Green Vehicles

2025 Best Premium EV: BMW i4

The offerings in the premium electric vehicle (EV) segment are immensely impressive. Our jury of more than 20 automotive experts spends a lot of time evaluating them – and every other segment – so when we vote the BMW i4 as the Best Premium EV, it’s because it has truly earned it and is more impressive than every other vehicle in its segment.

Although not the most powerful, most affordable, or most spacious premium EV, the i4 doesn’t disappoint in any of those measures, yet it blends so many endearing attributes and is so well-rounded that it becomes the most compelling choice. First, it doesn’t look like an EV, and that’s meant as a compliment. According to AutoTrader Editor-in-Chief, Jodi Lai, “The i4 looks like a typical BMW; it’s sharp and stylish and has great proportions without trying to look too much like a spaceship, so it’s perfect for someone who’s interested in an EV but doesn’t want to draw too much attention to themselves.”

For 2025, the i4 gets some subtle mid-cycle updates including new headlights and taillights, a new optional wheel design, and some new paint colours, all of which help keep the i4 looking fresh. And despite not shouting about its EV status, the i4 still manages a very aerodynamic 0.24 drag coefficient, which helps efficiency and keeps wind noise at bay inside the cabin.

That cabin is also a nice place to be. Material finishes, even in the base trim, are high quality and well-assembled in the company’s Munich plant. The front seats are supportive for sporty driving, yet comfortable for long hauls behind the wheel. The rear seat provides decent space for two adults or three in a pinch. But lift the hatchback and fold those rear seats, and there’s a massive, SUV-like 1,290 L cargo hold, making this sporty machine a practical one, too.

This year, the i4 gets BMW’s latest updates to its venerable iDrive infotainment system, making more features available through quicker shortcuts and a very cooperative voice-command system. The massive dual-pane screen dominates the dashboard but offers bright, crisp, and colourful graphics, and its responsiveness is a testament to the company’s fine-tuning of this system for decades. BMW’s latest driver assistants and active safety features are available in the i4, as well, including a very effective adaptive cruise control system with lane-keeping and even a self-parking function. The audio systems offered in the i4 are top-shelf, too.

What really sets the i4 apart from the other EVs is the way it drives. BMW was once known as the purveyor of the Ultimate Driving Machine, and that DNA shines through here. Although heavy, as all EVs are, each of us who have reported on the i4 have come away impressed by how the BMW manages its mass, offering excellent balance and precise steering. AutoTrader expert Kunal D’souza rightly states, “The i4 xDrive40 can be hustled through bends and highway on-ramps with the same level of confidence you get from its 3 Series sedan, which has always been a benchmark in its segment."

The most affordable i4 is the eDrive35 trim that starts at less than $60,000, and still manages to zip from zero to 100 km/h in 6 seconds flat. But step up to the 536-hp M50 variant and highway speeds are achieved in a sizzling 3.9 seconds, accompanied by a digital soundtrack specially composed by Hans Zimmer. More importantly, the i4 succeeds as an electric vehicle, offering a generous official range of up to 512 kilometres but often outperforming that estimate in ideal conditions.

Stylish, well-built, a solid value, and wickedly fun to drive, BMW’s i4 lineup is more well-rounded than its competitors, making it the one we at AutoTrader confidently recommend as the Best Premium EV for 2025.