Selling a used BMW 3 Series: G20 variants and what's been axed

When you sell a 2021 or newer BMW 3 Series, the offer turns on which version it is, which variant it is, and how well you can prove its history and remaining warranty. Kilometres and condition matter as they do on any car. The 3 Series details are easy to get wrong, though. The updated car reached Australia in late 2022, BMW dropped two variants here in January 2024, and a new generation is due in early 2027.

This guide helps you describe your car precisely, so a buyer values it for what it actually is. Looking after the car is a separate topic, covered in our guide to maintaining a BMW for resale.

Is your 3 Series pre-facelift or LCI?

Apart from the M3, every 2021-on 3 Series sedan belongs to the generation BMW calls G20, and the Touring wagon to its twin, the G21. In 2022 BMW gave it a mid-life update, which it calls an LCI (Life Cycle Impulse). Chasing Cars reported that Australian deliveries of the LCI were due to start in the fourth quarter of 2022, between October and December.

So a car first registered in 2022 could be either version, and the year on the rego papers won’t settle it. The dashboard tells you in a few seconds:

Cars arriving from the end of 2024 carry a further update for the 2025 model year. CarExpert reported that it added Operating System 8.5 and a new steering wheel design, and made a sunroof, heated front seats and a heated steering wheel standard across the local range.

Why it matters: a buyer comparing listings treats an LCI car as the newer design, and anyone pricing your car needs to know which one they are looking at. Say “LCI” or “pre-LCI” on the valuation call, along with the month the car was first registered.

Which variant do you have, and why does it matter?

Don’t go by the badge on the boot lid. Owners sometimes remove or swap badges, so check the original invoice or the service records, or ask a BMW dealer to look the car up by its VIN. Below the M3, the LCI sedan launched in Australia in four variants, with these outputs reported by Chasing Cars:

The 330i also came as a Touring wagon, the only engine offered in that body. CarExpert quoted a higher 215kW system output for the 330e, so you may see either figure in listings. The M3 models are different cars with their own buyers. Pre-LCI cars used similar badges, but check the specification on your own paperwork rather than assuming the LCI figures apply.

The variant matters more on a 3 Series than on many cars, because the gap between them is wide. When the LCI arrived, CarExpert listed the 320i at $78,900, the 330i at $93,400 and the M340i xDrive at $104,990 before on-road costs. Those were new-car list prices in 2022, not a guide to what any of these cars is worth today. They do show why a 330i described as a 320i, or the other way round, produces the wrong number.

What does it mean that the 320i and 330e were dropped?

In January 2024 BMW Australia cut the 320i and the 330e plug-in hybrid from the range. CarExpert reported that this left the 330i as the entry point at $94,700 before on-road costs, about $14,500 more than the 320i’s last list price of $80,200. BMW said it would shift its focus from the 330e to the fully electric i4 eDrive35. For the 2025 model year BMW cut the 330i sedan’s list price to $89,900, but neither dropped variant came back.

For you as a seller, three things follow.

• Your buyer can only buy used. Anyone who wants a G20 320i or 330e is choosing between used cars, so yours is judged against other used examples rather than a new one.
• There is no automatic premium. A discontinued variant isn’t worth more just because it’s discontinued. Kilometres, condition, history and the number of similar cars for sale still set the price.
• A 330e suits a particular buyer. It makes most sense for someone who can charge at home, so a 330e buyer asks more about the battery and charging than a 330i buyer asks about the engine.

It also helps to know how the badge holds value in general. European luxury cars usually lose value faster than Japanese and Lexus equivalents, and higher out-of-warranty parts and servicing costs are a common reason given. One commercial resale guide puts a 3 Series at roughly 45 to 55 per cent of its new price after three years. Treat that as a broad indication only. It is not a valuation of your car.

Should you wait for the new 3 Series to arrive?

On 30 September 2026 BMW revealed the next 3 Series, coded G50. It looks very like BMW’s new electric i3 sedan, but CarExpert reported that underneath it is an evolution of the current car rather than the i3’s electric platform. It launches with petrol engines only, all with 48-volt mild-hybrid assistance.

The same day, CarExpert reported that BMW Australia had confirmed the G50 sedan for early 2027. It arrives first as a rear-wheel-drive 320 from $83,900 and an all-wheel-drive M350 xDrive from $128,900, both before on-road costs. BMW says a plug-in hybrid will join the range over the coming year, but it hasn’t been confirmed for Australia.

