BMW i3 60Ah REX v 94Ah v 120Ah maximum range test. Driven until they die convoy comparison...

[@markedwardsphotography]

I drive a 2019 i3S REX. ( build week 53 of 2018, last week of production of the REX , this is the reason I purchased my car), your review is very accurate and precise. Nice to see a good review on KZbin. previously I owned a 2015 Mr Porter Edition 60Ah which was a great car, 35,000 trouble free miles. Two BMW dealers have told me that the only problem I ever see is damaged Batteries being driven down to zero onBEV vehicles and warranty to replace damaged cells. I understand you needed to deplete the cars batteries for this test, and it was a good full review, but I would add caution to BEV (battery electric vehicle) drivers from going lower than 6-10% as damage could occur to the cells. The REX batteries should show Huge Longevity as the battery cannot be depleated past 6-7% as the generator starts up. On a caution note to REX. never over fill the fuel pipe as the pressure will damage the inner pressure release (BMW advise) and use the REX at least every 2-3 weeks. The REX if not used will go-into-a-maintenance cycle and self run after 4-5 weeks when not used (maintenance cycle). The 2019 REX i3S I own has achieved 240-250 mile range at a speed of 65 MPH with low heaters set at 20 degrees / no AC / set in Comfort Mode.. (Speeds above 70 will reduce range considerably). Reading REX problems: if the power train warning comes on the dash, it's properly DRY-LEAVES Suck in the near-side-rear-fan unit, preventing the cooling fan from turning at normal speeds. (Check and Clean Fan Housing when required). My YOUCHANEL has a film about the i3 GEAR BOX. / RSymons RSEV- Good Review. thanks

[@cjmac2786]

Great advice, clearly someone who has researched before purchasing.

[@wiltse0]

60Ah: 75 miles + 3% battery remaining (est total possible 80) 8:00 60Ah + rex: 168 miles crawling speed 17:30 94Ah: 131 miles + 7 miles indicated remaining (est total possible 140) 10:20 120Ah: 172 miles fully dead 18:48 Final wrap up 19:43

[@Tigerex966]

240h?

[@_IMNNO]

Thanks 🫡

[@clmk28]

the 120ah is good. 172 miles is nothing to sneeze at. I am def thinking of getting an i3

[@pilotandthecity8527]

I still find it a pity this little great car never got a real facelift and, lately op not a battery update to 150Ah. I love the car, the handling and, yes, the design.

[@mamadouaziza2536]

Why would it need a face lift, its a modern car. The 2021 version i3S in gold with the 20 inch wheels in black, looks like a completely different car.. BMW is ready to release the i4 and they want buyers to grab that car in order to take advantage of any remaining tax credits left.. There will be no more battery upgrades for the i3.

[@pilotandthecity8527]

@@mamadouaziza2536 it’s not about the looks, but the tech I would have loved to see an update for the I3. I’m aware of what BMW wants, to push people to the new cars, but that’s not what I want. As you mentioned, it’s a very modern car, with some downsides. I would buy this car again if they give it a 150 Ah battery and 100 kWh charger and a better steering wheel (thicker)

[@mamadouaziza2536]

@@pilotandthecity8527 Will you please get serious? There is no way in hell the i3 will ever get 150kwh battery or even a 100kw charger. LOL. Its a city car and not a long distance grand tourer. Do you know a 150kw battery weights over 600lbs, not even Tesla's Model S has a 150kwh battery pack. It would be absolutely ridiculous to pack such a heavy battery in a lightweight sub compact. The most BMW could do is give it a 55kwh to 60kwh battery pack and bump up the charger to 80 to 100kw and give the car 200hp.. But thats all a fantasy anyway.. The i3 is now ended, its history. BMW should be proud they were able to make over 200k i3 cars compared to Tesla Roadster which sold only about 8k.

[@pilotandthecity8527]

@@mamadouaziza2536 you don’t read. I’m talking about a 150Ah battery. That’s about a 53 KWh battery. It’s the value BMW issues for the car.. The cells exist for this car, same size as the 120 Ah cells. I drive the 120Ah for 2 years now, regular on a 680 km trip. It’s more than a city car. I’ve the experience, that’s actually very nice to travel with the car. BMW announced in 2019 it would give the car one more update around 2021. That’s where my comments are based on.

[@dilakshandk77]

@@pilotandthecity8527 what ev you currently use ?

[@Mpower-hz4gk]

Great video, we have a 94Ah and it regularly shows a range of 130-150 miles in summer. They are great cars.

[@Jmort93]

14:00 The fuel tank is still 9 liters, but the US programming makes the tank sensors read empty with some fuel left in the tank due to regulations in California that prevent a generator allowing more range than the battery alone with EV’s. It can be coded out to read the full 9 liters.

