2025 BMW i4 Reviews, Pricing & Specs

The BMW i4 adapts the architecture of the BMW 4 Series Gran Coupe to incorporate the battery pack, electric motors, charging system, and other hardware and software necessary for a modern EV. Frankly, the result is nothing short of miraculous when you consider that other car companies are spending billions to develop dedicated EV platforms. And that’s why this car looks like a 4 Series and not something wild and crazy like BMW’s previous i3 and i8 models.

The i4 debuted for the 2022 model year, and receives minor design changes for 2025. The highlights include new lighting, grille detailing, wheel designs, and color choices. Inside, there is a new steering wheel, revised air vents, and updated upholstery and trim selections. The changes don’t substantially alter the i4. If you liked it before, you’ll still like it now. And vice versa.

Aside from the grille and the stylistic excess of our test car’s M Sport Package, we think the i4 looks terrific. It has a dramatically sloping roofline because it is a “sportback,” which is an appealing way to describe a four-door hatchback. But BMW calls the i4 a Gran Coupe, and its four doors might lead some to classify it as a sedan. Whatever. The point is that when you lift that hatch and fold the back seat down, the BMW i4 offers a surprising amount of practicality and utility.

Similar to many German cars, the i4’s interior is cold and technical, though you can add some traditional luxury by choosing a warmer upholstery color and open-pore wood trim. The test car’s perforated Sensatec artificial leather felt enough like the real thing that an upgrade isn’t necessary, though it can feel a little sticky.

BMW offers the 2025 i4 in three model series: single motor, rear-wheel drive (RWD) eDrive40, dual-motor, all-wheel drive (AWD) xDrive40, and M50 (performance-tuned dual-motor AWD). A less-powerful RWD eDrive35 model was also previously available, but no longer. Prices range from $59,075 to $71,875, including a destination charge of $1,175.

Our test car was the i4 eDrive40 equipped with extra-cost Portimao Blue Metallic paint and four option packages: M Sport, Premium, Driving Assistance Professional, and Parking Assistance. Those upgrades brought the manufacturer’s suggested retail price (MSRP) to $66,975, including the destination charge.

Though the single-motor i4 eDrive40 is the least powerful version of this EV, it’s also the most efficient, provides the longest driving range, and boasts traditional RWD dynamism. However, it lacks the outright speed and AWD traction you’ll find in the dual-motor xDrive40 and M50 models. With BMW estimating the eDrive40 will accelerate to 60 mph in 5.5 seconds, we’ll accept those trade-offs.

The eDrive40’s motor generates 335 horsepower and 317 pound-feet of torque, with an 81-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery pack providing the juice. When equipped with the M Sport Package’s larger 19-inch wheels, the eDrive40 provides 295 miles of range while consuming electricity at the rate of 32 kWh per 100 miles, according to the EPA. Stick with the standard 18-inch wheels, and those values are 318 miles of range and 30 kWh/100 miles.

Three selectable driving modes are available, including Eco Pro, Comfort, and Sport. Individual mode allows you to mix and match settings to personal preferences. We drove the i4 primarily in Eco Pro mode, and rarely felt the car was lacking for power or acceleration. On the evaluation route, we used Sport mode when traveling across the mountains. Our observed efficiency was 36 kWh/100 mi, a consumption rate higher than the official EPA estimate.

With the battery showing a 35% charge, we sought out a DC fast charger in an outer suburb of Los Angeles. After some effort, we found a 100-kilowatt EVgo station that was open, operational, and not being used. It took 30 minutes to reach an 80% charge and cost nearly $27.

If you’ve driven a BMW 3 Series or 4 Series equipped with an internal combustion engine, the added weight of the i4's battery and electric motor is palpable at first. However, with time, you cease noticing it unless you travel over a particularly bad stretch of lumpy pavement.

In addition to the more appealing 19-inch wheels, the M Sport Package includes an Adaptive M Suspension and variable sport steering. Since we mainly used Eco Pro mode, the suspension supplied a reasonably compliant and smooth ride while retaining a good feel for the road. Additionally, the steering was light, with minimal effort required to turn the wheel.

After switching into Sport mode for a ride down Mulholland Highway in the Santa Monica Mountains, the i4’s character changed. It responded more urgently to accelerator-pedal inputs, the ride firmed up, and the steering added some heft. Those traits made our test car fun to hustle on that mountain road, but in a slightly antiseptic way that you won’t sense in a 3 Series or 4 Series.

Does the BMW i4 offer a one-pedal driving mode? Yep. Just shift into the “B” mode using the switch on the center console. Drive without it, and the brake pedal feels entirely natural underfoot. Also, it likely goes without saying, but on the highway the i4 is remarkably silent inside.

One reason people prefer crossover SUVs to traditional cars is that they’re easy to get in and out of. The BMW i4 is not. It sits low to the ground, the center roof pillar is intrusive, and the door openings are small. Furthermore, the Sensatec simulated leather tends to feel a little sticky, and the i4’s outer seat bolsters can be something of an impediment to an easy exit.

However, once you’re settled into the snug-fitting cabin, the i4 delivers plenty of comfort for front and rear-seat occupants. Front-seat comfort is excellent, and the rear seat offers a higher and more supportive seating position than expected. However, six-foot-tall adults will find just enough foot-, head-, and legroom with little margin to spare. Our test car had heated front seats and a heated steering wheel, but not the optional ventilated front seats and heated rear seats. You’ll likely want both of those upgrades.

Practical storage space is equally spare. The bin under the center armrest is sizable, but the front cupholders and wireless smartphone charger battle for dominance under a cover that hides them from view. You can actively use one or the other, but not both. Back-seat passengers have almost no storage room aside from cupholders embedded into the center armrest, small trays on each side armrest, and bottle holders in the lower door panels.

