Compare the2026 BMW 3 Series SedanVS 2026 Toyota Crown

The 3 Series Sedan’s pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The Crown doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

Both the 3 Series Sedan and the Crown have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, 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, driver alert monitors, available all wheel drive, blind spot warning systems, around view monitors 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 BMW 3 Series Sedan is safer than the Toyota Crown:

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 BMW 3 Series Sedan is safer than the Toyota Crown:

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

Instrumented handling tests conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and analysis of its dimensions indicate that the 3 Series Sedan, with its five-star roll-over rating, is 2.1% less likely to roll over than the Crown, which received a four-star rating.

The 3 Series Sedan comes with a full 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire car and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The Crown’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 14,000 miles sooner.

The 3 Series Sedan’s corrosion warranty is 7 years longer than the Crown’s (12 vs. 5 years).

BMW pays for scheduled maintenance on the 3 Series Sedan for 1 year and 11000 miles longer than Toyota pays for maintenance for the Crown (3/36,000 vs. 2/25000).

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2025 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that BMW vehicles are better in initial quality than Toyota vehicles. With 4 fewer problems per 100 vehicles, JD Power ranks BMW higher than Toyota.

The 330i’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid produces 19 more horsepower (255 vs. 236) than the Crown’s standard 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid. The M340i’s standard 3.0 turbo 6-cylinder hybrid produces 46 more horsepower (386 vs. 340) than the Crown Platinum’s standard 2.4 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid.

As tested in Car and Driver the 330i 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder is faster than the Toyota Crown 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid:

Both the 3 Series Sedan and Crown have a standard automatic start/stop engine feature to stop unnecessary fuel waste and pollution at stoplights and heavy traffic. The 3 Series Sedan has a standard disable switch for the system, so a driver can keep the engine from shutting off when the vehicle stops temporarily.

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the BMW 3 Series Sedan uses regular unleaded gasoline (premium recommended for maximum performance). The Crown Platinum requires premium, which can cost on average about 84.9 cents more per gallon.

The 3 Series Sedan has 1.1 gallons more fuel capacity than the Crown (15.6 vs. 14.5 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

An eight-speed automatic is standard on the BMW 3 Series Sedan, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only a six-speed automatic is available for the Crown.

The 3 Series Sedan’s launch control uses engine electronics to hold engine RPM’s precisely in order to provide the most stable and rapid acceleration possible, using all of the available traction. The Crown doesn’t offer launch control.

For better stopping power the M340i’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Crown:

The 3 Series Sedan’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs on the Crown are solid, not vented.

The 3 Series Sedan stops much shorter than the Crown:

The 330i’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 45 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Crown XLE/Limited’s standard 55 series tires. The 3 Series Sedan’s optional 225/40R19 front and 255/35R19 rear tires have a lower 40 series front and 35 series rear profile than the Crown’s optional 45 series tires.

Changing a flat tire near traffic can be dangerous and inconvenient. The run-flat tires standard on the 3 Series Sedan can be driven up to 50 miles without any air pressure, allowing you to drive to a service station for a repair. The Crown doesn’t offer run-flat tires.

The 330i handles at .99 G’s, while the Crown Limited pulls only .82 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The M340i executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 2.5 seconds quicker than the Crown Platinum (25 seconds @ .77 average G’s vs. 27.5 seconds @ .61 average G’s).

The BMW 3 Series Sedan may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 350 pounds less than the Toyota Crown.

The 3 Series Sedan is 10.2 inches shorter than the Crown, making the 3 Series Sedan easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The front grille of the 3 Series Sedan uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The Crown doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

The 3 Series Sedan has .5 inches more front headroom, 2.3 inches more front hip room, .1 inches more rear headroom and 4.2 inches more rear hip room than the Crown.

The 3 Series Sedan has a much larger trunk than the Crown (16.9 vs. 15.2 cubic feet).

A low lift-over trunk design makes loading and unloading the 3 Series Sedan easier. The 3 Series Sedan’s trunk lift-over height is 26.7 inches, while the Crown’s liftover is 30.3 inches.

To allow full utilization of available cargo room, the 3 Series Sedan’s trunk lid uses concealed beam hinges that don’t intrude into the trunk. Its intrusive beam hinge reduces the Crown’s useful trunk space.

Pulling a handle automatically lowers the 3 Series Sedan’s rear seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The Crown doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

The 3 Series Sedan uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Crown uses a prop rod to support its heavy hood. It takes two hands to open the hood and set the prop rod, the prop rod gets in the way during maintenance and service, and the prop rod could be knocked out, causing the heavy hood to fall on the person maintaining or servicing the car.

The engine in the 3 Series Sedan is mounted longitudinally (North-South), instead of sideways, as in the Crown. This makes it easier to service and maintain, because the accessory belts are in front.

The 3 Series Sedan’s rain-sensitive wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically based on the amount of rainfall on the windshield. This allows the driver to concentrate on driving without constantly adjusting the wipers. The Crown’s standard intermittent wipers change speed with vehicle speed, but can’t turn on and off or change speed based on changing rainfall.

To help drivers avoid possible obstacles, the 3 Series Sedan has standard cornering lights to illuminate around corners when the turn signals are activated. The Crown doesn’t offer cornering lights. The 3 Series Sedan also offers optional adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle.

The 3 Series Sedan’s standard rear and side view mirrors have an automatic dimming feature. These mirrors can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on them, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The Crown has an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

The 3 Series Sedan is available in both rear-wheel drive and all-wheel drive configurations. The Crown doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

Consumer Reports® recommends both the BMW 3 Series Sedan and the Toyota Crown, based on reliability, safety and performance.

The BMW 3 Series outsold the Toyota Crown by 59% during 2024.