[@danielssonsgarage]

For real? Thats awwsome

[@thetumanshow]

Can And SHOULD be coded out. That’s my plan with the 60Ah REx

[@LemonySnicket-EUC]

Californicated

[@MarkSentesy]

Bimmercode can remove this restriction

[@mamadouaziza2536]

This test review was awesome, thank you for the upload. These cars are great for city driving and for the occasional motorway drive. Nice to know that the older 2015 model was able to do 75.8 miles in COMFORT MODE with the heater on before the REx kicked in. This info is important for those thinking of buying a used older i3. The 94Ah battery version with the REx seems to be the sweet spot, getting 131 miles on pure electric before the REx engaged. In North America the 120Ah battery version comes with the optional REx for an additional $4k.

[@huldi]

I have an Audi etron, a BMW i3S and a 2013 Porsche 911 Carrera 4S - 80% of the times i use my i3S, is such an amazing car...

[@savagegtalks5912]

If you drive an i3, you might as well ride a good electric scooter. I have an electric scooter 2 wheels, 2 wheel drive little rocket. top speed about 60mph, about 60 mile range. I ride it 13k km or 8k miles in a year. It rides good all year, all weather, on road or offroad. The cost 1300$, no extra insurance, no extra nothing, even less then the i3... Plug and ride. That's real value for the money.

[@stephenmeservey5172]

So that scooter the back of your I3 just in case

[@alikhanofbrier]

I dont think you own these cars

[@huldi]

@@alikhanofbrier who cares what you think? If you don't have anything to say about about the topic you better be quiet. It's the adults discussing here....

[@huldi]

@@savagegtalks5912 I live in Switzerland, 1000 meters above sea level. I need a car with heating.... But an electric scooter sounds very tempting for Summer. Would be perfect for my 15km commute...

[@christinezwiesigk8934]

I drive the BMW i3s 120 Ah and love this car! I drive about 150 km everyday and never had any problems. If you have the possibility to charge at home then it will so much fun. Greeting from Switzerland 😗

[@theaterminustv]

Very interesting to put all the different models into one Testdrive. We own the i3 120amph Battery for about 5 month and we love it. We found out that the range will increase dramaticly when temperatures rise over 15 degrees celcius and the battery is warmed up. We mostly drive on country roads with a daily commute of about 40 miles. When temperatures are up to 17 to 20 degrees you can easily reach 200 + miles in eco pro mode. Driving in comfort will drop to around 190 miles.

[@cauthoncrazy]

That 200 miles is crazy impressive!

[@johnhanks4052]

I have a 2019 I3 120ah all electric. In the US in Georgia, I get around 160 miles average in the winter and 190 miles average in the summer…that’s all in comfort mode. The I3 is a fantastic car, bought mine used with 13k miles and a full CPO warranty, no brained of a deal. All my other vehicles are trucks, big trucks. I’ve always driven trucks, I love trucks, but once I drove the I3 I was hooked and I drive it 80 percent of the time now. Saves me a lot of money and is Fi fun and easy to drive.

[@mykeclanduncan5667]

A really good comparison of the types, matching my own (94ahr REX) ranges as part of the test. Mine is a 2nd hand 66 plate, and I'm still learning how to use it to the best effect. So far I've had 120 miles EV only (with 10 left indicated) mixed motorway and local, mostly in ECO mode. The REX levels indicated I still had upwards of 80 miles possible as well, giving me confidence that I could reasonably easily get 200+ miles from this car. As temperatures start rising I'm sure this will get even better. Really informative test, keep it up.

[@andreimadalinneagu]

Where are you now in terms of range after living over one year with your I3?

[@mykeclanduncan5667]

@@andreimadalinneagu After nearly two years, I can see no discernible drop in range. I still get 110-130 winter-summer, and 70-100+ with Rex. My battery kapa max value is still around 28.1 kwhr in the hidden menu.

[@andreimadalinneagu]

@@mykeclanduncan5667 that is nice. I own and drive a late 2018 i3 120AH without the range extender and I did 281KM and I’ve been left with 2% battery life. It’s not bad at all. That’s roughly 175 miles.

[@jonathantaylor1998]

These type of "drive 'em til they die" tests are just SO useful - thank you for this. Looking at the 'real world' miles per kWh figures for each (based on your estimations of usable battery figures)... The 2015 REX did 4.2 m/kWh The 2020 BEV did an even more impressive 4.6 m/kWh But, the star of the show was the 2018 REX at a fantastic 4.8 m/kWh...! Which, if I'm honest, seems all the more incredible considering it's also lugging around a heavy petrol engine, compared to the BEV version...! I was a gnat's whisker away from buying an i3 REX when I converted to EV driving last year - sadly, from the width measurements I found, it simply wouldn't go through my (unusually small...) garage door opening... BOO... :-(

[@Leoappeared]

The REX is not that heavy, and the battery is smaller...

[@mamadouaziza2536]

So, what did you end up buying? The i3 isn't that wide.

[@howlongdoesithavetob]

@ Jonathan Taylor Thanks! I was waiting until the end of the video to do that math myself, and then noticed you had already done it for us!

[@Nickbaldeagle02]

No one drives petrol cars until they run out of fuel.

[@mondotv4216]

@@Nickbaldeagle02 Try telling that to the various motoring organisations around the world...

