2024 BMW i4 Review

MotoPickers Rating: 8.6/10

BMW already knows how to make a great gran coupe, and the 2025 BMW i4 continues this legacy. This model has all the luxury you’d expect from a BMW wrapped in an all-electric package. It builds on the i4 generation introduced in 2022 and is available from $57,900 for the i4 eDrive40 and $70,700 for the M50.

Changes to the 2025 i4 include new exterior colors, fresh wheel designs, and a revised look for the grille and headlights. The i4 gets somewhat fancier upholstery and reworked trim in the cabin to drive home its premium appeal. With the M Sport package’s aggressive styling, new steering wheel designs catch the eye.

As fast, luxurious, and comfortable as the i4 may be—especially in M50 trim—it still has its downsides: namely, a synthetic whoosh of exhaust during hard acceleration and an overall driving experience that lacks the engagement of equivalent gas models. The driving range is also less than some of its, potentially serving as a dealbreaker for prospective buyers.

Competitors such as Polestar’s 2, Tesla’s Model Y, Hyundai’s Ioniq 6, Genesis’ G70, and Lexus’ ES are in the same price ballpark but offer different emphasis on performance, luxury, and technology. Check out the rest of our review to see how the 2025 i4 compares to its rivals and previous iterations.

Exterior spotlight

Updates to the exterior of the 2025 BMW i4 give it an upscale but polarizing look in the luxury electric vehicle (EV) sea. Each set of styling details isn’t the same on both trims—the i4 eDrive40 and i4 M50—catering to diverse tastes.

The 2025 i4 eDrive40 features a stylized new front end, including redesigned, upright Adaptive LED headlights. Not only do they add futuristic flair, but they also optimize nighttime visibility. Optional yet prominent laser rear lights with filigree laser fibers and crisp edges add to a thoroughly high-end look, and a new high-gloss black and matte silver honeycomb design refreshes the front kidney grille.

Still, opinions remain split over the grille’s tall shape launched in 2021. It’s a bold setup, and some like it that way. Alternatively, the Tesla Model 3 and Polestar 2 have more subdued fronts that might appeal to more buyers.

The i4 eDrive40 features 19” M aerodynamic bi-color wheels to enhance its curb appeal. These wheels lend a sporty look but are less striking than the sweeping forms on cars like the Hyundai Ioniq 6 or Genesis’ G70.

The 2025 i4 M50 gets subtle exterior enhancements that increase its sportiness. The kidney grille boasts a high-gloss black surround, horizontal bars, and an M-specific badge complemented by pale blue details, reflecting the trim’s mix of BMW M power and electric capability. The available M Carbon exterior package adds carbon fiber mirror caps and a rear spoiler to highlight aerodynamic precision and exclusivity.

This M grade also uses flow-forming and glass-coating processes to create its 20” wheels, which are lightweight and easy on the eyes. The M50’s exterior is more aggressive compared to its i4 sibling and competitors like the Lexus ES, but this BMW falls short of the Tesla Model 3’s and Polestar 2’s aerodynamic efficiency.

Interior close-up

The 2025 BMW i4 contains a blend of comfort and sport-driven elements, along with a premium BMW design. Delivering a clean, minimalist aesthetic and comfort-oriented theme for the i4 eDrive40/xDrive40, seats feature Black Perforated SensaTec, which balance between form and function.

While the cabin is dressed up by black trim with double-stitched seams, it offers utility in addition to sporty orientation. This model’s steering wheel features a flat-bottom design and three spokes for an athletic feel, including blue accents and a 12 o’clock marker for assistance in determining wheel positioning. The interior of the i4 M50 steering wheel features these elements along with molded thumb rests for comfort and precision during drives. Carbon fiber trim is optional within the cockpit, along with Oyster Vernasca Leather upholstery.

The Polestar 2 takes a similar minimalist approach to its cabin with its Scandinavian roots. This competitor’s materials are sustainable, but the sportiness is absent compared to the M50. The Tesla Model Y has a more utilitarian setup, offering a similar environmentally friendly but techy interior, while the Ioniq 6 lags behind the i4’s luxury appointments.

That means Genesis’ G70 has more luxury (actual nice materials or soft seats) and if the i4 would fall on a scale somewhere between forward-thinking minimalism and proper craftsmanship, it’d likely be equal to grit in relation to it. Alternatively, the Lexus ES is a comfy and well-finished entry-level sedan from Japan with all the traditional luxury points.

Ultimately, the 2025 BMW i4 treats its passengers to familiar-but-unique surroundings that mix everyday usability with a techy flair and comfortable luxury.

Power and performance

The 2025 BMW i4 differentiates itself with a custom-tailored driving experience that combines power, precision, and progressiveness from feature to feature.

A rear-wheel drive (RWD) i4 eDrive40 produces 335 horsepower and hits 60 MPH in 5.5 seconds. Its 318-mile range is competitive, leaving it plenty acceptable for daily driving. The all-wheel drive (AWD) xDrive40 ups horsepower to 396, lowering the 0-60 MPH acceleration time to 4.9 seconds. This AWD version receives a reduced range of 287 miles due to its drivetrain’s added complexity.

Regarding the i4 M50, dual BMW M eDrive motors drive all four wheels. This model cranks out 536 horsepower and jumps from 0-60 mph in just 3.7 seconds. The intelligent AWD system retains a rear-wheel-drive preference for enthusiasts, but its range is on the lower side at 227 to 267. Adaptive M Suspension, Variable Sport Steering, and M Sport Brakes make it a joy in the bends. Its sporty character is accentuated with an M rear spoiler and high-gloss red calipers.

