BUYER’S GUIDE BMW i4

FROM £25,000 Our 2022 and 2023 Premium Electric Car of the Year is a great choice for buyers looking for an upmarket electric family car

- Richard Dredge

SIX years ago BMW only had one electric car in its range (the i3); now it has half a dozen distinct models in its armoury, with more on the way. Such is the pace of change in the new-car market, with the marque one of the brands that has embraced this transition the most enthusiastically.

Just as Covid-19 arrived in 2020, BMW started to unleash an array of EVs, and so far they've all been worthy of your consideration. One of the best all-rounders is the i4, which offers low running costs, superb ergonomics, hatchback practicality, an excellent driving experience and the sort of build quality that we've come to expect from BMW. As a new buy you pay handsomely for all of this, but as a used car the i4 is a lot more affordable, and therefore even more desirable.

HISTORY

THE i4 was launched in the UK in November 2021, in 335bhp eDrive40 form, priced at £51,905 in Sport spec, or £53,405 with M Sport trim. There was also a 469bhp M50 edition for £63,905, which came with a 10-second 537bhp overboost function. For those not needing quite so much power, there was a 278bhp eDrive35 option from summer 2023, which started at £49,995.

A facelifted i4 went on sale in spring 2024, but the changes weren't exactly far-reaching. As well as a minor update for the exterior lighting, there were fresh steering wheel designs, new upholstery options and the latest iDrive 8.5 software. But there were no mechanical changes, and no adjustments to the model lineup, which still consisted of the eDrive35, eDrive40 and M50.

From summer 2025, the first two are being fitted with slightly more efficient semiconductors, which are claimed to add 15 miles to the achievable range. Meanwhile, the M50 is being replaced by the 593bhp i4 M60 xDrive, capable of 0-62mph in just 3.7 seconds.