Why the BMW i3 Is One of the Best Pre-Owned EVs
Reading Time: 4 minutesYou don’t always have to fork out big bucks to get a great EV.
The BMW i3 manages to combine style, comfort, and practicality, making it a great option if you’re looking for a used electric car.
The i3 was BMW’s first all-electric mass-market vehicle, and between 2014 and 2021, BMW produced over 250,000 of them. Although these vehicles retailed at a high price point when they were new, they’ve become very affordable options on the used market.
Here’s why the BMW i3 is one of our top picks when it comes to pre-owned EVs.
1. You Can Buy the i3 at a Huge Discount
Simply put, the BMW i3 didn’t hold its value very well. CoPilot ranked the BMW i3 as the fourth-most depreciated car of 2021, with an over 50% depreciation rate on models purchased between 2018 and 2020.
While that definitely stings if you bought an i3 new from the dealership, it’s actually great news if you’re looking at scooping one up on the used market. You can find tons of well-equipped, low-mileage BMW i3s for under $20,000. That’s a great deal on a car that started at over $45,000 new.
New cars depreciate the most in the first year of ownership, but by the five-year mark, depreciation slows down tremendously. Because the BMW i3 has already depreciated so much, you can pick one up at a huge discount without worrying about the price sinking too much lower.
2. It’s an Amazing City Car
One of the things that owners love most about the BMW i3 is how compact and easy it makes city driving. The car measures just 13.1 feet long, making it over two feet shorter than the Tesla Model 3. While there are many reasons people love Tesla, the BMW i3 is easier to parallel park and maneuver around tight city streets and parking garages.
Because the i3 is a hatchback without a sloping roof, it’s got a roomy-for-its-size 15.1 cubic feet of cargo space in the trunk. However, with the rear seats folded down, that capacity grows to almost 40 cubic feet. That’s enough for most luggage, golf clubs, and even a baby stroller.
Although Aston Martin has it beat when it comes to grand touring, the BMW i3 might just be the perfect city car.
3. It’s Got an Eye-Catching Style
When designing the i3, BMW took a lot of cues from the i8, BMW’s plug-in hybrid supercar.
Just like the i8, the BMW i3 features a two-tone paint design. That means you’ll get body-colored panels on the sides and front of the vehicle, but the hood, roof, and rear are completely blacked out. That, along with other touches like the floating C-pillars, give the BMW i3 a futuristic appearance that makes it stand out from almost any other car on the road. And even though the BMW i3 isn’t a big car, premium models come equipped with 20-inch alloy wheels, giving it a considerable presence for its size.
While some automakers have transitioned to a more subdued style for their EVs, BMW decided to go big and bold with the i3. And although not everyone is going to love the BMW i3’s unique style, it’s a head-turner.
4. The i3’s Interior Is All BMW
Although Tesla currently dominates the EV market, the company has been widely criticized for its hit-or-miss build quality. Compare that to BMW, a company that has been building luxury vehicles for decades. You can see that attention to detail throughout the i3’s interior.
The i3’s interior was designed to be bold. Standard equipment includes bright blue accents throughout the interior, including on the seats and seatbelts. And although the BMW i3’s cabin is relatively small, it still feels spacious inside. That’s due to some smart design choices. For example, the car features an extended front windshield that increases visibility and lets more light into the cabin. And the car’s front seats are extra thin, giving rear passengers more legroom.
BMW also made sustainability one of the core focuses of the i3. That meant including options like vegan leather and eco-friendly eucalyptus wood accents. In fact, the company says that over 25% of the i3’s interior comes from sustainable sources, and elements like the cloth seat upholstery are made from up to 100% recycled materials.
5. You Can Fast Charge It
When it comes to charging your BMW i3, you’ve got a couple of options to choose from. You can charge the car from any normal household outlet. But keep in mind that if you use a regular 120V residential outlet, you’ll be stuck on Level 1 charging, aka ‘trickle charging.’ At that base speed, it can take up to 16 hours to fully charge your vehicle.
But if you’re like most people and want to charge your car faster, you can upgrade your home with a Level 2 EV charger. A Level 2 charger can deliver up to 7.7kW of power, which means you can recharge your BMW i3 in four to five hours.
You’ve probably heard of the Tesla Supercharger network. But you might not know that you can also fast charge an i3. The BMW i3 is compatible with Level 3 DC Fast Charging. That means at the right charging station, you can juice up your i3 from zero to 80% in under 30 minutes.
6. There’s an Available Gasoline Range Extender
One of the things that may have steered some people away from the i3 is its range. The BMW i3 can deliver up to a 153-mile range on battery power alone. While that’s definitely not bad, it pales in comparison to other EVs like the Tesla Model 3, which can get over 350 miles on a single charge.
However, the BMW i3 does have a trick up its sleeve. BMW designed a gasoline-powered range extender that can recharge the battery on the fly. You can get up to 200 miles of range on models equipped with a range extender. While the BMW i3 isn’t one of the longest-range electric vehicles you can buy, you shouldn’t have to worry about range anxiety for most of your day-to-day driving.
Is the BMW i3 Right for You?
If you thought Tesla didn’t have any competition, think again. More automakers than ever are entering the EV market, and electric cars are becoming more and more affordable. Choosing a pre-owned EV like the BMW i3 is a great way to get a ton of bang for your buck.
So if you’re in the market for a used EV, you owe it to yourself to test drive a BMW i3.
Reference: https://www.makeuseof.com/why-bmw-i3-best-pre-owned-ev/
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