Why BMW

BMW begins the press release for the new fully electric i3 by calling the 3 Series “the essence” of the brand. I think that’s right. It’s a nameplate that dates back over five decades, and it still defines what BMW is today, even as more buyers are abandoning low-slung sedans and snapping up big crossovers. So even though the iX3 SUV will likely be a more profitable venture than the i3, and perhaps more popular, I think the i3 is the far more important model for the future of the brand.

Let me explain why.

The 3 Series was BMW’s bestselling model globally in 2025, though it was beaten in the United States by the now ubiquitous X3. Even if the X3 or another high-riding model surpasses the 3 Series globally, this compact executive sedan will always be the defining model for the entire brand. A company that brands itself as a purveyor of the “ultimate driving machine” cannot have an SUV as its core product.

Photo by: BMW

No, BMW needs an agile sedan to carry that mantle. And in the electric era, they have not had great options so far. BMW could have made an effort to offer the i3 sedan (the G28) it sells in China here in the West. It probably would have sold reasonably well, but being a converted combustion car, it has its compromises and limitations.

That car may have worked as a regional solution, but it was never the kind of clean-sheet electric 3 Series that BMW needed to launch globally and have it be well received in its traditional market strongholds. The i4 in the European and U.S. markets had the same issue. It rode on a platform shared with gas cars, offering solid dynamics, but not world-class specs. Perhaps that’s why BMW never put the 3-Series name on it in the West, despite its four-door design.

Now that the first dedicated electric 3 Series has been unveiled, it’s clear why BMW chose to wait. Its design pays homage to the first wave of Neue Klasse models. Those models, which started in the 1960s, defined what BMW has become today. The i3 rides on an all-new platform, underpinning cars branded once again as the company’s “Neue Klasse” models, that are once again supposed to mark a new era for the brand. And they’re kicking off the era with class-leading specs and tech.

The i3 is an 800-volt EV, which allows it to charge at 400 kilowatts and add 248 miles (400 km) of WLTP range in a 10-minute charging session. It should do up to 560 miles (900 km) on one charge, or around 440 miles (710 km) on the stricter EPA test cycle.

With a careful right foot, you shouldn’t have a problem exceeding the EPA range in real-world driving conditions. BMW proved that its Neue Klasse EVs can travel further than advertised on a single charge when it drove an iX3 for 626 miles (1,007 km) and still had 12 miles (20 km) of range remaining (albeit under controlled conditions).

The more aerodynamic and lighter i3 should be even better in this respect, and the single-motor big-battery variant may even come close to getting a 1,000 km WLTP rating.

BMW hasn’t confirmed this yet, but the i3 likely has a battery of similar capacity to its SUV cousin, the iX3, which features a 108.7 kWh pack. Both vehicles have the same wheelbase, so the same battery would fit, and the impressive range claims surely come courtesy of a gargantuan battery.

All of this is well and good, but what will make or break the i3 is the way it drives. BMW assures us that the i3 ‘sets new standards’ for driving dynamics and performance thanks to the Heart of Joy computer that controls how it behaves on the road and how it delivers its power.

Photo by: BMW

I’m currently driving an iX3 with the same setup, and it’s remarkably good in several areas. You really can feel the quicker and more precise traction and stability control intervention, and there’s an inherent smoothness to the powertrain and the way the car goes down the road that sets it apart from older BMW EVs.

BMW says the Neue Klasse’s systems react 10 times faster than before, making the driving experience feel very fluid and natural, even in the taller, more ungainly iX3 SUV. My full take on the BMW iX3 is coming soon, but even after spending a day with it, I’ve already found a lot to like about it. That has me excited for the sedan version, especially as more versions come out.

The i3 50 xDrive dual-motor version is just the start. BMW will add variants with between one and four motors to the lineup later, aiming for everything from outright efficiency in the RWD version to sheer lunacy in the M model. The fact that BMW is making a real i3 M high-performance model shows how committed it is to the i3 and to ensuring it’s perceived as a worthy model in the 3 Series’ history. 

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Just as important, the i3 looks like BMW is willing to make its defining EV sedan feel distinct rather than merely competent. Even just the fact that its look polarizes opinions so much shows it’s a real BMW. Considering there’s nothing truly wrong there except for the slightly tall trunk, it should age like most BMWs: Gracefully, with the haters eventually pulling a 180 and getting on board.

The iX3 may be the first Neue Klasse model, but the i3 bears the greater burden. BMW may have launched an electric SUV as the start of a new era, but turning the 3 Series into a proper and desirable EV—without losing what made the car matter in the first place—is the real test. We’ll see if BMW can pull it off.

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– The InsideEVs team