The new BMW iX3 – what’s it really like?

What is BMW Neue Klasse?

The iX3 is the first of the BMW Neue Klasse EV’s and this our initial review. Neue Klasse is a ground up reimagining of how BMW make electric cars. It looks like they have succeeded in progressing by more than a generation on from their current line up. Range and charging speed have been transformed thanks partly to a new 800v architecture.

It will soon be followed by the i3, an electric 3 Series replacement which starts production later in 2026 and then every other electric BMW will switch to the new platform rapidly (by the end of 2027). BMW combustion models continue and will mimic the new look and some of the tech but sit on old platforms.

This page will be updated and extended over 2026

What is the iX3

The BMW iX3 50 xDrive is the electric alternative to fuel burning SUV’s like the X3 or Mercedes GLC or Audi Q5 and in size is between the smaller BMW X1 and the larger X5. The iX3 is a little longer but lower than the BMW X3 fuel burning cars but has way more rear space.

Driving review

Many thanks to Group One in Reading for a couple of hours to test out the new iX3. So what are the key takeouts from the drive?

• Great to drive
• Excellent driver assistance that is much more relaxing to use compared to the Tesla autopilot I currently use
• Efficiency was disappointing during the initial 2 hour test drive including Motorway, A roads and B roads.
• Panoramic vision display and the heads up display were excellent.

Driving

I’ve not driven an SUV for a while so the iX3 was a bit of a contrast to the Tesla Model 3’s I’m used to. A couple of hours behind the wheel wasn’t enough to fully get used to the different form factor but it didn’t feel overly large. One odd thing about sitting higher is driving at 70mph looks and feels very slow compared to a low slung Model 3. Just something to adjust to. Comparing the 2 unlikely stablemates

• Length Model 3 4720mm / iX3 4782mm (so BMW is 6.2cm longer)
• Width excluding mirrors Model 3 1850mm / iX3 1895mm (4.5cm wider)
• Width including mirrors Model 3 2089mm/ iX3 2093mm (0.4cm wider
• Height Model 3 1441mm / iX3 1635mm (19cm taller!)

However compared more fairly to the Tesla Model Y things are less clear cut with the BMW just 1.1cm taller while actually being shorter by 0.8cm and narrower by 2.5cm excluding mirrors and 3.6cm including mirrors according to Automobile dimensions.

My driving route took in some motorway along with A and B roads in Wiltshire. The 20′ 1048 wheels on the test car are offered with the optional M sport package looked good and only lose 8 miles off the best possible range. Keeping to 20″ wheels also helps the ride comfort and cuts road noise on challenging UK tarmac.

Overall the car was refined on the fast sections and very capable on the twisties. It was quiet and felt planted on corners, not that I was testing the envelope. I avoided the deep potholes on the drive so I can’t confirm how it reacts to them but overall the ride was good.. on these smaller wheels. Overall BMW have done a great job perfecting the steel spring chassis. The forthcoming Mercedes GLC on optional air suspension competes on ride but not handling.

Performance? Well with an official 0-62 in 4.9 seconds (which some enthusiastic journos have already tested to nearer 4.5) it’s fast enough. This 50 xDrive 4 wheel drive version will eventually be joined by both slower and faster stablemates.

Driving tech

It really felt like BMW has developed and honed its tech to a new level. The panoramic iDrive display (full width below the windscreen) is clear and really good to use even though I didn’t spend time personalising what was displayed. Particularly impressive were the little touches like when the map isn’t on the display, it reappears when you approach a junction.

Coming from a Tesla the driving assistance also impressed. In the UK the hands free motorway system hasn’t been approved yet but should be added via a software update probably in the summer. In the meantime you just have to hold the wheel and you can accelerate or brake or even change lanes without the driver assistance disengaging. It felt much more polished than Tesla equivalent in UK (where you have to jiggle the wheel every few mins and the system disengages after anything except acceleration). Also impressive for comfort and your licence was the speed sign recognition which highlights increasing or reducing limits. In cruise mode it also slows the car to the new limit as you reach the sign. By contrast Tesla only starts to slow after you pass the sign which in some parts of the UK will earn you a ticket.

