BMW iX1 Review

Price: £46,205 - £56,875

Electrifying.com score

8/10

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It’s another electric SUV from BMW, but the iX1 is the sweetest of the bunch. It’s the cheapest, for starters, kicking off at a mite over £46,000. It also offers four-wheel-drive, something the larger and more expensive iX3 currently doesn’t.


  • Battery size: 64.7 kWh
  • Miles per kWh: 4.0
  • E-Rating™: A+

    Click here to find out more about our electric car Efficiency Rating.​

  • Max charge rate: 130 kW
  • Range: 259 - 293 miles (WLTP Standard)
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  • Battery size: 64.7 kWh
  • Miles per kWh: 4.0
  • E-Rating™: A+

    Click here to find out more about our electric car Efficiency Rating.​

  • Max charge rate: 130 kW
  • Range: 259 - 293 miles (WLTP Standard)
  • Electrifying.com E-Rating A+

Ginny Says

“Everyone at Electrifying HQ shed a tear when the innovative i3 was killed off and we sneered at the thought of yet another SUV as its replacement. But I have to admit that the iX1 would actually make for more sense for me as a family car.”

Tom Says

“A much more conventional (not as cool) effective replacement for the i3, the new X1 also comes as PHEV and petrol. But a near 65kWh battery that gives 270 miles of max range max? That's a little disappointing compared to the i4.”

The BMW iX1 offers decent range figures from its battery pack – but some similarly priced rivals offer more than 300 miles from a charge.

  • Range:259-293 miles
  • Battery:64.7kWh
  • Home/public charger (7kW)::11hrs
  • Fast charging::50 mins
  • Ultra fast charging 20-80% (150kW)::29 mins
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Range

If you intend to drive great distances and need a long range then the eDrive20 models will be the ones for you. They have a single motor powering the front wheels and, depending on trim level, can give a claimed range of up to 293 miles – that’s more than the rear-wheel drive Tesla Model Y and the Audi Q4 e-tron. When we say trim level, the entry-level Sport with its small wheels will reach that claimed 293 mile figure, while the higher spec xLine will only manage 288 miles. In the real world these figures will be more like 250 miles.

Dual motor cars, badged xDrive, deliver a claimed 250 to 270 miles – that’s comparable to a Mercedes EQA 300/350 4Matic, but quite a way off the similarly priced (but larger batteried) Audi Q4 50 e-tron quattro and Volvo XC40 Recharge Twin. In real world driving you could expect anywhere between 220 and 250 miles, we’d guess. 

Battery

Unlike some of its rivals, the BMW iX1 only comes with one battery. It’s rated as 64.7kWh useable and it’s one of the German carmaker’s latest packs, so it’s super slim and sits in the car’s floor to boost interior space. It’s a decently sized battery pack and, as detailed above, gives reasonable distance on a full charge, but be aware that for the same money rivals like Audi and Volvo offer larger batteries. A larger battery isn’t always a good thing as it’s heavier and therefore affects efficiency, but these rivals can go further on a charge.

Charging

The BMW iX1 will charge at 11kW AC as standard, meaning an overnight charge at home will take six hours or up to 11 hours from a 7kW home wallbox. You can upgrade the standard 11kW charging to 22kW, if you wish, which cuts an overnight charge to 3h45m but BMW will charge you £880 for the privilege. The iX1 will accept up to 130kW of DC charge, completing 10-80% in around 30 minutes.

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