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Battery size: 24 kWh
Company car tax: 8%
Emissions: 39 g/km
Range: 54 miles (electric)
Fuel economy: 202 MPG
Pricing
The X5 45e xDrive comes in two flavours, xLine and M Sport – priced at £65,410 and £74,880 respectively. That’s clearly a lot of cash, but at this end of the premium SUV market, these figures are pretty par for the course. By means of comparison, the entry-level X5 comes in at £57,640, so shelling out an additional £6k for the plug-in hybrid version isn’t an unreasonable premium given that you’re getting a whole lot more for your money. As with most things BMW, the standard equipment list is best described as adequate rather than generous, and bear in mind that the plug-in hybrid doesn’t come with a third row of seats even as an option. On the positive side, BMW does supply a five metre Type 2 charging cable as standard – something a number of the brand’s rivals don’t.
Running Costs
According to official figures, the X5 45e returns 201.8mpg on the WLTP combined cycle. This, of course, is a complete nonsense and a figure that comes from the fact that the majority of the WLTP test is carried out at low speeds where the electric motor is doing a lot of the heavy lifting. In normal day to day driving on motorways and A-roads (where the electric motor is doing very little), drivers will get nowhere near this figure. That said, if your daily commute is eight miles of urban slog, you won’t use any petrol at all. Charging the battery costs under £4, while a full tank of unleaded will set you back around £75.
It doesn’t come as a huge surprise to know that the vast majority of X5s are bought and run as company cars. And here’s where it gets both a bit complicated and very interesting. New Benefit in Kind (BIK) rules introduced in April 2020 mean that plug-in hybrids are taxed at different rates. Cars that can’t manage more than 40 miles on a charge are taxed at 12%. The X5 45e comes in above that break so is taxed at just 8%. That means it could cost less per year than PHEVs which cost a lot less, including BMW's own X3. Swap a diesel for one and drivers choosing the X5 45e could potentially save thousands a year in company car tax.
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