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You will read a lot about how the new BMW iX3 is the first of a whole new generation of BMWs; how significant the company thinks its Neue Klasse ('new class') platform is; and how this is its first software-defined car.

The R&D boss even called it a “masterpiece”, which I think is slightly overblowing a mass-market electric SUV. But the new platform will underpin at least six new EVs by 2028, including an electric 3 Series (to be called the i3), so this is isn’t an unimportant car.

But beyond all the hype, just know that, first and foremost, the iX3 is a BMW that drives very well in the traditional BMW style, as we will see.

As I write, prices start at £58,755 and deliveries will start in March 2026.

Verdict

Model tested:

Rating:

BMW iX3

Sharper to drive, significantly more efficient and smarter inside. The Neue Klasse is off to a strong start.

Good

Step change in EV technology

Decidedly good to drive

Bad

A few scratchy plastics

New interior concept loses nearly all physical controls

DESIGN & STYLING

Pros

Clean-sheet design with dedicated EV platform

Cute kidney grille

Cons

You decide if you like the rest of the looks

To the neue bits first, then. While most electric BMWs sit on platforms shared with their combustion-engined stablemates, the iX3, upcoming i3 and others will have this bespoke EV one, because their higher sales volumes make it worth developing them that way, even while outwardly similar ICE cars will stay on sale alongside them.

The iX3's battery pack isn't just under the chassis: the top of the 108.7kWh (usable) pack, which has cylindrical cells and is said to be 20% more energy-dense than BMW’s previous one, constitutes the cabin floor and is a structural part of things. It gives a WLTP range of 500 miles and, thanks to an 800V electrical system, can be rapid-charged at up to 400kW.

The length and wheelbase are a little longer than those of the previous iX3.
Matt Prior
Editor-at-large

On top is a tautly styled body and what I think is a cute upright kidney grille. Given the size and shape some recent BMW noses, I think this has an attractive face.

The iX3 is 4.78m long, so around 3 Series length, and while it looks like an SUV, at 1.64m high you could think of it as a tall estate.

INTERIOR

Pros

Relatively roomy

Up to date digitally

Cons

A radical departure from BMWs of old

Some user-interface compromises

Inside, the most obvious departure from manufacturer norms is a new Panoramic iDrive system, which projects the instruments onto a wide strip along the bottom of the windscreen.

This means there are no dials to see through the steering wheel – a bit like with Peugeot’s i-Cockpit layout, although more successful here because the instruments are higher and, because they're projected, have a longer focal length.

Rear-seat accommodation and the boot are both competitive for the class.
Matt Prior
Editor-at-large

Because you’re sitting on top of the battery and because the steering wheel doesn’t lift as high as in other BMWs, there’s no bum-on-floor, wheel-at-shoulder driving position available, which will be a shame if that’s your bag. Sometimes it’s mine.

The cabin is elsewhere clean, with minimal switchgear. There are window and mirror switches on the door armrest and a small scattering of drive essentials in the centre, but the rest – not just temperature but even the air-vent direction and strength – is relegated to the huge touchscreen, which is tasked with too much and has text that some drivers might find too small.

Big batteries are expensive, so there are some cost-saving scratchy plastics in the lower and rear of the interior, which is a pity. But mostly the interior materials feel fine, modern and airy.

ENGINES & PERFORMANCE

Pros

Step change in EV tech, with faster charging and improved efficiency

Good level of configuration

Cons

As with almost any EV, you probably won't get the WLTP range

So far we’ve driven only the 50 xDrive model, which will likely be near the top of the model range once that has expanded out.

has two motors: a synchronous one at the rear, making 322bhp, and a 165bhp asynchronous motor at the front. This type is less efficient, but the iX3’s rear-biased delivery means it’s not always pitching in, so that doesn’t matter so much, and importantly it’s cheaper.

BMW likes a rear-drive bias to even its 4wd cars, so the rear motor is more powerful than the front and it uses it more often

The powertrain’s integration into the dynamics (see next section) is what gets BMW’s engineers most excited. They say 98% of all braking can be done through regeneration rather than brake disc use. And because the responses of motor-generators is measured in mere milliseconds and there are fewer masses vibrating or flexibly attached to the chassis, they say they can develop a car that’s linearly, predictably and immediately responsive. And so they have. It’s very good.