[@DaveCorbey]

Worth mentioning that it's much more efficient to use the rex as soon as you can on a journey longer than the electric range..Then finally switch off when your electric range will get you there. Otherwise the rex runs very inefficiently. I've had 53mpg from the Rex before.

[@TheDoosh79]

So you can control the Rex? I just assumed it was automatic and came on at the end of battery range.

[@nathanschley2088]

@@TheDoosh79 The US version of the i3 didn't have this feature. It turned on only at low state of charge.

[@MarkSentesy]

​@@TheDoosh79apparently you can use Bimmercode to unlock this feature in US versions on the car. That and you can unlock a bigger gas tank size to match the EU version.

[@jezalb2710]

​@@TheDoosh79you can decide when the petrol engine kicks in.set it in settings

[@dopiaza2006]

Wy is it more efficient doing it this way?

[@mollyfilms]

I have the 94ah with the Rex. I’ve done 74k miles in the car. I can’t tell you how fantastic this car is. It’s a no brainer to have the Rex version, the number one reason for the Rex? You don’t have range anxiety and to me that’s worth every penny for the Rex. BMW made a huge mistake taking the Rex out of the lineup. I once ran out of electric sat on the M5 after being stuck there after a closure (accident), but having an extra fuel can in the boot I had no issues.

[@ivanbudisin7528]

So you prefer Rex? What about maintanace of Rex?

[@Google_Does_Evil_Now]

​@@ivanbudisin7528it's a 650cc v twin motorcycle engine which has been detuned for even more reliability. Kymco, a major Taiwanese manufacturer, makes these for BMW.

[@tivvy-xf4kz]

@@ivanbudisin7528 It's minimal. It's basically a small motorcycle engine but you have to remember it only powers a generator so it doesn't work hard. I think they are guaranteed for 150k miles or 10yrs. If you very rarely use it it will turn on for app 15 mins every month or so just to clean the sensors etc and it tells you when it does it. Not sure about maintenance intervals but I can't believe it's any harder to maintain than a small motorcycle or stationary engine. eg oil/filters and possibly valve clearances but if it's buckets/shims it will probably never need doing.

[@4x4bass]

I have 94Ah rex and never use it. Have a petrol car for long journeys tho.

[@kyleog6527]

As always. Great review. Thoroughly enjoyed it and the way you relay the information

[@cjmac2786]

Your happy that they buried the review on the 94 Amp hour Rex being the best. ? Ummmm.

[@kyleog6527]

@@cjmac2786 what do you mean?

[@sz4128]

Seems that the 94AH is the most efficient of the 3. Fantastic car I miss mine. Definitely going to get another.

[@batandball617]

I’m really really liking your whole market approach towards EVs. Tesla may lead the field in many areas, but the appetite for EVs at various price points must be huge! Hats off to ya all!

[@andrewamidala]

I have a 2016 Rex with 73000 miles on the clock. I am regularly getting a range of about 170 miles out of the battery alone. With my 60 mile a day motorway commute and the aircon on I rarely use the rex at all. It costs me less than £2 a day for my commute in electric charging at home but the charging stations cost per kw is ridiculous!! I do use it in eco mode and regen where possible, I used to hyper-mile in my Honda Insight Gen1 so had a lot of training on eco effecient driving. I absolutely love my i3 and if anything happened to it I would get another without hesitation. In the UK we can set the rex to kick in from 75% battery so can save our battery power if needed.

[@erichahn8970]

Such a great video! Having owned the i3 120Ah I have always wondered how the Rex version with the 94Ah would stack up against this latest version. All answered in this great review! Awesome work and now a subscriber to the channel. One final request, perhaps you have already done so, I realise most electric cars are driven around town most of their time and their natural habitat, however when faced at the prospect of wanting to buy an EV as the primary family car, one can never escape the feeling of will it work for those long weekends away or holiday journeys? Please could you do review based on a real world test where the car is loaded with 2 Adults, 2 kids and a boot full of luggage rearing to do a 400 to 500km long journey, mostly at motorway speed of 120 to 130km/h. I am sure this will help many prospective families looking at the EV world feel more comfortable or perhaps not .... Think it would make a great review. Many thanks for some great content! Greetings from Austria!

[@SqwarkParrotSpittingFeathers]

The rex can be refuelled with extra fuel at petrol stations so, it's a misguided competition because the assumption here is without top up.

[@cjmac2786]

You need to look at the figures with a bit more focus, I think. BMW didn't install a petrol engine without good reason. Falling for glossy sales pitch isn't unusual.

[@antonyleung8015]

Brilliant test! Helps a lot on potential i3 owners like me! Keep it up!

