BMW i5 Review 2026

The BMW i5 is a car that shows just how serious the German firm is about its electric future. It’s not a niche city car like the old BMW i3, nor an experimental sports car like the BMW i8, nor an opulent luxury model like the BMW i7. Instead, it's an electric version of one of BMW’s core models, and so is way more important. It's also a car with some tough rivals, from the Audi e-Tron GT to the Volkswagen ID.7. Read on for our full BMW i5 review to see if the company has crafted a winner.

While there are still combustion versions of the latest BMW 5 Series, the BMW i5 feels more representative of the model’s future. And with that in mind, we’ve got an awful lot to look forward to in the coming years.

The i5 blends the luxury of the BMW i7 with more traditional BMW dynamics. While it doesn’t offer the kind of driver interaction you’d find in a BMW 5 Series of bygone days, it’s still very impressive, with a sharp and agile feel you might not expect from a car of this size and weight.

It’s more spacious than the previous BMW 5 Series, too (smaller boot aside), and while the high-tech cabin may take some getting used to for most people, it should eventually become a joy to interact with, and be incredibly refined and comfortable, too.

Equipment levels are high across the range, and all the technology offered feels like it has a purpose. However, it is still rather frustrating that so many desirable items of equipment are left on the options list, especially considering the amount of money you pay, which is predictably vast.

Precisely how vast? Prices start at around £68,000 for the entry-level eDrive40 powertrain in Sport Edition trim, rising all the way up to just shy of £100,000 for the range-topping M60 xDrive. Not exactly a drop in the ocean for most, then. However, such pricing isn’t unusual for the BMW i5’s class, and both the range and performance go a long way to justifying it, too.

While the styling won’t be to all tastes, it shouldn’t leave onlookers aghast. If anything the Touring estate version looks better, and offers greater practicality, too, although we deal with that car in its own separate review. 

BMW i5: Range and charging times

All versions of the BMW i5 have an 81.2kWh battery. The official WLTP combined range this gives varies according to the powertrain and trim level it's teamed with, and details can be found in the table immediately above.

All versions of the i5 have a maximum DC rapid charging speed of 205kW, which at an appropriately powerful charging station, can get you a  10%-to-80% top-up in 30 minutes. This will be a very expensive way of charging your car, though, and most owners will likely do most of their charging at home instead. On your average 7.4kW home wallbox charger, expect this to take somewhere in the region of ten hours.

If the BMW i5 initially tricks you into thinking it drives like a shrunken BMW 7 Series limousine, then it doesn’t take you long to realise it’s still a sports saloon at heart.

Where the BMW i7 is more like a Rolls-Royce in its driving behaviour, with a plush ride and easy-going demeanour, the BMW i5 feels sharper and more agile. You sit lower for a start, which immediately puts you in the mood, while the steering responds keenly and the body stays flat even during fairly brisk cornering.

The steering doesn't have much in the way of genuine feedback, granted, but it’s always accurate and there’s so much grip and traction to lean on that you’ll very quickly gain implicit trust in the BMW i5.

The rear-driven cars don't feel hugely tail-happy, which is probably a good thing in terms of road safety, but that delicately balanced feel you want from a BMW is present and correct.

eDrive40 models get a fixed spring and damper set-up with self-levelling rear suspension, and even in M Sport specification and on the M Sport Pro’s 20-inch wheels, it does a pretty good job of isolating you from poor road surfaces. It’s firm enough to be sporty, with only an occasional thump over really rough sections to let you know it’s not as plush as it could be if it were offered in less sporty trim options.

The adaptive set-up on the M60 actually feels very similar, and it cleverly decouples its anti-roll bars in a straight line to improve ride quality. It does, however, feel sharper in quick corners.

Separate from combustion versions of the new BMW 5 Series, the BMW i5 comes in two guises, eDrive40 and M60 xDrive.

The former is rear-wheel drive only, with a single electric motor at the rear axle. Under normal circumstances, this delivers 312PS and 400Nm of torque, but when you pull the 'Boost' paddle behind the steering wheel, or with launch control selected, this is boosted to 340PS and 430Nm. The 0-62mph sprint takes six seconds flat, and top speed is limited to 120mph.

