BMW 530e iPerformance plug-in hybrid (2017) review

Updated: 15 August 2017
BMW 530e iPerformance review by CAR magazine
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By Adam Binnie

Bauer Automotive's commercial content editor; likes bikes and burgers, often over-tyred

By Adam Binnie

Bauer Automotive's commercial content editor; likes bikes and burgers, often over-tyred

► Full UK BMW 530e review
► We test 530e iPerformance 4dr
► Prices, specs, verdict and more 
 

Having your company-car cake and eating it these days invariably means you’ll need a petrol pump and a plug socket – and so logically we arrive at the first plug-in BMW 5-series.

Copying the format from the wildly popular 330e, the BMW 530e iPerformance saloon combines a conventional petrol engine and an electric motor to deliver both power and ultra-low benefit-in-kind bills.

What’s more, BMW promises enough all-electric range for a relatively long commute, so if there’s a plug at both ends, you’ll only need to visit a filling station during every other Olympic Games. In theory…

Our guide to electric BMW cars

A hybrid BMW 5-series? Oh snore…

Where have you been? The days of the whingey-CVT eco-sackcloth are gone – a good plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) is now almost indistinguishable in use from a conventional drivetrain.

Check out our Best Hybrids and Plug-In Electric cars list

Only three extra eDrive modes separate the driving process from a common or garden 5-series, allowing you to select an automatic hybrid mode, a performance set-up and a function to charge the battery on the move.

BMW 530e M Sport 2017

The 9.2kWh lithium-ion battery allows up to 29 miles of electric-only driving, and a real-world combined range of about 400 miles. Together the 182bhp 2.0-litre petrol engine and a 95bhp electric motor produce 249bhp (no, we don’t understand the maths either) plus a system total of 310lb ft of torque.

The astute among you will note that those figures are broadly similar to the 530d’s outputs – admittedly there isn’t quite as much torque, but you do get it 650rpm earlier. As such the 0-62mph times are more or less comparable, with the plug-in taking 6.2 seconds in the benchmark sprint.

Oh, and they also cost about the same…

So which is better? BMW 530e or 530d?

Well, the cliché about plug-ins performing better on paper than in the real world still holds some truth. 

Browse BMW 5-series for sale

BMW 530e reviews: we've tested plug-in 5-series in the UK

The 530e is a fast and economical car, but only for as long as the battery lasts. Sooner or later, on a long run or when you can’t find a plug, the juice will run out and the performance and fuel economy will tumble. 

As a private buyer, the 530e will perform better than the 530d, providing you think ahead about charging and manage the battery on the move. The 530d, on the other hand, is pretty quick and frugal without any extra consideration, so whether or not you can be bothered with the plug-in’s extra requirements will come down to personal preference and circumstance.

If it’s a company car though, your benefit-in-kind saving is based on the 530e’s tested 46g/km of CO2, which bears no relation in the real world to how often you charge it. Tax bills should be commendably low.

I promise to charge it daily… how long does it take to top up a 530e’s batteries?

Expect a top-up time of 2 hours 45 minutes from a wallbox, or 4 hours 30 minutes from a domestic three-pin socket – that’s quick enough to allow an overnight charge at home and a daytime top-up at the office.

A BMW 530e or a 530d? Our 5-series review decides

Something we’re quite excited about is the option to charge wirelessly, which should be available from 2018, allowing you to simply position your car over a special recharging mat to replenish the battery – no need to faff around with cables. Like the inductive charger for your smartphone though, it’ll take a little longer to fill the car up.

The batteries are situated under the rear seats, where the petrol tank usually goes, so that’s been moved backwards. As a result the BMW 530e’s boot now measures 410 litres, 120 litres smaller than before. It’ll also be half-filled with cables most of the time – worth considering.

Check out lease rates for the BMW 530e

Will my neighbours know I’ve got a BMW hybrid?

Styling changes are quite subtle but the trained eye will note the blue grille slats and wheel hub covers, the extra charging socket, and the eDrive/530e badging.

Inside there are illuminated eDrive sill panels, plus the aforementioned eDrive button and specially designed instrument cluster.

Plug-in hybrid: the first BMW 5-series PHEV is the 530e iPerformance

Probably the biggest give away for the Joneses will be the power cable snaking out from your garage, of course…

Verdict

Plug-in hybrids haven’t quite reached the point of mass appeal yet, but this latest generation (BMW 530e included) looks like a genuinely practical alternative to diesel power.

Sure there are still criteria to meet before a PHEV makes complete sense over a 530d – but that’s getting less restrictive with every evolution.

Providing you don’t live too far from work and are able to keep the thing charged, the 530e makes a great case for itself as a surprisingly cheap-to-own company car.

More BMW reviews by CAR magazine

Specs

Price when new: £43,985
On sale in the UK: Now
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol and electric motor, 249bhp @ 5000rpm, 310lb ft @ 1350rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto, rear-wheel drive
Performance: 6.2sec 0-62mph, 155mph (limited), 141.2mpg, 46g/km of CO2
Weight / material: 2420kg/steel and aluminium
Dimensions (length/width/height in mm): 4936/1868/1479mm

Rivals

Other Models

Photo Gallery

  • BMW 530e iPerformance review by CAR magazine
  • Extra fuel filler flap on left flank giveaway this is the PHEV BMW 530e
  • The first plug-in BMW 5-series: we review the 530e
  • Regular BMW 5-series profile, but boot suffers by 120 litres
  • 530e: a new kind of BMW iPerformance badging
  • Tech secrets of the BMW 530e: the plug-in hybrid gubbins
  • Inside the BMW 530e cabin; similar to regular 5-series interior
  • BMW 530e review: the road test by CAR magazine
  • BMW 530e price: the plug-in hybrid costs £43,985 in the UK
  • Rear legroom: the BMW 530e iPerformance has batteries under the back seats
  • Battery pack provides e-go, but nibbles into bootspace

By Adam Binnie

Bauer Automotive's commercial content editor; likes bikes and burgers, often over-tyred

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