For more than five decades, the BMW 3 Series has been one of the defining names in the sports sedan world. Now, BMW is taking the nameplate into a new era without forcing it down a single powertrain path.

The eighth-generation BMW 3 Series has arrived with a choice of fully electric and gasoline powertrains, marking the first time the 3 Series is being offered as part of BMW’s Neue Klasse generation. The new BMW i3 brings the all-electric version, while conventional 3 Series models continue with gasoline engines and 48-volt mild-hybrid technology.

BMW says the new generation builds on more than 18 million 3 Series vehicles sold over more than 50 years. Rather than treating electrification as a replacement for the traditional 3 Series, the company is putting both approaches under the same design, technology and driving philosophy.

That makes this 3 Series particularly interesting. It is not simply an electric car that happens to carry the i3 name, nor is it a conventional sedan with an electric version bolted onto the lineup. BMW has designed the electric and combustion models around the same Neue Klasse-era technology and visual identity.

Electric and gasoline 3 Series models share the same basic identity

The new sedan uses BMW’s latest design language, with the electric i3 and combustion-powered 3 Series models looking remarkably similar. The cars have the familiar 3 Series proportions, including a long wheelbase, short overhangs, a set-back glasshouse and pronounced wheel arches.

The front end brings BMW’s kidney grille and twin headlights together into a new visual treatment, while flush-fitting door handles and a more technical rear light design give the sedan a distinctly Neue Klasse appearance.

BMW has also kept the differences between the two powertrain versions relatively subtle. Most of the interior and digital experience is shared, with only the changes required by their respective drivetrains separating the models.

That includes BMW Panoramic iDrive, the Central Display and BMW’s Intelligent Personal Assistant with Alexa+ technology. The new cars also offer advanced driver assistance features, including hands-free highway driving at speeds of up to 85 mph in the U.S. when equipped with the appropriate system.

The BMW i3 brings serious electric performance

The new BMW i3 is the headline technological change for the 3 Series. It is the first fully electric 3 Series built on BMW’s Neue Klasse architecture and uses the company’s sixth-generation BMW eDrive technology.

In the U.S., the initial electric model is the BMW i3 50 xDrive. It combines dual-motor all-wheel drive with 463 horsepower and 475 lb-ft of torque, allowing it to accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in a claimed 4.5 seconds.

BMW says the i3 50 xDrive can deliver an estimated range of up to 468 miles in the U.S. market. Its 108.7-kWh battery supports charging at up to 400 kW, and BMW says a compatible DC fast charger can add up to 208 miles of range in 10 minutes.

The global lineup also includes the i3 40 xDrive, which produces 374 horsepower and offers a maximum WLTP range of 441 miles. The higher-specification i3 50 xDrive is rated for up to 567 miles under the WLTP test cycle, although BMW’s U.S. estimate is lower because the testing methodology differs.

The new electric architecture also introduces bidirectional charging capability, giving the i3 a role beyond simply moving energy from the grid into the vehicle.

BMW is already planning to push the electric 3 Series further. An i3 M60 xDrive M Performance model is scheduled to arrive in 2027.

BMW isn’t giving up on the six-cylinder

The other half of the story is arguably just as interesting.

At the top of the gasoline-powered lineup sits the new BMW M350 xDrive, which uses a 3.0-liter inline-six engine paired with 48-volt mild-hybrid technology. It produces 443 horsepower and 428 lb-ft of torque in the U.S. specification.

BMW says the M350 xDrive can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in just 3.9 seconds, with an electronically limited top speed of 155 mph.

That makes the M350 xDrive the performance flagship of the combustion-powered 3 Series range, and BMW is using it to demonstrate that its Neue Klasse transition does not mean abandoning the character associated with its traditional performance cars.

The M350 xDrive also introduces a feature called Drift Moment. When activated, the system sends the engine’s drive fully to the rear wheels, allowing the driver to deliberately break traction at the rear. BMW says the feature will arrive in 2027 and will also be enabled on cars already delivered through a Remote Software Upgrade.

Below the M350 xDrive, the U.S. lineup includes the new BMW 330 and 330 xDrive. Both use four-cylinder gasoline engines with 48-volt mild-hybrid technology.

BMW’s latest combustion engines use the Miller cycle, updated Valvetronic technology and energy recuperation through the 48-volt system. The company says these changes improve efficiency while still allowing the mild-hybrid system to provide additional assistance during acceleration and enable short periods of electric-only driving.

A plug-in hybrid version is also planned for the broader 3 Series lineup over the coming year.

The technology underneath is changing just as much

The new 3 Series isn’t simply about adding an electric version. BMW has rebuilt much of the car’s underlying electronic and driving architecture.

The electric i3 uses BMW’s “Heart of Joy” control unit, one of four high-performance computing systems introduced with Neue Klasse. BMW says the system operates ten times faster than the control architecture used in its previous-generation vehicles.

The combustion-powered models use a separate BMW Driving Stack tailored specifically to the characteristics of an internal-combustion drivetrain.

Both approaches are intended to produce the same basic result: faster and more precise coordination of the car’s drive, braking and steering systems.

The chassis has also been reworked, with wider tracks and revised steering intended to improve agility. Adaptive Suspension and Adaptive M Suspension are available, while Adaptive M Suspension comes standard on the M350 xDrive.

A new 3 Series for a two-powertrain world

BMW’s decision to launch the electric i3 alongside gasoline-powered 3 Series models says a lot about where the company sees the automotive market heading.

Rather than replacing the combustion 3 Series with an electric successor, BMW is keeping both technologies within the same family. The electric models get the newest battery, charging and computing technology, while the gasoline models continue to evolve with mild-hybrid assistance and more efficient engines.

The approach also means buyers do not have to choose between a completely different design and technology package simply because they choose a different powertrain.

In the U.S., the new 3 Series starts at $49,900 for the 2027 BMW 330, before the $1,350 destination and handling charge. The 330 xDrive starts at $51,900, while the M350 xDrive starts at $65,900. The fully electric i3 50 xDrive starts at $61,500, also before destination and handling.

BMW began taking orders for the new 3 Series on September 30, 2026, with first deliveries expected around the turn of 2026 and 2027.

Production is split between BMW’s Munich and Dingolfing plants. The fully electric i3 is built in Munich, the historic home of the 3 Series, while the combustion-powered models are being produced at Dingolfing.

There is an interesting bit of symbolism in that arrangement. BMW’s Munich plant built the first 3 Series in 1975, and now it is producing the first fully electric 3 Series. From 2027, BMW plans for the Munich facility to manufacture only fully electric Neue Klasse vehicles.

The 3 Series, meanwhile, continues on at Dingolfing with its combustion engines.

For BMW, that makes the new 3 Series more than another model launch. It is effectively a demonstration of how the company intends to handle the transition to electric vehicles: not by making the combustion engine disappear overnight, but by letting electric and gasoline cars coexist within the same core model family.