The M60 xDrive keeps the same rear motor, but throws in a 261PS motor up front, too, for a maximum total of 601PS and up to 820Nm of torque, again with the pull of a paddle. The extra power and traction drops the 0-62mph time down to 3.8 seconds, with a 143mph top speed.

High-performance EV owners may now be jaded by really brisk acceleration, but the M60 will still have you peppering the air with expletives the first few times you mash the pedal into the carpet. The eye-widening acceleration is also accompanied by space-age whooshing sounds developed by movie composer Hans Zimmer. You'll find this either brilliantly novel, or horrendously gimmicky: if it's the latter, this can be switched off. You’ll also marvel at how it pulls notably harder when you tweak the paddle behind the left-hand spoke on the steering wheel. 

The eDrive 40 isn’t quite so exciting, but few will find it lacking in anytime-you-want-it overtaking power, and it never feels anything less than worthy of the BMW badge.

All BMW 5 Series models have achieved the same rating in Euro NCAP crash tests, that rating being the full five out of five stars. The variant that was launched into concrete non-deformable barriers during the tests in 2023 was the eDrive40 version of the i5, so you can be extra confident that the electric version will achieve this level of real-world safety.

The BMW i5 is packed with the latest iteration of many of BMW’s safety systems, from more advanced collision warning abilities (better at spotting pedestrians, cyclists and other traffic when pulling out of junctions), to an active lane return function to steer you away from oncoming traffic that could cause a collision risk. However, adaptive cruise control is a cost option across the range, which seems a bit mean at this price.

The BMW i5 eDrive40 can pull a braked trailer of up to 1,500kg, and the M60 xDrive can tow 2,000kg. These are respectable figures in the EV arena, but other BMWs may be a more obvious choice if towing is a priority.

The rear seat isn’t usually the first place you’d investigate in a new BMW 5 Series, but the latest iteration - the BMW i5 included - has grown in every direction compared to its predecessor, and the main beneficiaries are those in the back.

The BMW i5 is now a five-metre-long car, having grown by 97mm to 5,060mm, while width is up to 1,900mm, and it’s 36mm taller at 1515mm.

In all that growth, though, it’s the 20mm-longer wheelbase, now 2,995mm, which has given rear-seat passengers more legroom. And true enough, there’s space to stretch out in the back. OK, so it's not quite at BMW i7 levels of decadence, but even the tallest of adults won't feel short-changed.

Those in the front were never squeezed in the old BMW 5 Series, but the latest car does feel more open, and BMW hasn’t scrimped on seat adjustability, either.

The BMW i5 gets a 490-litre boot, only 30 litres down on that of petrol models, but 40 litres down on that of the previous car. That’s not enough to really notice from an everyday usability perspective, in fairness, but with a BMW i5 Touring on offer as well with a much more capacious 570-litre loadspace, the saloon’s not the hardcore load-lugger of the bunch anyway.

Recent BMWs have struck a balance between the quality you’d expect from an Audi, and the ‘surprise and delight’ you might get from a modern Mercedes. The BMW i5 follows suit.

It’s more welcoming than an Audi A6 and less creaky than some recent Mercedes models. The crystal-like dashboard inlays won’t be for everyone (nor will their mood lighting), but viewed as a whole, it’s a pretty special environment: plush where it matters, and advanced where it needs to be. If you listen for rattles, or poke and prod in search of flimsy materials, both exploits will be in vain.

The seats, vegan leather on most models, are wonderful, too: another leaf taken from the BMW i7’s book.

iDrive is back once again, now using generation 8.5 of BMW’s operating system. The rotary controller (another crystal-like part) will be familiar to most BMW owners, and remains intuitive enough to use.

That being said, the sheer number of apps and functions now buried within the dashboard screen (a 14.9-inch display nestled within the same curved glass pane as the 12.3-inch driver display) means most owners will probably spend months getting to grips with it all.

