BMW’s answer to an electric executive saloon is predictably compact, sporty and positively dripping with the latest in-car technology. In essence, it’s an electrified version of the successful BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe, complete with four-doors and a hatchback tailgate. All versions boast an excellent and reliable all-electric range, classy interiors and premium styling. But perhaps more importantly, they feel like they have been engineered by a company with over 100 years of experience making excellent drivers’ cars.
The BMW i4 gets as close to some of the German marque’s revered petrol-powered saloons as it is possible to get with heavy battery packs and electric motors onboard. It feels every bit as premium as the price tag would suggest, with a surprising level of everyday practicality and the latest infotainment technology thrown in for good measure.
Jack is an experienced motoring journalist who has been covering the latest new-car releases for the last 10 years.
Read bioEntry-level ,single motor eDrive35 Sport cars start at £51,370 without a single options box ticked. Prices very quickly escalate if you start adding what much of the competition delivers as standard.
The more powerful BMW i4 eDrive40 Sport models jump to £59,465, while the range-topping M60 xDrive cars start at £71,525. However, it is worth noting that residual values aren’t kind to the electric executive saloon class and bargains can be found on the used market.
A quick scan of AA Cars reveals low mileage early examples of the most popular eDrive40 Sport model can be picked up for around £25,000.
The powertrain range has remained largely unchanged in the five years the BMW i4 has been on sale, with the only exception being the M60 model, which replaced the previous M50 with something faster and even more powerful.
Entry-level eDrive35 Sport cars receive a single 286hp motor that drives the rear wheels for a 0-62mph sprint time of six seconds. Paired with the smaller 67.1kWh battery pack, it also delivers a range of between 287 and 319-miles depending on the specification, wheel size and other factors.
The most popular cars sit somewhere in the middle of this and the M60, with the eDrive40 Sport mating a more powerful 340hp rear axle motor with the largest 81.3kWh battery packs.
All-electric range is the most generous in this guise, with BMW claiming between 343 and 380-miles on a single charge.
Forget the fact the i4 M60 xDrive is powered by electricity, because this is a performance car in every sense of the word. Powerful twin motors deliver over 600hp and a 0-62mph sprint time of just 3.7 seconds.
BMW mounts a Sport Boost button on the steering wheel that unleashes the full power of the electric set-up and it makes for astonishingly quick overtakes and almost painful acceleration. But the perfectly engineered chassis, fantastic suspension and steering set-up means it handles corners well, too. This isn’t just a straight line drag racer, as the all-wheel-drive system offers bags of grip.
The price and almost OTT performance of the M60 have been enough to put off the bulk of customers, which is why so many have plumped for the Goldilocks eDrive40 Sport, which arguably offers the best of both worlds.
It’s not quite as brutal in a straight line, but it still feels plenty fast enough and the rear-wheel-drive nature actually makes it feel even more planted and slightly lighter — much better suited to the UK’s tight and twisting roads, anyway.
Again, don’t feel like you’ll be short-changed by the entry-level model either, as all cars deliver a great mix of performance, entertaining drive and genuinely reliable electric range.
Where some EVs profess to offer road-trip busting mileage, many fall over when the mercury drops of the weather turns foul. BMW has done an excellent job in ensuring this doesn’t happen and its i4 charges fast, too.
As previously mentioned, ride quality and handling are two of the main reasons you would opt for a BMW i4 over, say a Tesla Model 3 or even a Polestar 2. Those cars, try as they might, can’t mix it with some of Germany’s finest automotive engineers.
Head for a twisty route and the i4 feels like a product that has been fettled by BMW’s M division, as the ride feels so planted and sure-footed. There’s plenty of feel through the steering and the brakes don’t feel wooden like so many rivals.
What’s more, the i4 also settles into a quiet, capable and comfortable cruiser when you point it towards a motorway. Even at high speeds, the cabin is sealed away from wind noise and road roar, which isn’t surprising given it was born on the autobahn.
Step into the i4 from an Xpeng, BYD or even a Tesla and the difference in ride quality, handling and overall refinement is tangible.
You sit much closer to the road in an i4 than you will in rival cars from Tesla and Polestar, with the interior almost cocooning the driver. The infotainment system and important controls are always within easy reach so as to limit the time hands are off the wheel.
