The electric BMW 3 Series can now be ordered, and it promises 906 km of range
BMW's most important car goes electric, and the range figure is the statement
BMW has opened orders for the i3 50 xDrive First Edition, the fully electric version of the new 3 Series and the second model to ride on its Neue Klasse platform. The numbers are striking: 469 hp, all-wheel drive and a claimed WLTP range of up to 906 km. For the car that has long been BMW's bread and butter, this is the moment the electric era gets serious.
The i3 name returns, on a very different car
Yes, the i3 badge is back, but this is nothing like the quirky little hatchback that wore it a decade ago. The new i3 is simply the electric 3 Series, a modern saloon with the model's familiar 2.5-box silhouette, the four-eyed front, flared wheel arches and L-shaped rear lights. From any angle it reads instantly as a 3 Series, which is exactly the point: BMW wants the electric version to feel like the real thing, not a science project.
The headline numbers
The i3 50 xDrive uses two motors, one on each axle, for a combined 469 hp and 645 Nm of torque, enough for 0 to 100 km/h in 4.7 seconds. The real talking point is range: up to 906 km on the WLTP cycle from a 108.7 kWh battery using cylindrical cells. That is a genuinely class-leading figure. The car runs BMW's sixth-generation 800V eDrive system, allowing DC charging at up to 400 kW, which adds around 423 km of range in just ten minutes. AC charging runs at 22 kW on the Professional version.
New brains, not just a new battery
Underneath, the Neue Klasse platform brings BMW's new Heart of Joy control computer, which manages drive and dynamics together for sharper responses, along with the BMW Panoramic iDrive display concept, Alexa integration and the Symbiotic Drive assistance suite. This is the technological reset BMW has been promising for years, and the 3 Series is where most buyers will finally experience it.
What the First Edition adds
As the launch version, the First Edition comes generously equipped. It includes the M Sport package, BMW Iconic Glow illuminated exterior detailing, multifunction seats, three-zone climate control, the BMW 3D Head-Up Display and a Harman Kardon sound system, on top of an already extended standard specification. Prices start at €73,435 in Belgium and €71,026 in Luxembourg. Orders open on 18 June 2026, with the official market launch following in autumn 2026.
AutoNext Take
The 3 Series is the most important car BMW makes, so making the electric one this convincing matters more than any concept or halo model. A claimed 906 km of range and 400 kW charging effectively neutralise the two biggest objections to an electric saloon, and wrapping it in a body that is unmistakably a 3 Series is the smartest decision of all. This is BMW betting that the way to sell electric cars is to stop treating them as something separate. On these numbers, that bet looks well placed.
