BMW iX vs iX3 – which is best?

The BMW iX is the brand’s flagship electric car, but it may well have been usurped by the new iX3. So if you’re after a great BMW SUV powered by a plug, here’s how to pick between the iX and iX3.

BMW iX vs iX3 compared

Styling

The BMW iX is a car that people love to hate. We’re not going to argue its case here, but its distinctive, stand-out styling will definitely win some fans.

We’d argue that the iX3 also has some awkward angles, but the tauter shape and less fussy front end make it a better looking car to our eyes than the iX. In the metal, it looks quite fresh, although perhaps that’s because it’s still so new.

Interior and technology

The iX only launched in 2021 and, at the time, its interior was the best you could get in a BMW. Its spacious, airy cabin features top-rate materials and a luxurious feel befitting its lofty position at the top of BMW’s electric car range.

But get in the iX3 and you could easily think that this is the flagship BMW – in fact, the whole interior treatment has now been added to the 7 Series limousine, too. Material quality is superb in the iX3 – it doesn’t feel like a cheaper product than the iX whatsoever.

The main difference between these two cars’ interiors is the infotainment system. The iX has two large screens in a slightly curving panel, which seems to sit gently on the dashboard. Meanwhile, the iX3 has an odd-shaped central screen and a door-to-door screen strip under the windscreen. This might look like the advertising hoardings in a football stadium, but puts key information in a great place and negates the need for a head-up display. It feels modern and well thought out.

The iX3’s newer infotainment software is also easier to use than the iX’s previous-generation setup. We love how crisp and quick the iX’s screen is, but its numerous settings screens and lengthy app menu make it frustrating to live with. You’ll be taking your eyes off the road a lot to find what you’re looking for.

As well as a bizarrely shaped screen, the iX3 has a very unusual four-spoke steering wheel – but a more conventional two-spoker is available as a cheap option.

Dimensions and practicality

At nearly five metres long, the iX is an imposing size – it’s a whisker longer than the seven-seat Volvo XC90, but only seats five. Of course, everyone in the iX gets plenty of space to stretch out. The 500-litre boot space will be plenty for most use cases, although you might feasibly expect a little more cargo capacity given the iX’s size.

By being just a little shorter, the iX3 is a bit more wieldy. It’ll just about fit in a standard parking space, whereas the iX’s piggy nose will stick out over the line. But, impressively, the iX3 doesn’t feel like a smaller car – tall adults still have an abundance of leg and headroom. You’re not going to notice the iX3’s 20 extra litres of boot space, but it’s worth mentioning that the 520 litres on offer is considerably more than you get in the plug-in hybrid X3.

Range and performance

The mere mention of the phrase ‘500 miles’ is likely to press play on The Proclaimers in your head (sorry!). It’s also the maximum quoted range of the BMW iX3 on its aero-focused 20-inch alloy wheels.

You might scoff at how achievable the range figure will actually be. We did too – but we got an extrapolated 450 miles out of one, and 350 miles of motorway driving. If you manage to find a powerful enough charger to match the iX3’s maximum capacity, you can add over 200 miles of range in just 10 minutes.

The iX3 is also a sports car, with 469hp on tap and a sub-five-second 0-62mph time. This isn’t even the fast one – an upcoming M Performance version will pile on the pace.

On the iX’s 20-inch aero discs (which look tiny next to the deep bodywork), BMW reckons you’ll get 374 miles to a charge. That’s partly because the iX’s 94.8kWh battery is smaller than the 108.7kWh battery in the iX3, but also because the iX is noticeably less efficient than the iX3.

A 10-minute charge at the iX’s top rate of 175kW adds 80-100 miles of range, and 10-80% takes 13 minutes longer than in the iX3.

The iX’s 5.1-second 0-62mph time is pretty impressive, and it’ll tow up to 2,500kg. The iX3 isn’t homologated for towing at all.

Value

If you’d just bought a new iX before the iX3 came out, you’d be pretty cheesed off. The cheapest new iX costs over £75,000 – befitting its flagship position – while the cheapest iX3 costs less than £59,000. We shudder at calling a £60k car good value, but it is considering it matches the older plug-in hybrid X3 for price.

Used buyers will be better off with the iX, because it’s had time to shed a significant proportion of its initial value. Higher-mileage examples can be found at around the £25,000 mark, although these are smaller battery models with a real-world range of around 200 miles. Given that this is a luxury car and it could be out of warranty, it’d be worth considering taking out an extended warranty to prevent big unexpected bills down the line.

Which is best?

The iX is more widely available as a used car at the time of writing – and much more attainable – while its useful towing capacity will make it ideal if you need to tow a caravan or a horse trailer.

But the iX3 is such a leap forward in terms of range, dynamics, infotainment and, arguably, looks. It’s barely any less spacious than the iX, it feels new and it’s much cheaper as a new car. If you’re comparing new or nearly new models, the iX3 is the better car by a distance.

Read our BMW iX review and our BMW iX3 review for more information on these cars, or shop used BMW electric cars for sale at Motorpoint.