BMW i5 review

Overview

The BMW i5 is an electric saloon with 5 seats, a 81.2 kWh battery and a quoted WLTP range of 320 miles. On paper it suits families who want space without moving up to a van. Prices start at around £75,000, with leases quoted from about £749 a month.

Its headline specification point is straightforward: executive saloon that drives like a proper BMW. The sections below break the published figures down and set them against the other electric cars in our UK database.

Design & practicality

Bodystyle is a saloon with 5 seats and 490 litres of boot space. Against every EV in the database that puts it around mid-pack for outright carrying capacity, and around mid-pack among other saloons.

Boot volume is typical of the class: fine for a weekly shop and a couple of cases.

Range & charging

The quoted WLTP range is 320 miles from 81.2 kWh of usable-plus-buffer capacity — above average in the database for distance between charges. Real-world figures are typically 10–25% lower in cold weather and at sustained motorway speeds.

That is a big-battery setup with solid rapid-charging speeds. As with any EV, the running-cost picture depends far more on whether you can charge at home overnight than on the charging speed itself.

Performance

The published 0–60mph time is 6 seconds, which puts it around mid-pack for acceleration here and makes it brisk by the numbers. Electric drivetrains deliver that pull instantly from a standstill, so town-speed responses tend to feel stronger than the figure suggests.

Tech & features

We score cabin technology at 9/10 based on published equipment levels, which is above average across the database. The specification highlight is that executive saloon that drives like a proper BMW.

Expect a large central screen, over-the-air updates and driver assistance as standard on most trims.

Price & value

New prices run from £75,000 to £105,000, with three-year-old used examples from around £50,000 and leases quoted from £749 a month. That sits at the premium end of the electric cars in this database, and the upper-middle of the saloons specifically.

Our value score, which weighs the price against range, space and equipment, is 6/10. Whether it works out cheaper than your current car depends on your mileage, fuel price and charging setup — the cost calculator does that maths properly.