BMW 3 Series vs BMW 8 Series

The short version

The BMW 3 Series is more fuel-efficient: 31 vs 24 MPG combined in its best version.

That works out to about $750 a year less in fuel for the BMW 3 Series (EPA estimate, 15,000 miles).

The BMW 8 Series is the bigger car, about 6 inches longer.

Across all model years since 2005, the BMW 8 Series has had fewer recall campaigns (1 vs 4).

The two cars

The 2026 BMW 3 Series is a compact car offered with 2 engines (2.0L 4-cyl turbo and 3.0L 6-cyl turbo), including a hybrid version and rear-wheel drive and all-wheel drive. It measures about 185 inches long and 72 inches wide on a 112-inch wheelbase, with a curb weight of roughly 3,494 lb (3-Series 330i Xdrive 4dr Sedan).

The 2026 BMW 8 Series is a subcompact car offered with 2 engines (3.0L 6-cyl turbo and 4.4L 8-cyl turbo) and rear-wheel drive and all-wheel drive. It measures about 191 inches long and 75 inches wide on a 111-inch wheelbase, with a curb weight of roughly 4,747 lb (8-Series 2dr Convertible).

Buying used? The 2024 3 Series and the 2024 8 Series have the fewest problems in our data.