That said, BMW hasn’t escaped the trend for covering its cabins in screens, as the generation of its iDrive infotainment system consists of a 14.9in touchscreen and a 12.3in driver's display. The resolution on both is exceptional, with pin-sharp graphics and a super-slick user interface.
Thankfully, there are still plenty of physical buttons for controlling key functionality and, for now at least, BMW offers the option to control the infotainment via its tried-and-tested rotary dial between the front seats.
General fit and finish is excellent, with BMW opting for premium materials, such as metals and leather for most of the surfaces.
It is worth noting that the German marque offers an M Sport version of all of the cars in the i4 range, which generally adds a whole host of additional technology and sportier exterior styling elements.
There is plenty of room in the front for two adults, complete with plenty of stowage areas, cubby holes, cup holders and USB-C outlets to keep devices charged.
Legroom in the rear isn’t so generous and if the driver places the seat in the lower settings, it impedes in the space afforded to the passenger behind. The steeply raked roofline also means headroom is pretty tight for taller occupants. Stowage areas for gadgets and life’s accoutrements is also pretty poor in the rear, meaning it is not the greatest at handling family life.
The boot space is generous though, likely because it has been designed with golf clubs in mind, rather than prams and shopping bags. With the rear seats intact, there’s 470 litres of luggage room and a parcel shelf for placing things on top.
Folding the second row of seats is a bit of a pain, as it’s a manual catch on the seats themselves, but doing this frees up an impressive 1,290 litres of space. The rear seats also split 40:20:40, in case you need to load longer items through the middle seat, for example.
Finally, there’s an additional stowage area underneath the boot floor for charging cables, but this is no way near as practical as a “frunk” or front storage area like Tesla offers, as it means moving or removing anything from the boot to access it.
There are lots of sporty features inside, including BMW’s unmistakable flat-bottomed leather steering wheel. These only increase if you opt for the M-badged vehicles.
In terms of technology, the infotainment system runs BMW Operating System 8.5, which is constantly connected and receives updates over-the-air. This means it benefits from any upgrades BMW decides to release, such as an imminent switch to Amazon Alex+ integration within the cabin.
This will eventually put the BMW Intelligent Personal Assistant out of job, which is likely a good thing, because the marque’s voice assistant isn’t currently the best at understanding commands and often gets confused with even basic instructions.
There is also the option to plump for Driving Assistant Professional, which is the company’s name for advanced cruise control, as well as a more thorough Parking Assistant Plus that provides a 3D view of surroundings.
Navigating the i4’s trim levels is a bit of a minefield, with Sport, M Sport, M Sport Pro and M Models offered when configuring a new car.
Basic Sport variants still come with plenty of kit included as standard, with 18-inch wheels, a black Perforated Sensatec cloth interior, front heated seats, ambient lighting and cruise control all coming part of the package.
M Sport cars can be specified with a wider variety of exterior colours, as well as an impressive array of interior colours and fabrics. There’s also the option of four different alloy wheel designs and several interior trim finishes.
Across the range, there are multiple colour options to choose from, as well as the opportunity to add BMW Individual Paintwork for £4,385.
The four-star score awarded to the BMW i4 by Euro NCAP in 2022 feels a little harsh, considering it received a rating of 87% for both adult and child occupants, with only its 64% safety assist rating seeing it drop a star.
This is largely down to the fact that BMW reserves its most technologically accomplished driver aids for expensive optional extra packages. Still, all cars come with an extensive suite of driver assistance features, including Forward Collision Warning, Lane Departure Warning, Active Blind Spot Detection, Speed Limit Info, Rear Cross-Traffic Warning, front/rear parking sensors and a reversing camera.
Although too new to get a real handle on reliability, the i4 has already won accolades for customer satisfaction, placing third out of 18 models in the 2024 WhatCar? Reliability Survey.
The first year of Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) for any EV is £10 if registered after April 2025, followed by a standard rate of £195 thereafter in the UK.
That said, the UK government introduced a £425 per year Expensive Car Supplement, which must be paid on any vehicle that costs over £40,000. That includes every trim level of the BMW i4.
The German marque has done an excellent job with efficiency, meaning the range readouts are more reliable than many rivals in the category. The most frugal cars can manage around 380-miles and much of the range can charge at speeds of up to 205kW.
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