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BMW 330e review: range, MPG, CO2 & charging

The 330e's electric range isn't quite the best in class, but the plug-in BMW should still offer low running costs

Overall rating

4.5 out of 5

Range, MPG, CO2 & charging rating

4.0 out of 5

Fuel economy

CO2 emissions

Electric range

Wallbox charge time

177-217mpg

30-39g/km

34-38 miles

3hrs 24mins (0-100%, 3.7kW)

In order to make the most of the BMW 330e’s plug-in hybrid (PHEV) powertrain, you should make sure that it’s always fully charged up before you set off. Like all PHEVs, the 330e works best if you tend to do short and medium-length trips where you can rely on the electric motor to do most of the work, as for longer trips a diesel is more efficient.

BMW 330e range, MPG & CO2 emissions

According to BMW’s official figures, the 330e emits between 31 and 36g/km of CO2 and its electric range is up to 38 miles, depending on the exact specification you choose. That’s a marginal improvement over the pre-facelift version of the car, which could do 37 miles, but we still wouldn’t expect to see anything close to that in the real world without concerted effort – about 30 miles would be safe to bet on from a full charge.

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Motorway miles and cold weather, as with all electric models, will reduce your range the most, so if you stick to local roads with low speed limits, you could probably get 35 miles out of the battery on a good day. That should be plenty for most people’s commutes, but is still less than what’s possible in plug-in hybrid versions of the Mercedes C-Class and Volvo S60.

In our experience, the 330e returns around 40-45mpg fuel economy in varied use (including some motorway mileage) when the petrol engine is running. That’s good to hear given several manufacturers – including BMW – are vastly cutting down their diesel fleets, leaving plug-in hybrids as some of the most economical motorway cars available.

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Hello there, I’m Tom Jervis and I have the pleasure of being the Content Editor here at DrivingElectric. Before joining the team in 2023, I spent my time reviewing cars and offering car buying tips and advice on DrivingElectric’s sister site, Carbuyer. I also continue to occasionally contribute to the AutoExpress magazine – another of DrivingElectric’s partner brands. In a past life, I worked for the BBC as a journalist and broadcast assistant for regional services in the east of England – constantly trying to find stories that related to cars!

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