New Audi Q8 e-tron vs BMW iX vs Jaguar I-Pace: costs
Any of these luxurious electric SUVs would be great to spend a little time with – but which should you buy? Let’s find out...
Buying and owning
Costs, equipment, reliability, safety and security
Discounts are available on all three cars via our free online New Car Buying service, but the Jaguar I-Pace is the cheapest to buy outright by a huge margin.
Despite having the strongest predicted resale values and being the most efficient of the bunch, the BMW iX is the most expensive to run over three years for private buyers, costing around £1200 more than the Audi Q8 e-tron and a whopping £8000 more than the I-Pace over the same period.
The I-Pace is easily the cheapest option on PCP finance, too. On a three-year deal with a £10,000 deposit and a 10,000-mile annual limit, you’ll pay £931 per month, compared with an eye-watering £1614 for the Q8 and £1680 for the iX on the same terms.
Because of its lower price, the I-Pace will cost company car drivers a little less in benefit-in-kind tax than its rivals (£52 per month, versus £66 for the Q8 and £68 for the iX). For reference, all three attract a far lower rate than an equivalent plug-in hybrid; the £92,980 Range Rover Sport P440e Dynamic SE would command £155 per month in salary sacrifices.
Equipment levels are as comprehensive as you’d expect, with adaptive cruise control, heated front seats, keyless start and leather upholstery standard across the board. The Q8 and iX add four-zone climate control (including temperature adjustment for those in the outer rear seats), rather than the I-Pace’s two-zone system up front; a four-zone system costs £630. You’ll have to pay extra to get keyless entry and a heated steering wheel on the iX, though; these are standard on its rivals.
The Q8 requires the least time to charge up from 10-80%, taking around 31 minutes with a peak rate of 170kW. Although the iX has a higher peak charging rate of 195kW, the same top-up takes a few minutes longer (35 minutes), because its average rate is lower. Meanwhile, the I-Pace’s 100kW charging rate seems relatively slow now (the same as a Peugeot e-208 hatchback), so it takes around 44 minutes to get from 10-80%.
In terms of dependability, the I-Pace finished second from bottom (13th) in its class in the most recent What Car? Reliability Survey. The pre-facelift version of Q8 fared better, but still finished mid-table (eighth), while the iX is too new to have featured. All three brands were included in the overall league table, with BMW ranking 16th (out of 32), Audi 21st and Jaguar 26th.
Both the iX and I-Pace come with a three-year/unlimited-mileage warranty, while the Q8 is capped at 60,000 miles over the same period. The drive battery is covered for eight years or 100,000 miles in all three.
