BMW iX3 review

The BMW iX3 electric SUV marked a change of direction for the German brand – at least when it came to building cars that run on batteries.

What do we mean by that? Well, when the iX3 first showed up, BMW’s only previous electric car was the much smaller BMW i3 hatchback, which was built from the ground up to run on electricity but looked a bit too futuristic for most to get on board with.

The iX3 took a different approach: it's essentially an electric SUV version of the BMW X3 (a family SUV available with petrol and diesel engines). In fact the only features that mark it out visually from the X3 are the solid plastic grille, aerodynamic alloy wheels and a smattering of blue highlights.

It’s been around for a long time now though, so is the BMW iX3 still good enough to compete with the best electric SUVs – from the Audi Q6 e-tron and Jaguar I-Pace to the Mercedes EQE SUV and Tesla Model Y. This review will tell you everything you need to know.

If you’re expecting the BMW iX3 to deliver Tesla-like performance, you’ll be mildly disappointed. It’s plenty quick enough (0-62mph takes 6.8 seconds) but acceleration is strong rather than especially thrilling.

However, if you switch to Sport mode in the range-topping iX3 M Sport Pro, you do get an eerie electronic soundtrack dreamed up by German film score composer Hans Zimmer. It’s a bit like being in the film Interstellar, with the volume and pitch rising as your speed increases.

Depending on how you drive, the iX3 will officially cover up to 292 miles between charges, but that’s a lot less than the Audi Q6 e-tron (381 miles), the Mercedes EQE SUV (376 miles) and the Tesla Model Y Long Range (331 miles).

In our winter real range test the iX3 managed to cover 212 miles on a single charge. On the same day, the Model Y Long Range managed 247 miles.

All versions of the iX3 have rear-wheel drive, so if you want four-wheel drive you'll need a Q6 e-tron, a Jaguar I-Pace or a Model Y. That shouldn’t be a concern unless you regularly get snow or live down a muddy track because it has plenty of traction whether it’s wet or dry.

It handles well too. Indeed, we’d say the iX3 is one of the most enjoyable electric SUVs to drive, leaning over less and feeling more agile than the Q6 e-tron, I-Pace and EQE SUV. If you care about handling more than having an SUV, the Tesla Model 3 Performance might suit you better.

Filling a car with heavy batteries rarely does good things to ride comfort but the iX3 does without the sophisticated air suspension of its main rivals (the Q6 e-tron and EQE SUV have it as standard, the I-Pace as an option). Instead, it relies on steel springs.

You can adjust the stiffness of the suspension, tightening things up for country road driving or softening them for long motorway jaunts. It’s firmer than the wafty Q6 e-tron and I-Pace but deals with bumps in a perfectly agreeable manner, both around town and on faster roads, making it much more comfortable than the Model Y.

You get more tyre and suspension noise than with its main rivals but anyone coming from a petrol or diesel BMW X3 will be pleasantly surprised. The electric motor is quiet (unless Herr Zimmer’s work has been activated) and you won’t feel the vibration of an engine.

The differences between the iX3 and the BMW X3 are even harder to spot inside than outside. In fact, were it not for the blue starter button and a few more blue accents, you’d never guess which model you were in.

The X3 is one of the best posh SUVs you can buy and some versions even score our top five-star rating, so one that runs on electricity instead of fossil fuels is more than fine by us.

True, the interior perhaps doesn’t feel as glamorous as in the Mercedes EQE SUV but it counters that with better build and material quality, getting lots of dense, squishy materials in most of the important places. Only a couple of patches of hard, scratchy plastic – around the starter button for example – let the side down a little.

Usability is tough to fault, with a logically arranged dashboard with proper buttons and knobs for the air-conditioning. Those physical controls make it far less distracting to make changes on the move than diving into the touchscreen, as you do in the Audi Q6 e-tron and the EQE SUV.

The iX3's driving position is superb and you get electrically adjustable seats no matter which trim level you go for. One slight demerit is that you have to go for the range-topping M Sport Pro to get adjustable lumbar support.

For a long time, BMW car models led the pack when it comes to infotainment systems but then it started removing physical controls. Thankfully, the iX3 has escaped that fate so there's a rotary controller you can use to control the 10.25in touchscreen display.

