BMW X3 hybrid running costs, insurance, warranty & tax
As ever with plug-in hybrids, the BMW X3 makes the most sense for company-car owners, but runs its diesel counterpart close
| Insurance group | Warranty | Service interval | Annual company-car tax cost (20%/40%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 38-39 | 3yrs/unlimited miles | 1yr/12,000 miles | From £1,288 / £2,576 |
Unlike some plug-in hybrids, the X3 xDrive30e doesn't command a big premium over its purely fossil-fuelled relatives. But that's only half the story – when it comes to running costs, particularly for company-car drivers, the hybrid is the clear winner.
Benefit-in-Kind tax of 12%, compared to high-30s for the diesel, translates to around a £5,000 annual saving for a 40% taxpayer. Both company and private buyers, meanwhile, should enjoy greatly reduced fuel bills – particularly if they do a lot of short journeys regularly, negating the need to use the petrol engine at all. It all adds up to a very convincing package.
BMW X3 hybrid insurance group
The X3 xDrive30e starts in insurance group 38 in X-Line trim, but stepping up to M Sport will bring a slight hike to group 39. It's cheaper to insure an xDrive20d by a factor of 10 insurance groups or so – mainly due to the added potential repair costs incurred by the complexity of a plug-in hybrid system.
Warranty
BMW offers a three-year/unlimited-mileage warranty on all its cars, so that applies here. However, as is often the case, there's a separate arrangement for the electrical element. The car's battery is covered by a six-year/60,000-mile warranty as standard; provided you've kept up with recommended servicing, you can pay to extend the warranty after this.
Servicing
Service intervals vary with use, but BMW offers an easy-to-understand payment plan to spread the cost. The BMW Pay Monthly service plans two services and can be transferred to another BMW model if required; the plan also includes fluid top-ups and complementary car cleaning.
Road tax
First-year road tax (VED) is largely irrelevant as it's rolled into the car's on-the-road price – but thanks to the X3's low CO2 emissions, it sits at just £10. You pay a flat rate of £145 a year thereafter, but all models cost over £40,000 and so incur a surcharge of £335 in years two to six of ownership, pushing total annual payments to £480 during that time.
