BMW i8 premiums have disappeared – cars now selling at list

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The BMW i8 – BMW’s hybrid supercar – was attracting premiums of up to 50 per cent just eight months ago, but you can now get a new one at list price.

When hugely appealing cars arrive at the top end of the market, deep-pocketed car lovers are often prepared to pay a premium over list price to be in the car of their dreams early on. And that’s exactly what happened with the BMW i8, BMW’s very appealing hybrid supercar.

Back in September, we reported that premiums approaching £50k were common for i8s as buyers rushed to play with BMW’s new toy, but now, just eight months later, those premiums have just about disappeared.

A quick look around online classifieds turn up i8s with just a few thousand miles on in mid-£9ok region, but there’s also at least one new i8s on sale for just about list price from independent dealers, although we struggled to find any second-hand i8s at BMW main dealers.

We managed to find a choice of nearly 50 i8s – ranging in price from £95k to £128k – with some dealers clearly still expecting to get a premium, but with other cars at list it’s clear there’s more hope than expectation in some asking prices. And if the independent dealers are selling cars at list, it’s clear they’re being bought in well below.

It’s a bit painful for those who were hasty enough to stump up almost the price of a new M3 to be seen in an i8 as soon as possible, but that’s the market – price will always be dictated by supply and demand.