BMW i3 (2013 - 2022) 5d Auto Owner Review

Owned an i3 for almost 5 years now, purchased used from a dealer. Only done 22k miles, so loads of short journeys which it is ideal for, far better than a petrol or diesel car. Prior to this we owned a Lexus hybrid. Now the i3 was always intended to be our 2nd car, so we didn't go for the REX version. For various reasons it became our only car, which was great for local journeys, however, for anything that involved a motorway journey we'd end up hiring a car to do that. The furthest we've travelled was from London to Oxford, only did it once and never again! We did it on one charge, but had to drive up the motorway at 40-45pmh to preserve the battery range. Drive too fast and it eats up the miles and you're left wondering if you'll make it home. Problems with EVs is that we don't always find charging points, there are too many varied providers (you can't be members of all them!), or if you do find a charging point you find the space taken (often by a non-EV!!!). So, we only charge at home, which is really cost effective compared to a regular car. In winter we end up charging it daily to top it up. When you're using wipers, heating etc, the battery can drain quicker and eat into your range. I guess later versions have a bigger range (we've got the 60Ah battery on a 2015 model). The car is totally fun to drive and super fast. You leave most cars standing at lights! Servicing on the pure battery models is once every 2 years. £0 road tax is great. £0 congestion charge is fantastic. We've had to replace all 4 tyres as they started to wear and the tyre size is specific to this car, very thin wheels, cost £500 for 4 tyres. Hope they last for several years considering the low mileage we do. We also had a key fob stop working during lockdown (guess we cleaned it too often!), cost to replace was £270, they then wanted extra to programme it. So, I took it apart, cleaned it and cleaned it and let it dry for several weeks and it eventually started working. Overall, a really classy car. Guess I'd wish I'd gone for the REX version as eventually I'll need to get a car that I can use to cover longer distances. However, I'll be hanging onto the i3, even as a second car, for may years to come. Just love it too much. If I could get the battery upgraded in the future then that'd be nice, as an alternative to buying a later model. Finally, with the back seats folded, I've managed to move lots of furniture with this car, shame you can't get a roof rack for this car. Recommend the professional satnav and the pre-heating (remote) option - wonderful in the winter.