BMW iX1 and iX2 update means both now go further on a charge
Much-needed upgrades for BMW’s iX1 and iX2 increase the official driving range
The focus may have been on BMW’s new iX3 recently with its 500-mile range, but the German firm is also aiming to keep its lower-rung electric models competitive thanks to increases in range for the iX1 and iX2.
The entry-level iX1 eDrive20 Sport now comes with a range of 318 miles, up from 293 before. Go for the iX1 eDrive 30 and you’ll see a maximum range of 288 miles, an improvement of 18 miles over the old model.
Pricing for the updated iX1 is already up on BMW’s configurator with the eDrive20 Sport kicking off at £43,555 and the £55,145 xDrive30 Shadow Edition capping off the range. The iX2 line-up starts at £43,880 with the eDrive20 Sport and tops out with the £55,850 xDrive30 Shadow Edition. If that’s a little too steep for your liking, there are plenty of used iX1s on the Auto Express Buy A Car service with prices starting at just over £22,000 for three-year-old examples.
Even though a new iX1 is expected to arrive at the end of 2027 (we’ve already caught it testing), to achieve these extra miles of range, the current iX1 and iX2 may have benefitted from some fairly serious changes to their hardware. BMW has been tight-lipped on the tweaks, but says that a new silicon-carbide inverter has been fitted to reduce consumption.
The iX1 and iX2 updates come at the same time as a similar upgrade for the MINI Countryman E, which shares the same UKL2 underpinnings and battery as its BMW siblings. The MINI’s battery has been tweaked from 64.6kWh to 65.2kWh (usable) with the maximum capacity remaining at 66.5kWh. It’s almost certain the BMWs gain the same changes - possibility along with wheel bearings to cut frictional losses.
Maximum charging for the iX1 and iX2, like the MINI Countryman E, remains at 130kW - meaning a 10 to 80 per cent top up will take 29 minutes. Performance is unchanged too, with the 201bhp single-motor, front-wheel-drive eDrive20 going from 0-62mph in 8.6 seconds and the dual-motor 309bhp xDrive30 models completing the sprint in 5.6 seconds.
When the iX1 arrived in 2022, it took on the Volvo XC40 Recharge (now EX40) and the Mercedes EQA, but new rivals have come thick and fast since then. Audi’s Q4 e-tron is in line for an update of its own soon and the Tesla Model Y has become more affordable than ever with the introduction of the entry-level ‘Standard’ version.
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