Battery size: 141 kWh
WLTP range: 523 miles 
Real-world range (est): 350 - 450 miles
Charging speed: 450kW
Introduction - 2027 BMW iX5 Neue Klasse
BMW’s refreshed ‘Neue Klasse’ models keep on coming - and this time it’s the turn of the X5, bringing with it five different drivetrains - and rendering the electric BMW iX (which will be gone by 2028) obsolete in the process.
Instead we get this new, electric BMW iX5. Or to be more precise, in the UK we initially get the BMW iX5 60 xDrive; a 141kWh, 578hp all-wheel drive monster with 500+ miles of WLTP range. With prices starting from around £85,000, it takes the fight to the electric Porsche Cayenne, Volvo EX90 and forthcoming Bentley Torcal and Range Rover Electric.
It’s a chunky looking thing, too. BMW calls the styling ‘monolithic’, and the high bonnet line and flat, deep sides certainly make it imposing, but the illuminated, slim kidney grille and ‘X’ graphic headlights are either brilliant or awful depending on your mood. I'm not sure which side of that argument I fall on, to be honest, but at least BMW is succeeding in making its cars stand out from various more derivative big electric SUVs. After all, BMW is going to have competition from BYD, Denza and Xpeng in the big, premium electric SUV class soon, so it really needs to hold its own on the style front.
Suffice to say, it makes a statement - although that statement might also include swear words.
The good bits are very good, mind you: an 800-volt architecture and 450kW of DC charging. Enough cameras and sensors to enable Level 2 semi-autonomous driving, including address-to-address in those countries that allow such things. That means that the iX5 will be capable of hands-free driving on major artery roads, where legislation allows (which doesn't include the UK, yet), but you'll always have to have your eyes on the road and be ready to take over at any time.
While we're on the complicated tech stuff, the new BMW iX5 also gets BMW’s ‘Symbiotic Drive’, which means there’s a data centre’s-worth of Artificial Intelligence to help with everything from voice-control to sat-nav to auto-parking. And, presumably, to take over the world and kill us all eventually.
Range, battery and charging
WLTP range from the battery in the BMW iX5 60 xDrive is up to 528 miles, and well it should be since that 141kWh usable (150kWh gross) NMC pack is ginormous, putting even the 120kWh pack in the electric Porsche Cayenne to shame. The iX5 also gets powerful charging; an 800-volt architecture means a possible 450kW of DC power - future-proofing it against improvements in charging infrastructure.
Well, mostly future-proof, I should say. BYD is launching its 1,500kW Flash Charging stations in Europe now, but in the UK and many countries in Europe you'll still find mostly 350kW chargers in service stations, with 450kW units fairly rare - I reckon 450kW will be fast enough charging for most buyers. It means that you can get a 10-80% charge into the BMW iX5 in around 22 minutes despite the huge battery, or you'll be getting an additional 100 miles of range in as little as five minutes.
As you might expect, there’s a heat pump and the usual pre-conditioning abilities, as well as 22kW of AC charging ability. It should be efficient for the size - but that’s in context of a 578hp, 2.9-tonne SUV.
Practicality and boot space
BMW calls the X5 a Sports Activity Vehicle (SAV), and it doesn’t skimp on the practicality in favour of too much ‘sports’. The front seat room is generous, and although the rear seats aren’t as big as a car based on a pure electric platform, there’s plenty of room for knees behind sculpted front seatbacks, and big headroom. Having said that, I would kind of expect a touch more room given the size of this thing, but it’s going to be more than fine for the kids isn’t it?!
The boot is fairly enormous, too, with the electric BMW iX5 getting a 655-litre boot (which extends to 1,850 litres with the seats folded down). That makes this one of the most practical luxury electric SUVs you can buy, although I should point out that there's no seven-seat version of the BMW iX5. If you want seven seats in this kind of car, you'll have to consider the Volvo EX90, Kia EV9 or Hyundai Ioniq 9.
Interior, styling and technology
Ok, so the interior gets all sorts of stuff - probably too much to go into fully here. There’s the panoramic iDrive with a 17.9-inch central display, supplemented by a driver’s display and 14-inch optional passenger screen, plus the pillar-to-pillar BMW Panoramic Vision customisable projector strip under the windscreen base. All HD and crisp to the touchscreen - they all feel very fast. Various stages of leather or vegan appliqué, various styles of front seat, from comfort to more supportive ‘M’ sports chairs. There’s a massive standard 2.0-metre glass roof, and even an option for real slate veneers on the centre console. Like, actual stone veneer, like you'd have in your kitchen. And glass buttons and switches. Very posh.
