So who's getting an i3?

[RossP]

KTF said:

Out of interest, people who currently have an i3, do you drive it around like Miss Daisy is in the back trying to eek out as much range as possible or (assuming the trip is within the range remaining) drive it like normal and just charge it up again overnight.

I only wonder as, on the i3 facebook page, they seem to drive around in eco pro all the time with a view to maximising range. Whilst I can see the challenge in this, given how much less it costs to fuel it than a conventional car, is there a big saving in taking this approach or does it only equate to a few miles lost on the range overall?

No, I hoof it pretty much everywhere!

Not sure how you get that impression from the FB group. Most of us hoof it everywhere!

[anonymous-user]

5 days in, and i think this might actually be the best car BMW make!




(which is quite a claim eh! ;-)

[Luke.]

I totally agree.

[modeller]

Luke. said:

I totally agree.

Me too! M3->M135i->i3 (8k miles in 6 months)

[mids]

Max_Torque said:

5 days in, and i think this might actually be the best car BMW make!

Shame it hasn't sold well but I've said it since I first drove one in 2013, BMW need to get as many people as they can behind the wheel so they can experience how they drive. Use them as courtesy cars at every dealership, whatever, it's much much easier to sell an i3 after someone has driven it.

[chandrew]

KTF said:

Out of interest, people who currently have an i3, do you drive it around like Miss Daisy is in the back trying to eek out as much range as possible or (assuming the trip is within the range remaining) drive it like normal and just charge it up again overnight.

I only wonder as, on the i3 facebook page, they seem to drive around in eco pro all the time with a view to maximising range. Whilst I can see the challenge in this, given how much less it costs to fuel it than a conventional car, is there a big saving in taking this approach or does it only equate to a few miles lost on the range overall?

I use it quite a lot. The roads around here are 80kmh speed limits and the Swiss police like hiding speed cameras behind trees etc. Therefore I'm often driving around just on the cruise control to ensure I don't get a ticket (3kmh over and a ticket comes). With this it makes no difference which mode you're in.

In damp conditions or the winter ecopro doesn't work as the windows constantly mist up.

I've a BEV and 100 km a day is pretty normal. Hence maximising range is less about saving money and more about making sure I don't run out of juice.

[KTF]

Looking online, BMW UK are offering an i3 on 0% over 24 months.



This seems a reasonable offer and working over the road from a BMW dealer doesnt help either so I built my own.

mybmw.co.uk/a7s7z7x7

No options at all apart from Pro Nav (which seems to be a must have and without it the central screen doesnt look that great). Rapid charge comes as standard now anyway so no need to tick that box but are there any other options I should be considering?

When I had a company car, if you ticked certain options - metallic paint, etc - then it made the monthly payment lower as the residual value was then higher. Is the same for the i3 on finance or does each additional option just add more to the monthly cost?

Hard to know without going and working through the various options and the impact on the monthly payment I guess?

[Clem2k3]

KTF said:

Looking online, BMW UK are offering an i3 on 0% over 24 months.



This seems a reasonable offer and working over the road from a BMW dealer doesnt help either so I built my own.

mybmw.co.uk/a7s7z7x7

No options at all apart from Pro Nav (which seems to be a must have and without it the central screen doesnt look that great). Rapid charge comes as standard now anyway so no need to tick that box but are there any other options I should be considering?

When I had a company car, if you ticked certain options - metallic paint, etc - then it made the monthly payment lower as the residual value was then higher. Is the same for the i3 on finance or does each additional option just add more to the monthly cost?

Hard to know without going and working through the various options and the impact on the monthly payment I guess?

I was playing around with this deal and I couldnt figure out how to get a PCP quote on an optioned car. Only quote (estimate I guess) was the one on the main page which I guess is for a standard car to draw people into dealerships. I gave up at that point.

If you can find out how much options affect the pricing ... let me know!

I was looking at the Sunroof, Cabin Heater, Fancy Stereo mainly ... I reckon these must improve the residuals ...

edit: that was a lie ... also black paint, wheels and the DC charge

[Luke.]

