BMW iX long-term test

The car BMW iX xDrive60 M Sport Run by Dan Jones, Senior Reviewer

Why it’s here To see if BMW’s largest electric SUV can be used as a long distance cruiser that’s both luxurious and easy to live with.

Needs to be comfortable on a long commute; be efficient enough to keep running costs low and justify the price tag; offer practicality that deals with lots of passengers and long weekend luggage.

Mileage 12,770 List price £93,205 Best price £93,205 Price as tested £107,000 Test range 320 miles Official range 426 miles

11 April 2026 - Going digital 

If I told the ten year old me that, one day, he’d be able to go on his phone (at that time, nothing more than a large brick that could text and play Snake) and control various parts of his car or even use it instead of the key, it would have probably blown his mind. 

Thanks to smartphones and apps like the My BMW app, though, that’s the world that we live in. Outside of the odd day or two with modern apps (and lots of time with the very primitive app that came with my Mini Cooper D back in 2014), I’ve never really spent a reasonable amount of time with a car’s app, so it was one of the things I was quite excited about when my BMW iX arrived. 

Setting up the app on my iPhone was remarkably easy, and simply required me to enter the vehicle identification number (VIN) into the app and then accept the pairing request on the car’s infotainment screen. Refreshingly, unlike most things these days, it worked without any issues. 

The app’s user interface is instantly intuitive, meaning you have instant access to all of the features and have a wealth of information at your fingertips, everything from the charging history to whether the car has any warnings, like needing to refill the washer fluid. I also like that you can add information such as remaining range and charging status as permanent widgets on your iPhone home screen. 

I’m impressed with the amount of control that you have over the car, too. You can do everything from locking and unlocking the doors to looking through the parking cameras, to see if anything nefarious is happening around your car. Now, while you aren’t likely to use the latter feature all that often, some are genuinely really useful – a personal favourite is being able to warm the car’s interior and defrost the windscreen while I’m still laying in bed is amazing. 

Thanks to the BMW app’s ease of use, my opinion of car ownership apps has been transformed. I expected the app to be a bit of a gimmick, something that I’d use once and then never again, but it has been a genuinely useful part of owning the car, complementing the ownership experience no end. 

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