The rear doors are what could be described as ‘suicide’ doors, in that they open out with a hinge at the rear, rather than the front.  This actually provides easier access to the rear seats for those passengers who will be sitting back there.  The complaint that the front door needs to be opened first seems a relatively minor inconvenience and certainly less of an issue that getting passengers into the back seats of two door cars.
 

On the road

The i3 was a great little car to drive, energetic performance and firm steering made it a real pleasure to drive on the country roads around Salisbury.  Whilst some do complain about it being skittish on such roads, I actually found it to be a pleasing drive and I did not struggle with confidence in darting from one corner to another.  I should say that it was not as good as the Honda E, which I drove on the same day, but felt a little better than the Fiat 500e which I also drove that day.

The car was, as you would expect from an electric car, pretty nippy and, most of the time, quiet.  However, the structure of the car and the environmental focus of the interior meant that bumps in the road can be intrusive from a noise perspective and, given the shocking state of the roads in the UK, this could be a frequent issue.
 

Range and Charging

The i3s that I drove had a stated range of about 190 miles, although you should probably expect to be limited to about 150-160 miles.  Some people will moan about the disparity between the claimed and achievable range, but the same applies to the mpg figures for internal combustion engined vehicles, with few people getting anywhere near the stated fuel economy.  If you drive with economy in mind, you may well get 190 miles from a full battery… it’s just most people don’t drive like that.  At least not until they experience range anxiety - and that applies to petrol and diesel cars as well as electric vehicles.

The 42kWh battery can be charged at a maximum rate of 50kW, which is quite slow compared to many modern EVs.  However, the battery is relatively small and it can be charged to 80% in as little as 45 minutes.  The chances are, you’ll be stopping for a charge when you still have maybe 20% left on board,  so that 45 minutes to 80% will come down.

Why do we quote to 80%, you may ask…  Quite simply it’s because most EVs slow the charge down after 80% charge has been achieved, in order to protect the longevity of the battery.  It can be quicker to stop at 80% and get on the road, even if you need to stop for a further top up later in your journey.

The Interior

I was disappointed in the quality of the interior and, when I took the car back to the dealership, I asked whether this was a base level car and if the higher spec models had a more luxurious feel to the trim.  The salesman seemed a little taken aback by my question and quickly defended the car, saying that the i3 had been made with the environment as the key focus.

Apparently, the almost cardboard like quality of the door cards was a deliberate attempt to reduce the car’s carbon footprint.

I actually felt a little guilty for having raised it.

My Verdict

The BMW i3 is a cracking little car that drives well and would meet the needs of most motorists.  I say that, because most motorists rarely have more than four people in the car at a time and most motorists don’t drive that far in an average day.

However, in my opinion, there are better small cars and I preferred the Honda E and even the Fiat 500e over the small BMW.

Production has now ended, so if you’re buying an i3 it will be second hand.  You can, as at April 2023, pick up a second hand i3 for as little as £10,000 although most seem to be priced at at least £11,000.  At that price point, you’ll be looking at an early model (not the i3s, just the original i3) with between 50,000 and 100,000 miles.  Personally, I’d avoid the range extender models.  A major point of the move to the electric vehicle, for me, is the avoidance of the fuel pumps and a significant reduction in the amount of servicing required.