The BMW iX3 Could Actually Be A Fantastic EV Deal

• The BMW iX3 xDrive is coming to the U.S. in the summer of 2026, with an MSRP starting under $60,000.
• But the real value may be the 40 sDrive and 40 xDrive models, starting under $55,000. 
• With those prices, you get one of the most high-tech EVs around: around 300 miles of range, a zonal architecture, software updates, bidirectional charging and more.

When I first saw the production BMW iX3 at a preview event in Germany this summer, I couldn’t help but be impressed. Here was an electric vehicle with around 400 miles of range, an electrical architecture akin to EVs from Tesla and Rivian, next-generation software, artificial intelligence features, bidirectional charging and more. It’s truly a next-level EV from BMW.

But I was also sure it was going to be expensive. My first guess was a starting price of around $80,000; after all, that level of technology doesn’t come cheap. 

108

Source: BMW

I was happy to be wrong. Ultimately, the new iX3 50 xDrive will start under $60,000 when it goes on sale in the United States next summer. (In Europe, starting prices are higher at €68,900, or about $80,000.) And the real story is what’s coming in 2027: the less powerful, lower-range 40 sDrive and 40 xDrive models, which BMW said will start under $55,000. Those would be the rear-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive variants, respectively.

Those models shouldn’t come with a dealbreaker range penalty, either. BMW said both have “estimated ranges slightly over 300 miles.” Considering that 300 miles of range is basically table stakes for a good modern EV—when you can achieve that figure, range anxiety tends to erode quickly—so these thankfully won’t be just compliance cars. 

And granted, this is BMW we’re talking about; the German automaker loves giving you lots of options to add on. A gas-powered BMW X3 may “start” at $50,900 in the U.S., but most examples you’ll find on dealer lots are between $55,000 and $60,000.

Even so, selling an EV as high-tech as the iX3 is in the $50,000 range at all undercuts a lot of the competition and even makes it look technologically dated. The iX3 could come in a little more than a well-equipped Tesla Model Y, but with faster charging, bidirectional charging and a much more premium interior. And $55,000 to $60,000 is about what it takes to get into a very nicely equipped Hyundai Ioniq 5; as much as we love that EV, a similarly priced BMW makes for a compelling alternative.

This approach may speak to how, in modernizing how it builds EVs, BMW was actually able to save money here. The new platform, which uses a zonal architecture controlled by four computer “superbrains,” cuts 2,000 feet of wiring vs. previous EVs. And batteries in these “Neue Klasse” EVs are 40% to 50% cheaper than those in existing models. BMW’s executives say it should reach the same level of profitability as the gas-powered X3.

For both BMW and the consumers that buy them, that’s a very big deal. EVs are still more expensive to make than conventional cars in most cases, largely thanks to battery costs. But as those costs go down and automakers find newer and more cost-effective ways to make EVs, they should reach price parity with gas-powered cars—which will be a key step in getting more people to buy them.

We’ll be watching for pricing news on the iX3 as new models roll out and come to the U.S. But this may represent a positive step in the long-awaited price parity between electric and gas vehicles.

Contact the author: patrick.george@insideevs.com