Rex should add very little to the monthly payments.

[anonymous-user]

mids said:

Max_Torque said:

5 days in, and i think this might actually be the best car BMW make!

Shame it hasn't sold well but I've said it since I first drove one in 2013, BMW need to get as many people as they can behind the wheel so they can experience how they drive. Use them as courtesy cars at every dealership, whatever, it's much much easier to sell an i3 after someone has driven it.

Thing is, it's an expensive "small" car with short range, even with the Rex. For a lot of people, they could buy say a mid range Ford Focus for about £5K less that does all the same things.


However, things are changing, and changing fast. The cost of EVs is falling as volumes increase, battery tech (and crucially the application of that tech) is pushing up range every day. On the i3 the range has increased by 50% in less than 3 years for no net cost to the customer. I can see that continuing, as the OEM can afford to fit bigger batteries as the BOM costs fall with volume. The next gen EVs, in development right now, and hitting volume in about 12 to 18months will see ranges up to 300m, with costs very similar to there ICE cousins. That suddenly will level the playing field imo!


(the bear in the room, is of course taxation. At some point, the UK gov will be forced to apply direct methods of road charging, rather than fuel duty it currently uses, but when that will be, who knows??)

[KTF]

Clem2k3 said:

I was playing around with this deal and I couldnt figure out how to get a PCP quote on an optioned car. Only quote (estimate I guess) was the one on the main page which I guess is for a standard car to draw people into dealerships. I gave up at that point.

If you can find out how much options affect the pricing ... let me know!

I was looking at the Sunroof, Cabin Heater, Fancy Stereo mainly ... I reckon these must improve the residuals ...

edit: that was a lie ... also black paint, wheels and the DC charge

When I clicked the build your own option it seemed to spec one with pre-populated options - sport pack and a few other things.

Whether this is what the 0% offer is based on or not I don't know as it doesn't seem possible to get a tailored quote after you have built your own. Seems very strange when you have the option to buy them online.

[KTF]

Luke. said:

Rex should add very little to the monthly payments.

For my use I really dont think I would need the Rex version but then if it is only a few pounds more a month...

[Clem2k3]

KTF said:

When I clicked the build your own option it seemed to spec one with pre-populated options - sport pack and a few other things.

Whether this is what the 0% offer is based on or not I don't know as it doesn't seem possible to get a tailored quote after you have built your own. Seems very strange when you have the option to buy them online.

Yeah its all about getting you into a dealership before you get stung I guess.

I plan to go in and find out whats going on with them at some point ... but it would have been nice to be able to do some research on prices on t'internet.

The third party leasing companies arent much easier to get info out of ...

[DeadInside]

Former member here. Hello.

I was enticed in with the offer of £269 plus £4,000 deposit. After having the car for 24 hours I was very tempted and with a bit of man maths* I convinced myself that a nett cost of £424 over 24 months was okay although I would prefer cheaper.

So I asked for a proper quote and got it today. i put on better wheels and the comfort access pack but everything else is stock.

£4,000

23 x £391.66

Netts to £542 per month.

For similar I can get a Mercedes A250 AMG (not that I want one)

No wonder sales are low. I so want this car but I'm not THAT stupid.

Off to test drive the more conventional but full EV Ioniq on Thursday. The dealer seems keen to sell his first one but no idea what deal he can do.

• Man maths in full - Current car depreciates by about £150 a month. Fuel cost is £200 a month (and electricity is free right?). Tax and insurance savings come to about £40 a month = £390 a month.

[JonV8V]

DeadInside said:

Former member here. Hello.

I was enticed in with the offer of £269 plus £4,000 deposit. After having the car for 24 hours I was very tempted and with a bit of man maths* I convinced myself that a nett cost of £424 over 24 months was okay although I would prefer cheaper.

So I asked for a proper quote and got it today. i put on better wheels and the comfort access pack but everything else is stock.

£4,000

23 x £391.66

Netts to £542 per month.

For similar I can get a Mercedes A250 AMG (not that I want one)

No wonder sales are low. I so want this car but I'm not THAT stupid.

