BMW iX review

Introduction

Few novelists can say they’ve written a bestseller in three days, but Robert Louis Stevenson can. He wrote The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde in that time span. Similarly swift and impressive progress has been made by the BMW iX – its electric range has shot up to class-leading heights via a mid-life update.

Other aspects of the update are more subtle and less remarkable – there’s a redesigned kidney grille and a new steering wheel, for instance – but we see no reason to complain. The iX still looks as futuristic (and as divisive) as ever, and it’s still an advanced, tech-filled machine underneath. For starters, it’s constructed using a generous dose of aluminium, high-strength steel and plastic reinforced with carbon-fibre.

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45 100.6kWh Sport SUV 5dr Electric Auto xDrive (11kW Charger) (408 ps)

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BMW iX video review

The new BMW iX3 has since stolen a bit of its spotlight, but the iX remains BMW’s range-topping electric SUV – its most luxurious, expensive offering. It rivals the Mercedes EQE SUV and Volvo EX90, and you could consider it a competitor to traditional luxury SUVs such as the Audi Q7, Mercedes G-Class and Range Rover. Read on to find out how the iX stacks up…

What’s new?

- May 2025: New Frozen Grey paint added as an option

- January 2025: Facelifted model line-up sees improvements to range and performance, revisions to the suspension and styling tweaks

Overview

The BMW iX fulfils its luxury billing, being quick, comfortable and quiet on the move, as well as plush and spacious inside. It’s better than the rival Mercedes EQE SUV, despite being similarly priced. We’d stick with the entry-level Sport trim because it’s well-equipped and has a decent range – the savings over other versions can be spent on the optional air suspension.

Pros

• One of the quietest cars we’ve ever tested
• Spacious and luxurious interior
• Great infotainment system

Cons

• Air suspension only standard on top-spec M70
• Fiddly air-con controls
• Questionable reliability record

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Performance & drive

What it's like to drive, and how quiet it is

The BMW iX is the result of some complex engineering but the model line-up is refreshingly simple. It kicks off with the 402bhp xDrive45; and even that entry-level version is quick, with an official 0-62mph time of 5.1sec.

Better still, a recent facelift has increased the xDrive45’s battery size to 94.8kWh (usable), boosting the official range to an impressive 374 miles. That’s slightly more than the Mercedes EQE SUV 350+ and is a vast improvement over the 264 miles of the previous iX xDrive40.

We recommend sticking with that entry-level version, but if you’re after more range, there’s the xDrive60. It gets an even larger 109.1kWh battery providing an official range of 426 miles – that’s significantly further than any version of the EQE SUV or Volvo EX90. Of course, it’s worth noting that the BMW iX3 has an official range of up to 500 miles.

On top of the bigger battery, the xDrive60 increases the power to 536bhp. It feels seriously quick when your foot is down, with a 0-62mph sprint that’s faster than pretty much every rival except the performance-focused Mercedes-AMG EQE SUV 53.

If you want to match the EQE 53 in a sprint from 0-62mph, you’ll need the iX M70 xDrive. With 650bhp, it’s seriously rapid, even if it only feels marginally quicker than the iX xDrive 60 in practice. Meanwhile, it has the shortest official range, coming in at 365 miles from its 108.9kWh battery.

While it's undoubtedly quick, the iX’s handling better suits casual driving than the spirited kind. Adhere to the former and it feels confidence-inspiring enough, but push on and the iX starts to feel cumbersome, tapering that feeling. The EQE SUV is a little tidier in the handling department, plus it has well-weighted steering that helps give you more reassurance in the front end.

The iX does compare well with some petrol and diesel luxury SUVs though. Its relatively low centre of gravity makes it far more composed in bends than a Mercedes G-Class or Range Rover.

It’s also effortless to drive around town, especially if you have an iX with rear-wheel steering. It’s standard on the M70 model (and optional on other trims) and turns the rear wheels by a few degrees to reduce the turning circle, making it even more manoeuvrable at low speeds.

The iX performs brilliantly against rivals for comfort, especially if it’s on air suspension. With it, the iX cushions you excellently over lumps and bumps – and it does so with a similar ease to the EX90 and better than an EQE SUV. Air suspension is standard feature of the M70 and an optional extra we recommend ticking when looking into other iXs.

