The BMW i3 nameplate returns on an unrelated car: a mid-size electric sedan built on Neue Klasse, BMW’s second dedicated EV platform after the iX3. The name was last used on a carbon-fiber-tub city hatchback sold from 2013 to 2022, and the new sedan shares no components with it, positioning instead alongside the combustion 3 Series in BMW’s lineup.
The launch trim, i3 50 xDrive, pairs two electric motors for 463 hp and 645 Nm of torque through all-wheel drive. It runs an 800-volt architecture with a sixth-generation cylindrical-cell battery rated at 108.7 kWh net, supporting DC fast charging up to 400 kW that BMW says adds around 400 km of range in 10 minutes. WLTP range reaches up to 912 km for the standard-wheelbase car, with the better-equipped First Edition rated at up to 906 km.
Inside, the i3 carries over the Neue Klasse cabin introduced on the iX3: a 17.9-inch central touchscreen angled toward the driver, a pillar-to-pillar panoramic windshield display, and the iDrive X infotainment system with a built-in AI voice assistant. An optional 3D head-up display and adaptive suspension are available, alongside bidirectional charging for vehicle-to-load and vehicle-to-grid use.
The i3 measures 4,760 mm long on a 2,897 mm wheelbase for global markets. China receives its own long-wheelbase variant, stretched 108 mm to a 3,006 mm wheelbase with pop-out door handles, arriving after the global launch. BMW opened German order books for the i3 50 xDrive from EUR 65,900 (about $75,600), with the launch First Edition from EUR 75,340 (about $86,400); UK pricing opens from GBP 53,005 ahead of an autumn 2026 market launch. Production starts at BMW’s Munich plant in August 2026, with European deliveries following that fall and US sales in 2027.
