The BMW iX3 is the first production model on the new Neue Klasse electric platform, and by all accounts, it arrived with great ambitions. Top Gear in its review points out that the word about the “revolution for BMW” and that the new iX3 has no obvious weaknesses: it drives like a “real BMW”, but at the same time it offers the comfort and practicality of a family SUV, with much greater efficiency than the previous electric models of the brand.
The technical background greatly contributes to such an impression. The new iX3 uses the sixth generation BMW eDrive drive, with a battery with a net capacity of around 108 kWh and an 800-volt architecture. This means an official range of approximately 800 km per WLTP cycle and charging with a power of up to 400 kW, during which the battery is charged from 10 to 80 percent in about 21 minutes, and in 10 minutes you can “drown” about 350 km of driving.
Driven by two electric motors with a total of about 463 hp and 645 Nm, the iX3 50 xDrive reaches 100 km/h in 4.9 seconds. However, Top Gear emphasizes that the car is not only made for sprinting, but for very balanced driving: the steering is precise, the suspension is comfortable enough for everyday use, and the noise in the cabin is surprisingly low for a car with 21-inch wheels.
An additional bonus is the space. The new platform has enabled a longer wheelbase, so the iX3 offers the space you’d expect from a larger SUV with an internal combustion engine. The trunk has up to 1,750 liters with the seats down, and there is also a small “frunk” in the front, a first for BMW and after the i3 model.
How good the impression is is also shown by the fact that the iX3 is moreć declared Top Gear’s Car of the Year for 2026, where it was described as “a family SUV that the stylists hit” and an example of BMW’s new design direction. Prices in Great Britain start from around £58,700, and the first buyers should receive the car in early 2026, while the rest of Europe is expected to arrive during the same year.