BMW iX vs BMW iX3

The BMW iX costs £25,155 more than the BMW iX3. For that premium it adds 32 miles more WLTP range, 165 kW more power and a 1.4s quicker 0-62mph time. The BMW iX3 is not just cheaper - it also offers 105 kW faster peak rapid charging. On EVcarsguide's combined category scores, the BMW iX3 comes out ahead overall.

The BMW iX3 is £25,155 cheaper to buy. Running costs are almost identical - about £152 a year either way, at 8,000 miles on an off-peak home tariff. Add 5 years of charging and the BMW iX3 comes out roughly £25,115 cheaper overall. These figures cover list price and home charging only - insurance, servicing, tyres and depreciation will move the real total.

EVcarsguide estimates a real-world motorway range of about 355 miles for the BMW iX and 293 miles for the BMW iX3 - both below their WLTP figures, because sustained high speed is the hardest case for an EV. The BMW iX goes roughly 63 miles further between charging stops. A rapid charge to 80% takes around 35 minutes in the BMW iX and 21 in the BMW iX3, so the BMW iX3 loses less time at each stop. So the BMW iX stops less often while the BMW iX3 stops for less time - pick on which you would rather do.

The BMW iX3 is the easier car for tight UK car parks: it is 75 mm narrower than the BMW iX. In a standard 2,400 mm bay that leaves about 505 mm of total clearance for the BMW iX3 and about 430 mm of total clearance for the BMW iX. The BMW iX3 also turns in a 0.7 m tighter circle, which helps with U-turns and multi-storey ramps.