BMW iX3

How do you like your EVs? Unusual and futuristic with bespoke design? Or visually identical to combustion models? Back in 2020, it was rare in the upper mid-sized luxury part of the Crossover EV segment to find a brand pursuing the latter approach, but that's what we were offered here with the first generation G08-era version of BMW's very first iX3 EV. The underpinnings of this, the Bavarian maker's second ever full-EV, were familiar.

Like its EV showroom stablemate of the time, the i4, it ran on basically the same CLAR-based structure used for all of BMW's mainstream mid-size combustion models.

That was in contrast to the design approach taken with the company's largest EV, the iX, which got the kind of bespoke electric vehicle platform that most other makers competing in this iX3 model's segment in 2020 reckoned was necessary for an electric car of this sort.

But this MK1 iX3 was something of a stop-gap model until the Munich maker could introduce its Nueue Klasse EV vehicle architecture, so the design beneath the familiar panel work with this initial G08 design was disarmingly straightforward.

Simplistically, all we were really given in this case was a regular combustion X3 without its front driveshafts and with a battery pack inserted into the floor. But of course there was much more to this iX3 than that.

For BMW, this model's key significance was twofold.

First, its arrival made the brand's familiar X3 mid-sized SUV the first of the Munich maker's models to be offered with a choice of combustion, plug-in or full EV power options.

The second significant fact was that this was the first of the company's cars to be produced in China for export to all world markets.

Production took place at a joint venture factory at Shenyang in Liaoning which was operated jointly by BMW and Chinese manufacturer Brilliance. This G08 iX3 model was announced here in 2020, which was well after it had gone on sale in China.

And British customers had to wait even longer for the first cars to reach UK dealers, which didn't happen until well into 2021.

By which time BMW had announced a facelift for the entire X3 range, which also included a few tweaks for this all-electric version.

Which sold from late 2021 to the end of 2024 in 'M Sport' and 'M Sport Pro' forms. As far as the genre in this case was concerned, this initial iX3 model's positioning was either unique or slightly awkward, depending on your perspective.

In terms of both price and size, it sat just above mid-sized crossover EVs of the time like Volkswagen's ID.4 and the Ford Mustang Mach-E.

But just below larger luxury EV models in this period like the Jaguar I-PACE and the Mercedes EQC.

Still, if you're shopping in the used market for an electric SUV from the 2020-2025 period, it could just be that this is exactly the kind of EV Crossover positioning you're looking for.

The G08-era iX3 was replaced in late 2025 by a much more advanced second generation NA5-era Nueue Klasse design.

The iX3 presents itself pretty much exactly as you'd expect an X3 with full-battery power to look.

A few blue BMW iPerformance touches, some subtle, some not; grille and headlight contours that reference the i4 and the iX: and a set of unique aero-optimised wheels.

Just enough for the neighbours to recognise your switch to EV-ness before they see you plugging in. From the side, probably the most overt point of iX3 identification lies with the unusual alloy wheels we just mentioned, which depending on trim are either 19 or 20-inches in size, use sophisticated inserts and are such an integral part of the aerodynamics that they reduce drag by 5% and add 6 miles to the driving range.

This electric model's 20mm reduction in ride height probably helps here too. Otherwise, it's just as it would be with any other X3, with a long bonnet, a short front overhang, standard black roof rails and the usual firm mid-level styling crease flowing through the door handles.

From the front, the iX3 is much more recognisable as a unique variant within the MK3 G01-era X3 line-up.

Yes, there's the usual single piece kidney front grille, but with the updated version of the G08-era iX3 model, it came with a distinctive blue accent along its edges, while the inner surfaces of the kidney grille elements had a mesh-like structure and featured a BMW i badge.

This appendage is flanked by slim LED headlamps, while below it is a larger lower air intake which incorporates a 10-stage active air flap control to cool the drive system components and brakes.

On this model, there's no further cooling required from the narrow vertical corner intakes, so they're smaller than they would be on an ordinary X3 and, like the restyled bumper, are only there to try and make the front end more aerodynamic. The rear has rather less subtle splashes of blue - on the outer elements of the rear diffuser.

And LED rear lamps, which illuminate strikingly at night, are marked out by a slim light graphic and three-dimensional pincer-shaped contouring. Inside up front, BMW's clear aim was obviously to make the transition to full-electric drive as seamless as possible.

So much so that you'd be hard-pressed to notice any changes at all here at the wheel over any ordinary G01-era X3 - but there are some.

The gear selector for instance, has a blue stripe on it; so does the door trim.

There's a silver plaque below the ventilation controls saying 'iX3'; and the start button is blue.

Otherwise, everything will be very familiar from the combustion model.

You're seated in the pleasingly commanding position you'll want if you've chosen an iX3 rather than the company's other EV at this size and price point, the i4 saloon.

Cabin screen tech comes courtesy of BMW's 'Live Cockpit Professional' package, which gets you a couple of 12.3-inch screens, one in the instrument binnacle and the other at the top of the centre stack. The instrument cluster display initially looks familiar, until you realise that on the right hand side where there'd normally be a rev counter, there is instead an 'ePower %' Power Meter, which briefs you on your current energy consumption.

As for the Central Control Display in the middle of the stitched dash, well there's some clever stuff incorporated into this seventh generation iDrive set-up, including the brand's 'Connected Package Professional' media package.

