Electric BMW iX3 gets a FACELIFT – less than a year from going on sale

The electric BMW iX3 gets a facelift to bring it into line with its ICE siblings, less than a year after going on sale in the UK.

BMW got an early lead in the race to deliver premium electric cars to its customers, with the BMW i3 and i8 arriving as properly bespoke EVs with their own platforms and built as EVs from the start.

But having been bold with the i3 and i8, BMW seems to cool on the idea of stretching their ‘i’ range to fill in the gaps between the i3 and i8 with the, clearly planned, i4, i5, i6 and i7, and instead headed down the ‘EV as a Powertrain’ route, planning to deliver EV versions of ICE cars across their range.

Although BMW will now build a bespoke EV platform, having done a volte-face after declaring it wasn’t needed, for now, BMW EVs are built on the same platform as their ICE siblings. Like the electric BMW iX3.

The new BMW iX3 only went on sale in the UK last year – and went into production in October – but because it’s basically the same car as the iX3 it’s now getting a facelift to match the facelift the X3 got a few months ago. Which must make it one of the quickest facelifts we’ve ever seen.

Updates for the iX3 include a new front bumper, bigger ‘grille’, standard M Sport styling, shallower headlights and a new rear apron, all influenced by the iX and i4. Inside, sports seats are standard and the infotainment is a 12.3″ job with the latest OS.7, and a tweaked centre console.

Trim levels are now iX3 M Sport and iX3 M Sport Pro, with the M Sport getting 19″ alloys, adaptive suspension, panoramic roof, power tailgate, heated front seats and steering wheel and Climate, with M Sport Pro adding 20″ alloys, Keyless Go, acoustic glass, Harmon Kardon Sound, HUD, Parking Assistant Pro and Gesture Control.

The powertrain remains unchanged with a 282bhp electric motor with 295lb/ft of torque powering the rear wheels, an 80kWh battery and a range, slightly increased, of 286 miles.

The new iX3 goes into production in China next month and will be on sale in the UK in December with prices starting at £59,730 for the M Sport and £62,730 for the M Sport Pro.