[@cjmac2786]

Your happy that they buried the review on the 94 Amp hour Rex being the best. ? Ummmm

[@TheSmallRabbit]

I have just bought a 2019 i3 42Kwh and have just performed a long range test at 10-17C. I started with 100% battery and a predicted range of 158miles on the GOM. I have driven hybrids now for 12 years and I am aware what a light pedal foot has on economy. So off we set on the 84 mile trip with a mix of motorway (60%) A road (40%) . Outbound heading for the coast there's more negative gradients but it will all level up on the return. As this is a max range test I put the car in Eco PRO and turn off the heating/cooling. I get between 10 - 22Kwh/100Km and a light foot also mean that I see quite a bit of regen. When I arrived at my destination I had a GOM range left of ! 130 Miles (84 + 130) = 214 miles. I charge to 100% again and then on the return when I arrived home the GOM said 100 miles so a return range of 184 miles. I expect these ranges to drop by switching to Comfort and adding some heating however even if these settings suck 20 miles of range that's still 194 and 168 miles so taking the worst case 168miles that's very close to what BMW expect this car to achieve and by switching to ECO PRO 180 is also possible for most of the year and for most journeys. Remember my home journey was full of positive gradients to reach the destination at 333m. So with this I have confidence this car can easily achieve its 160 mile range as quoted under these temps which in the UK is pretty standard. I am well impressed with this car it drives likes its on rails and accelerates like a rocket. :-)

[@aw7425]

You’ve inspired me to code my US 2015 i3 Rex to increase the tank to 9 liters and engage the ReX when the battery gets down to 75% instead of limiting it to only charge the battery at 7%. Thank you for another insightful real world video. Cheers

[@mamadouaziza2536]

WTF? You have an i3 REx in the USA and its not coded to European specs yet? Shame on you.. LOL. Coding is the first thing one does when buying an i3 in the USA. You can also code it to self steer when in ACC mode if you have a European steering wheel or a specific dangle module that connects inside the back of the steering wheel, this will give your i3 many of the functions of Tesla's AutoPilot.. Good luck with your i3.

[@ssoffshore5111]

@@mamadouaziza2536 I'm interested in getting one of these cars. I'm in the US (CT) and regularly do a 195 mile round trip commute each week, most on the freeway (~80%). Which model/years would you recommend and how do I tell the battery size based on the model/year?

[@cool_breeze_actual9643]

Great video. I'm in south america in a large city. I'm now sold on this 2021 i3 I found. My longest travels are about 130km. It's nice to know I could potentially do round trip on one charge. Great video thanks for sharing.

[@patrickiocunningham]

Great drive review! Very thought out. Favors well with my normal driving conditions. I purchased a 2017 Rex Tera World i3 and will receive it in 3 days! Test drive left me impressed gotta have it, my 1st ecar. Looks like I will be appreciating this well engineered work every time I drive or look at it. Thanks for your video.

[@300rivers7]

Just stumbled upon this video and loved it. I have a 2015 i3 rex and still love driving it today. I wish the central states had better infrastructure or this car had a much larger battery.

[@BHBeckenbauer]

Nice video! I’m on my 5th i3 now - brilliant cars. 2020 i3s 120Ah the best so far - they’re much better without the noisy old ReX!

[@oldwortex5818]

That noise is a lovely song when you are in the middle of nowhere and need to go home :-) Given how scarce the charging station in the US East Coast, I would never attempt to own a strictly electric car.

[@mollyfilms]

The Rex isn’t noisy and it’s a fantastic addition. No range anxiety is to me the sweetest thing. I’ve had both versions and the Rex for me is the one that trumps them all.

[@oldwortex5818]

@@mollyfilms At the end I agreed :-) bought one with 94A and Rex. As 1st E-car, I needed the gas engine's safety.

[@ruimpinho]

Why are you on your 5th i3? Had problems with previous ones?

[@BHBeckenbauer]

@@ruimpinho no not at all actually - just change my car fairly regularly, upgraded to each new battery, the facelift and then i3S. Just swapped to Volvo XC40 Recharge though

[@DariuszTech]

Brilliant video. It's nice to see some second hand EV's comparison range test. Really enjoyed watching this video. Huge subscribe and looking forward to see more videos ☺️

[@JohnInSale]

Interesting test and comparison 👍🏻 Most interesting thing for me was that the oldest car almost equalled the newest But also it looked the freshest and more modern design with those round driving / fog lights I think I’d get one of those with the petrol generator for now as it offers the best real world option if you’re away from home or a charging point , you can put some petrol in and carry on, so more flexibility for now Thanx for helping me decide 🚙

[@norwegianzound]

But it didn't come near to equalling the fully electric car. It was a fossil fuel powered car. Might as well have got a small engined Fiesta.

[@cjmac2786]

@@norwegianzound Not everyone can afford to opt for the car they want, some of us look at the figures and can clearly recognize that the 94 Amp hour, as shown on the chart at the end of the clip has the best range.

[@1stMilcom]

I can absolutely confirm that BMW i3s is the best city EV in the world today. Last night I raced a brand new AMG c63 at traffic light and left it in the dust.

[@ropi4524]

Having AMGs and Ms for breakfast 🤣☺😎

[@stephenclay6852]

Good video. It goes to show that the original i3 with the Rex is still a good buy compared to the latest version.

[@honesty_-no9he]

Disagree the larger battery is really good another 9kWh would make it perfect.

[@stephenclay6852]

@@honesty_-no9he I’m looking at it as a cheapish used car. Yes you could always say I would like a bigger battery but you pay for it. But compared to say the old leaf the original i3 Rex has fared a lot better because of that Rex engine without it it wouldn’t be so good compared with the newer cars.

