The Best Years For The BMW X1 (And Some To Avoid)

Although the BMW X1 made its debut for the 2010 model year, people in the United States needed to wait until the 2013 model year to enjoy what was at the time the smallest subcompact SUV that BMW had to offer. That distinction may now be held by the BMW X2, but for some, that newer model may be just a bit too small. You might even not realize the X2 is classified as an SUV by looking at it. The BMW X1 is a classic feeling vehicle of its size that has all of the luxury and beauty you would expect from the German automaker.

Since it is a luxury vehicle, the X1 comes with a starting price tag of over $42,000 for a brand new 2025 model. While that is reasonable in the grand scheme of BMWs, that is outside of the budget for a lot of people who want to have some luxury in their lives. If that is the case, heading to the used market is a great option for anyone looking to save a bit of money for a vehicle that is equal in quality.

On the flip side, there are some years where the company really dropped the ball on the X1, making an SUV that has been a great source of complaints from owners. Here, we are going to look at three X1 model years that drivers love and three they most certainly do not to help you on your used BMW X1 buying journey.

In the United States, the first generation of the BMW X1 only lasted for three years, though it had been around a little longer in other territories. It typically takes a company several years to fully figure out a vehicle before it hits a high point, but there are decent deals to be found for early models. Luckily, the first generation was able to end on something of a high note with the 2015 BMW X1, the only model from this generation that you should be considering buying used.

It is not uncommon that the final model year of a generation has the least number of complaints, and that is the case here. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), drivers have submitted a total of just 69 complaints to the institution since its release. The number of complaints would only rise each subsequent year. About one-third of the complaints have to do with the airbags, either them not deploying properly or the airbag indicator for the passenger seat not being illuminated when it should be. Most of these complaints have been dealt with because of the massive recall on Takata airbags.

There are only five complaints made on CarComplaints by drivers, which vary wildly. One is about the engine hydro-locking after driving through a puddle. Another is of a sunroof exploding. Every complaint logged is an isolated incident. Although the BMW X1 would improve with model years in the second generation, this 2015 model that began the vehicle's life in the United States is still a quality piece of machinery.

We fast-forward quite a few years to the second recommendation on this list. Much like the first generation, the second generation took a number of years before it produced a BMW X1 that drivers did not have very many complaints about. You need to go all the way to the 2019 X1 for your next used option. Over on CarComplaints, not a single driver has submitted a complaint to the website. Granted, the overall number of responses from drivers is quite limited on CarComplaints, but even still, seeing not a single complaint for a model year is rather rare.

There are driver complaints for the 2019 X1 made to the NHTSA, but all things considered, there are not that many. In the six years or so that it has been on the road, only eight total complaints have been made about it. Half of these eight complaints concerned malfunctions with electrical systems. The only repeat complaint was that the SOS emergency call system in the vehicle would not work, and if you are in a severe accident, that can be a major issue. 

However, the complaints are not entirely clear if the functionality of the emergency call system is at fault or that the indicator saying that it is not working is just intermittently coming on and off. Regardless, there are only two reported instances of this happening and isn't some massive, widespread issue. People have found little fault with the 2019 BMW X1, and you should be more than safe getting yourself a used one.

Moving onto the final recommendation on this list, we stay within the second generation of the BMW X1 and go to its final model year in 2022. The reception to this model year is coming into focus, and the results have shown themselves to be rather impressive. In fact, this model was ranked by drivers surveyed by J.D. Power as the best vehicle in its class for 2022, due in no small part to the 86 out of 100 quality and reliability score average bestowed to it by owners. That is easily the highest of any X1 model year.

As far as the number of complaints made about the 2022 model, there are none. Sure, there are probably drivers out there who have had issues with their SUV, but in terms of actual numbers of submitted complaints, there have been none made to the NHTSA or on the CarComplaints website. Usually, there will be at least one from one of the sources, but a goose egg for both is quite impressive. 

It isn't like drivers stopped making complaints about the X1, either, because newer model years have a significant number. This just shows that BMW had refined the X1 across that second generation to the point that people could find little fault with it. That is why the 2022 BMW X1 ranks as one of the most reliable BMW models ever built. This model year is the best of the best.

