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The complaint we hear about plug-in hybrid BMWs is always the same, and it is not that they are bad cars. On a full charge a 330e or 530e feels quick, because the electric motor fills in exactly where a small turbo petrol engine is weakest. Run the battery flat on a long motorway journey, which is what most company cars actually do, and you are left with a modest combustion engine hauling an extra couple of hundred kilos of battery and motor. That is the gap worth closing, and closing it means working on the petrol engine's ECU rather than on the hybrid system.
BMW Plug-In Hybrid Tuning: 330e, 530e, 545e, X5 45e and i8
330e, 530e, 545e, X5 45e and i8
Plug-in hybrid BMWs are the cars we get asked about most often by owners who are disappointed with them. Not because they are bad cars, but because of how they behave once the battery is flat.
On a full charge a 330e or 530e feels quick, because the electric motor fills in exactly where a small turbo petrol engine is weakest. Run the battery down on a motorway journey and you are left with a modest combustion engine hauling an extra couple of hundred kilos of battery and motor. That is the point most owners tell us the car feels flat, and it is the gap worth closing.
What we actually tune
The combustion engine’s ECU is the target. We are not altering the battery management or the hybrid control strategy – we are making the petrol engine pull properly when it is doing the work on its own. In practice that is where these cars spend most of their motorway life, particularly company cars covering long distances between charges.
Every car is mapped and verified on our own 2000bhp Mustang 4WD linked dyno at our workshop in Maidstone, Kent, with 30 years’ trade experience and 2,200+ reviews behind us.
Models we cover
- 3 Series – 320e and 330e
- 5 Series – 520e, 530e and 545e
- X5 – xDrive40e and xDrive45e
- 2 Series Active Tourer – 225xe
- i8
If your car is not on that list, send us the registration and we will tell you exactly what we hold for it.
The older hybrids
For the earlier cars we hold full factory data, so we can tell you precisely what you are starting from:
- i8 (2014 on, 1.5) – 362PS and 570Nm as standard
- X5 xDrive40e (2015 on) – 313PS and 500Nm as standard
- 225xe Active Tourer (2016 on) – 224PS and 340Nm as standard
What we will and will not tell you
We do not publish a single headline gain for “a BMW hybrid”, because it would be meaningless. What is achievable depends on the exact model, its engine, its ECU and what state the car is in. Send us the registration and what you want from the car, and we will tell you what is realistic for yours – including the times when the honest answer is that it is not worth doing.
Send us your registration and we will tell you exactly what we can do for your car.
What Stage 1 typically gives
The figures below are typical Stage 1 results for each engine. Yours is confirmed on our own dyno before and after – that is the number that actually matters, and it is why we measure rather than quote.
| Model | Standard | Stage 1 | Gain | Torque |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 330e | 252PS | 340PS | +88 | 420 → 580Nm |
| 530e iPerformance (G30) | 252PS | 340PS | +88 | 420 → 540Nm |
| 545e | 394PS | 500PS | +106 | 600 → 800Nm |
| X5 xDrive40e | 313PS | 400PS | +87 | 450 → 630Nm |
| X5 xDrive45e | 394PS | 500PS | +106 | 600 → 800Nm |
The torque figures are the ones to look at. A 330e going from 420 to 580Nm is the difference between a car that feels flat on a motorway climb with a dead battery and one that simply pulls. That is the gap these cars have, and it is the gap worth closing.
We do not currently hold verified figures for the i8 – if you have one, ask and we will tell you honestly what we can and cannot do with it rather than quote you a number we cannot stand behind.
Questions we get asked
Are you altering the hybrid system or the battery?
No. The combustion engine's ECU is the only thing we change. The battery management and the hybrid control strategy are left alone. The aim is to make the petrol engine pull properly in the conditions where it is doing the work on its own.
Can you tune an i8?
We hold the factory data for it, 362PS and 570Nm as standard, but we do not currently hold verified tuned figures for the i8. If you have one, ask and we will tell you honestly what we can and cannot do with it rather than quote a number we cannot stand behind.
Which models do you cover?
The 320e and 330e, the 520e, 530e and 545e, the X5 xDrive40e and xDrive45e, the 225xe Active Tourer and the i8. If your car is not on that list, send us the registration and we will tell you what we hold for it.