Without air suspension, the iX’s ride remains comfortable but is a little less supple around town – although things smoothen out at motorway speeds.

At any speed, noise is kept to an impressive minimum. There's hardly any electric motor whine, while wind and road noise are barely noticeable. In fact, the iX is one of the quietest cars we’ve ever tested.

To experience it at its quietest, you’ll want to turn off the synthetic sound that plays when you accelerate. Keep it on and it sounds like you’re on a set for the blockbuster hit Interstellar – its intensity determined by your driving mode and how hard you’re pressing the accelerator.

The brake pedal in the iX is well-judged, making it easy to slow to a smooth stop. You also have three levels of regenerative braking (low, medium and high) and an adaptive mode, which uses the sat-nav and front radar to adjust the amount of regenerative braking applied depending on the road ahead and how close you are to other vehicles.

"My xDrive60 long-termer hasn’t matched its 426-mile official range, but will happily cover a 300-mile motorway trip in cold weather and with the air conditioning on." – Dan Jones, Senior Reviewer

Interior

The interior layout, fit and finish

There’s no mistaking the BMW iX for anything other than a luxury car. Inside, upmarket materials have been used throughout, including wood, microfibre fabrics and pleasingly robust-feeling recycled plastics.

It comes together to give you a minimalistic, stylish look and much better build quality than you’ll find in the Mercedes EQE SUV. The Volvo EX90 is lovely inside but doesn’t feel as consistently luxurious when you prod around. The iX feels more premium, especially if you add optional elements such as classier glass switches.

You’ll find that some luxury SUVs, such as the Mercedes G-Class and the Range Rover, have even plusher interiors. They make a more concerted effort to cover the various surfaces with soft leather and attractive finishers; but it’s worth noting that those two models are combustion-powered SUVs, not electric ones.

Until the BMW iX3 arrived on the scene, the iX’s iDrive infotainment system was the latest and greatest version. It runs on a huge curved display, combining a 14.9in touchscreen next to a 12.3in digital driver's display. These screens have pin-sharp graphics and lightning-quick responses, plus there’s the added convenience of wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, so you can run your phone apps on the screen.

Perhaps the only annoyance is the sheer number of apps included in the main menu, which can be overwhelming and hard to operate on the move. Even so, that's not too much of an issue because there's a dial controller between the front seats, which is less distracting to use when you’re driving than prodding the touchscreen.

Alternatively, you can use the voice-control function to help carry out a number of functions, like activating the massage seats or changing the interior temperature. That’s just as well because there are no physical buttons for the climate control, so this saves you fiddling around with the touchscreen icons.

Getting comfortable in the iX is easy too, as you might expect. The steering wheel and driver’s seat offer plenty of adjustment and the driving position is superb – while not as lofty as a BMW X7, you sit high above the road, like you’d hope to in a grand SUV. Electric seat adjustment is standard across the range, while electric steering wheel adjustment is an option on Sport trim but standard on other trims.

The window line is low, giving you great visibility ahead and to the sides. The fully adaptive LED headlights are equally commendable; they can split their high and low beams depending on the situation, making sure you can always see plenty at night.

Rear visibility is more restricted due to the iX's chunky rear pillars, but every iX gets a rear-view camera and parking sensors all round. A 360-degree view camera comes as part of the Parking Assistant Plus Pack.

Speaking of optional packages, BMW offers plenty and you'll find they include everything from an electrochromic glass panoramic roof – effectively a sunroof that can turn opaque at the touch of a button – to an interior camera for capturing road-trip memories.

There are also a bunch of optional ‘interior worlds’ on offer, which add different colourways and materials to the interior. We particularly like the Loft interior that can be added to the Sport trim – so much so that it won the iX the Best Interior award multiple times in the Family Electric SUV class of the What Car? Awards.

"The standard-fit Harman Kardon stereo system is really good and probably all that you’ll ever need. It’s so good that I don’t think it’s worth spending the extra on the optional Bowers & Wilkins system." – Dan Jones, Senior Reviewer

Passenger & boot space

How it copes with people and clutter

Up front, the BMW iX is wide, spacious and airy. Of course, there’s the plentiful head and leg room to thank for that, but it’s also worth noting the gap between the centre console and dashboard. It stretches all the way to the flat floor and allows for easy access to the passenger side if you’re blocked in on the driver’s side (or vice versa).