The Tesla autopilot software was a revelation when it first arrived in 2019 and has improved even in the UK but even in the latest iteration you often feel you’re fighting it. This is especially true when it phantom brakes for no reason and on some European motorways where the Tesla system sometimes tries dangerous manoeuvres- like when the car is returning to the slow lane on an Italian motorway and then tries to also exit to the motorway services at the 81mph speed limit. It certainly keeps you more alert!

I’ll need to get a few thousand miles under my belt to be sure if the iX3 system shares any dangerous traits but from the off it feels less like beta software and more like its working to “assist you” and work with you and that immediately makes for a calmer less stressful drive.

It’s too early to know if the navigation and charge stop routing will be as good as Tesla. Tesla are the benchmark for this and the BMW has a lot of settings that owners can set according to preferences. I will report on this when I have the car as my regular driver and it’s all set up as I want it.

Steering wheel

You’d be surprised the number of reviewers and comments have centred on the shape of the iX3’s steering wheel. Essentially the issue is that the wheel has “a top spoke” which apparantly renders it “weird” or “ugly”. Adding to the angst the left and right side spokes aren’t actually joined to the centre of the wheel. One of the concerns raised is that people might not realise when the wheel was “upside down”. At the same time almost every reviewer has said the wheel is very comfortable.

My thoughts – the steering wheel is very comfortable to use and hold and I found myself wondering whether any drivers really stare at their steering wheel while driving to work out which way the car will turn! I certainly don’t and really found no issue especially as that “top spoke” is nowhere close blocking your view of the 2 drivers displays – so why not have a top spoke. It’s worth noting the steering is accurate but light.

Practicality

Interior passenger space is really generous front and back. This is a car where 4 tall people (well over 6ft) could comfortably do long journeys. 5 might well work too although width might constrain it! Arguably the rear passenger space is so generous they really should have allocated some of it to where it’s more needed.. the boot. A sliding rear bench would have been even better and more flexible.

Storage space is less impressive with a rather underwhelming compartment under the centre armrest and an awkward to reach space under it that probably invites thieves if anything is left there.

For the boot space below you can see the space in an iX3 with passenger seats reclined or more upright for a L67cm x W43cm suitcase. For reference you can see the same suitcase in a Tesla Model 3 and and an old petrol Skoda Karoq

• The Karoq is a much smaller vehicle and so has less space front to back but much more height under the parcel shelf. It makes pieces of luggage look smaller despite being a class down in size. From memory it also had a sliding rear seat so you could magic up more boot space when needed.
• The iX3 gets more boot space front to back but it’s really not that tall only just managing this case under the parcel shelf. It also has a small awkwardly shaped frunk and a small amount of space under the boot floor for things like cables or walking boots. On the plus side the BMW can add lots of space and practicality by removing the parcel shelf which you can conveniently stow it under the boot floor. Overall the boot is adequate but not generous for the size of car.
• Like the Karoq the Tesla Model 3 has an extraordinary amount of space for its size. It’s main boot is comparable to the iX3 but then it has enough room for an airline carry on case under the boot and another one in the frunk.

Range and Efficiency

Despite trying quite hard to drive efficiently I was a little disappointed with the return on my test drive. In 11c temperatures the best I could eek out was 3.5 miles per kWh for the trip (and 3.7 for a section). The 91.4 miles covered used 24% of the battery which was equivalent to about 380 miles of 100% range. That’s good but bearing in mind this was a route on a mix of roads. A pure motorway trip would probably be a lot less even sticking religiously to 70mph.

The Arena EV website has got their own estimated range as different speeds and temperatures. At 15c

• 40mph gets you.. drumroll.. 556 miles or 5.1 miles per kWh
• 50mph gets you around 472 miles or 4.3 miles per kWh
• 60mph gets you 396 miles or 3.6 miles per kWh
• 70mph gets you 340 miles or 3.1 miles per kWh
• 80mph gets you 295 miles or 2.7 miles per kWh

Range improves a bit at 20C but does reduce at temperatures above or below that. Is it plausible? Well it does make sense bearing if I am correct in assuming the iX3 has a very efficient powertrain but an SUV shape that offers more wind resistance than a low saloon like a Model 3 at higher speeds.

This new English language 600 mile road trip video from the respected Autogefuhl channel compares the iX3 to the X3 and GLC electric and shows how much extra range they got using my recommended 20 inch wheels (see below).

If you want better efficiency from a Neue Klasse BMW what can you do?