[@Nobody_Famous]

Hard to beat a ReX 60Ah for the money used

[@mamadouaziza2536]

Yeah, a used 2014/15/16 i3 REx is a good buy as long as its under $14k USA dollars and has 25k or less miles.. The older i3's are the exact same as the newer ones with the exception of the battery sizes and iDrive software (interface on the center screen is updated). Even the i3Sports version is now on the used market and going for as low as $22k. I think the 2019 120Ah battery version on the used market is about $27k (some have the REx in the USA).. Many might prefer to spend $14k for a 2014 version with the REx and get a combined 135 miles versus spending $27k for a 2019 non REx version with 170 miles. I rather save $13k and lose 36 miles.

[@markedwardsphotography]

totally agree. 60Ah should last 15-20 years if battery cared for

[@MrSunnyBhoy]

Great effort, would ha r taken time, planning and resources so appreciate you going to all this trouble. Keep up the good work.

[@wakkadakkaify]

that makes the 2018 94ah rex an excellent value car.

[@phillbhogal1738]

Great informative video I’ve just ordered one hopefully here end November 21 looking forward to joining the electric revolution!

[@garrycroft4215]

This is a great video for anyone considering the i3 new or used. Well done guys 👍

[@someoneneintown]

Thanks for providing figures also in metric unit!

[@craigb3154]

Picked up an i3s Rex a few months ago. I can’t believe more people haven’t figured out what steals these things are used.

[@markedwardsphotography]

agree

[@craigmcewan3277]

Thinking about a used i3. Good to hear your positive report

[@NoirEtBlancVie]

Agree, had mine for about a year. You get about 120 miles mixed (highway and street.). 150 streets only here in California.

[@gregp.7148]

Going to pick up a 2019 i3 120ah one later today. Thanks for this great comparison. It reaffirmed that I don't need a REX.

[@zenzen9131]

Great video and unusual to see older cars being tested too :)

[@andru9102]

I have had an i3s for 6 months (bought new so 120Ah). I have averaged 3.2m per kw over 6000 miles. Mainly motorway driving in winter. Range fine as my commute is 65 miles and I can charge at home. Love the car, only ever take our ICE car if I need the range or larger size.

[@exe889]

real life range of an i3s (94Ah with REX) using both sources of energy to nil is 163 miles (Lentran, near inverness to Hermiston Gait in Edinburgh, heading south, all at least 60mph) at temp of 5 degrees. The prevailing wind makes a difference as well so the northbound journey has better range. The beauty of the REX is flexibility to have similar journey times to ICE (fast) or use electricity for slow and cheap. Oh and it costs half that of a Tesla to buy on the second hand market. The 60Ah REX has roughly 50:50 split of electric versus petrol range, the 94 has around 70:30 electric to petrol range ratio. Great wee cars.

[@911Locksmiths]

If you refill the fuel tank when it’s running low will it continue to run on the Rex and maintain the battery at 3-4 mile range? What would the max theoretical distance be?

[@exe889]

@@911Locksmiths you can run it as an ice vehicle if you choose to yes. It'll use battery when the petrol runs out. You can specify when to use petrol at any battery charge percentage less then 80%. Highly flexible.

[@exe889]

@@911Locksmiths if you can get petrol, the max theoretical range has no limit. But one tank of 9 litres does about 80 miles

[@911Locksmiths]

Thanks. I've just reserved a i35 BMW its a 2020 car. Collect it on Monday. I don't know if I've done the right thing now.

[@dopiaza2006]

Sounds about right, in summer I can do my regular 180 mile drive on a full charge and a full tank, usually with 15 miles or so left on the Rex plus 6 or so miles battery. In winter that dropped drastically and I almost got through 2 full tanks on the Rex to do the same journey.

[@plightn]

At least in the US, until chargers are everywhere the Rex idea is brilliant and should continue to be developed, made lighter and more efficient.

[@chillout1109]

Thanks for this. That was very eye opening indeed.

[@southern9292]

I drive a 2018 REX & I'm averaging 4.5 m/kWh. Good to see what it could do!

[@parmorama]

Brilliant! Just what I needed to see, thank you 👍

[@AllenHart999]

Good video as always 👍

[@mikiethebikie]

Thanks guys, great test

[@katrhyme]