While the i4’s interior might be form fitting, BMW somewhat makes up for it with impressive utility. On paper, it doesn’t seem promising. When the i4 debuted, BMW claimed the trunk measured 10 cubic feet—slightly more than two Miatas-worth of volume. However, it seems like BMW is not taking into consideration the fact that you can remove the cargo cover and pack the trunk to the glass. Additionally, there is some small-item storage space under the cargo load floor. Fold the 40/20/40-split rear seat flat, and the car offers appreciably more volume for whatever you want to load into it.

The BMW Curved Display—which marries a 12.3-inch driver display with a 14.9-inch touchscreen infotainment system beneath a single piece of curved glass—carries over for the 2025 model year. But BMW upgraded the infotainment system to iDrive 8.5 with Quick Select. The latter refers to a new “flat” menu of shortcuts to iDrive 8.5’s various native applications. Filters include All Apps, Infotainment, Vehicle, and Recently Used. Choose All Apps, and common shortcuts are listed first, followed by deeper functions in alphabetical order. The design is logical, but for best results you’ll still want to use it when the car is parked rather than on the move.

Fortunately, iDrive 8.5 includes BMW’s excellent Intelligent Personal Assistant. This conversational voice recognition technology allows you to perform numerous tasks using voice commands, and this test car’s iteration of the system was the best version we’ve ever tested. It successfully avoided making the same errors we’ve observed in other BMWs while turning in a nearly flawless performance.

The new iDrive 8.5 infotainment system also adds Augmented View technology to the navigation system. Program a destination, and it uses the forward-view camera and graphic overlays to help you find the right lane to use and exactly where your next turn is. Augmented View is always helpful, but particularly at night when traveling in unknown territory.

The navigation system adds a new ability to optimize routes based on charging station availability in addition to charging station locations. We programmed a cross-country trip and, based on topography and expected range, the i4’s navigation system showed us where we could recharge the car and the status of those chargers at any given time.

Charging the BMW i4 is easier now, too, with the new Plug & Charge authentication technology. Thanks to partnerships with certain providers, you can pull up to a charging station, plug in, recharge, and disconnect without worrying about having an app or using a credit card. Billing is automatic through the Plug & Charge system.

The iDrive 8.5 infotainment system adds a row of climate controls to the bottom of the 14.9-inch touchscreen. This wasn’t problematic. In fact, the only complaint we have about the 2025 i4’s BMW Curved Display technology relates to using the radio. We programmed numerous favorite SiriusXM stations, but accessing that list via the touchscreen takes too long, and the user experience can be confusing, leading to distraction. So, just say, “Hey BMW, tune to Alt Nation,” and be done with it. Or, you can use iDrive 8.5’s wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and bypass the native tech altogether.

BMW equips every i4 with Active Driving Assistant. This collection of driver assistance includes: forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking, active blind-spot monitoring, lane-keep assist, and rear cross-traffic alert. Automatic high-beam headlights, a driver monitoring system, and BMW Assist eCall, which includes automatic collision notification and an SOS emergency calling system, are standard as well.

A Driving Assistance Package adds adaptive cruise control, while the Driving Assistance Professional Package adds Active Driving Assistant Pro and Extended Traffic Jam Assistant. Active Driving Assistant Pro encompasses lane-centering assist, lane-change assist, evasive steering assist, and emergency stop assist. The Extended Traffic Jam Assistant is a hands-free driving feature for use on limited-access highways at speeds under 40 mph. Confusingly, within the car, BMW uses Assisted Driving Plus as an umbrella term for all levels of driver assist, regardless of which features are in use.

During testing in Los Angeles traffic, the hands-free driving system worked well. We did not find the lane-change function particularly helpful, but only because in L.A., seemingly whenever space opens in a lane, there is an aggressive driver quickly moving into it. That real-world lane-shopping reality is incompatible with any technology that must take time and care to make assessments.

As for how the i4’s other driver aids operated, the lane-keeping system consistently misread pavement scars from completed construction projects as lane lines. Also, when driving on a winding road with cars parked on the shoulder, the automatic braking technology mistakenly identified the parked cars as obstacles in the BMW’s path.

Additionally, we experienced the i4’s Active Protection System. While driving on a mountain road, we came around a corner to discover sizable rocks that had fallen onto the blacktop. An immediate, hard panic stop activated the seatbelt pretensioners and closed the windows, securing us within the i4’s cabin. Fortunately, it wasn’t necessary, but it was a good reminder that this technology exists.

Crash-test ratings for the i4 from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) weren’t available at the time of publication.

The most affordable version of the 2025 BMW i4 starts at just over $59,000. That’s several thousand more than a loaded Hyundai Ioniq 6 Limited or a Tesla Model 3 Performance, neither or which offer the convenience of the BMW’s sportback body style.

If that added utility is important, you could instead choose a Ford Mustang Mach-E GT, which includes BlueCruise hands-free driving at a greater range of speeds. The Kia EV6 GT-Line is another money-saving alternative. The Ford and Kia are marketed as crossover SUVs, but they look like sportbacks to us.

But those are not luxury-brand rivals. (No, not even the Tesla). Over at the Audi store, there isn’t a direct rival in price and configuration to a BMW i4, though the new A6 e-tron comes close. Same for Acura, Cadillac, Lexus, Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, and Volvo—all SUVs. So, it seems the BMW is, for now, a one-off of sorts.

And it’s a terrific one-off. We really like this car, and though it is based on a platform developed for an internal-combustion engine, BMW’s engineering wizards have transformed the 4 Series Gran Coupe into a legitimately competitive EV.