I won’t lie – it does look very much like the iX3, doesn’t it? The whole car actually feels like an iX3 that’s been upsized, but that’s no bad thing given that the BMW iX3 is our Electrifying Car of the Year for 2026!
After that, it’s a raft of ADAS (advanced driver assist systems) that are all AI-enabled with BMW Symbiotic Drive for Level-2 semi-autonomous driving, including auto-park, exit-to-exit and address-to-address navigation without the use of your hands. Which is currently not on the cards for UK buyers. As for that steering wheel? Well, I absolutely love it. But I know that Wookie – who did the walkaround video when the BMW iX5 was revealed – hates it. So it’s definitely one of those things that’s an acquired taste, but the good news is that you can have a more conventional wheel at no extra cost.
Motors and performance
I went and drove the BMW iX5 xDrive60 out in California on the international drive, which brought back memories of when I drove the original Mk1 BMW X5 V8 some 26 years ago! I can’t believe it was so long ago, and you can see clips from the video I did back then if you watch the iX5 review video.
What I really took home from my time with the iX5 is that it’s really grown into its role as a luxury electric family SUV. Because that’s what this is, really. It’s a family car much more than it’s a ‘sports activity vehicle’. Of course the iX5 still has the clearance, power and all-wheel drive ability to cope with more severe conditions than you’re likely to find down at the horse yard, but the iX5 definitely feels like a car designed mostly to keep you comfortable on the road.
That dual motor setup for all-wheel drive and 578hp means that 0-62mph takes 4.6 seconds, but the power arrives really smoothly and feels nice and easy to modulate – but also properly pokey for when you want to get out of a junction sharpish.
And it does need some muscle, because that enormous battery isn’t exactly a packet of AAAs, is it?!
There a lot of clever suspension working away underneath to make the BMW iX5 feel smaller and lighter than it is. Air suspension helps cushion the bumps, while an active anti-roll system keeps the body from leaning too much through corners, so even if you do stick it in Sport mode for a bit of fun, it really does feel nicely tied down and really planted. It can put the Sport in the Sports Utility Vehicle if you want it to, the BMW. Which is just as it should be, as the BMW’s established a rep over the years for being one of the sharper-driving SUVs you can buy.
I’d definitely say it still lives up to that, especially with the rear-wheel steering helping to make it feel more nimble as you turn into corners, and also making it easier to wind throught tight car parks. It feels natural, though. I sometimes find rear-wheel steer systems can make a car feel a little nervous and unpredictable, but the BMW iX5 just feels really predictable and easy to drive. Given the size of this thing, I think the rear-wheel steer is a very good thing, to be honest!
I really like the steering, too – it’s weighty but still easygoing, and gives a really nice sense of what’s going on at the wheels.
And even riding on these 22s, the ride is very smooth. There’s not too much pitch or wallow from the body, but the iX5 soaks of potholes no problem at all. That’s what I mean when I say it feels very comfort oriented. Yes, it’s rapid and precise, but it feels most at home when you’re just cruising along, enjoying the really outstanding refinement and comfort.
Oh, and if you tow stuff then the new BMW iX5 could be a good option as it's got a braked towing capacity of 2,700kg, which makes this one of the most capable electric tow vehicles you can buy. Not quite as good as the electric Porsche Cayenne, though, which can tow up to 3,500kg.
Don’t forget that more modest versions of the electric BMW iX5 will appear as time goes on, and there's already a plug-in hybrid BMW iX5 M60 xDrive with, which will do 0-62mph in 4.2 seconds! There’s also a hydrogen BMW X5 due in the not too distant future, too.
Running costs and pricing
The all-electric BMW iX5 is available to order now, with prices starting from around £85,000 and going up to £88,000 for the M Sport Pro. That’s pretty close to what you’ll pay for the Porsche Cayenne electric, and it looks like great value compared with the new Range Rover Electric and Bentley Torcal.
Having said that, I do reckon that a slightly less powerful version – maybe even a version with a smaller battery – could be the better buy. If it cuts the cost and weight a bit, yet keeps that sumptuous feel and implacable handling of the BMW iX5, I reckon I could be tempted by that.
Verdict
This is strong work from BMW as it introduces the ‘Neue Klasse’ models; the iX5 might feel like it’s compromised, having a shared platform with petrol hybrid and even hydrogen power - rather than a bespoke electric platform. But the integration is spot on, and the tech is fabulous, with AI baked in from the start, a lovely interior, monster charging and fantastically composed manners on the road. Is it as good to drive as the Porsche Cayenne? Hmm. I’m not sure it is, but it’s a close call. It’s certainly a fantastic electric SUV, and it sets the benchmark for range, so I reckon BMW’s onto another winner with this one.
Like the 2026 BMW iX5? Try these...
8