I saw one online at a local dealership on sale. Was shopping for an EV. Thought the 2019 i3s REX looked weird but drove it and fell in love. Same color as in vid. I tell people it looks like a dung beetle. The design looks like Its heavily Italian inspired. It is a workhorse w all the room inside. Took it on a 600 mile RT drive at average speed of 70 mph. That was an adventure trying to find EV DC charging stations in Oregon, USA before the charge and REX depleted. Mountainous terrain, using AC and the radio diminishes range quite a bit. That outbound leg took 7 hours w some worry about getting stranded. The return leg I used my phone to navigate to the EV stations every 70 or so miles. Did not use the onboard nav nor the radio or AC to save electricity. Cut an hour off the return trip w no worries. Charging costs were about $35 US dollars in total RT and took usually 30 minutes each on a DC fast charger. Longest was 40 minutes. I get scads of looks and questions about the car almost every time I drive it. Yes, its a boost to my ego as well. At home I had an AC 240 V 40 A outlet installed in my carport. Only need to charge it every 2 weeks or so as I drive it in town mostly. Charge it when at 50% which takes about 5 hrs. AC 110 V 20 A takes 24 hours if charging when its 20%. From ads in US, I bought it at the right time cause the value has gone up $10K. Tires are expensive and back ones need replacing depending on driver’s acceleration style at about 9000K miles. Front ones last longer. Back ones cost about $1000 US to replace including installation and truing. Mine has different sized tires for front than back. Do not drive on gravel roads or ones graveled for winter ice and snow. Gravel gets in wheels and the car screams its displeasure. Yes, screams until the gravel falls out or gets pulverized. Cannot use chains but is okay in snow if you’re careful. Got fabric based tire snow socks to try out this winter. Still love this EV despite its quirks.

[@GTI_CHHA]

Very nice comparison video, thanks!

[@canocano5480]

How is the range in rush hour. Here in Los Angeles rush hour is horrific. I live35 miles from down town LA.takes me 1:15 travel time. No traffic 20 to 30 min.

[@chrishar110]

EVs are in their world on congestions. They don't idle when stopped, they don't need too much energy to accelarate and keep low speeds. They use a lot of juice on high speeds, over 60 miles per hour. Higher speeds will empty your battery faster and you will have smaller range. These i3 are city cars, yes, they can make a journey but that's not their best point. I ussually have around 4-4.5 miles/Kwh in the city and 3.2-3.6 m/Kwh on the motorway on 70mph. My last journey was 700 miles in horrible weather, rain, high winds and temps around 5°C with 4 people and the boot full of bags and I had 3.2 miles/Kwh. I had to stop every 80-100 miles because I don't want to fall below 20%. The useful range when you travel long distances is 60% of the battery, because you don't fast charge over 80%, it gets much slower and you start searching for a charger at 25-20% because you don't want to damage the battery, or run out of juice in the middle of the road.

[@anonymousb468]

Loved the review. I got what I wanted. Thanks!

[@sargfowler9603]

Excellent video as always. It's interesting to note that the i3 is the opposite of say a Toyota hybrid. In a Toyota, the battery is tiny and range limited, whereas the i3 has a decent range on battery but the REX will extend that range further. I wonder why manufacturers don't go the BMW way rather than the normal hybrid route?

[@mamadouaziza2536]

The i3 can go indefinitely on battery as long as there is gas in the REx. The REx just generates electricity for the battery, it does nothing else. So has long as the REx is engaged and has gas in it, the car can go for miles and miles. The i3 isn't really a hybrid, a hybrid has it gas engine power the wheels/drivetrain like in a normal combustion engine car.. The REx in the i3 is designed and modified as purely a backup to get you home or to the next charger, it has its limitations; such as not being able to sustain holding the battery if one drives too hard, too fast and climbing up steep roads. The battery will slowly drain but not as fast as if there was no REx engaged.

[@donswier]

Honda would be a natural fit. Take the HR-V, remove the 4cyl/CVT, add a modest battery underfloor and use one of their small scooter engines as the range extender.

[@unclegeorge7845]

Really neat video. I'm shopping and my nose isn't quite so turned up at non REX models. I'm pretty sure there are 120 REX units here in the US but a 94 REX delivering over 200 miles meets all of my needs and they are much cheaper than the 120 units (because of years offered). Thank you very much.

[@mnztr1]

I will keep my 60 AH rex, after all I can add 85 miles range in 2 mins What other EV can do that. 99% of my driving is EV, but on lond drives the REX is a godsend and makes the car so versatile.

[@robertp.wainman4094]

Great - I really think electric cars should look 'different' like these!

[@SeanWalkerSW]

Great video! 172 miles is not bad at all. So you get about 7 extra miles in the 120ah from the point in which the car says you have 0 miles left.

[@garden-Railway]

Great test , cool glasses! Now available under £10k is the Rex the ideal cheap ev

[@rogerhudson9732]

Why do authorities think a BMW I3 REX is a hybrid?? It's not because the petrol engine doesn't ever drive the wheels.

[@17addidas]

Same here in Germany. Confusion and lack of single Criteria. Some municipalities register these as electric with corresponding E license plate indication . Others like mine...as hybrid with normal license plate.

[@leewaggers4733]

Fantastic video and review, thanks very much 👍

[@Oliver1071]

Nice review. With the REX could you say just keep filling it up with gas for more and more range?

[@LemonySnicket-EUC]

Yes. It's the best of both worlds.

[@Oliver1071]

@@LemonySnicket-EUC Thanks for the reply. I went with a Tesla and couldn't be happier.

[@fabiencaron7380]

So informative! thank for doing this

[@cloterico]

Nice video. I bought recently a 2017 94 ah I3 non REX with 42000 km (26000 miles). I did a journey here in Portugal, good weather, so no AC needed. I arrived at home with 12% of battery after 253.2 kms (157. 3 miles).

