BMW has finally revealed its new i3, an electric reimagining of its classic 3-Series saloon. The new car follows on from the recently launched iX3 SUV, which has won an array of awards including winning Electrifying.com's Car of the Year award for 2026.

The design follows admirably close to the bold template set by the Neue Klasse concept in 2023, and the styling might prove controversial to some, but no one will be able to argue with the new i3’s headline range figure, which is a barnstorming 559 miles as rated under the WLTP system that carmakers use to establish range and efficiency figures.

That number comes courtesy of the 108.7kWh usable capacity of the car’s NMC battery and comes in the sole model that’s available from launch, the 50 xDrive, that manages the figure despite having a 469hp dual motor powertrain and all-wheel drive. 

Electrifying editor-in-chief Ginny Buckley has been to see the car already and was impressed with the looks of the new car, and from our experience driving the new iX3 we reckon around 450 miles of real world range should be possible from the car.

The interior is a minimalist affair, with the iDrive controller banished and the infotainment system controlled either with a bit of finger prodding or using the controls on the fascinating new steering wheel (more conventional wheels are available). The other exciting feature to arrive on the new i3 is BMW's new 'Panoramic Vision system', which has a slimline information screen at the base of the windscreen. 

This is just our first glimpse of the production version of the i3, which doesn’t go on sale until closer to the end of 2026 but is going into full production at BMW’s Munich factory shortly. We don’t know what sort of prices BMW will be asking for the car, but we’re estimating around £55,000 for the launch version of the car and cheaper, smaller batteried versions of the car should follow. 

Check out Ginny's video walkaround of the new BMW i3 below...