BMW iX1 Review & Prices

The iX1 is BMW’s smallest electric SUV, but at a glance it’s just as posh as the Bavarian brand’s larger models. The interior is plush and features a swanky widescreen infotainment display, but it’s not comfortable on the go and alternatives offer more rear seat space.

It’s the electric version of BMW’s entry-level X1 petrol-powered SUV, so you can think of the iX1 as a vegan leather Chanel purse. It’s identical in appearance, but with the benefit of extra karma points.

Other small electric SUVs are available, too, such as the Audi Q4 e-tron, Cupra Tavascan and Skoda Elroq, while the larger Lexus RZ and Peugeot E-3008 are more boldly-styled. In-house, you could also consider the swoopier iX2, while the iX3 and iX are bigger and more expensive.

But what the iX1 has going for it which few of its alternatives do is that it looks just like a petrol-powered car, with nothing bar the ‘i’ badges, blanked-off grille and lack of exhaust tips to indicate that it’s an EV. That’s not to say that super-slippery, futuristically-styled electric cars are ugly, but there’s a certain charm to a small SUV with an upright front end and chunky details.

BMW iX1: Electric range, battery and charging data

Range: 267-322 miles
Efficiency: 3.5-4.0 miles per kWh
Battery size: 67kWh
Max charge speed: 130kW
Charge time AC: 10hrs, 0-100% at 7kW
Charge time DC: 29 mins, 10-80% at 130kW
Charge port location: Right rear
Power outputs: 201hp / 308hp

The cabin isn’t as tall and blocky as the outside, with a minimalist dashboard that neatly surrounds the crisp, two-in-one infotainment and driver display monitor setup with the wide air vents. The touchscreen climate controls are annoying to use and distracting on the move, but otherwise the cabin is well laid-out with plenty of plush, soft-touch materials.

It’s spacious inside, too, with comfortable, highly adjustable seats up front and enough room for most adults to sit comfortably in the back. Six-footers might feel their knees getting close to the front seats, but there’s plenty of headroom. The 490-litre boot lags behind the Audi Q4 and Cupra Tavascan, though, being smaller than in the petrol X1.

You can have an iX1 in eDrive20 or eDrive30 guise, both of which feature the same 67kWh battery - but the eDrive 30 has a more powerful electric motor. As a result, range varies from 293 miles in entry-level trim to 266 miles in top-spec cars. That lags behind the latest alternatives in their longest-distance variants such as the Skoda Elroq 85 or Audi Q4 e-tron 45, which easily travel over 300 miles to a charge.

While the iX1 is easy to drive around town thanks to its smooth, silent electric motor, high seating position and good forward visibility, it’s uncomfortable as a result of its overly stiff suspension; jiggly on broken roads and bumps. It lacks a one-pedal driving mode, too.

It’s very well insulated from wind and road noise on the motorway, that being said, and the suspension seems to settle down the faster you go. It’s much more comfortable at the national speed limit than it is at low speeds, but it’s not as fun on a country lane as you might hope given BMW’s sporting reputation.

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Starting at almost £44,000 in entry-level Sport guise with the least powerful motor, the iX1 comes in at over £2,000 cheaper than the Audi Q4 e-tron and £4,000 less than the Cupra Tavascan, while being similarly priced to the (admittedly ageing) Volvo EX40.

Spend an extra £2,000 on your iX1 and you can have it in rufty-tufty xLine trim which adds chunky, plastic body cladding, black upholstery, aluminium exterior trim details and other useful bits such as a self-parking mode and heated front seats.

M Sport models are an extra £3,000, equipped with sporty body kits, diamond-cut wheels, sports seats and other trim-specific details, while Shadow Edition cars have a smattering of gloss black trims and red brake calipers. With the more powerful xDrive motor fitted, however, you’ll be paying over £55,000 - dangerously close to the larger, posher and better iX3.

The iX1 is quiet and refined on the motorway, but around town you feel every bump in the road

In town

Electric vehicles tend to be at their best in town, where silent relaxed progress can be made, and the stop-start nature of driving helps the efficiency. The iX1 has those relaxed silent round-town qualities, and is an easy car to pilot around crowded streets. The only hindrance to good all-round visibility is a thick rear pillar.

But the BMW struggles a little with a road that’s not smooth, particularly broken surfaces where it makes sure you know about every bump. It’s certainly not a car designed to cushion and cosset its occupants. It doesn’t thump horribly over bumps, just alerts you to every surface change or hole in the road.

It’s also a shame that there aren’t more stages to the brake energy regeneration system. While some EVs are able to come to a complete halt without needing to use the brake pedal, the iX1 has a milder and less intrusive version. Some may prefer that but it’s a shame the maximum setting isn’t stronger.

On the motorway

The iX1 is impressively quiet and refined on the motorway. Electric cars’ road and wind noise can sometimes be amplified by the lack of engine rumble, but that’s not the case here, bar a minimal amount of tyre noise. At higher speeds, a lot of that bumpy around-town feeling seems to smooth out too.

Efficiency drops as the speed rises, as with all EVs, but it’s a capable and happy long-distance companion - allowing for charging stops. But when you are public charging, the iX1’s maximum charge speed is 130kW, which isn’t particularly fast. Volvo and Tesla in particular are well ahead for maximum charge speed.

On a twisty road

All BMWs feel more at home than the average EV SUV when the road goes twisty, but you can feel the additional weight in what isn’t a big car when you try and push the speed up on a country road. It just doesn’t feel as nimble as smaller BMWs are supposed to be. But it’s nothing serious, and if you’re not an enthusiastic driver then it’s unlikely to be a big deal. Flick to the sport setting and you get slightly heavier steering and improved throttle response making it a bit more lively. But it’s still nowhere near as much fun as you’d have in a BMW 1 Series hatchback.