[@pauloa.7609]

Porreiro, quanto pagaste por ele?

[@cloterico]

@@pauloa.7609 Ficou abaixo dos 20k.

[@thomasdepaor1518]

After leaving London in our E.V. for a journey across the UK, we so wished we had taken the range extender, the amount of out of order chargers? Or queues to use one, at least with the range extender, there is the option to simply put petrol in the tank and carry on driving.

[@mattpeggram2444]

Great video as always from yourself. I am looking into getting an i3 120ah.

[@loonymoon1]

What a great vid! Good ranges from all of them in normal conditions. Love my i3 fab cars

[@markzieg3593]

I love these drive em till they drop videos.

[@cjmac2786]

Your happy that they buried the review on the 94 Amp hour Rex being the best. ? Ummmm

[@jonsmith1259]

Auto Auction Rebuilds here in the States drove his i3 (with REX) from Oklahoma City to Los Angels and back. Interesting to see what happens on the trip......

[@kevinnaidoo8878]

This was the vid I was waiting for so long........ .. Ever since the i3 was launched

[@cjmac2786]

Your happy that they buried the review on the 94 Amp hour Rex being the best. ? Ummmm

[@leightondavies4880]

Great video!! I am thinking of buying one, Just one question, how can you tell if the battery is degrading on the REX version?

[@ecliptic21]

Love the i3. In South Africa i3 is the 2nd lowest priced EV (Still R700k though). But we have a few models to choose from, including the Mini, iPace and Taycan.

[@xenomorph1317]

For me a car has to be ‘nippy’. I have driven +300 hp cars for over a decade, M135i, M140i, and f80 M3. Now i drive a fully jet black I3s and they can keep the fossil crap, not because the ecological aspect or/and being a treehugger but because of the overal charging and driving costs and still being very nippy 👍🏻

[@Tigerex966]

The lithium carbide and heavy metals destroy the earth as much if not more than.frackung and drilling...the earth naturally replenished both over time

[@barryh1477]

👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍 thank you

[@savedfaves]

👍

[@pl4819]

Great comparison and I really like the i3. Quick question, is the Rex version exempt from London CC? Many thanks.

[@hungrysurfer9471]

Lion Smart offer a 100kWh battery upgrage with 700km range. Other options include 168kw for over 1100 km range, but that uses up boot space. They can also use CCS 50kWh fast charging or the normal 7.2kwh bmw double socket.

[@rpvitiello]

I have a 94ah Rex. I skipped the 120ah planning to upgrade to the 150ah they were going to come out with, but then it got canceled. Hopefully a 150ah upgrade comes out for existing cars one day.

[@alexandroseleftheroudakis2344]

One more great video! It looks ok for city driving. Do you think the 120Ah version is also capable for trips of 400km?

[@mattetjus]

I've done two road trips of about 2.000km each (around 800km from Germany to Sweden, travelling around the area for two weeks and then back again), one of them mid winter with snow and welll below freezing (around -5°C in Germany and -10°C in Sweden). Worked well. The i3 has a very predictable charge rate at 40+kw from 0% rising steadily to around 50kw at just over 90% every charge stop, also at -10°C. I did stop every 170km or so, meaning 4 half-hour-to-45-minute stops for the longer routes. There are better cars for road tripping, but I actually enjoyed it since it is a great car! Uneven dirt roads aren't all to comfortable with the sports package though :-) Sound insulation is better than the Tesla model 3s i have tried, which for me (very sound sensitive) is a showstopper for the Tesla, besides costing almost twice as much in Germany at the time.

[@srenboesennielsen7858]

Great review one of the best ive seen so far on the i3.. Only thing im missing is that you actualy ran the 94AH Rex flat, so it wasent an "EST" but an actual figure.. Ohh well..

[@alexriddick6148]

Brilliant video, did you notice if the steering was any lighter in the newer model compared to the older two?

[@RSEV]

Thanks. Steering; no same In all cars, Except non-Rex does feel lighter and better balanced (slightly) without the weight in bavk

[@simonreeves2017]

I think the i3 will become a future classic car; not everyone likes the styling, but the materials choices are amazing, CFRP tub with plastic panels means no rust and a lightweight body sat on an aluminium frame. Two main issues as an owner, the suspension is unrefined and too hard, by now we should have a 55kWh battery pack.

[@Yonex333]

Great Video, Thanks!

[@MrSnicol]

Good bit of work that and an interesting comparison. The REX can run indefinitely on petrol (not many know that).

[@spikebmth]

lol, the battery can run indefinitely too.... both the REX and battery just need topping up regular

[@mamadouaziza2536]

Yes, we know the i3 can go indefinitely as long as the tank in the REx is full. However, be aware that you will be changing oil and oil filters sooner than later.. The REx wasn't design for long continuous driving, although, many owners tend to use the REx in long continuous driving..

[@Danne89]

Love my BMW i3S 120Ah 2019. My first EV and it's perfect until Model Y is available!

