Compare the2023 Toyota Camry HybridVS 2023 BMW 330e

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Fuel Economy and Range
Transmission
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Ergonomics
Recommendations

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Toyota Camry Hybrid have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The BMW 330e doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Toyota Camry Hybrid are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The BMW 330e doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Camry Hybrid are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The 330e doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Camry Hybrid XLE offers an optional Rear Cross Traffic Braking that uses rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically applies the brakes to prevent a collision. The 330e doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

The Camry Hybrid XLE/XSE offers an optional Bird’s Eye View Camera to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The 330e only offers a rear monitor and front and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the sides.

Both the Camry Hybrid and the 330e have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, plastic fuel tanks, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, post-collision automatic braking systems, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, available blind spot warning systems and rear cross-path warning.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Toyota Camry Hybrid is safer than the BMW 330e:

	Camry Hybrid	330e
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	140	145
Neck Injury Risk	20%	23%
Neck Compression	13 lbs.	32 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Neck Injury Risk	21%	33%
Neck Stress	136 lbs.	170 lbs.
Neck Compression	45 lbs.	74 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Toyota Camry Hybrid is safer than the BMW 330e:

	Camry Hybrid	330e
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Chest Movement	.7 inches	.8 inches
Abdominal Force	136 lbs.	179 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	289	305
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	164	270
Spine Acceleration	35 G’s	39 G’s

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

For its performance in IIHS driver-side and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, updated side impact, headlight, daytime pedestrian crash prevention, and nighttime pedestrian crash prevention testing, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Camry Hybrid its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2023, a rating granted to only 29 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The 330e has not been fully tested, yet.

Warranty

Toyota’s powertrain warranty covers the Camry Hybrid 1 year and 10,000 miles longer than BMW covers the 330e. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 5 years or 60,000 miles. Coverage on the 330e ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

There are almost 4 times as many Toyota dealers as there are BMW dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Camry Hybrid’s warranty.

Reliability

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Toyota vehicles are more reliable than BMW vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Toyota above average in long-term dependability. With 34 more problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, BMW is rated lower.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that Toyota vehicles are more reliable than BMW vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Toyota first in overall reliability. BMW is ranked third.

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Camry Hybrid gets better mileage than the 330e running its gasoline engine:

			MPG
Camry Hybrid
	FWD	LE 2.5 4-cyl. Hybrid	51 city/53 hwy
		SE/XLE 2.5 4-cyl. Hybrid	44 city/47 hwy
330e
	RWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl. Hybrid	25 city/33 hwy
	AWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl. Hybrid	22 city/30 hwy

The Camry Hybrid has 2.6 gallons more fuel capacity than the 330e (13.2 vs. 10.6 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

Transmission

The Camry Hybrid has a standard continuously variable transmission (CVT). With no “steps” between gears, it can keep the engine at the most efficient speed for fuel economy, or keep it at its peak horsepower indefinitely for maximum acceleration. The 330e doesn’t offer a CVT.

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Camry Hybrid SE/XLE’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the 330e (235/45R18 vs. 225/40R19).

The Camry Hybrid has a standard space-saver spare tire so you can replace a flat tire and drive to have the flat repaired or replaced. A spare tire isn’t available on the 330e; it requires you to depend on its run-flat tires, which limits mileage and speed before they are repaired. If a run-flat is damaged beyond repair by a road hazard your vehicle will have to be towed.

Suspension and Handling

For better handling and stability, the average track (width between the wheels) on the Camry Hybrid is .4 inches wider in the front and 1.2 inches wider in the rear than the track on the 330e.

For better maneuverability, the Camry Hybrid LE’s turning circle is 2 feet tighter than the 330e’s (37.4 feet vs. 39.4 feet). The Camry Hybrid SE/XLE/XSE’s turning circle is 1.4 feet tighter than the 330e’s (38 feet vs. 39.4 feet).

Chassis

The Toyota Camry Hybrid may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 600 pounds less than the BMW 330e.

The front grille of the Camry Hybrid uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The 330e doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

Passenger Space

Because it has more passenger and cargo room, the EPA rates the Camry Hybrid a Mid-size car, while the 330e is rated a Compact.

The Camry Hybrid has 5.9 cubic feet more passenger volume than the 330e (99.9 vs. 94).

The Camry Hybrid has .1 inches more front legroom, 1.7 inches more front shoulder room, 2.8 inches more rear legroom and 1.1 inches more rear shoulder room than the 330e.

Cargo Capacity

The Camry Hybrid has a much larger trunk than the 330e (15.1 vs. 13.2 cubic feet).

Ergonomics

The Camry Hybrid offers a remote vehicle starting system, so the vehicle can be started from inside the driver's house. This allows the driver to comfortably warm up the engine before going out to the vehicle. The climate system will also automatically heat or cool the interior. The 330e doesn’t offer a remote starting system.

Optional air-conditioned seats in the Camry Hybrid XLE/XSE keep the driver and front passenger comfortable and take the sting out of hot seats in Summer. The 330e doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats.

Recommendations

Both are recommended, but Consumer Reports® chose the Toyota Camry Hybrid as its “Top Pick,” the highest scoring vehicle in its category, based on reliability, safety and performance.

The Toyota Camry outsold the BMW 3 Series by almost 10 to one during 2022.