Before you buy a used BMW Serie 2 Active Tourer (U06).

2021–2026 · Petrol / Diesel / Plug-in hybrid · 3 engines

Taken only from Testigo's sourced sheets. Use it to question the seller and on the test drive: it does not confirm that any particular car is affected.

Vauxford · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · Photo source

The essentials.

2 documented, sourced faults across its 3 engines.
That is not much data: if no other faults show up here, it does not mean it has none.
They all depend on the equipment or the production date: ask what this car has.
2 official recalls on record: ask for the chassis number (VIN) and confirm they have been done.
According to the data we have, all its engines have the same number of documented faults.

Typical faults by engine

The period and mileage are those mentioned by each sheet's sources. They are not a maintenance interval and do not predict that any particular car will fail.

218i / 220i · 225e / 230e

218i / 220i (Petrol) · 225e / 230e (Plug-in hybrid)

Crankshaft thrust bearing and carbon on the 1.5 three-cylinder (B38)Engine
Period mentioned
2014 onwards
Mileage mentioned
The sheet does not mention a mileage.
Applies if: The 1.5 three-cylinder in this generation is still a B38 family engine (mild-hybrid on some versions).
Applies if: The plug-in hybrids in this range pair the 1.5 B38 with an electric motor; the sheet covers the petrol part.

218d / 220d

Diesel

B-engine coolant leaks and EGR coolerCooling / EGR
Period mentioned
2014–2026
Mileage mentioned
80,000–195,000 km
Applies if: Only the B47 (diesel) and B48 (2.0 petrol) engines; the 1.5 three-cylinder (B38) is not covered.

Which engine has the fewest documented faults?

Documented faults and recalls by engine for the BMW Serie 2 Active Tourer (U06)
Engine	Documented faults	Recalls
218i / 220iPetrol	11 with conditions	2
218d / 220dDiesel	11 with conditions	2
225e / 230ePlug-in hybrid	11 with conditions	2

According to the data we have, all its engines have the same number of documented faults.

We only count the sourced sheets we have. An engine with fewer is not guaranteed to be more reliable: it may have been studied less or sold in smaller numbers.

Official recalls: ask before you pay

A recall existing does not mean this car is affected or that it is still outstanding: it depends on the chassis number, the market and the production date.

Ask the seller for the chassis number (VIN): it has 17 characters, appears in the car's documents and can usually also be seen at the base of the windscreen.
Ask an official BMW dealer, or the brand's official website if it lets you check by chassis number, whether each recall has been done or is still outstanding for that VIN.
Manufacturer recalls are normally carried out free of charge by the official service network. If one is outstanding, ask for it to be done before you close the sale.

Recall: integrated-brake contactsBrakes / electronics

How to check it: Confirm VIN; update detection. If symptoms occur, stop using vehicle and replace IB component per campaign.

View full entry

RSW22 starter motor that fails to crank or short-circuits (BMW 2020–2026)Electrical and electronic systems

How to check it: Ask a BMW garage to check with the VIN whether any of those campaigns is outstanding, especially if the car has already failed to start.

View full entry

On the test drive: what to look and listen for

Taken from each sheet's symptoms and checks. You can tick off what you have already looked at: it is saved only in this browser.

0 of 2 checked

Engine

Crankshaft thrust bearing and carbon on the 1.5 three-cylinder (B38)
Look out for: On early engines with a manual gearbox, crankshaft thrust-bearing damage that can end in serious failure; over the years, loss of power and higher consumption from carbon in the intake, valves and injectors.
Ask them to check: On engines before April 2015 with a manual gearbox, ask BMW whether the bearing upgrade was done and listen for crankshaft noises; use quality fuel and inspect the intake if power drops.

Cooling / EGR

B-engine coolant leaks and EGR cooler
Look out for: Coolant loss with a low-level warning, coolant or oil residue at the rear of the engine; on diesels, internal coolant loss with no visible leak (EGR cooler).
Ask them to check: Check the coolant level, look for leaks under the water pump and at the oil filter housing, and on diesels confirm by VIN whether the EGR cooler campaign was done.

Sources

Every fact on this page comes from these Testigo sheets and their original sources. Sources are not checked in real time.

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