What the new model will do to G20 prices, nobody can tell you yet, because nobody knows how buyers will take to it. What it does change is the comparison. From early 2027, a buyer weighing up a used 320i can look at a new 320 again, which hasn’t been possible since the 320i was dropped. If you were already planning to sell within the year, waiting to see the effect has its own cost: your car keeps adding kilometres and months. A firm offer now tells you where you stand while you decide.

Selling a 330e: battery, charging gear and warranty

A 330e pairs the 2.0-litre turbo engine with an electric motor and a battery you charge from a power point or a wall charger. BMW claimed up to 57 km of electric range for the updated car, CarExpert reported. A buyer will want to know the battery is healthy, and the warranty helps you answer that.

Plug-in hybrid batteries usually carry their own warranty, on different terms from the rest of the car. Find the high-voltage battery section of your warranty booklet and note the term in years and kilometres, the date it started, what counts as excessive loss of capacity, and whether the balance passes to the next owner. If the booklet is missing, ask a BMW dealer what applies to your car.

Before you sell a 330e:

• Find the charging cable or cables that came with the car and put them in the boot.
• Decide whether a wall charger at home stays with the house or goes with you, and tell the buyer.
• Charge the battery fully before the inspection, so the range shown on the dash is a fair reading.
• Ask a BMW dealer whether they can check the battery’s health and put the result in writing.
• Remove the car from your My BMW app account and clear your phone and saved addresses from the car.

Our guide to selling a plug-in hybrid covers the questions buyers ask about PHEVs in more depth.

Which records and warranty details should you gather?

On a 3 Series the paperwork does a lot of the selling. Pull these together before you ask for an offer:

• Service history. If your servicing was recorded digitally rather than stamped in a book, ask a BMW dealer for a printout of the history for your VIN. Add invoices from any independent workshop. Our guide on how service history affects value explains what counts and how to fill gaps.
• Factory warranty start date. BMW Australia moved from a three-year to a five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty in late 2022. Chasing Cars reported that the longer term applies to new cars delivered from 1 October 2022. A 3 Series delivered before then had three years, so its factory warranty has already ended. One delivered from October 2022 has cover into late 2027 or beyond. Check the start date in your service booklet, or ask a BMW dealer. Our guide to whether remaining warranty adds value explains why that is worth stating.
• Recalls. Search your VIN on the government’s vehicle recalls site and have any open recall done at a BMW dealer, where recall work is free.
• Keys and books. Both keys, the owner’s manuals and any original parts if the car has been modified.
• Finance. If there’s a loan, a recent payout figure from your lender.

Which options and packs are worth mentioning?

The M Sport package is less of a talking point than many owners expect. Chasing Cars reported that it stayed standard on Australian 3 Series cars with the LCI update, so most cars yours is compared with have it too. Mention it, but put the emphasis on what sets your car apart from the next one.

• The Touring wagon body, if you have one.
• Paint, especially an extra-cost colour.
• Factory options such as upgraded audio or larger wheels, or a sunroof on a car built before it became standard.
• Remaining warranty, or a prepaid service plan (ask BMW whether yours stays with the car).

Your original invoice or build sheet lists the factory options. Aftermarket changes are a different story. Engine tuning, suspension changes or aftermarket wheels tend to shrink the pool of buyers for almost any car, so keep the original parts if you still have them and mention the changes up front.

What will a buyer check on your 3 Series?

Whoever buys your car, a private buyer or a dealer, will run through much the same list. Check it yourself first so nothing surprises you:

Anything you find, mention on the call. A fault you disclose up front is priced once; one found at inspection raises questions about everything else.

Getting a firm offer on your 3 Series

Once you know your version, variant, options and records, you can get a firm number rather than a guess. Sell Your Car Australia is run by Autohaus Australia Pty Ltd, a NSW licensed motor dealer (MD 077404), and our valuer has priced cars since 1992. We buy 3 Series that are 2021 or newer with 100,000 km or less. If yours sits outside that, send it through anyway and we will tell you straight away if we can help.

You get a genuine offer by phone, not an online estimate. If you accept, a deposit is often paid the same day, we inspect the car at a time and place that suits you, and the balance goes into your bank account. We arrange collection anywhere in Australia, and the car is collected only after you confirm the funds have cleared. If there’s finance owing, we deal with your lender directly to pay out the loan, then pay you any equity. The valuation is free, there’s no obligation and no fees come out of the offer.

Peter sold us his BMW 430i Gran Coupe in Melbourne: “Sold my BMW and it was simple and communication was great with no hassles. Very quick and it was a pleasure doing the deal.”

Start on our sell my BMW 3 Series page, read how we buy other prestige cars, or call 1800 73 55 73.