ports, and revised camshaft timing, ignition and exhaust routing. It now runs on the Miller cycle for efficiency, and an updated valvetrain cuts the engine's drag when coasting by around two thirds, so the mild hybrid system can recover more energy. Unlike the belt-driven setup on the four-cylinder cars, the M350's electric motor sits inside the eight-speed gearbox housing, adding up to 18 hp and 200 Nm.

Combined outputs are 443 hp and 580 Nm. That's 69 hp and 80 Nm more than the outgoing M340i, and within a whisker of the 450 hp a 2018 F80 M3 Competition made. BMW quotes 0 to 62 mph in 4.1 seconds, which puts it firmly in F80 M3 territory.

As Joe Achilles pointed out in his first look, a closely related mild-hybrid six already sits in the current X3 M50, where it makes around 400 hp. The M350 takes the same family of hardware, adds more power and puts it in a lower, lighter saloon. At a time when most performance saloons are getting smaller engines, or no engine at all, that's worth celebrating.

The rest of the package is just as serious. Power goes through the familiar ZF eight-speed automatic and xDrive all-wheel drive, with an M Sport rear differential, adaptive M suspension, variable sport steering and M Sport brakes as standard. The M Sport and M Sport Plus drive modes are exclusive to the M350, every petrol 3 Series gets shift paddles, and BMW says the M350 is designed to sound louder than the M340i it replaces.

At launch, it cost £4,300 more than the outgoing M340i on list price, and around £130 more than Audi's S5 saloon.

How does the M350 compare with previous fast 3 Series?

Each generation's fastest non-M 3 Series tells the story of the model in one line. Over five generations, output has almost doubled, and the car has grown with it.

Scroll sideways to see every column on smaller screens.

BMW M350 vs M3, Mercedes-AMG CLE 53, Audi S5 and Audi S3

On paper, the M350 lands in interesting company. It has near enough the same power as an F80 M3 Competition, trails the current G80 M3 Competition xDrive by 87 hp, and lines up almost exactly with the Mercedes-AMG CLE 53, which also pairs a mild-hybrid straight-six with all-wheel drive and offers a rear-drive drift mode as an option. Audi's S5 is the closest saloon rival on price, while the S3 sits a class below but is a common cross-shop for buyers moving up.

Scroll sideways to see every column on smaller screens.

Numbers only tell part of the story, and nobody outside BMW has driven a production M350 on UK roads yet. We'll update this comparison once they have.

What is BMW Drift Moment?

Drift Moment is the M350's party trick. Selected through the central screen, it fully opens the clutch that feeds the front axle and switches off the stability control, sending all 443 hp and 580 Nm to the rear wheels. Owners of the current M3, M4 and M5 xDrive will know the idea. Seeing it on a car below full M status is new, and it's the sort of feature that exists mainly to be filmed. We mean that as a compliment.

It won't be there at launch. BMW says Drift Moment will arrive during 2027 through a remote software upgrade, including for cars already delivered. So an M350 bought with all-wheel drive for a British winter can become properly rear-wheel drive later, without anyone picking up a spanner. We'd suggest saving it for a track day.

BMW M Performance Parts for the G50

BMW showed M Performance Parts for both the M350 xDrive and the i3 M60 at launch. Full details, including prices, materials and availability, hadn't been confirmed at the time of writing, but BMW's images give a clear picture of what's coming.

From BMW's images, the M350 kit appears to include a front splitter, Carbon Fibre mirror caps, a Carbon Fibre rear spoiler and a rear diffuser framing the quad tailpipes, along with a red front tow strap and gloss black side skirts. The i3 M60 appears to get its own kit, led by a distinctive twin-plane rear spoiler that sits raised above the boot lid, with a front splitter, side skirts and a rear diffuser.

The most telling detail is that none of it appears to be shared. Each kit looks designed for its own car, because the bumpers and dimensions differ between the petrol and electric models. It backs up what we've been saying since launch day: anything designed for the G50 needs to be designed for the G50 specifically, not adapted from an i3 part, and certainly not from a G20 one.

It's also a useful look at what BMW itself thinks the car needs. Splitter, side skirts, spoiler, diffuser. It's the same brief we'd follow.

Will G20 parts and modifications fit the G50?

This is the question we most want answered, and nobody can answer it definitively yet. What we can do is look at what's carried over and what hasn't.

Start with suspension. The layout is the same type as the G20's, so some familiar mounting principles are likely. But the G50 is heavier, the tracks are wider, the wheelbase is longer, and the geometry, steering and anti-roll bar mounts have all been reworked. BMW is also using those preloaded anti-roll bar mounts to control roll instead of relying on stiff springs, which changes the job a lowering spring has to do. A spring designed around the weight and geometry of a G20 might bolt in and still not give you the ride height or ride quality you're expecting. The same goes for coilovers.

Engine parts are less likely to carry over than we first thought. The M350 still uses a B58, but with new turbochargers, modified intake ports and revised exhaust routing. Further back, there's new bracing towards the rear axle, a mild hybrid system to package around, and a new rear bumper built around four tailpipes. The know-how from G20 intakes and exhausts should carry over, but we wouldn't assume the parts will.

Body styling is more straightforward. The bumpers, sills, lights and even the radar hidden behind the front light panel are all new, so there's no reason to expect G20 aero parts to fit.

Wheels need measuring. The rolling diameter of the factory wheel and tyre has grown from 654 mm to 680 mm, BMW has widened the inner rim widths, and staggered 19 and 20-inch setups run 245 mm front and 255 mm rear tyres, rising to 275 mm at the rear on the optional 20-inch sport package. Add the wider factory tracks and G20 spacer sizes won't simply carry across, while details like PCD, centre bore and brake clearance need confirming on a UK car before anyone orders anything.