Even though the 2015 model year was able to make the BMW X1's entrance into the United States market quite well, the same cannot be said for the preceding two years of that first generation. With the 2013 and 2014 model years, all you see is complaints piling up for the SUV, almost begging the company to start a new generation of the vehicle with a fresh upgrade. 

Starting with that first 2013 model, you are faced with a vehicle that has accumulated 91 total complaints by the NHTSA. The majority of them are the same airbag problems that the 2015 model had, but they are more widespread. Plus, you have a host of other complaints regarding the engine — with engine cooling being a particular trouble spot — and electrical system failures.

Moving over to the 2014 X1, this is the model year that has the most submitted complaints from drivers on CarComplaints of any model year from any generation. Yes, it is just 13 complaints, but when you consider that no other year even crosses six, it is disproportionally problem prone. 

The primary reason for this high number of complaints is just a poor body build that leads to things like rattling sounds and paint chipping. It also has slightly more complaints made to the NHTSA with 94, much of which are the same issues that plagued the previous model. These first two years of the BMW X1 in the United States could have gone much better than they did.

Just like the first generation got off to a rocky start, so did the second generation. Not only that, but the second generation got off to an even rockier one, resulting in what is possibly the very worst model year of the BMW X1 of them all. That is how CarComplaints describes this year, and it does not even have the most complaints of a model year. The reason it has been given that distinction by the website is because of the severity of the issues, which includes things like cracks in the passenger engine mount. This is something that could cost you around $1,300 to repair, and no one wants to be spending that kind of money on a car that does not have that many miles on it.

Although it doesn't have the most complaints on CarComplaints, it does have the most submitted by drivers to the NHTSA of any BMW X1 model year, with 151 in total. There is a consensus issue here, and that is dozens of drivers receiving the same warning indicator that reads some variation on "Secure vehicle from rolling" or "Secure vehicle with parking brake when stopped." 

On the NHTSA database, you are able to see how many complaints a vehicle has for each component, such as engine, powertrain, or tires. This particular complaint falls into the unknown category, and there is little consensus about why this happening. Solutions have ranged from replacing a $10 spring to replacing the whole gearbox to more. Just avoid the headache and avoid the 2016 BMW X1 altogether.

Although the third generation of the SUV is a little too new to fully get behind a recommendation, the 2023 BMW X1 has already had enough time to show itself to be a vehicle that should be avoided. Despite SlashGear's initial review that was fairly positive, the experience of drivers over time have shown some different results. That 86 out of 100 quality and reliability score from the 2022 model from drivers surveyed by J.D. Power dropped all the way down to a 72 for this 2023 model. For what is supposed to be an upgrade for a new generation, that could not be more of a downgrade.

We also see a rise in actual complaints from drivers as well. While the previous year's model had zero made to the NHTSA, the 2023 X1 sees that total go up to 48. For being around just two years, that is quite a lot, especially compared with the totals that have been around for over a decade. Nearly half of these complaints have been about the vehicle's brakes. 

Three of the five recalls issued for the SUV have been about correcting issues with the brake system, but even still, drivers are finding faults with being able to brake properly after being serviced for these recalls. For a vehicle that is so new, there should not be these kinds of problems happening so frequently. If you were hoping to get a good deal on a 2023 BMW X1 on the used market, do not even bother trying to look for one and stick with the 2022 model instead.

Even though the BMW X1 has not been around a long time in the grand scheme of things, it has had plenty of ups and downs in its life. To determine what are the best model years for prospective buyers on the used markets, as well as what are the absolute worst, several different factors were taken into consideration. 

At the top of the list was the number of complaints levied against each model year from drivers. These complaint numbers were collected through sources like the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and CarComplaints, both of which allow drivers to submit their complaints with the vehicles they own and use regularly.

From there, the ratings from drivers surveyed by sources like J.D. Power about drivers' experiences with their X1s was taken into consideration. The most important of these ratings was the reliability scores, which shows how well drivers believe their vehicles hold up after usage. Lastly, the number of recalls a particular model year had been issued was an important factor. Putting all of these bits of information together, these seven model years were chosen to as the best and worst years for the BMW X1.