Decent boot space, but the back seats aren’t the most accommodating for adults

Up-front, the comfortable and supportive seats have a good range of adjustment, including BMW’s hallmark cushion that pops out for more under-thigh support.

You get a pair of USB-C sockets and a 12V power supply, and there’s a big open stowage area at floor level. There’s an odd storage spot under the armrest though, it’s too small for a smartphone and opens towards the passenger so you’ll have to reach over the top from the driver’s seat. The armrest itself is also fixed rather than adjustable.

The door bins are deep but not lined so anything small you put in there will slide around noisily, and the pair of cupholders are rubber-bottomed so help keep cans or bottles stable. There’s also a decent amount of space in the glovebox.

The optional wireless charging pad almost acts as a phone display case, angling the screen up towards the driver. Whether that’s good or bad, we’ll leave you to decide for yourself, as you can see the screen rather than it being tucked away flat like most charging pads.

Space in the back seats

If the front passengers are reasonably tall you’ll find yourself a little light on legroom in the back, not helped by the hard seat backs that aren’t particularly pleasant to rub your knees against. Headroom is good enough though, thanks to the iX1’s SUV shape, and you’ll also find a pair of USB-C sockets and some chunky door bins in the rear as well as a netted area in the back of each front seat.

The middle of the rear seats isn’t the place to be though; a slight rise between the two outer ones means you’re on a rounded cushion, and despite being an EV, there’s no flat floor in the back - there’s a plastic moulding to straddle that means that middle passenger will have to stick a foot either side. But you can at least get your feet under the front seats.

Boot space

The BMW iX1 has a decent amount of boot space at 490 litres, rising to 1,495 when you drop the rear seats. That’s favourable compared with the Mercedes EQA (340 litres) and Volvo XC40 Recharge (452 litres), but throw the Audi Q4 e-tron into the mix, and its 520 litres looks good. Until you add the Tesla Model Y and its enormous 854-litre boot space, of course.

The iX1 boot offers some nice practical touches, including four bag hooks, a little recessed area for smaller items and a 12V socket. The boot floor is nice and flat to the sill, so it’s easy to slide things in and out.

Nice interior quality and style, but although the touchscreen is responsive, it’s a shame BMW has taken out the rotary controller

The cabin materials and overall appearance emphasise that the iX1 is still a premium product despite its smaller dimensions, with a good mix of materials and colours brightening things up where BMWs can sometimes be a little dark. There are some harder plastics at knee level, but further up, the bits you see and touch are all nice.

Even though it’s a decent size at 10.7 inches, the touchscreen doesn’t dominate the cabin like some cars do, such as the Tesla Model Y or Ford Mustang Mach-e. But it is very responsive to the touch, and it’s still one of the more user-friendly systems, despite BMW sacrificing the handy rotary controller between the front seats at the altar of tidying up the cabin.

Gadget-wise, the iX1 enforces BMW’s reputation for liking you to tick an options box or two, with tech such as keyless entry, wireless phone charging, adaptive LED headlamps and a head-up display all on the extras list.

The BMW iX1 offers an electric range of up to 293 miles on a full charge, depending on the model and driving conditions. There are two power options for the BMW iX1. You can either have it in 204hp front-wheel drive eDrive 20 form, or add another motor to the rear wheels and you end up with the 313hp xDrive model.

The 0-62mph acceleration time drops by a hefty three seconds with the all-wheel drive car, although the range is down from a maximum of 293 miles on the cheaper and less powerful model to a best of 266 miles on the xDrive. That’s not great when you look at Tesla and Volvo being able to offer cars with bigger batteries and therefore over 330 miles on the official test, while Audi’s Q4 e-tron is also above 300 miles in comparable ‘50’-badged form.

Efficiency also drops from up to 4.0 miles per kWh, depending on specification, to a best of 3.7 mi/kWh when you go for the extra power. But that’s still a good result, being slightly more efficient than the 3.5 of the Audi Q4 e-tron or 3.4 of Mercedes’ EQA, although Tesla’s Model Y Long Range matches it at 3.7 miles/kWh.

Charging speed is another area where the iX1 fails to lead the pack, with a best speed of 130kW, which is up on the Mercedes EQA’s poor 100kW. The Audi Q4 e-tron can take electricity slightly faster at 135kW, and then there’s a big jump to Volvo’s 200kW and Tesla’s 250kW.

But, like all electric vehicles, there are cost savings such as the lowest band of road tax, and company car drivers will pay far less Benefit-in-Kind duty compared to a plug-in hybrid - or especially a petrol X1 model.

The X1 and iX1 scored the full five stars when crash tested by safety board Euro NCAP in its official tests. It scored particularly well in the child and adult occupant criteria (86% and 89%, respectively), while the safety assistance result came in at 92%. Pedestrian safety (vulnerable road users) was rated lower at 75%.

All cars get a driver attentiveness assistant and lane assist, as well as front and rear parking sensors and a parking camera. Clever tech like a head-up display and adaptive cruise control are pricey options.

BMW came an impressive eighth place out of 31 brands in the 2025 Driver Power owner satisfaction survey, six places behind Mercedes but five ahead of Volvo and a shocking 19 spots in front of Volkswagen.

BMW’s regular three-year warranty with unlimited mileage restriction is alive and well here - it’s not as much as Kia (seven years), Hyundai (five years) or Lexus (10 years,with annual servicing at its dealer network). At least it’s beyond the three-year/60,000-mile bare minimum.

The EV battery warranty runs to eight years or 100,000 miles, at which time BMW guarantees 66.5% of capacity.