• Choose the most efficient wheels – yes really!
  20″ aerodynamic wheels 1046 Bicolour £550
  This 1046 wheel is the only one that gives you the maximum range. The standard 20″ wheels drop the WLTP range by 7 miles, while the aero look 1049 21″ wheels take 17 miles off and the 22″ 1053’s take 33 miles off. If you choose the most expensive 22″ 1054’s you lose a staggering 44 miles of range or nearly 10%
  If you decide to go for MSport styling the 20″ 1047M wheels are relatively good value and only lose 3 miles of range. The worst wheels seem to be the 21″ 1051M wheels with sport tyres and those a truly staggering 69 miles of range. That 13% isn’t just a drop in range, it could add 13% to your running costs on every trip! It might even be worse than that on a motorway run because the WLTP test is largely at slow speeds.
• Remember many brands include bigger wheels on higher spec cars meaning the best range is sometimes on the base spec cars. This is true on the BMW M sport option which is primarily a styling change. It doesn’t affect range but can include bigger less efficient wheel options and upgraded brakes that the iX3 will barely use when driving on the road. According to BMW around 98% of braking will be regenerative braking via the motors- leaving just 2% of braking to be handled by those pretty brake callipers!
• I tend to keep tyre pressures at the higher end of what is recommended to reduce rolling resistance.
• If you’re likely to be in very slow traffic in cold weather or hot sun then skip the glass pano roof option and avoid very dark or matt paint colours. Why? They’re both likely to require additional heating and cooling and that costs range especially in slow congested traffic.
• Drive a bit slower to add a lot of range, reduce charge stops and cut your running costs.
• If you want to drive more efficiently at high speed choose cars that are less tall and wide. eg a BMW i3 instead of iX3, C class instead of GLA or Model 3 instead of Model Y. Don’t get too distracted by the quoted CD value for aerodynamics – cars with same CD but less frontal area (height and width) will go further at high speed.
• In hot weather set AC to 21-22c and in cold weather aim for 19-20C. If you’re still comfortable then you’ll gain a little efficiency by not making your AC work as hard.
• Use regenerative braking and brake early and smoothly if you can – it takes a lot of energy to accelerate a 2,360kg iX3 forward but regen allows you to recover much of that energy when you come to a stop at the lights or drive down a hill or mountain.

Speed and journey time

• Remember that speed costs you range and money in any car but the faster you travel the less difference a bit more speed makes to your journey time. For example 100 miles at an average of 70 mph will take you 1 hour and 25 mins.
• Going at 80 mph will shave just 11 mins off that time
• Going at 60mph would add 14 mins but 50 mph would add 34 mins
• Going at that super efficient 40 mph adds over an hour while 30mph adds nearly 2 hours!

Somewhere between 65 and 70mph might turn out to be the efficiency sweet spot but if you’re in a hurry then there is good news next…

Charging

The good news is whether you drive fast or slower for efficiency the iX3 will recharge that battery very fast. Not only can it charge from 10-80% in around 21 mins it should manage 10-55% in around 10 mins. That’s barely enough for a biological break including a takeout coffee if you run.

While most older chargers offered 400v chargers, the iX3 offers 800v charging like the Kia EV6 or Porsche Taycan. The advantages of 800v including less power wastage, thinner cables meaning less weight. less heat which means faster charging with less energy used for cooling. and faster chargers. Apart from Mercedes models most 800v cars can still use 400v chargers when needed even if it cuts their max charging speed. For the iX3

• 400kW speed charging is possible on 800v chargers
• 200kW speed charging is possible on 400v chargers

To put that in perspective I still expect the BMW to charge faster than a 250kW Tesla Model 3 on a 400v 250kW speed Tesla supercharger (because it can keep at it’s peak speeds for longer.

800v chargers

The charge curve apparently stays above 300kW till 40-44% and above 200kW till around 65%. How does that help? Well on a 10-80% charge a Tesla Model 3 peaks at 250kW quickly slows so the average speed is 125kW. The the iX3 should average 230kW after peaking on the right charger at 400kW. Worth bearing in mind the charge time on my own model 3 is a good 5 mins slower than claimed.

