2020 BMW 530E Lease - Is this a good deal?

Ask the Hackrs
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57

Yes. Perfecting the automobile experience should be the pinnacle of a brand. However there is a reason the hybrid, diesel and low powered BMWs fail in USA. It wasn’t the performance, it wasn’t the price, it was the lack of need and want in this segment. No German luxury brand successfully sells hybrid vehicles in the US, at least today. The last time I saw a 7 series parked in my area, it was running and waiting for the passenger.

It is impressive to see a 335HP BMW do under 5 seconds 0-60 while still getting 25+ mpg. It is not impressive to see a 300HP dodge do 0-60 in 7 seconds and get 18 mpg. Thats the German refinement and engineering that BMW owners longe for. While saving at the pump is great and an interest to many BMW owners, there is a reason why those vehicles never succeeded.

58

No, what that assumes is you run exclusively on gas and the 530e is at 34 mpg when they say it’s 29. I run the math for you, best case you are on an ev plan and pay 12c and savings are at ~$51/mo on half miles driven on gas/ev.

The 530e is at #4 top plug in hybrids sold for 2019 so far…ahead of cars half its price like Prius, Clarity and Fusion E. BMW is doing just fine with the 530e…the other germans simply don’t have a plug, are fairly new on the market or run a compliance one.

59

~13kwh battery @ ~2mi/kwh (low estimate - stop and go traffic would be much higher) = 26 miles per day of gas-free driving. In CA, at ~$0.13/kw (off-peak rate), that’s ~$1.70 per day in electricity. If you have solar or charge at work, it’s effectively free.

250 commute days a year x 26 miles per day = 6500 miles a year of gasoline-free driving at a cost of $425 (again, assuming no solar/work charging)

8500mi/yr @ 29mpg combined = $1172.41 @ $4/gal, plus $425 for electricity = $1597.41
15,000mi/yr @ 24mpg combined = $2500 @ $4/gal

$2500 - $1597.41 = $75.22/mo (or $110.63/mo with solar). $2700-$4000 over a 3yr lease.

To each their own, though. You love your 540i, that’s great. He saw no reason to spend the extra money, that’s also great.

60

Real world MPG for 530e, http://www.fuelly.com/car/bmw/530e

BMW failed with the active hybrid 5, for many reasons. They are attempting to find the market that is very slim, by boosting the battery and dropping the price. IMO, I think it will find the same fate as the 328d, active hybrid 3, 535d and active hybrid 5.

61

Your correct, assuming the newer battery in the 2020, the ~9kwh battery trims this savings up. Aside from that, can you really get 26 miles on the battery only? What if you merge on the highway and it engages gasoline?

So we can conclude at the very best, you are saving $75.00 per month. Now we can add in the discount a 530i brings versus 530e and see what our final monthly savings is. $25-$45 a month?

~2.7K savings over 3 years at best, driving 15k miles. I also decided to save on my second vehicle, which is a 330i, and that savings is ~6K over 3 years over the 5.

Everyone has what they like and dislike though, I just fail to see a financial savings, especially when we are calculating 15K miles, California only gas prices and not factoring in the premium for the 530e lease premium over the 530i. Just don’t see it personally, but that’s how I see it.

62

Are you factoring in the CA gov’t rebates for the 530e? $1750 from the state and something from PG&E as well, if I recall.

There’s also the matter of HOV stickers, which 530i/540i don’t qualify for. If you value your time at all, those can be worth a huge amount of money.

63

Yes these are true. I am just comparing vehicle to vehicle, not state specific details. Just making an overall statement. Sure if you work 3 miles from home and drive conservatively to 45mph, you will save money. Sure if you hammer the pedal your savings will be none.

64

I’m a bit confused about this one…i could not find pricing for 2020 but this was for ‘18 model…
“The 2018 BMW 5 530i model has a Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) starting just over $52,000. The 530e iPerformance plug-in hybrid starts at just $200 more.” KBB

What is the spread now?
Edit:
“The 2019 BMW 5 Series begins at $54,395, which is the Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) plus $995 destination charge. The 530e iPerformance plug-in hybrid costs the same and we applaud BMW for not charging extra. “
https://www.kbb.com/bmw/5-series/

$0

65

MSRP and residual/supply are two different things. Can’t get a $60K M340i for the same price as a $60K 530i. 530i leases much better due to supply when compared to 530e.

66

???
Have you not see the BMW H1 sale on the 530e? I was so tired of seeing 530e treads…glad that’s over now. Use the search function…

67

https://www.bmwusa.com/special-offers/iframe.html

530i 469 month $4894 due

530e 489 month $4914 due

$20.00 monthly savings, not to mention the higher inventory count of the 530i probably but not guaranteed, assures a lower lease end deal.

edit entering cali zip I see the 530e cheaper by $10/mo.

