BMW F30 sat nav update
3 Series F30 saloon, F31 Touring and F34 Gran Turismo: up to six navigation units over its production run, and the map that fits yours.
Sat nav update result
We identified your Map Update!
Enter your VIN and we will show which navigation unit your 3 Series was built with, the map it has now and the latest version. Checking is free.
Which sat nav does the F30 have?
The F30 3 Series ran from about 2012 to 2019, with a facelift in 2015, and BMW changed its navigation hardware more than once along the way. That happened on two tracks at the same time: one for cars with Navigation Professional and its large widescreen, and one for cars with the smaller-screen Business navigation. Put together, an F30, F31 or F34 can have any of these:
| Unit | Typically fitted | Navigation | Map to order |
|---|---|---|---|
| CIC | Earliest cars, about 2012 to 2013 | Professional, large widescreen | PREMIUM (typed FSC code) |
| NBT | About 2013 to mid-2016 | Professional, large widescreen | NEXT (typed FSC code) |
| NBT EVO ID5/ID6 | From about mid-2016 to 2019 | Professional, large widescreen | EVO (FSC file) |
| CHAMP2 | Early Business-navigation cars | Business, smaller screen | MOVE (typed FSC code) |
| EntryNav | Business cars from about 2013 | Business, smaller screen | ROUTE (typed FSC code) |
| EntryNav2 | May be fitted to very late Business cars | Business, smaller screen | WAY (FSC file) |
These dates are approximate: the changeovers followed production, not the 2015 facelift or the plate on the car. Body style does not decide it either. In our own VIN lookups we have found CIC in F30 saloons, both CHAMP2 and EntryNav in F31 Tourings, and EntryNav in an F34 GT. The VIN check above gives the answer for your car before you order anything.
Easier than ever
Which map does your F30 need? Just type your VIN.
We have made it easier than ever to find the right map and confirm it is compatible with your navigation unit. Type your VIN into the search box at the top of this page and we will show the unit your car was built with, the map it needs and the price. Checking is free.
From CIC to NBT EVO: telling the F30 units apart
Only the very first Professional-navigation F30s have CIC. From about 2013 BMW fitted NBT, and with it came a touchpad on top of the iDrive controller, so you can write a destination with a fingertip. That touchpad is the simplest physical clue on an early car: no touchpad on a large-screen F30 points to CIC.
Telling NBT from NBT EVO by eye is harder, because the touchpad carried on. The useful clue there is the build date: NBT EVO took over from about mid-2016. It matters more than on any earlier unit, because NBT EVO takes the EVO maps, which cover the whole of Europe in one package and are activated with an FSC file rather than a typed code.
- Large screen, no touchpad: CIC, PREMIUM maps
- Touchpad, built before about mid-2016: NBT, NEXT maps
- Built from about mid-2016: NBT EVO, EVO maps
- Smaller screen: Business navigation, see below
Business vs Professional navigation in the F30
Not every F30 left the factory with Navigation Professional. Cars ordered with Business navigation have a smaller screen and a separate family of units. Business navigation went through its own change of hardware: early cars have CHAMP2, which uses the MOVE maps, and from about 2013 BMW switched to EntryNav, which uses ROUTE. Some very late Business cars may have EntryNav2 instead, which takes the WAY maps.
None of these map families is interchangeable. A ROUTE package will not install on a CHAMP2 unit, and a Professional map will not install on a Business unit. Because both CHAMP2 and EntryNav turn up in F31 Tourings we have checked, it is worth running the VIN check even if you are sure which navigation your car was ordered with.
How to update the maps in your F30
Check the VIN
We confirm which unit your F30 has and the latest map for it.
Pay £39.99 or £59.99
£39.99 for CIC, NBT, CHAMP2 or EntryNav; £59.99 for NBT EVO or EntryNav2.
Prepare the USB
FAT32 for the older units, exFAT for NBT EVO and EntryNav2, set up as the guide shows.
Install and activate
Type the FSC code when asked, or let the car read the FSC file from the stick.
On CIC, NBT, CHAMP2 and EntryNav you choose East or West Europe, and each region includes the main roads of the other; a Lifetime FSC code is included where your unit supports it. On NBT EVO ID5/ID6 and EntryNav2 the map covers Europe in one package and the FSC file is made for your VIN, so don't rename it. Whichever unit you have, keep the car parked in a safe, open place while the update runs. For how the price compares with a dealer update, see BMW sat nav update cost in the UK.
Apple CarPlay in the F30
Late F30s can have Apple CarPlay switched on without new hardware. On cars with NBT EVO ID5/ID6 and Navigation Professional, CarPlay can be activated by USB from £49.99, with optional FullScreen and Video in Motion at £10 each. Our compatible list covers 2017 to 2019 F30, F31 and F34 cars. Earlier cars with CIC or NBT, and cars with Business navigation, would need a hardware retrofit. There is more detail in our BMW F30 Apple CarPlay guide.
The 3 Series before the F30
If you also run an older 3 Series, the E90, E91, E92 and E93 used a different line-up that starts with the DVD-based CCC and ends with CIC. Our BMW E90 sat nav update guide explains which of those cars can be updated.
BMW F30 sat nav FAQ
Is the sat nav the same in an F30 saloon, F31 Touring and F34 GT?
They share the same families of navigation units, but which one a particular car has depends on its build date and on whether it was ordered with Professional or Business navigation, not on the body style. In our own VIN lookups we have seen CIC in F30 saloons, CHAMP2 and EntryNav in F31 Tourings and EntryNav in an F34 GT.
My F31 Touring has the smaller screen. Can its maps still be updated?
Yes. A smaller screen usually means Business navigation. Earlier Business cars have CHAMP2 (MOVE maps) and those from about 2013 have EntryNav (ROUTE maps), both £39.99 with a typed FSC code. Very late Business cars may have EntryNav2, which takes the WAY maps at £59.99 with an FSC file.
My F30 is a 2016 car. Does it have NBT or NBT EVO?
It could be either. NBT EVO replaced NBT from about mid-2016, so 2016 is the year where both turn up and the registration date alone will not settle it. The VIN check on this page reads the unit your car was built with, and the two need different maps: NEXT for NBT, EVO for NBT EVO.
Why does a late F30 cost more to update than an early one?
Because the units take different map packages. CIC, NBT, CHAMP2 and EntryNav maps are £39.99 and come as East or West Europe with a typed FSC code. NBT EVO and EntryNav2 cars take the EVO or WAY maps, which cover Europe in one package and are activated with an FSC file, at £59.99.
Which F30s can have Apple CarPlay activated?
Cars with NBT EVO ID5/ID6 and Navigation Professional. Our compatible list covers 2017 to 2019 F30, F31 and F34 cars, and USB activation is from £49.99. Earlier F30s with CIC or NBT, and Business-navigation cars, would need a hardware retrofit instead.