The BMW i3 Is Serious Competition for the Tesla Model 3

BMW’s first modern electric vehicle came up short. The 2014 i3 was a futuristically styled subcompact with rear-hinged back doors and was built from unusual materials, including carbon fiber, eucalyptus wood, and olive leaf extract-tanned leather. However, the razzle-dazzle wasn’t enough to distract from the fact that it had a driving range of just 81 miles per charge.Sales were grim, and it became an afterthought in the market as Tesla proved what electric cars were capable of with the Model S, which could travel hundreds of miles between charges. The i3 was ultimately discontinued in 2021, but now its name has returned on a very different vehicle.The 2027 i3 compact sedan, which will be on sale in America before the end of the year, draws its inspiration from BMW’s iconic 3-Series and was designed without compromise. The four-door is engineered on BMW’s electric-focused Neue Klasse architecture, which will underpin several models, including the upcoming iX3 compact SUV.The BMW i3 can travel 440 miles between charges. BMWThe platform was engineered to be highly efficient, and the i3 has an estimated 440-mile range. That is more than any Tesla on sale today and second only to the 512-mile Lucid Air among car models. But while the full-size Lucid sedan costs $115,000, the i3’s price should start near $55,000, which is the same as a Tesla Model 3 Performance with 309 miles of range.The i3 is also 30 percent more efficient than the similarly sized BMW i4 it is replacing, and provides a clear indicator of how quickly the brand’s electric vehicle efforts are developing.The i3 borrows styling elements from early 3-Series models and features a forward-canted “shark nose” front end, a horizontal lighting and grille arrangement, and a more prominent trunk than many of today’s fastback sedans.The BMW i3 is equipped with multiple digital displays. BMWThe first version of the i3 hitting showrooms will be the i30 50 xDrive, which has a dual-motor all-wheel drive system rated at 463 horsepower. That is very powerful for a compact sedan, but it is what the motors do when the brake pedal is applied that is more interesting.They switch to a generator mode and charge the battery as they slow the vehicle down with resistance, like those hand-cranked emergency flashlights. Most electric vehicles do this to some extent in concert with the disc brakes, but BMW has pushed it to the point where the brakes are only called into service for emergency stopping situations.The i3 uses a powerful 800-volt electrical system that can handle the fastest charges available at American public charging stations today and take on 230 miles worth of electricity during a 10-minute session. Leave it plugged in for 20 minutes, and the battery will fill to 80 percent. The 2014 BMW i3 had a driving range of 81 miles. BMWBidirectional charging allows the i3 to be used as a home backup generator when connected to a special wallbox, or as a mobile generator for small electrical devices.The interior skips the retro cues in favor of an ultramodern design with a trapezoidal center touchscreen display, a widescreen instrument cluster spanning the top of the dashboard, an optional head-up display that projects information onto the windscreen and multi-color ambient lighting built into the dashboard face.The steering wheel is nearly square with prominent handholds and four spokes. The various buttons on it are what BMW calls Shy Tech, in that they only illuminate when their respective driving assistance and infotainment features are engaged. A self-learning voice assistant and Alexa+ AI can also be used to control various features.BMW sold 20,000 i4s in America in 2025, while Tesla delivered 192,000 Model 3s, so the i3 has a long way to go to catch up. It probably won’t get all the way there, but its ability to go a long way between stops should help it close the gap.

The BMW i3 Is Serious Competition for the Tesla Model 3

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