You are correct, 530e may lease cheaper. Significant? IMO, on a 60K car no, to each their own.

When and if BMW comes out with a full electric 5 series, this will be a convo worth calculating the savings. A car that competes with Tesla Model S, not a car doing 26 miles on a battery.

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68

I don’t know what to say when one posts manufacturer leases…these are in many cases regional.
Here is the type of tread i read the entire fricking summer…so many on here got these type of deals…

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69

Exactly, which is why I question someone paying $600 month for a $60k 530e, when a $67k 540i was obtained at $560 month. It came down to arguing the gas savings was significant.

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70

Further up thread it was 540 vs 530e

In any case, lots of us do charge free and in my 330e with the 7w battery I get 16-18 miles per charge every day. So the difference could be big for some. In the end of course it’s personal preference whether a 4 banger is worth the savings at any price compared to that smooth inline 6 in the 540. I miss my 340 6M every day. But I love the quiet torque of the 330 and rarely run the anemic 4, and really love not filling up for months.

71

In case people are interested in real-world mpg, we are averaging 40mpg with about a 75/25 split between gas and electric. Early on, we were averaging close to 50 but have since made some longer trips and commutes. Love the car and are glad we got it. It fills out the garage nicely next to the F-Type so I can mix up the driving experience every time since the 5 series isn’t a sports car (which is why the 540 didn’t appeal to me). Can’t wait til BMW bumps up the battery size.

72

I have 2019. My commute round trip daily is about 20 miles and I get about 13-14miles on a single charge, rest on gas. Weekend is 200 mi all on gas. My combined mpg hovers around 38-39mpg according to the car.

Fuel savings are there but they don’t make/ break it. About 30ish bucks a month or 1000 over expected lease.

73

image Thanks Savington. So, I was the poster who probably triggered this discussion on 530e vs 540i and fuel efficiency and all that.

This thread is dead now, but just thought of coming back and posting some real world, long term, first hand observations, will keep it short though, there is no need to make any case, just some info for anyone who is still looking for any review.

I drive 30 miles a day, I charge my car every night at home and do not have charging capability at work. When I am leave in morning, it says I have 21 miles of EV range available. However, I never drive on Max EDrive, but always drive on Auto eDrive.

BMW’s iPerformance hybrid tech is linked with your Navigation system, it sees the path you are on, and understands traffic situations and the Terrain for anticipating slopes and climbs. It then manages the energy usage intelligently by switching between gas and electric on its own. Also anticipates when it will gain energy by braking and downhill slopes and plans accordingly. BMW recommends using NAV everytime to get max benefit of the system.

That being said, I have been getting about 50-60 mpg in real world usage, which is pretty good for me!!! It is more than double the fuel efficiency I would get with 530i ( not even comparing with 540i as this model is equally priced to 530 not 540).

BUT, I would like to highlight, the efficiency for you will be lower if you have longer commute, or majority of driving on freeways. When I drive out of town, my net fuel economy reading comes to about 35 mpg for that trip. That’s because, when on freeways, it’s mostly running on gas and is not getting much opportunities to re charge the batteries. Gas is more efficient on freeways than electric motor anyways, so it’s not bad.

I live in Cali and is sensitive towards gas prices, always close to $4. I also live in a county that offers $2000 rebate, and Electric company had $800 rebate and $1000 from CCA. I got $3800 in rebates total for this car, and my lease payments are $540 which is for a pretty loaded one with packages. making this the cheapest 5 series trim with same HP and higher torque than a trim above (530i). And it’s instant EV torque :heart_eyes:.

Overall, this choice has been a Win in my eyes, and I would re-lease this model without a second thought after my term end.

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74

I am super impressed that you’re getting over 50mpg in real-world driving. You must do extremely short trips while exclusively driving in the city on electric power. We get 42mpg on Auto eDrive and drive about a 60/40 split on electric vs gas.

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75

42 mpg is still very good for a car that size and power. My drives are about 30 miles a day on an average work day and I do about 50/50 split between highway and city roads. I think that extra 10% on city compared to your drive makes a big difference…almost 10-15 mpgs I see.

The EPA ratings are very off, but I see it. This car’s economy is of such wide range between different users based on their routes and miles they drive. If on any day I drive a lil more than usual or go out of town, I get about 35 mpg on those days.

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76

I think we see about 17-18 miles of electric range on our 2020 530e if we use Max eDrive. That is pretty good considering the AC is working hard in the summer in South Florida.

Ours was leased almost a year ago, $60K MSRP for $699 a month, $0 DAS. It was a build to order, to our spec. I think delivery was last October or something like that.
There is a face lifted 5 series coming for 2021.