With a SIM card and a data plan, you can even now watch YouTube through your car, provided that you’re stationary.

Still, you’ll probably end up using Apple CarPlay and Android Auto for most functions, and both are standard. Climate controls, meanwhile, are split between the screen (fairly easy to tap without too much distraction), and a touch-sensitive bar underneath.

Prices for the BMW i5 currently start at around £68,000 Sport Edition trim level with the eDrive40 powertrain. The same powertrain will cost you in the region of £74,000 when paired with M Sport trim, while the M Sport Pro costs approximately £77,000. If you want the range-topping M60 xDrive, you'll be looking at the thick end of £100,000. And, in all these cases, that before you add any optional extras or option packs: which you'll probably want to, because lots of desirable items demand extra outlay, which seems a bit mean of BMW.

This is not a cheap car then, but the prices don't seem too unreasonable when compared with highfalutin rivals such as the Porsche Taycan, Audi e-Tron GT or Mercedes EQE.

As per usual, the used car market holds the key to some colossal savings on the BMW i5. Around £40,000 with get you a tidy example of the entry-level eDrive40 M Sport from 2024 or 2025 with around 15,000 miles on the dial. That's a colossal saving on what is still a relatively fresh car.

All BMW i5s get a battery pack with a usable capacity of 81.2kWh. Assuming for a moment that you pay for your domestic electricity at the UK's national average rate, a full replenishment of the battery will cost you around £23, immediately making it cheaper to fuel than a combustion-engined 5 Series.

However, do the smart thing and transfer your home onto a variable power tariff that charges less for off-peak power, and charge your car overnight (which you'll probably do anyway), and you'll like pay no more than a third of that sum.

By contrast, you can multiply that sum by three whenever you use a DC public rapid charger, because the power that comes out of these is way, way more expensive due to its speed and convenience.

These days, electric cars pay the same amount of VED road tax (after the first year, that is) as petrol and diesel cars, and the lofty price of the i5 means you'll also be stung for the 'luxury car surcharge' on top. So, between years two and six of the car's life, you'll pay an annual VED fee of £620, after which time it'll default back to the £195-per-year flat rate.

Insurance groups are pretty simple, with groupings of 43 on all eDrive40 models, and 49 on the M60 xDrive. Considering that insurance groupings run from 1 to 50, 1 being the cheapest and 50 being the most expensive, you can deduce that premiums on the i5 will most certainly not be a snip.

When the i5 first went on sale, the range started with the BMW i5 eDrive40 M Sport, which remains at the core of the BMW i5 offering. It comes with a standard equipment list that includes:

• 19-inch alloy wheels
• a rear lip spoiler
• power tailgate
• air-conditioning with pre-heating
• sports seats
• Veganza artificial leather trim
• ambient lighting
• wireless phone charging
• Harman Kardon audio
• parking and reverse assistants
• BMW Live Cockpit Plus augmented reality sat-nav
• smartphone integration
• M Sport suspension with rear self-levelling

On top of that, the BMW i5 eDrive40 M Sport Pro gets:

• 20-inch alloy wheels
• BMW ‘Iconic Glow’ illuminated kidney grille
• black-tinted headlight housings
• black exterior details
• M seatbelts

The range-topping BMW i5 M60 xDrive gets:

• a more extensive Iconic Glow treatment
• red brake calipers
• privacy glass
• red centre marker for the steering wheel
• memory seats
• Adaptive M Suspension Professional with Active Roll Stabilisation
• Bowers & Wilkins audio

A while after the car's initial launch, a new entry-level trim named Sport Edition was introduced to make starting prices look a little more achievable. Available exclusively with the entry-level powertrain, the BMW i5 eDrive40 Sport Edition comes with: 

• 19-inch alloy wheels
• Sport exterior styling
• blue metallic paint
• power tailgate
• front heated sports seats
• two-zone air-conditioning
• quilted Veganza upholstery
• LED exterior lighting with adaptive headlights
• rear parking sensors
• full infotainment with Apple CarPlay/ Android Auto
• wireless phone charging