Speaking of the centre console, it features a wireless phone-charging pad, two USB-C sockets, a 12V socket, two big cupholders, a small cubby for keys and a larger cubby for other items. Generally speaking, there’s an impressive amount of cubby spaces dotted around the interior, including a large glovebox and partitioned door bins.

In the back, three rear passengers get plenty of leg, head and shoulder room, and you can adjust the angle of the rear seatbacks. The tall side windows and panoramic roof (if equipped) also help give the iX a really airy feel here.

Perhaps surprisingly given its size, the iX is not available as a seven-seater. If you want that in an electric car, consider the Kia EV9, Volvo EX90 or the much more expensive Mercedes EQS SUV. Alternatively, you could look at combustion-powered alternatives like the BMW X7 and the long-wheelbase Range Rover.

The iX's boot space has 500 litres below the parcel shelf, which isn’t particularly impressive for this type of car. That figure is less than the EQE SUV’s (520 litres) and way behind the EV9’s (828 litres with five of its seats in place). We managed to fit a respectable eight carry-on suitcases below the parcel shelf, so you should be able to fit a big shop or your family’s luggage in.

On top of that the boot is a big square shape and the rear seats can be dropped in a convenient 40/20/40 configuration by pressing buttons on the wall of the boot. Less impressive is the fact that the tailgate doesn’t open very high, so taller people might have to duck down to access the boot, especially when the car is backed up against a kerb.

"I think it’s a shame you don’t get a storage area under the BMW iX’s bonnet, as you do in the Kia EV9 and Tesla Model Y. It would be handy for storing the charging cables." – Dan Jones, Senior Reviewer

Buying & owning

Everyday costs, plus how reliable and safe it is

As a cash purchase, the entry-level BMW iX xDrive45 will cost you lots more than a Kia EV9, slightly more than a Volvo EX90 and around the same as a Mercedes EQE SUV.

An electric SUV makes a huge amount of sense as a company car because of the enormous BIK tax savings they offer. For private buyers, the iX’s resale values are predicted to be better than the EQE SUV and EX90 over three years, which can have an effect on the amount you’ll pay per month, reducing the price if you decide to use PCP finance.

The battery in the xDrive45 has a maximum charging speed of up to 175kW, while the xDrive60 and M70 manage up to 195kW. Even so, both can be charged from 10-80% in just over half an hour, which is a match for the EQE SUV and EX90. On paper, the EV9 can charge at up to 350kW, dropping the charging time to 24 minutes.

The iX comes in three trim levels: Sport, M Sport and M70.

Sport – which is only available with the xDrive45 – has plenty of kit, including 20in aerodynamic alloys, heated front seats, a heated steering wheel, an EV heat pump, an 18-speaker Harman Kardon sound system, four-zone climate control, wireless phone-charging, a leather-look upholstery (called SensaTec) and an infotainment touchscreen.

M Sport, which you can have with the xDrive45 or xDrive60, gets sportier-looking bumpers and 21in wheels. It's our recommended trim.

If you go for the M70, you get 22in aero wheels, M Sport brakes with blue calipers and ventilated front seats with a massage function.

After testing by Euro NCAP in 2021, the iX was awarded five stars for safety, with high scores for protecting occupants. It has lots of standard safety kit, including automatic emergency braking (AEB), lane-keeping assistance and rear cross-traffic alert.

In the 2025 What Car? Reliability Survey, BMW managed to claim eighth place out of the 30 brands ranked, placing it above Kia, Land Rover and Mercedes. Less impressive is that the iX as a model performed poorly, sitting right near the bottom of both the luxury car and electric SUV categories.

The iX gets the same three-year, unlimited mileage warranty as a Mercedes EQE SUV. The main drive battery gets a separate warranty for eight years or 100,000 miles. Kia gives you a seven-year, 100,000-mile warranty that covers everything.

"If you're buying a BMW iX, I’d recommend the reasonably priced Comfort Pack. It adds electric sports seats with ventilation, a memory function and a massager, while the front armrests are also heated." – Dan Jones, Senior Reviewer

Buy it if…

- You want a really luxurious SUV

- You’re after lots of interior space

- You want great interior quality

Don’t buy it if…

- You want a seven-seat SUV

- You want a cheap SUV

- Reliability is near the top of your list

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