Battery size: 42kWh
Miles per kWh: 4.12
E-Rating™: B
Max charge rate: 50 kW
Range: 173-182 miles
Performance
If you do most of your driving in town, the i3 is just brilliant. In fact, we’d struggle to name another car which is better for getting across cities. It’s quiet of course, but even the lower-powered i3 is hilariously fast up to around 40mph and it takes some self-restraint to not race other drivers in expensive or souped-up petrol or diesel cars.
The i3S is even quicker, with an extra 13bhp. It’s 0-60 time is 6.9 seconds, which is the same as a supercar from the 1980s, but it’s the low speed acceleration which is most impressive as the electric motor produces all of its power as soon as you press the accelerator pedal.
In either car the surge of power does tail off as you go faster, but there is still plenty left in reserve to make overtaking on a country road or accelerating onto a motorway pretty effortless.
Drive
One of the most likeable features of the i3 is a turning circle which can rival that of a London taxi, making parking and manoeuvring in tight streets exceptionally easy. If you are used to a big SUV, it will be a revelation.
Outside of the city limits, the i3 isn’t quite as much fun. The tall and narrow tyres don’t have the grip we’ve become used to from modern cars and they also don’t absorb bumps very well – especially on the optional larger wheels. They may look bling, but the low-profile tyres have less ‘squishiness’ to soak up imperfections in the road surface. It means the i3 can feel a bit nervous on faster roads, skipping about and getting knocked off the line easily.
The situation is marginally better in the i3S, which has a sportier suspension set up and wider tyres – although that does hurt the range a little.
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