Where each one leads
BMW i3
- Against cars of the same age, the BMW i3 comes out better at its first MOT test (passes 6% more often than average) than the Volkswagen Polo (passes 4% less often than average).
- Fewer BMW i3 cars in the Netherlands carry an illogical odometer record (1.4% against 3.9%).
- New BMW i3 cars registered in Europe in 2022 average 0 g/km of CO₂ on the WLTP test, against 125 for the Volkswagen Polo in 2022.
Volkswagen Polo
Ahead on none of the like-for-like measures.
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 i3 | Volkswagen Polo | |
|---|---|---|
| Model years in the US safety record | 2014–2022 | — |
| New cars registered in Europe | 106,473 (2013–2022) | 3,287,019 (2010–2022) |
| Licensed in the United Kingdom | 25,251 | 685,293 |
| On the road in the Netherlands | 7,145 | 292,864 |
| In traffic in Finland | 1,113 | 31,462 |
| Generations on record | — | 5 |
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 i3 | Volkswagen Polo | |
|---|---|---|
| UK MOT first-time pass rate | 88% | 67% |
| … against cars of the same age | +6% | −4% |
| New York safety inspections failed | 1.5% | — |
| … against cars of the same year | −17% | — |
| Illogical odometer records (NL) | 1.4% | 3.9% |
| US owner complaints | 215 | — |
| Most complaints about | Steering | — |
| Model year with most complaints | 2014 (54) | — |
| US recall campaigns | 8 | — |
| Manufacturer service bulletins | 1,307 | — |
| NHTSA defect investigations | 9 | — |
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).
Fuel, emissions and price
| BMW i3 | Volkswagen Polo | |
|---|---|---|
| Real-world use in Europe, petrol | — | 6.3 l/100 km |
| Official CO₂ of new cars in Europe | 0 g/km | 125 g/km |
| Average power of new cars in Europe | 113 kW (151 hp) | 74 kW (99 hp) |
| Average mass in running order | 1,345 kg | 1,190 kg |
| Dutch list price when new (median) | €45,572 | €19,500 |
| Average odometer in Finland | 97,000 km | 140,000 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).