New BMW i3 Coming Soon: Specs, price and release info

The new iX3 has launched BMW’s ‘Neue Klasse’ rebirth with an entirely new family of electric cars built on next-generation batteries, motors and onboard tech. And has impressed our Rory Reid enough to ask if it’s actually the perfect car! Hot on its heels comes this, the i3. Or, as BMW insiders when we saw it kept calling it (intentionally or not) simply ‘the 3 Series’. Behind the Neue Klasse nose the shape is relatively trad BMW saloon. But the tech underneath is anything but old-school.
• New i3 will sit alongside combustion and hybrid 3 Series for now, though this will itself be updated with much of the onboard tech seen here • Neue Klasse signatures like the impressive BMW Panoramic Vision display carried over to the i3, and all future BMWs • ‘Gen 6’ batteries and motors promise greater range and efficiency than previous electric BMWs, the 469 horsepower not far behind the M3 in power terms • iX3’s ‘superbrains’ controlling safety systems, infotainment and handling retuned for a sportier driving style • New i3 will go on sale in Europe from later in 2026, with other markets to follow • Pricing and other information to follow

The i3 has been teased for a while now with the various Vision Neue Klasse concepts, the production reality very much an evolution of the combustion-engined 3 Series saloons that have been BMW’s emotional heartland for decades. And therefore rather less radical than the previous i3, this car gaining belated recognition for its looks and tech even if BMW has decided on a more conventional look for its successor. Up front there’s the latest digital interpretation of the classic four headlights and kidney grille, light replacing chrome for the highlights while, overall, the body is cleaner and less fussy looking than recent BMWs.

We’ve already sampled BMW’s new Panoramic Vision cockpit layout in the iX3 and the combination of a traditional central screen and essential info projected into a strip below the windscreen works well. The Android-powered operating system has been given a thorough BMW makeover and, if the iX3 is anything to go by, is packed with functionality and easy to use. Traditional buttons and column stalks for basic controls live on, though, which will be a relief to those left cold by screen-heavy interiors in some rivals.

While BMW says the figures are provisional at the time of writing it says the launch version of the i3 will have a very impressive sounding 469 horsepower and thumping 645Nm of torque. For context (and the number crunchers out there) a combustion-powered BMW 3 has 510 horsepower and 650Nm. So it’ll be fast. It should also handle like a traditional BMW as well, the rear of the two motors delivering the bulk of the power for the sporty rear-wheel drive balance that has delighted 3 Series owners for generations. No official range figure has been quoted yet but we’d expect the i3 to improve on the 500 miles quoted for the iX3 for the fact it’s lower and more aerodynamic, the 800V electrical system opening the door to super-fast charging speeds if you can find somewhere suitably powerful to plug in. And if you can’t yet this means the i3 is futureproofed and ready for when the infrastructure does improve. You can also expect the range to expand in due course, with less powerful (and more affordable) single-motor versions.

Expect a quad-motor M version of the i3 in 2027, with ambitions to reimagine the M3 for the electric age.

While SUVs and crossovers remain the dominant new car format BMW’s dedication to its traditional mid-size saloons will likely inspire rivals to follow – expect updated versions of existing rivals like the Hyundai Ioniq 6 to join the fight, along with rival products from the up-and-coming Chinese brands.