The BMW i4 competes well against rivals on the performance front. While the Polestar 2’s dual-motor trim matches the M50’s acceleration times, it doesn’t have this BMW’s sporty RWD character. In its Performance trim, Tesla’s Model Y accelerates faster than the i4 M50 and exceeds its range. The Ioniq 6, while offering mighty efficiency and decent acceleration, can’t match the i4’s premium feel or sharp handling. Alternatively, Genesis’ G70 and Lexus’ ES perform the way a gasoline car should—no immediate shove but engaging dynamics for a more traditional feel.

Performance within the 2025 BMW i4 is an exciting and innovative experience topped off by the M50’s instant access to speed and the eDrive40’s range anxiety-reducing mileage. Tesla’s Model Y represents itself well in the performance category, but you’ll have to settle for a more plain cabin.

Tech overview

The i4 is loaded with tech to make life easier for drivers. The dashboard is dominated by two displays: a 12.3” instrument cluster and a massive, horizontally oriented 14.9” infotainment touchscreen that creates an extensive and modern interface layout. These screens also come with BMW’s Operating System 8.5, which has been redesigned to mimic the look and feel of smartphones for an enhanced menu structure.

QuickSelect is a new secondary feature in the Operating System 8.5 that allows drivers to avoid getting lost in the submenus when navigating entertainment and climate controls. Natural language voice commands make operations even more seamless.

Another tech highlight is the BMW Intelligent Personal Assistant. Acting as a virtual co-pilot, it responds to voice commands (in normal language) to change settings, check battery status, and pull up real-time navigation updates. The augmented-reality navigation system is integrated into the 14.9” display and lines up views of the road ahead with driving directions and other live information, eliminating instances of missing turns or misinterpreting where a turn should occur during drives.

Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard, with a custom widget bar for easy access. Drivers can customize their digital cockpit with commonly used icons and automatically sync a phone to use entertainment, navigation, and communication.

The MyBMW app allows you to check your charging status, locate nearby charging stations, compare the price of electricity in a region, and even plan your routes by entering destinations in advance. These features help the i4 stay competitive in a luxury EV market that is becoming overrun with technology.

Its main rivals are the Polestar 2 and Tesla Model Y, both of which boast comparable connectivity and cutting-edge driver-assistance tech. Tesla infotainment is known for its fluid interface and depth of features, but BMW’s iDrive 8.5 feels more convenient thanks to QuickSelect.

While Hyundai’s Ioniq 6 is equipped with a futuristic interface, it doesn’t come close to the i4 when it comes to augmented reality navigation or voice control depth. Both the Genesis G70 and Lexus ES are well-spec’d for tech, but they lean on a legacy of luxury rather than fully integrated EV-centric tools like in the i4. The technology suite of the 2025 BMW i4 mixes functionality with sleek looks, solidifying its rank as an upper-echelon EV offering.

Safety capabilities

The IIHS (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety) and the NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) are the gold standards for evaluating a vehicle’s crash protection capabilities, but neither organization has yet rated the 2025 i4.

BMW’s 2025 i4 comes with several standard and optional safety features. ABS, with driveline traction control, enhances stability by solidifying road grip when traversing slippery or uneven terrain. To protect occupants, the i4 is equipped with numerous airbags, including dual-stage front driver and passenger airbags, side-impact seat-mounted airbags for front and rear outboard seats, and curtain head-protecting exterior mounted head/torso combination tubular modules covering first and second rows.

Knee airbags are present in the front row, and an airbag occupancy sensor ensures that they deploy when the front seats are occupied. Additional safety features include rear child safety locks and outboard lap and shoulder belts with pretensioners for all occupants.

To help drivers park and maneuver, the i4 comes with Park Distance Control sensor systems on both front and rear, as well as a backup camera for clear visibility in the back of the vehicle. To help avoid lane-change crashes, you get visual and audible warnings from Active Blind Spot Detection, and Lane Departure Warning alerts you of lane drifting without an active turn signal. Lane Departure Warning is complemented by automatic assistive steering during drifting, and the Frontal/Rear Collision Warning with Collision Mitigation avoids or mitigates the severity of crashes.

\Driver Monitoring Alert notifies the driver to focus again when it detects symptoms of fatigue or distraction. Crushable zones with side impact beams help the i4 body absorb energy in a crash, minimizing injury risk.

While other premium brands, notably those like the Polestar 2 and Tesla Model Y, offer state-of-the-art everything in terms of safety, BMW’s approach with the i4 stays true to its brand values but also manages to match its rivals’ cutting-edge reputation for engineering. The Ioniq 6 offers advanced driver aids, too, though perhaps without the finesse of BMW’s execution.

Final verdict

The 2025 i4 upholds BMW’s promise of luxury, power, and tech in a dynamic yet fashionable package. The key ingredients of excellence are the eDrive40i’s impressive range and performance, especially for the M50, which provides its seat-pinning acceleration without sacrificing too much range. BMW no doubt has the mixture of driving dynamics and EV efficiency down pat with this i4.

Despite its many strengths, this EV has some downsides. While the one-pedal driving mode and snappy acceleration behavior will appeal to many enthusiasts, the synthetic exhaust sound on hard throttle could leave some aficionados wanting more from its overall driving engagement—especially compared to BMW’s gas-fed family members. Its range, especially in the M50 trim, also falls short of some competitors (hello, Tesla Model Y), which can deliver better mileage and quicker speed for similar prices.

The i4 fights for attention among the likes of Tesla Model Y, Polestar 2, and Hyundai Ioniq 6 with quirkier styling, but it maintains a familiar, luxury BMW interior and high-tech features like the augmented reality navigation system and the new BMW iDrive 8.5, making it youthful.

The 2025 BMW i4 represents the kind of luxury EV we could use more examples of. It’s not perfect, but it’s a balanced package for drivers wanting an elegant yet sporty EV, as long as buyers can accept its driving range compared to class leaders.