RIDE & HANDLING

Pros

Improved ride over its predecessor

Steering feedback

Cons

Very little, except some weird steering-wheel shape options

Suspension is by struts at the front of it and a multi-link arrangement behind. The passive set-up is not only cheaper than a car equipped with, say, adjustable air springs, adaptive dampers and/or anti-roll bars and rear steering, but it also requires no electric power to run it, which means the juice can be saved for forward motion.

And while, at 2285kg unladen, the iX3 is heavy, the heaviest bit is low and central, the weight is distributed 50:50 and dynamics engineers are increasingly good at disguising mass.

It's strange to think that, of an all-new platform with so many novel things, the bit that will appeal the most are the old-school dynamics.
Matt Prior
Editor-at-large

And BMW's lot have set the iX3 up really rather well. Its ride has a fine meld of comfort and body control, absorbent here but tight there. It steers smoothly, medium-weighted, medium-speed, entirely appropriate. If you do shift through the drive modes, you get more weight and road feel, but the bigger difference is in throttle response.

BMW even laid on a little track time for us at Spain's Ascari test track. In steady state, the iX3 nudges up to understeer, as it should, but can be coaxed into straightening its line on the throttle. Above all, though, it's tidy and very capable, and while no owner is going to take an iX3 on circuit, it suggests good things for the upcoming lower, lighter and crisper EVs based on this platform.

MPG & RUNNING COSTS

Pros

Potentially very good efficiency, but it's too early to say either way

Cons

Our test car fell notably short of its official mpkWh rating

It’s too early to say too much about the iX3’s costs, except it’s worth noting that the WLTP range figure works out at more than 4mpkWh.

We didn’t see that much on our test route, on which our car returned a bit over 3mpkWh, but it was a demanding route.

Stay tuned for more details when the iX3 arrives in the UK.

VERDICT

Verdict

Model tested:

Rating:

BMW iX3

Sharper to drive, significantly more efficient and smarter inside. The Neue Klasse is off to a strong start.

Good

Step change in EV technology

Decidedly good to drive

Bad

A few scratchy plastics

New interior concept loses nearly all physical controls

News from the iX3 is mostly very positive, some ergonomic foibles aside. It’s frustrating to have to keep pointing out that touchscreens are overburdened, but one can’t ignore it.

Generally, though, the iX3 is a capable and impressive car, which is great in itself but also bodes well for the lower, lighter and keener i3 that’s less than a year away.

Meanwhile, I’m inclined to think that the best elements of the new class are the elements that BMW did so well with its old classes.

TECHNICAL SPECS

Model tested:

BMW iX3 50 xDrive M Sport Pro

Price:

£62,755

Electric motor/s:

Asynchronous motor (f), separately excited synchronous motor (r)

Drive battery:

Li-ion, NMC

Driveline layout:

Dual motors, 4WD

Model tested

BMW iX3 50 xDrive M Sport Pro

Price

£62,755

Electric motor/s

Asynchronous motor (f), separately excited synchronous motor (r)

View all specs and rivals

Drive battery

Li-ion, NMC

Driveline layout

Dual motors, 4WD

Power

462bhp

Torque

476lb ft

0-62mph

4.9sec

Top speed

130mph (limited)

Kerb weight (DIN)

2285kg

Battery size

112kWh (total), 108.7kWh (usable)

Energy efficiency

4.11mpkWh

Range

500 miles

Max. charge rate

400kW

Rivals Mercedes GLC EQ SUV Tesla Model Y

Power

462bhp

Torque

476lb ft

0-62mph

4.9sec

Top speed

130mph (limited)

Kerb weight (DIN)

2285kg

Battery size

112kWh (total), 108.7kWh (usable)

Energy efficiency

4.11mpkWh

Range

500 miles

Max. charge rate

400kW

Rivals Mercedes GLC EQ SUV Tesla Model Y

Matt Prior

Title: Editor-at-large

Matt is Autocar’s lead features writer and presenter, is the main face of Autocar’s YouTube channel, presents the My Week In Cars podcast and has written his weekly column, Tester’s Notes, since 2013.

Matt is an automotive engineer who has been writing and talking about cars since 1997. He joined Autocar in 2005 as deputy road test editor, prior to which he was road test editor and world rally editor for Channel 4’s automotive website, 4Car.

Into all things engineering and automotive from any era, Matt is as comfortable regularly contributing to sibling titles Move Electric and Classic & Sports Car as he is writing for Autocar. He has a racing licence, and some malfunctioning classic cars and motorbikes.