Not only does that make the iX3’s system less distracting to use than the ones in rivals but it also responds to your inputs really quickly. Better still, it gets plenty of standard features, including built-in sat-nav, Bluetooth and DAB radio, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone mirroring, and wireless phone-charging. Top-tier M Sport Pro versions also get an upgraded Harman Kardon sound system.

If you take a seat in the front of a BMW iX3 you’ll be treated to plenty of head and leg room even if you're over six feet tall. Plus, the interior is wide enough that you won’t find your shoulders rubbing those of your passenger.  

It’s good news in the rear too, because despite the fact that a big battery has, in effect, been shoehorned under the floor, there’s as much space in the iX3 as in a BMW X3. That means two tall people can sit quite comfortably in the back of the car, with leg and head room to spare.

You can recline the outer rear seats to give a more laid-back seating position – a feature that isn’t available in the iX3’s direct rivals. Even if you add a middle rear passenger into the equation, things are still agreeable for all concerned. If it’s still not quite large enough for you, an Audi Q6 e-tron, a Jaguar I-Pace or even a VW ID Buzz will offer your rear-seat passengers even more room.

As with its closest rivals, you can’t get the iX3 with seven seats. If that's what you need, see our best seven-seaters page. 

The iX3's main boot space is identical to the X3’s, which means it’s smaller than a Q6 e-tron's but bigger than the one in the Mercedes EQE SUV. The iX3 loses a bit of underfloor storage compared with the X3, but there’s still room for the charging cable. You get versatile 40/20/40 split-folding rear seats as standard.

For more information on the iX3's space and practicality see our BMW X3 review.

If you’re buying the BMW iX3 as a cash purchase, it’ll cost you more than any Tesla Model Y, around the same as the Audi Q6 e-tron and plenty less than the Mercedes EQE SUV. Indeed, it’s well priced against its rivals (you can compare prices using our New Car Deals pages).

On face value, the iX3 costs you a fair bit more than an entry-level petrol or diesel BMW X3 but it should cost you loads less to run. It’s also much cheaper as a company car thanks to the temptingly low BIK tax rates available on electric cars at the moment.

The iX3 has a maximum charging rate of 150kW, meaning that a 10-80% charge can be completed in about half an hour. That’s slightly slower than the EQE SUV (170kW) and much slower than the Q6 e-tron, which can charge at up to 270kW.

Anyone planning to do very long journeys on a regular basis would do well to consider the Tesla Model Y, which gets 250kW charging but, better still, gives you access to the Tesla Supercharger network for more reliable fast charging. If you intend to do most of your charging at home using a 7kW home car charger, a full charge (0-100%) of the iX3’s 74.3kWh battery (usable capacity) will take around 11 hours and 45 minutes.

There are only two trim levels to choose from: M Sport and M Sport Pro. Entry-level M Sport gives you plenty of luxuries, including 19in alloy wheels, three-zone air conditioning, a powered tailgate, a panoramic sunroof, leather seats (heated in the front), a heated steering wheel, a 12.3in digital driver display, parking sensors and touchscreen infotainment. 

Range-topping M Sport Pro trim gets you 20in aerodynamic alloys, a head-up display (which projects current speed, the speed limit and sat-nav directions on to the windscreen), auto-dipping headlights and keyless entry. That’s alongside a fancier sound system, lumbar support and IconicSounds acceleration sound effects. 

The iX3 performed very well in the 2023 What Car? Reliability Survey, coming second on the electric SUVs table, below the Ford Mustang Mach-E. As a manufacturer, BMW did quite well, coming 12th out of 32 car makers ranked (above Mercedes, Audi and Jaguar). 

For added peace of mind, every iX3 comes with a three-year unlimited mileage warranty and a separate electric battery warranty that lasts up to eight years or 100,000 miles.   

Euro NCAP tested the X3 for safety in 2017, awarding it five stars out of five, a rating that also covers the iX3 after it was validated in 2021. The problem is that the rating has now expired. What’s more, the Q8 e-tron and the I-Pace were tested using more stringent tests, making it impossible to compare them all.

Even so, it should keep you safe in an accident, as every iX3 comes as standard with plenty of safety tech, including automatic emergency braking (AEB), lane-keeping assist, active side-collision protection and automatic speed-limit assist.

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