Compare the2026 BMW 3 Series SedanVS 2026 Toyota Camry

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 Camry doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

The 3 Series Sedan has standard Active Head Restraints, which use a specially designed headrest to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Active Head Restraints system moves the headrests forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The Camry doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

Both the 3 Series Sedan and the Camry 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 Camry:

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 Camry:

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

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 Camry’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 Camry’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 Camry (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 30 more horsepower (255 vs. 225) than the Camry’s standard 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid. The 330i’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid produces 23 more horsepower (255 vs. 232) than the Camry’s optional 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid. The M340i’s standard 3.0 turbo 6-cylinder hybrid produces 154 more horsepower (386 vs. 232) than the Camry’s optional 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid.

As tested in Motor Trend the BMW 3 Series Sedan is faster than the Toyota Camry:

The 3 Series Sedan has 2.6 gallons more fuel capacity than the Camry (15.6 vs. 13 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

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 Camry doesn’t offer launch control.

For better stopping power the 3 Series Sedan’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Camry:

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 Camry are solid, not vented.

The 3 Series Sedan stops much shorter than the Camry:

For better traction, the 3 Series Sedan has larger standard tires than the Camry (225/45R18 vs. 205/65R16).

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 Camry LE’s standard 65 series tires. The 3 Series Sedan’s optional 255/35R19 rear tires have a lower 35 series profile than the Camry XSE/Nightshade’s 40 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the 330i has standard 18-inch wheels. Smaller 16-inch wheels are standard on the Camry LE.

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 Camry doesn’t offer run-flat tires.

The 3 Series Sedan offers an optional driver-adjustable suspension system. It allows the driver to choose between an extra-supple ride, reducing fatigue on long trips, or a sport setting, which allows maximum control for tricky roads. The Camry’s suspension doesn’t offer adjustable shock absorbers.

The 3 Series Sedan’s front to rear weight distribution is more even (52.1% to 47.9%) than the Camry’s (55% to 45%). This gives the 3 Series Sedan more stable handling and braking.

The 330i handles at .99 G’s, while the Camry XSE AWD pulls only .84 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The M340i executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 2.2 seconds quicker than the Camry XLE AWD (25 seconds @ .77 average G’s vs. 27.2 seconds @ .66 average G’s).

The 3 Series Sedan is 7.6 inches shorter than the Camry, 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 Camry doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

The 3 Series Sedan has .4 inches more front headroom, 2.1 inches more front hip room and 2.7 inches more rear hip room than the Camry.

The 3 Series Sedan has a much larger trunk than the Camry (16.9 vs. 15.1 cubic feet).

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 Camry’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 Camry doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

With its sedan body style, valet key, locking rear seatbacks and remote trunk release lockout, the 3 Series offers cargo security. The Camry’s non-lockable remote release defeats cargo security.

To make loading and unloading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the 3 Series Sedan’s trunk can be opened just by kicking your foot under the back bumper, leaving your hands completely free. The 3 Series Sedan also offers an optional power trunk, which opens and closes automatically by pressing a button or just by kicking your foot under the back bumper. The Camry doesn’t offer a power or hands-free opening trunk.

The 3 Series Sedan uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Camry 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 Camry. This makes it easier to service and maintain, because the accessory belts are in front.

The 3 Series Sedan 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 Camry doesn’t offer a remote starting system.

The 3 Series Sedan’s standard Comfort Access allow you to unlock the doors from any outside door handle, open the trunk, and start the engine, all without removing the key from the pocket or purse. Push Button Start standard on the Camry only offers hands-free access for the ignition, none to unlock the car.

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 Camry’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 Camry 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 Camry offers an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

Both the BMW 3 Series Sedan and Toyota Camry offer exterior mirrors that can be folded to provide convenience. The 3 Series Sedan features standard power folding mirrors, which allow for easy, one-touch folding or unfolding at the driver’s discretion. This provides added convenience when maneuvering or parking, as well as when walking past the parked vehicle. In comparison, the Camry’s foldable mirrors are manual, requiring the driver to get out and physically fold them once parked and unfold them before getting in.

The 3 Series Sedan has standard heated front seats. Heated front seats cost extra on the Camry. The 3 Series Sedan also offers optional heated rear seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated rear seats aren’t available in the Camry.

The BMW 3 Series Sedan has a standard Homelink wireless remote control system for garage door operation and device management, conveniently located on the rear view mirror. Homelink® eliminates the need for separate garage door openers and associated risks of losing, breaking, or having dead batteries. Toyota charges extra for Homelink® on the Camry.

The 3 Series Sedan’s optional Parking Assistant Plus can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. The Camry doesn’t offer an automated parking system.