New BMW i3 reviews: what UK testers say about the electric 3 Series

The new BMW i3 has gone straight to the top of UK testers’ rankings. Auto Express put it first in a three-car test against the Mercedes C-Class Electric and the updated Hyundai Ioniq 6 on 10 November, calling it “our first-choice electric compact executive car”, and Autocar headlined its first drive on British roads the same day “EV goes straight to the top of the class”. For a UK buyer, the message is that the electric 3 Series drives well, goes a long way on a charge and has screens testers like, but it is not the roomiest saloon in the class, and its ride and reliability have question marks.

These verdicts follow five-star reviews from Auto Express and Autotrader at the end of October. Below we set out every verdict we could read in full, then add our own numbers: real range and cost per mile against the Tesla Model 3, C-Class Electric and Ioniq 6. For prices and specs, see our BMW i3 UK price report. We have not driven the car ourselves, so every judgement here belongs to the outlet named.

What do the BMW i3 reviews say?

Outlet	Published	Version tested	Rating	Verdict in brief
Auto Express group test	10 November 2026	i3 50 xDrive M Sport First Edition	First of three	”Our first-choice electric compact executive car”
Autocar, UK road test	10 November 2026	Not read	Not read	”EV goes straight to the top of the class” (headline)
Auto Express review	30 October 2026	i3 50 xDrive M Sport, £54,925	5 out of 5	”Above all, it drives just as a 3 Series should”
Autotrader	30 October 2026	i3 50 xDrive	5 out of 5, reliability 3 out of 5	”BMW on its A-game”
Carwow	Undated	Pre-production car	No score	Standout range and charging, but “not cheap”

Autocar’s full test is behind a paywall, so we have used only its headline and have not quoted its rating or any detail of its findings. We could not read Autocar’s main review, What Car?, CAR magazine or Top Gear in full, so we have not quoted ratings from them.

Why did the i3 win the Auto Express group test?

Auto Express says the i3 is “not as comfy or as fast as the C-Class”, but that it “more than makes up for it with a sharp drive and agile handling”, with a handling balance that mirrors BMW’s combustion-engined models. It also praises the tech, which is carried over from the iX3 SUV, and the pricing. The verdict: “Throw in user-friendly tech and competitive pricing, and it’s our first-choice electric compact executive car.”

The C-Class Electric came second. Auto Express calls it the most comfortable car in the test, helped by optional air suspension, and says: “If you want the plushest, most comfortable electric compact exec around, the C-Class is the only choice.” The Ioniq 6 came third, praised for value, equipment and range but judged behind the Germans on tech and driving engagement. “Third place is no disgrace,” the magazine says. Our C-Class Electric review round-up covers what other testers thought of the Mercedes.

What do testers like about the BMW i3?

Three themes come up across the reviews: the way it drives, the range and the screens.

• Handling. Auto Express says “it drives just as a 3 Series should”, and Autotrader calls it “great to drive”, saying the low stance makes it feel “a lot more planted through the corners”.
• Range. Auto Express says it “smashes its rivals for range” and calls it “the longest-range EV you can buy in the UK”, naming the Mercedes EQS at 542 miles as the nearest challenger. Autotrader says the official figure beats the Tesla Model 3 by just over 100 miles.
• Panoramic iDrive. Auto Express calls the infotainment “an outstanding set-up once you’re acquainted with it”, and Autotrader finds the full-width display “way more user-friendly” than the C-Class Electric’s screen.
• Equipment and driving aids. Auto Express describes the car as “supremely well equipped”. Autotrader praises the adaptive regenerative braking, which it says works “so smoothly you don’t even notice it”.

What are the main complaints?

The criticisms are consistent enough to be worth checking on a test drive.

• Rear space. In the group test, Auto Express says back-seat occupants have limited legroom in all three cars, and its figures give the i3 the least rear kneeroom. Its earlier review found “not as much foot space as we’d like” in the back and calls the car “not as practical as the iX3”. Autotrader disagrees in part, finding it more spacious than the hybrid 3 Series.
• Boot. Auto Express calls 420 litres “fairly poor”, and says the C-Class has more room, though the BMW has the best access. The front boot holds 31 litres, against 101 litres in the Mercedes.
• Ride at low speed. In the group test, Auto Express says “a sportier set-up means the newcomer is unsettled at lower speeds”, and its earlier review says the 2,205kg kerb weight “makes itself known” over bumps. Autotrader, by contrast, found the balance of sportiness and comfort “absolutely bang-on” on standard suspension.
• Controls. Autotrader says climate control through the screen is “still a faff”. Auto Express is “not keen on the two-spoke steering wheel”.
• Reliability. Autotrader scores it 3 out of 5, saying the reliability of the new electronics is “the real question” and that BMW’s scores have not quite met premium expectations. This is a judgement on an unproven platform, not a report of faults.

Autotrader also notes that hands-free driving is geo-fenced and that UK drivers must wait for the rules to allow it.

How far will a BMW i3 really go?

Less than BMW’s claim, as with any EV, but still further than its rivals in the same test. BMW quotes up to 566 miles on the WLTP test for the i3 50 xDrive. Auto Express lists 563 miles for the First Edition it tested, with a 113.4kWh battery of which 108.6kWh is usable; BMW’s own release gives 108.7kWh.

Our inputs: usable battery multiplied by the efficiency each car recorded in the Auto Express group test. Auto Express does not say where or in what conditions it drove, and notes the Mercedes did more motorway driving. For the Model 3, which was not in the test, we used the EV Database real-world estimate from our Model 3 vs i3 comparison, so that row is an estimate, not a road test.

