The BMW iX3 Is Racking Up Orders Without Test Drives

• BMW’s new iX3 is drawing strong orders, often from buyers who haven’t test-driven it.
• Germany’s Der Spiegel says orders beat expectations, prompting an earlier-than-planned third shift in Hungary.
• German data suggests that around one in three iX3 buyers are new to BMW.

The BMW iX3 represents a major departure from how the manufacturer has been making cars. Its design has been divisive inside and out, yet many buyers are placing orders without a test drive—some probably without even seeing the car in person.

On paper, the iX3 looks like BMW’s most complete electric vehicle yet. Technically, it’s a major leap over BMW’s earlier EVs, with a new 800-volt platform that brings faster charging, higher efficiency, a stronger emphasis on driving dynamics and more software definition. Strong early demand suggests it’s landing with buyers.

We reported in October that the iX3 had racked up over 3,000 orders in Germany alone, and that was before the international first-drive event, when journalists published their initial impressions. Once they were published, orders picked up even more, also helped by the customer events it organized around Europe, giving prospective buyers a closer look at the car and sampling some features, even without driving it.

Der Spiegel reports, citing unnamed sources inside BMW, that the Bavarian automaker received more iX3 orders than it was expecting in 2025. The report says those “very high order volumes” have prompted BMW to add an additional (third) shift to the factory where the iX3 is being built earlier than initially planned.

The source adds that in Germany, around one in three buyers have never owned a BMW, which makes the fact that they are buying one without a test drive all the more unusual.

In late 2025, some reports claimed the iX3 was nearly sold out for its first year of production. BMW confirmed to me that the model is in very high demand, but noted that these reports were exaggerated and the order books were still open. The Hungarian plant has an annual capacity of 150,000 units, a level it may not reach in its first full year of production, though a third shift could push output above the initially planned level.

The iX3 will have fierce competition, though, including from its biggest rival. The Mercedes-Benz GLC With EQ Technology is also doing well so far. It can’t match the BMW on charging speed or range, but it’s also a leap forward for the brand and a strong contender. Just like the new electric CLA sedan, the GLC EQ no longer looks like a jelly bean and its design is far closer to that of the manufacturer’s conventional car lineup.

Judging by the early success of these two crossovers, car buyers are getting excited for a new era of more advanced electric vehicles that are better than their predecessors in just about every way. As we’ve reported before, thanks to models like the iX3 and GLC, 2026 is when the real EV war begins.