Where each one leads
BMW 3 Series
- Against cars of the same age, the BMW 3 Series comes out better at its first MOT test (passes 9% more often than average) than the Mercedes-Benz E-Class (passes 2% less often than average).
- Fewer BMW 3 Series cars in the Netherlands carry an illogical odometer record (5.4% against 6.3%).
- New BMW 3 Series cars registered in Europe in 2022 average 98 g/km of CO₂ on the WLTP test, against 121 for the Mercedes-Benz E-Class in 2022.
- Measured by the cars' own fuel meters, the diesel hybrid BMW 3 Series uses 6.3 l/100 km on the road, the Mercedes-Benz E-Class 6.5.
- Measured by the cars' own fuel meters, the petrol BMW 3 Series uses 7.9 l/100 km on the road, the Mercedes-Benz E-Class 14.7.
- Measured by the cars' own fuel meters, the diesel BMW 3 Series uses 6.0 l/100 km on the road, the Mercedes-Benz E-Class 6.7.
Mercedes-Benz E-Class
Ahead on none of the like-for-like measures.
Too close to call: NHTSA overall safety rating; real-world fuel use in Europe, petrol hybrid (l/100 km).
Only measures that do not depend on how many cars were sold: pass and failure rates against cars of the same age, ratings, fuel use and CO₂. How we compare
At a glance
| BMW 3 Series | Mercedes-Benz E-Class | |
|---|---|---|
| Model years in the US safety record | 1986–2023 | 1992–2008 |
| New cars registered in Europe | 1,714,816 (2010–2022) | 1,118,006 (2010–2022) |
| Licensed in the United Kingdom | 472,359 | 213,126 |
| On the road in the Netherlands | 127,670 | 41,701 |
| In traffic in Finland | 41,048 | 42,654 |
EEA new-car registrations (CC BY 4.0) · DVLA licensed vehicles (OGL v3.0) · RDW (CC0) · Traficom (CC BY 4.0) · generations: Wikidata (CC0).
Reliability and problems
| BMW 3 Series | Mercedes-Benz E-Class | |
|---|---|---|
| UK MOT first-time pass rate | 75% | 86% |
| … against cars of the same age | +9% | −2% |
| New York safety inspections failed | — | 1.0% |
| … against cars of the same year | — | −46% |
| Illogical odometer records (NL) | 5.4% | 6.3% |
| US owner complaints | 843 | 298 |
| Most complaints about | Air bags | Electrical system |
| Model year with most complaints | 2006 (202) | 2003 (45) |
| US recall campaigns | 8 | 9 |
| Manufacturer service bulletins | 1,116 | 139 |
| NHTSA defect investigations | 23 | 14 |
Complaint, recall and bulletin counts grow with the number of cars sold and are not adjusted for it. UK MOT: DVSA anonymised MOT results (OGL v3.0); New York: DMV inspections; complaints, recalls, bulletins and investigations: NHTSA (public domain); odometer: RDW (CC0).
Safety
| BMW 3 Series | Mercedes-Benz E-Class | |
|---|---|---|
| NHTSA overall rating | 5★ (2022) | 5★ (2023) |
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program, most recent rated model year (public domain).
Fuel, emissions and price
| BMW 3 Series | Mercedes-Benz E-Class | |
|---|---|---|
| Real-world use in Europe, diesel hybrid | 6.3 l/100 km | 6.5 l/100 km |
| Real-world use in Europe, petrol | 7.9 l/100 km | 14.7 l/100 km |
| Real-world use in Europe, petrol hybrid | 9.8 l/100 km | 9.6 l/100 km |
| Real-world use in Europe, diesel | 6.0 l/100 km | 6.7 l/100 km |
| Official CO₂ of new cars in Europe | 98 g/km | 121 g/km |
| Average power of new cars in Europe | 137 kW (184 hp) | 167 kW (224 hp) |
| Average mass in running order | 1,790 kg | 1,970 kg |
| Dutch list price when new (median) | €50,742 | €72,621 |
| Average odometer in Finland | 226,000 km | 294,000 km |
Canada: NRCan Fuel Consumption Ratings, most frugal version of the latest year (OGL Canada). Europe: EEA monitoring of new-car CO₂ and on-board fuel meters (OBFCM), CC BY 4.0. Price: RDW catalogue price (CC0). Finland: Traficom (CC BY 4.0).