Should you buy one?

Absolutely. The BMW i5 is quite an expensive car, but we feel it’s good enough to justify the money. If you’re in the market for a premium electric car, it should be on your shortlist – it’s far more upmarket than the Mercedes EQE and much more usable than the Tesla Model S, especially now it’s only available in the UK in left-hand drive.

It’s an excellent all-rounder, especially in BMW’s hot M60 specification. It’s comfortable, spacious enough, loaded with clever technology and it has a long enough range for all but the most mega mile munchers – and it does all of that while still managing to tug at your heartstrings when you show its snout a stretch of twisty tarmac. For an electric car, this is no small achievement.

Granted, it isn’t quite as a good of a driver’s car than the Porsche Taycan, but we’d much rather have one over the soggy, half-baked Mercedes EQE. Our hesitation is on the price. It stands head and shoulders above some very accomplished and desirable EVs – we’re still on the fence about whether it’s really worth £25,000 more than the Parkers award-winning Kia EV6.

What we like

The i5’s interior is far better than the current competition. The fit and finish is far superior to the Mercedes EQE and its infotainment is much easier to navigate than the Tesla Model S’s. It’s also far better to drive than both of its key rivals – and it even gives the class-leading Porsche Taycan a good run for its money. The M60 variant is hilariously quick, too.

What we don’t like

It’s mahoosive. The i5 feels very unwieldy in tight car parks and narrow town centres, although the rear wheel steering system does help to shrink the car around you. We would have liked a few more physical controls on the dashboard. Plus, it’s a very expensive car – but what isn’t these days?