Our honest guess is that plenty of the G20 know-how will carry over, and far fewer of the actual parts. We'll know for sure once ours is up on the ramp.

The design: it's all in the proportions

The Neue Klasse face has divided opinion, and we understand why. Step back and look at the whole car, though, and the proportions are really good. Long bonnet, short overhangs, a cabin set well back and a slight wedge to the profile. The beltline, the line that runs under the windows, sits lower than before, which makes the car look lower than the G20 even though it's slightly taller.

The front end is flat, wide and more aggressive than the i3's, with big lower intakes and air curtains that owe something to the M5. BMW has merged the kidneys and headlights into one horizontal light panel, with the radar hidden behind it and heated so it can still see through snow. It works better than we expected. Even with the lights off, the shapes still read clearly rather than leaving a blank black panel.

The M350 gets plenty to set it apart: a three-line kidney graphic instead of two, M Yellow Lights previously reserved for CS and CSL models and exclusive to the M350 in this range, an M logo built into the light panel rather than stuck on as a badge, black M mirror caps with a new fin, its own rear light graphic, a boot lip spoiler and four proper tailpipes.

On the petrol cars, M Sport adds body-coloured side skirts, sportier bumpers and a functional rear diffuser. M Sport Pro adds black mirror caps and red brake calipers, and in the US the M Sport Professional package also adds a gloss black boot spoiler. The four-cylinder cars hide their exhausts completely, and BMW deserves credit for not fitting fake tailpipes to the 320, as some rivals would. It does mean a 320 and an i3 look almost identical from behind. Both get smoked rear lights that stay dark until you unlock the car, which looks particularly good at night.

The weak point is the side. The flanks are almost completely flat, with only a faint line through the doors, and in a strong colour like Fire Red with black wheels the profile loses definition. The new pop-out door handles and larger M badging have divided opinion too. The flat sides don't worry us, though. If anything, they're exactly why side skirts will suit this car so well.

Eleven colours are available, led by M Le Castellet Blue and including Fire Red, Eucalyptus Green and M Brooklyn Grey, with BMW Individual finishes to follow. Carbon Fibre will look very different against each of them, which is worth thinking about before you choose.

How we'd style the G50

Because the proportions are right, the G50 doesn't need much. It needs the right few things, and a front splitter, side skirts and a rear spoiler will make it look very smart indeed.

The splitter comes first. The front end is already flat and wide, and extending its lower edge adds shadow under the bumper, which makes the whole car look lower and more planted.

Side skirts will do more on this car than on most. A skirt adds a dark line along the bottom of that flat door panel, which breaks up the side and visually brings the car closer to the ground.

Then the spoiler. In the UK, only the M350 gets a boot spoiler from the factory, so on a 320 it's the single biggest change you can make to the silhouette. The M350 gets a lip from the factory, so the question there is how much further to take it. Lower down, a rear diffuser has two different jobs: framing four tailpipes on the M350, and giving the tip-free rear of a 320 or 330 something to anchor it.

Wheels are where the look will change most. A wheel with a bit of concave, where the spokes dish inwards towards the centre, adds depth and makes the car look a lot more aggressive. Paired with the right width and offset to fill the arches, it'll transform the side view, especially on M350s, whose standard Jet Black 19s tend to disappear in photos.

Whether it's Pre-preg Carbon Fibre or gloss black ABS Plastic, the principle is the same: add depth low down and keep the upper body clean. And the order matters. Settle wheels and ride height first, then choose aero that suits that stance, then add Carbon Fibre detail. Do it the other way round and you'll end up buying a splitter twice.

Get it right and it's the kind of car you'll turn back to look at every time you park it.

Inside: a step forward in tech, a step back in quality

The cabin is where the G50 moves furthest from the G20, and not always in the right direction.

The technology is a clear step forward. BMW's Panoramic Vision display runs across the full width of the base of the windscreen, putting key information right in your eyeline and replacing a conventional instrument cluster, and every first-look review we've seen rates it highly. It works alongside a 17.9-inch central touchscreen, an optional 3D head-up display and BMW's new Operating System X, which is quick and logical to use. Physical controls remain for the volume, hazard lights, rear demist, parking brake and gear selector. The M350 adds sportier seats, larger paddles, a flat-bottomed M steering wheel and M-specific screen graphics that change with each drive mode.

Quality is another matter. Below the dashboard, around the door bins and cupholders, the plastics look harder and cheaper than in the current car. The iDrive rotary controller has gone, the air vents are now adjusted through the touchscreen, and the seat controls have moved from the seat to the door. It feels like the budget went into what you see and away from what you touch.

Plenty of buyers will happily accept that trade. On a car at this price, we'd rather BMW hadn't made it.

Why we're ordering one

We're ordering a G50 as a shop car, and we're excited to develop it.

Partly that's down to everything above. Proportions that suit aero, flat sides that suit skirts, a B58 up front and a chassis with plenty of G20 in it. That combination doesn't come along often.

Mostly, though, it's because the only way to properly answer the questions in this guide is with a real car. How much of the G20 aftermarket carries over. How the new geometry changes ride height and fitment. What the new body needs, and what it doesn't. None of that can be answered from a press release or a render.

So ours will be measured and scanned before anything is designed for it, and we'll update this guide as it develops. Until then, treat anything sold as G50-specific with healthy suspicion, and ask where its fitment data came from. We've done the same on everything from the G80 M3 to the G87 M2, and the G50 will be no different.

When we have something measured, tested and worth fitting, you'll read about it here.

Specifications from BMW Group press materials for the UK, global and US markets. Rival figures are manufacturer data. Images: BMW Group.