Money Saving Hero Awards 2023
Best Premium Car - BMW i4

The award for the best Money Saving Premium Car goes to the BMW i4.

With a list price of over £56,000 for the entry-level version, badged eDrive40 Sport, the price certainly occupies premium territory. But, there are savings to be had by opting for the electric BMW, particularly if you’re a company car driver.

A tiny Benefit-in-Kind rate of just 2% (and that’s fixed until the 24/25 tax year) means that opting for the i4 over a petrol-powered 3 Series means you’ll save thousands in tax every year. And that’s before you begin to factor in the savings you could make fuelling the i4’s large 81kWh battery instead of brimming a tank.

It also has impressive efficiency - in fact, it’s one of only three cars we’ve awarded an A++ rating to under our Electrifying Efficiency Rating system. That means, using official consumption figures, that 10,000 miles in an i4 would cost £759 if charged at home using the standard daytime electricity rate. The same distance in a similarly-priced SUV such as a Volvo XC40 Recharge would cost £986.

That efficiency unlocks a long and useful range of 365 miles., and you’ll probably enjoy every single one of those miles, given the i4’s trademark BMW performance and handling.

The fact that this is an electric car petrolheads should enjoy getting behind the wheel of is another string in the BMW’s bow. Performance from even the eDrive40 version is available in abundance thanks to a 335bhp electric motor feeding the rear wheels.

It’s fun to drive, not too dissimilar to the feeling from some of the brand’s best combustion powered saloons, while there’s even a 537bhp version with blessing from the company’s high-performance M-division. And the interior feels up to scratch too, packed with BMW’s latest tech and finished with superb materials.

Don’t discount the four-door coupe shape either. It’s spacious enough for adults in the rear, and the boot is a solid 470 litres in capacity, with a folding rear bench opening up 1,290 litres of space.