The new BMW i3 is here, representing the brand’s Neue Klasse design language in full effect. Previewed over the past couple of years by the 2021 BMW i Vision Circular, the BMW Vision Neue Klasse and the polychromatic BMW i Vision Dee (both 2023), the new i3 jumps straight to the top of the desirability charts.
BMW i3 Neue Klasse
Somehow, the brand’s design team have managed to steer away from the ever-increasingly brutal surfacing and gaping maws seen on BMWs big and small over the last few years and have cloaked the i3 in taut, unfussy bodywork that feels fresh and pure. Although the basic three-box saloon car shape has remained an auto industry constant since the 1950s, the i3 gives it a contemporary refresh.
The i3 features a fresh take on the BMW face
Up front there’s another welcome reboot, this time for the ‘iconic’ kidney grille, which had reached epic proportions on models like the i4 and iX. Even the BMW iX3, the first model to showcase the Neue Klasse approach, retained the kidneys in a prominent, toothy position. With the i3, all that is banished, and the grille and light enclosure become one and the same, effectively two openings that flank the nose to give the car a shark-like profile without unnecessary surfacing.
BMW i3
The rear light treatment is similarly austere, with the rear panel and light structure sharing a chamfered profile as they turn to form the rear corners. It’s a satisfying display of massing, with a lightness and balance that doesn’t need to be offset by awkwardly nipped and tucked sills; instead, a simple flared line runs between the wheels, highlighting the negative curve at the base of the doors.
BMW i3
Inside, the dash follows fashion by placing a touchscreen panel front and centre for the lion’s share of driver interaction but then walks this back with a helpful quota of steering wheel buttons and handy physical controls for essentials like windows, mirrors and seats.
BMW i3 dashboard with Panoramic iDrive
It also scores points for introducing the dash-spanning BMW Panoramic iDrive, a slender display that runs from pillar to pillar beneath the windscreen. There’s also an optional head-up display for the driver.
BMW i3 interior at night
The new BMW Operating System X drives all these banks of information, an Android-based system that is designed to be continuously updated. BMW has divvied up the processing power for the HMI and electric drive system between four ‘specialised superbrain high-performance computers’, including one dedicated to driving dynamics, dubbed the Heart of Joy.
Rear seats in the new BMW i3
Time will tell as to whether the brand’s fabled dynamic capabilities can be reproduced by a chip, but despite its recent over-reliance on provocative design, BMW hasn’t yet dropped the ball on drivability. Nevertheless, the Heart of Joy system oversees driving, braking, charging and energy recuperation, as well as steering functions in autonomous modes. Greater processing power should translate to greater handling. At least that’s the idea.
Luggage space in the new BMW i3
Shown here in the i3 exclusive M Le Castellet Blue finish, this is the 50xDrive model, an all-wheel-drive variant with a total power output of 469hp. Ultra-fast charging (around 250 miles can be added in ten minutes) and an impressive range of 440 miles make this one of the flagships of the new range.
BMW calls the i3 the ‘core of the BMW brand reinvented’. The design and tech will not only appear in a number of different variants of i3 (including a proposed i3 wagon and performance versions). Right now it’s up against Mercedes-Benz’s very impressive CLA EV, although it’s a shade larger and will soon meet its match in the next generation C-Class.
ICE powered variants of the new 3-Series will also surface at some point but given the amount of effort expended on maximising range, drivability and a more sustainable approach to the supply chain, it’s hard to see how this EV could be improved.
A render of the BMW i3 Neue Klasse
BMW i3, first UK deliveries in Autumn 2026, prices tbc, BMW.co.uk, @BMWUK