Different dealers work these things out differently: but very often the dealer contribution is the same thing as the discount that you're negotiating.

If you're going for a PCP, what you're ultimately negotiating is the price you'll pay per month.

I looked at both a BMW X1 and a BMW 2-series Active Tourer, before settling for a Volvo V60. This was during January, and at that time there was very little dealer contribution on either of those BMWs - but about £6,000 off the V60.

However you may have better luck with the 3-series, as the current model has been in production for longer.