Off to test drive the more conventional but full EV Ioniq on Thursday. The dealer seems keen to sell his first one but no idea what deal he can do.

• Man maths in full - Current car depreciates by about £150 a month. Fuel cost is £200 a month (and electricity is free right?). Tax and insurance savings come to about £40 a month = £390 a month.

Fuel is about 1/4 if charging at home compared to petrol. Can be even less if you are on eco7 and/or charge on one of the decreasing number of free points, or a lot more if you use ecotricity.

Used i3s with delivery miles seem to be pretty cheap, presumably the last of the old battery size.

[KTF]

DeadInside said:

For similar I can get a Mercedes A250 AMG (not that I want one)

Thats the problem as when you look at it on a 'how much per month basis' there are many other cars you can get instead.

Granted, they will not be an i3 but if you dont really 'want' one then there are plenty of other options available.

[DeadInside]

JonV8V said:

Used i3s with delivery miles seem to be pretty cheap, presumably the last of the old battery size.

I agree - many with very low miles as well. The problem I have with buying second hand is the curse of EV values. A 2 year year old Nissan Leaf is worth a bag of gob stoppers and bus ticket home. Because they are still a "new" concept to most people their isn't that many buyers so values are next to non existent. So if I buy a £16,000 i3 how much will I get come sale time?

If I didn't mind it so much I would just go for a 2014 Nissan Leaf - zero deposit and £145 a month with 2 years servicing and a charger installed at home seems almost like "free" motoring.

Off to test drive the Ioniq EV on Thursday so will make a decision then.....

[JonV8V]

DeadInside said:

I agree - many with very low miles as well. The problem I have with buying second hand is the curse of EV values. A 2 year year old Nissan Leaf is worth a bag of gob stoppers and bus ticket home. Because they are still a "new" concept to most people their isn't that many buyers so values are next to non existent. So if I buy a £16,000 i3 how much will I get come sale time?

If I didn't mind it so much I would just go for a 2014 Nissan Leaf - zero deposit and £145 a month with 2 years servicing and a charger installed at home seems almost like "free" motoring.

Off to test drive the Ioniq EV on Thursday so will make a decision then.....

I agree about the trade in concern, that said a 35k car available for 20k should in theory have most of the pain taken away for you.

[anonymous-user]

DeadInside said:

JonV8V said:

Used i3s with delivery miles seem to be pretty cheap, presumably the last of the old battery size.

I agree - many with very low miles as well. The problem I have with buying second hand is the curse of EV values. A 2 year year old Nissan Leaf is worth a bag of gob stoppers and bus ticket home. Because they are still a "new" concept to most people their isn't that many buyers so values are next to non existent. So if I buy a £16,000 i3 how much will I get come sale time?

If I didn't mind it so much I would just go for a 2014 Nissan Leaf - zero deposit and £145 a month with 2 years servicing and a charger installed at home seems almost like "free" motoring.

Off to test drive the Ioniq EV on Thursday so will make a decision then.....

I've just made that choice! My £16k i3 is, i think, cheap enough to be a sensible purchase. Yes, it's going to loose money, but not as much as buying a new one! I also suspect, that although the small battery cars will always be worth less than the big battery ones, they won't actually depreciate any faster. So buy cheap, sell cheap is ok!

What will be more interesting is if "Mileage" continues to be the same largest effector on used car values. ICE cars have a good reason where more miles means lower value, as parts wear out, but EV's really don't suffer the same effects, and things like batteries both diagnose and advertise their condition, but also can be replaced incredibly easily.

So, you can go to buy say a 5yo EV, with 80kmiles on it, look at the battery SoC to work out how worn out it is, and then look at the general condition of the car, and say "that's a good car" far, far easier than for an equivalent ICE vehicle.

[Rockhoppin]

Hi all just posted this on the 330e thread. If you're getting your BMW i via a company car scheme or salary sacrifice please read this http://www.carbuyer.co.uk/news/155399/company-car-...

And if you want to oppose these taxes please sign this petition https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/171523