[@Tigerex966]

When it shifts to gas whats the top speed can it still do 70mph on the freeway..until next charge.?

[@maticuno]

If you toggle the button on the end of the indicator stalk, it will show you different vehicle info on the top left of the driver's gauge, including the actual battery percentage, average kW/mile, instant kW/mile, etc.

[@KrzysztofC-1]

To be able to get more fuel on any gas station or simply carry 5L canister (or two) for that once-in-a-year long vacation journey is tempting over the time spent looking for chargers and sitting waiting for a charge.

[@tedgray489]

A few years ago I decided to do a "real world" freeway range test with my 94Ah i3 Rex. It has every option so it is probably the heaviest i3 Rex made. It was a steady 65 mph freeway route out and back a few times and not doing anything special to extend the range. Half of the distance was on a slighty hilly section of the freeway. I got 120 miles before the Rex was going to start. My normal driving is usually in EcoPro around town and roads with a limit of 45 mph and routinely get about 150 miles before it is getting to the level that the Rex would start. My all time max battery range was 165 miles in town driving only. The link to my KZbin video using an iPhone (so no fancy video) of the freeway drive is kzbin.info/www/bejne/eGHFanusYr6ojM0 Still loving my i3 but lust after the 120 Ah battery. :)

[@Chrisb8s]

The 60ah with Rex is a great value.

[@WillieStubbs]

My 2015 Rex goes 36-40 miles on the battery which is actually fine for me since I charge up at work and am 9 miles from home. I could charge every other day and be fine. Even as degraded as the battery is it still beats out some brand new PHEV's being introduced, and that's pretty sad for them.

[@oliverskinner8962]

If it's that low why wasn't the battery replaced under warranty ? And how did the battery get that low anyway ?

[@WillieStubbs]

@@oliverskinner8962 Still not low enough for warranty replacement. Touted at 22kwh, but BMW looks at the 18.8kwh which is the max it's allowed to charge up to in order to save the battery. So the warranty covers a 30% degradation of the 18.8kwh which is 13.16kwh, currently my car says I have 13.9kwh, so I'm getting close. It can get that low from driving too aggressively (the first driver lived in California, so no surprise there). And letting it discharge too low can wear on the battery. In a few months I should be able to get a replacement and it will last way longer with me at the wheel.

[@oliverskinner8962]

@@WillieStubbs I guess the battery warranties aren't worth as much as people think ! I hope it all goes well for you. It still makes a good PHEV !

[@chrishyde1216]

Fascinating and informative test. What total mileage has each of the 22kwh and 32kwh i3 covered? I'm interested in battery degradation. It seems very low, indicating that BMW use good quality batteries, unlike at least one competitor. Also, in your experience, is the i3 reliable including the REX?

[@dyotoorion1835]

Amazing -- great comparison! :-)

[@LysanderLH]

I remember when these came out, I visited the local BMW stealership. They had a dedicated i3 salesroom and team. Nobody knew anything about the cars, nobody there cared because nobody wanted them and salesmen couldn’t make commissions. Such a great car let down by franchised stealerships and targets.

[@Ken-yp1dg]

Whats the fascination with EV total mileage?

[@walterpfannschmidt8449]

Everyone talks in kW but suddenly you start with Ah. Even for its latest models BMW now also uses kW iso Ah. Please stop the malarkey! Keep up the good work...

[@tomhanhart5921]

I have the i3 60Ah REX and the i8, but most of the time I use the i3 because of its easy handling in the city and in parking spaces. Also my dog prefers the i3 since she has a comfy bed in the back 😄. Thought a while about switching to the 120Ah, but my driving profile simply doesn‘t require it (REX is never in use). But very interesting comparison!

[@rudigerratzinger4420]

How was the kapp battery percentage for the 22kwh i3? any depreciation?

[@damianbond679]

Have you had any issues with the older i3?

[@tangoadvance8393]

Is it possible to work out the total cost of fuel and electric for the 94Ah REX compared to the 120Ah? Seeing as they both traveled very similar distance how much more does the REX cost per mile if used?

[@ub4079]

19:45

[@gosekinz]

We in NZ get the 120Ah model with Rex too giving about 400Km = 280Km EV + 120Km Rex - I'm seriously considering one. The new models are also made from compressed hemp and carbon fibre very eco-friendly.

[@clasqm]

We can get those in South Africa too. Strangely enough, not in Australia.

[@ropi4524]

The hemp and carbon things are unchanged since SOP. Cheerleader from Germany.

[@rhiantaylor3446]

Thinking of buying an i3. Surely range when driving around town is less important since charging opportunities exist. For me at least, what matters is the less flattering range figure on motorways (autoroutes etc) when driving to maximise range - say 60-65mph. In any event, the i3 looks like an ideal fit for a 2nd car or town car, especially if REX or 120ah.

[@roodick85]

It would be pretty awesome for a company to purchase a fleet of i3 vehicles and develop a battery change machine similar to other companies for city driving on a rental system

[@braddixon4686]

I am curious what range the BMW i3 94Ah could achieve if the REX was manually cut in to maintain the battery as soon as it drops below 75% charge?