And what BMW calls an 'Intelligent Personal Assistant', which works a bit like the 'Siri' or 'Google Assistant' systems you might use on your 'phone and is there to answer questions you can voice to the car as you drive it. In the rear, helped by recesses in the front seat backs, a six-footer will be able to sit comfortably behind a driver of similar size, which is about as much as you can ask of a mid-sized SUV of this sort.

There's no seat-sliding functionality such as you'd find on BMW's smaller X1 Crossover (the huge battery pack beneath this seat puts paid to any thought of that) but the backrest does at least recline, which surprisingly is a rare feature in this class.

iX3 customers also enjoy the standard fitment of this Panoramic glass roof, which mean that what would otherwise be a rather dark cabin can be flooded with a welcome burst of sunlight. What about luggage space? Once the powered hatch rises, you're provided with 510-litres of capacity, 40-litres less than an ordinary X3, though 60-litres more than you'd get in a Plug-in Hybrid X3 xDrive30e.

Please contact us for an exact up-to-date valuation.

Most of the G08-era iX3 ownership issues we came across were for things like minor software glitches.

So make sure all the infotainment systems, navigation software and Bluetooth linking works as it should.

There was a recall (October 2021) for a few rare cases where due to a software error, the fast intermediate circuit discharge was triggered late.

In the affected vehicles, software in the battery management unit had to be updated by reprogramming.

Another recall in May 2023 was because a cable bridge connection connecting to circuit boards within the cell supervision circuit hadn't been installed properly in a few cases.

If affected, check that the car you're looking at has had these recall issues attended to. What else? One owner had a defective receiver audio module which needed to be replaced.

Other owners experienced inaccurate range readings where the displayed range was lower than what was actually being achieved through regenerative braking.

Some owners have reported issues with the charging port and cables.

And others have experienced creaking sounds from the suspension.

Some owners have found that the car rocks when shifting between Drive and Park.

As with all EVs, check that the charging lead is in good condition and hasn't been run over.

And do a full charge to check everything is working properly.

As usual with a BMW of this size, check the alloy wheels for scuffs and scrapes.

And the boot area for the same thing.

And insist on a full service history.

[based on a 2021 model iX3 - autodoc.co.uk - ex VAT] A cabin filter typically costs in the £14-£55 bracket.

An oil filter is in the £9-£15 bracket.

Front brake pads typically sit in the £34-£86 bracket for a set.

A set of rear pads is typically in the £17-£58 bracket.

Front brake discs are typically in the £52-£166 bracket.

Rear brake discs are typically in the £50-£166 bracket.

A wiper blade typically costs in the £5-£10 bracket.

You tend to have higher expectations of the handling of any BMW, even a fully electric one, and the Munich maker didn't want this iX3 to disappoint.

Hence the clever way that the battery here was integrated within the floorplan, lowering the centre of gravity by up to 75mm over the standard X3 for what BMW described as 'noticeably enhanced lateral dynamics'.

Which is just as well because like other EVs of this period, this one had a bit of a weight problem, tipping the scales at nearly 2.2 tonnes.

That's despite the fact that it had a slightly smaller battery than some rivals - 80kWh in size, though only 74kWh of that was usable.

The quoted WLTP driving range figure of up to 285 miles was class-competitive for the period though. This G08-era iX3 is exclusively rear-driven, power coming from a rear-mounted electric motor producing 286hp which revs far higher than any of BMW's earlier motors - up to 17,000rpm, compared to the 14,000rpm of the brand's old EV hatch.

As you'd expect, it's mated to a single-speed auto gearbox.

62mph from rest occupies 6.8 seconds, which is just 0 4s slower than the conventional X3 sDrive30i 2.0-litre petrol turbo model of the period.

But top speed is limited to 112mph in order to protect the range.

Adaptive suspension with electronically controlled dampers was standard.

From a conventional 7kW home wallbox, charging is just about possible overnight (think 11 hours and 45 minutes, empty to full).

If your home power supply can accommodate a wallbox of the more powerful 11kW sort, then you could reduce your charging time from empty to full to around eight hours.

And out and about? Well, plugging the vehicle into a direct current (DC) rapid charging station opens the door to rapid charging outputs of up to 150kW, meaning that the high voltage battery can be charged from 0 to 80% of its full capacity in 34 minutes.

Back in 2011, the BMW i division was founded and when in 2013 it announced its first car, the ground-breaking little i3 with its futuristic carbon fibre monocoque chassis, we all thought the Bavarians had stolen a march on their premium brand rivals when it came to EV technology.

We certainly didn't think it would be another seven years before we saw the company's next full-EV.

Or that when we did, it would be a battery confection shoehorned onto a combustion platform as part of a bodyshell identical to existing petrol and diesel models. Yet that's just what happened.

Resources that should have gone towards developing the kind of bespoke mid-sized model EV platform that by 2020 many rivals could offer were spent instead on the creation of more sophisticated '5th generation' EV drivetrain technology.

And the establishment of a purpose-designed manufacturing base in China, the first global BMW product from which was this iX3. Yet even with these development compromises, this first generation iX3 has much to recommend it on the used market.

BMW wants you to compare it to a Mercedes EQC or an Audi e-tron from this period and if you do, you'll find it better value, more efficient and far better to drive.

It also shades most of its rivals of the time when it comes to cabin quality - and in offering a more flexible back seat arrangement that reclines and conveniently folds in three sections.

The brake energy regeneration system's very sophisticated too. You might be disappointed that you can't have the All-Wheel Drive system you'll find on the rival models from this time.

But you might be prepared to forgive this car much because the company somehow managed to make it drive just as a BMW should.