Car	Usable battery	Efficiency	Real range, our sum	Official range
BMW i3 50 xDrive First Edition	108.6kWh	3.9 miles per kWh (test)	About 424 miles	563 miles
Mercedes C 400 4Matic AMG Line Premium Plus	94kWh	3.3 miles per kWh (test)	About 310 miles	433 miles
Hyundai Ioniq 6 N Line Evo AWD	84kWh	3.8 miles per kWh (test)	About 319 miles	354 miles
Tesla Model 3 Premium Long Range RWD	79kWh	219Wh per mile, about 4.6 miles per kWh (EV Database estimate)	About 361 miles	466 miles

Official ranges are as listed by Auto Express for the cars it tested, and the Model 3 figure is the WLTP claim. Our 424 miles matches the test range Auto Express gives. Its earlier review recorded 3.7 miles per kWh in mixed town and country driving, which on 108.6kWh would give about 402 miles (Auto Express itself predicted 414 miles), while Autotrader estimates about 400 miles. Nobody we read has published efficiency for the cheaper i3 40 xDrive, so we have not estimated its range. Our iX3 report shows how far the related BMW iX3 went in independent range tests.

How much does a BMW i3 cost to run per mile?

We used each car’s efficiency from the table above and three rates checked at source on 10 November 2026.

Car	Intelligent Octopus Go, 6.5p	Price cap, 26.32p	Rapid average, 82p
BMW i3 50 xDrive	1.7p a mile	6.7p a mile	21.0p a mile
Mercedes C-Class Electric	2.0p a mile	8.0p a mile	24.8p a mile
Hyundai Ioniq 6 N Line Evo AWD	1.7p a mile	6.9p a mile	21.6p a mile
Tesla Model 3 Long Range RWD	1.4p a mile	5.8p a mile	18.0p a mile

Rates: Octopus Energy quotes 6.5p per kWh for smart EV charging; Ofgem sets the average Direct Debit unit rate at 26.32p from 1 October to 31 December 2026; and Zapmap puts the average pay-as-you-go rapid and ultra-rapid price at 82p in October. Cost per mile is the rate divided by miles per kWh. We leave out charging losses and standing charges, so real costs will be a little higher.

Over 10,000 miles at the price cap rate, that is about £675 for the i3, £798 for the C-Class and £693 for the Ioniq 6, close to the £674, £797 and £692 Auto Express gives. If you charge 90% of your miles at home on 6.5p and 10% at 82p rapid chargers, 10,000 miles costs about £360 in the i3, £426 in the C-Class, £370 in the Ioniq 6 and £308 in the Model 3. Tesla drivers usually pay less than the rapid average at Superchargers, which would widen the Model 3’s lead. The bigger difference is where you charge: rapid charging costs more than 12 times as much per mile as an off-peak tariff, partly because of the 20% VAT on public charging.

How do the prices compare?

Car	Starting price	As tested by Auto Express
BMW i3 40 xDrive	£47,925	Not tested
BMW i3 50 xDrive	£53,425 (BMW release)	£58,535 (M Sport First Edition with options)
Mercedes C-Class Electric	£57,995	£69,125 (C 400 4Matic AMG Line Premium Plus)
Hyundai Ioniq 6	£33,240 including the grant	£46,960 (N Line Evo AWD)
Tesla Model 3 Premium Long Range RWD	£44,990	Not tested

Sources: BMW, Auto Express, Carwow for the Model 3 and Hyundai for the Ioniq 6, as in our Ioniq 6 price report. Sources disagree on the i3 50 xDrive: BMW’s release of 30 September gives £53,425, Carwow’s article text and some earlier reports give £53,005, and Carwow’s trim list starts the 50 xDrive at £54,925 for the M Sport. Auto Express quotes the Ioniq 6 from £36,990 in its text, which is the price before the £3,750 grant. Tesla changes prices often, so check its configurator. Only the cheaper Ioniq 6 versions qualify for the grant; the BMW, Mercedes and Tesla do not.

Auto Express lists vehicle tax of £640 a year for the BMW and Mercedes against £200 for the Ioniq 6, because cars with a list price over £50,000 pay the expensive car supplement. The i3 40 xDrive sits below that threshold, but options can push it over. Company car drivers pay 4% benefit in kind on any of these in 2026/27, and our BiK calculator guide shows how list price changes the bill.

Should you buy a BMW i3 or wait?

If you are choosing now, the reviews point to a few practical steps:

• Test drive on rough roads you know, because the low-speed ride is the main point testers disagree on. Ask whether the car has standard or adaptive suspension; Autotrader says adaptive dampers will be offered later.
• Sit in the back and check the boot if you carry adults or bulky luggage. The C-Class and the Model 3 have more luggage space.
• Price the 40 xDrive as well as the 50 xDrive. It is cheaper and avoids the expensive car supplement, though no test we read has measured its real range.
• Get the price in writing, given the disagreement over the 50 xDrive’s list price.
• Work out where you will charge. An off-peak home tariff makes far more difference to running costs than the choice between these cars. Our price cap explainer covers home rates.

Our view

The early UK verdicts are strong and consistent: the i3 drives like a 3 Series, its range is ahead of anything else in the class, and testers like the screens. The trade-offs are real but familiar for a sporty saloon: tight rear legroom, a modest boot and a firmer ride than the C-Class. For a buyer who wants the longest range and a car that is enjoyable to drive, it looks like the one to test first. If space and running costs matter more, the Model 3 is cheaper to buy and run on our figures, and the Ioniq 6 offers much of the range for far less money. Reliability is the open question, and no review can answer that yet.