BMW iX review: range, battery & charging

Thanks to BMW’s fifth-generation eDrive technology and a choice of two huge batteries, the flagship electric SUV can cover between 264 and 380 miles when fully topped up – the latter among the longest ranges of any EV on the market. It’s also further than any of its key rivals can cover on paper, including the Audi Q8 e-tron (330 miles), Tesla Model X (348 miles), Mercedes EQE (334 miles) and Polestar 3 (379 miles). 

BMW iX range

Depending on which model you go for, the iX features either a 71kWh or much larger 105.2kWh battery. It also offers three levels of brake energy recuperation and a one-pedal driving mode, which can help maintain charge when on the road.

Entry-level xDrive40 cars feature the smaller battery and can cover up to 264 miles when fully topped up. That’s on par with claimed range figures for the Jaguar I-Pace and Mercedes EQC, plus the base Audi Q8 e-tron. When we tested the xDrive40, it indicated a real-world range of 212 miles, but that was in the freezing conditions that are known for chipping away at electric cars' potential range. We suspect you’ll be able to get much closer to BMW’s claimed figure in the warmer months.

The more expensive xDrive50 and M60 models both use the 105.2kWh battery and have official ranges of 380 and 348 miles respectively. We drove the iX xDrive50 during a typical British winter and based on our experience, it should offer not far shy of 300 miles in cooler conditions. 

When we tested the iX M60 though it only managed to return 1.8mi/kWh. That will have partly been a result of the sub-zero temperatures we encountered during our time with the car, but even so, it’s a pretty poor result in terms of efficiency and equates to a real-world range of just 189 miles.

Charge time

Thanks to the iX’s rapid-charging capability (up to 150kW for the xDrive40 and 200kW for the xDrive50 and M60), topping up from 10-80% takes just over half an hour – which works out at 90 miles of range per 10 minutes spent charging in the models with the 105.2kWh battery.

Fully recharging the xDrive40’s 71kWh battery will take 11-and-a-half hours from a standard 7.4kW home wallbox, but that extends to nearly 17 hours if you go for the xDrive50 or M60. If you’re stranded somewhere without access to a proper charging point and need to top up the iX from flat using a three-pin plug, it'll take around two days.