New BMW iX3 Real-World Efficiency and Fast Charging Test: What Happened at the Charger Surprised Me
A cold March morning in the BMW iX3 50 xDrive: a there-and-back trip on country roads, efficiency read straight from the trip computer, automatic battery preconditioning and a DC fast-charging session on a 300 kW charger. Here are all the numbers from our test.
How efficient is a big, heavy electric SUV on a freezing morning, and how fast does it really charge when you need it? Those were the two questions I had when I took the new BMW iX3 50 xDrive out at 6 a.m., with the thermometer showing 1°C (34°F). It was my second day with the test car and I only had a few hours before handing it back, so I kept the plan simple: a there-and-back run on a national road in eastern Romania, then straight to a DC fast charger. Every number below was read from the car's displays and you can see it in the video on our channel, "Mașina Timpului".
The car: what BMW says
The iX3 is the first production model of BMW's Neue Klasse and is built at the new BMW plant in Debrecen, Hungary. The version I drove, the iX3 50 xDrive, has two electric motors and all-wheel drive. According to the official "BMW Group" press kit, it makes 345 kW (469 hp) and 645 Nm (475 lb-ft), and gets from 0 to 100 km/h in 4.9 seconds.
The battery holds 108.7 kWh of usable energy in sixth-generation cylindrical cells on an 800-volt platform. BMW quotes a WLTP range of 679–805 km (421–500 miles) and combined consumption of 15.1–17.9 kWh/100 km. For DC fast charging, BMW lists up to 400 kW and 10–80% in 21 minutes. The SUV is 4.78 m long, weighs more than 2.2 tonnes and has a drag coefficient of 0.24.
In town, with every light turning red
I reset the trip computer and set off. The first 12–13 km were in town: almost empty streets at that hour, but plenty of stops, since I hit nearly every red light. Consumption was 17.3 kWh/100 km, a good result for a vehicle this size in the cold.
I left regenerative braking in adaptive mode. The car watches the traffic and the vehicles ahead and adjusts regen on its own, without cruise control engaged. Lift off the accelerator on an open road and the iX3 coasts smoothly; in traffic it brings itself to a full, gentle stop.
On the open road: close to a sedan
On the national road, with 50, 70 and 100 km/h limits, consumption dropped to around 17 kWh/100 km. For reference, in similar weather on the same kind of route, my Tesla Model 3 Highland uses about 14 kWh/100 km. That's not a big gap for an SUV that's bigger, taller and heavier.
At 63% state of charge, the iX3 estimated 448 km of range left. On the way back, after 45.5 km, the average was 17.5 kWh/100 km, and the car had already recovered 2.7 kWh through regenerative braking.
Battery preconditioning, done for you
Here's where it got interesting. I set a 300 kW charger as the destination in the built-in navigation. As soon as the car knew where I was going, it started warming the battery so it would arrive ready for fast charging. Nothing could be heard inside, no pump, no fan. Only a small icon on the screen tells you it's happening.
Warming the battery takes energy, and it showed up in the average. By the end, after 81.6 km at an average of 52.4 km/h, overall consumption was 20.9 kWh/100 km. In other words, on a cold morning a few kWh went into getting the battery ready rather than into miles.
At the charger: the power I hoped for, and then some
I arrived with about 52%. The charge port was already open waiting for me, a small but genuinely useful touch. Charging started straight away at 264–278 kW, and at 53% it climbed to 291–292 kW, basically everything the charger could deliver. Dozens of kilometers of range went in within moments.
Power then tapered gradually to about 255 kW, and the car estimated it would hit 80% in roughly 15 minutes. At 63% it was still pulling around 215 kW when I stopped, since the test had done its job. My takeaway: with a properly preconditioned battery, the iX3 charges so fast you barely have time to grab a coffee.
What else I liked
- The driver display is very easy to read. As an optometrist, I know how hard small text is for anyone who needs reading glasses. On the iX3's main display I could read everything without glasses: speed, range, consumption. Full marks to BMW here.
- The driver assistance isn't intrusive. It picks up speed limits on its own and lets you change lanes without fighting you. It only asks for a light touch on the wheel now and then.
- The seats are very comfortable. After an hour and 45 minutes behind the wheel, I had no back pain at all.
- Range by drive mode: at 63%, the car showed 455 km in Sport and 499 km in the efficiency mode, and acceleration still felt strong.
What it means for drivers
- In winter, tell the car where you're going. Put the charger into the navigation, whatever brand you drive. The car preconditions the battery and you get the fastest possible charge.
- Preconditioning uses energy, so on short trips your average goes up. On a long drive, the difference fades.
- On cold country roads, the iX3 50 averaged around 17 kWh/100 km in our test, close to a smaller sedan.
- For road trips, the big battery plus very fast charging means short stops. On a route of a few hundred kilometers, you can leave with a full battery and make one quick stop if you need it.
For comparison, see our iX3 40 charging test on a 120 kW charger, how BMW Assisted Driving works on the iX3 and why power drops along the DC charging curve.