If you’re worried about charging costs there are some good options. At the time of writing Ionity offer a Power 365 subscription for £104.99 per year that offers 46p per kWh. While the chargers are mostly 350kW not 400kW that should only cost you an extra 1 min in charge time and 3x100kWh charges a year would break even compared to networks like Gridserve, Shell, BP or Instavolt which cost up to 89p.

400v chargers inc Tesla Superchargers

The iX3 should easily charge or all the standard CCS including 400v Tesla Superchargers. This is a big advantage over Mercedes new EV’s (CLA, GLB, GLC) that can’t use any 400v chargers without an expensive optional adapter. Even with the adaptor the new Mercedes models are limited to a slow 100kW charge speed. The BMW can do double that speed as standard meaning much faster charge times.

• If you don’t want to subscribe then many Tesla Superchargers are open to the iX3. To see which ones download the Tesla app, add payment details, then use the “charge your other EV”.
• Although Tesla only offer 400v chargers, the BMW should still manage a peak 200kW from Superchargers at 57p per kWh at time of writing and as little as 31p per kWh off peak. Even better rates are possible via a Tesla subscription

Charging issue for iX3 owners

Some German iX3 owners have reported that when they charge on chargers offering 400kW or more the car may end the charge after only a few mins before charging is halted. If this does happen to you check the settings in the charging menu.

• One option should be titled something like battery protection mode which you can use to slow down your charge speed. Make sure this mode is not enabled
• Another allows you to choose the fan speed to cool the battery when charging. This is sometimes set by default to medium to reduce noise in residential neighbourhoods. Unless the fan noise will cause a nuisance the setting should always be high. If you don’t the battery temperature will rise and charge speed will stop or slow when charging at maximum speed.

Ordering an iX3

• Wheels and sunroof see above
• The optional Castanea bicolour and white interiors
  worth considering if you don’t want grey or black especially if you don’t select the sunroof £975
• Technology Plus Pack
  BMW 3D Head-up Display, 3-zone automatic air conditioning, Harman/Kardon Surround Sound Audio System
  Expensive and the sound system upgrade doesn’t get great reviews but includes a system to cancel out noise in the car. Head up display is good but not vital thanks to panoramic iDrive
• BMW UK Service Inclusive £650
  Not sure if this is good value as service intervals are quite long on iX3
• BMW Iconic Glow £950
  This includes the matrix LED headlights, not just the bling light effects and so is worth considering. This option does cost a couple of miles of range.
• Heated Steering Wheel £250
  Lots of people will want this for cold winter commutes
• Multifunctional seats for driver and front passenger £775
  includes massage seats and ambient Lighting
• BMW Digital Premium (limited duration) inc Active Guard £300
  you don’t get entertainment or traffic updates without this service as far as I know.
• AC charging Professional £675
  includes faster AC option (22kW) but also allows the option to power up to 3 devices or even use your iX3 as a home battery (details still limited).If the additional BMW DC charger is used at your home then the iX3 can become a power supply for your home.

Why I’ve ordered an iX3?

Tesla

I’ve mainly owned Tesla Model 3’s since 2019. It is a fantastic car that is very cheap to run thanks to great value Superchargers and remarkable efficiency. The trouble is I can’t separate the brand from what its leader and largest shareholder does with the money he earns from Tesla. His interference in politics in the UK and elsewhere is “contentious” while the sight of the worlds richest man taking a “chainsaw” to vital aid programs for the poorest people on our planet is…”unforgettable”. I also still miss the indicator stalks that a “genius” decided I didn’t need.

The iX3 is the car of the moment

Just when we the thought the BMW board was going to lose the Electric Car sales race by backing every other silly drivetrain option from hybrid to hydrogen BMW delivers the Neue Klasse. Is it perfect? Probably not but it delivers a compelling specification that trounces Tesla in many areas and offers some interesting innovation.

It also encourages testing of a wider range of charging networks and technology like head up displays which Tesla don’t offer.

Testing best spec efficiency

Ordering my choice of iX3 spec gives us the chance to test things like efficiency with the BMW putting it’s best wheels forward. We may even do a road trip against a less efficient spec car to see if it really makes a difference to range.

Verdict

The iX3 promises to be great car that offers excellent potential on long distance road trips thanks to a class leading blend of range and charging speed. Will the i3 Touring offer all of the iX3’s attributes with more high speed efficiency in about a years time? Probably. Either way Neue Klasse puts Germany back on the map for electric cars.