BMW has been selling electric cars since 2013, when it launched the remarkable BMW i3 city car. For a long while, this was the firm’s only 100% electric production model – although the BMW i8 supercar launched in the same year was primarily electric, it also featured a three-cylinder petrol engine – but since 2020, BMW has started a much greater push into this area.
We’ve more detail on all the latest electric BMWs below, but the bespoke BMW iX is the current flagship while the BMW i4 is the closest thing you can currently get to an electric 3 Series. The BMW iX3, meanwhile, is the company’s first electric SUV, with a smaller BMW iX1 due to join the line-up in 2023, alongside the BMW i7 luxury saloon – an all-electric version of the next-generation 7 Series.
But don’t fret if you can only afford a second-hand electric car – the now discontinued i3 is a superb runabout with styling and technology that has stood the test of time brilliantly. Exotic carbonfibre construction makes it (relatively) light and strong, while the avant garde interior remains a talking point and a delight to experience.
The i3’s specification did change over time. The earliest models have smaller batteries and a shorter driving range, there was a range-extender version called the i3 REx that also came with a petrol engine at launch, and BMW later added the i3S variant with greater performance. So just make sure you know what you’re buying. Be prepared for a fairly firm ride and look out for accident damage, but otherwise the i3 remains an excellent used electric vehicle (EV).
BMW electric cars available in the UK now
BMW i4
The i4 is essentially a 4 Series Gran Coupe with an electric heart-transplant, but that rather under-sells its immense capability. Launched in 2021, this is a really great car to drive, let alone an electric one, and the interior design and quality will make a Tesla Model 3 owner lose their mocha. It’s arguably even more practical than a 3 Series, yet occupies about as much road space.
It comes in rear-wheel drive (eDrive 40) and all-wheel drive (xDrive M50) variants. The former is probably more fun, but the latter is an M Performance model with 544hp and very, very fast. Driving range is great, too, with up to 367 miles per charge according to the WLTP results. A really serious alternative to any mid-size EV on the market. Outstanding.
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BMW iX3
Predating the i4, the 2020-onwards iX3 also takes an existing BMW model and adds electric power. In this case, it’s the X3 SUV, which hasn’t suffered at all from the conversion. It remains good to drive, it has a powerful 286hp electric motor and a 282-mile WLTP driving range – although curiously, considering the off-road body style, it’s only available with rear-wheel drive.
This may have been an attempt to keep the price down, although if so, it’s failed miserably, as you can get an X3 plug-in hybrid for thousands of pounds less. However, as an alternative to other mid-size all-electric SUVs, such as the Tesla Model Y, Mercedes-Benz EQC and Ford Mustang Mach-E, it acquits itself very convincingly.
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BMW iX
The iX is the only purpose-built electric vehicle in the BMW line-up these days, and represents the pinnacle of the brand’s latest EV technology, having launched in late 2021. Carbonfibre construction meets controversial looks on the outside and an interior that is unlike anything else on sale – from the design to the unusual materials. It’s a machine to be seen in, and makes quite the statement. Not for everyone, but an exceptional EV.
From its hugely powerful twin-motor drive system – which comes in three versions all the way up to 620hp – to its jaw-droppingly versatile chassis – which offers mega body control alongside great comfort and refinement – this is proper modern luxury. We’d take one over a Tesla Model X without question.
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BMW electric cars worth waiting for
There are two new BMW EVs clearly on the horizon – the iX1 SUV and the i7 luxury saloon. We know the i7 is worth waiting for as we’ve already sampled a prototype alongside a conventional next-generation V8 7 Series (which the i7 made feel rather old), but we’ve no doubt the iX1 will be a fine specimen as well. BMW is not messing about here.
Looking further into the future, we’re expecting ‘I’ electric versions of most major BMW model lines, including a new i3 based on the 3 Series and an i5 based on the 5 Series. There’s also been talk of a smaller i1, likely based on similar technology to the Mini Electric and sitting alongside the latest 1 Series, but this has been delayed at least once already.
But one thing the latest electric BMW production cars all make clear is that this German carmaker is determined to remain at the forefront of developments, regardless of what’s under the bonnet. And just in case battery electric vehicle (BEV) tech isn’t the ultimate answer, it’s recently announced the start of development of its own in-house hydrogen fuel-cell technology.
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