The BMW X3 Thread

BMW iX3 (2026) Price & Specs

Fresh off its 2026 World Car Awards victory, the new BMW iX3 has quietly arrived in South Africa. Here’s what the “Neue Klasse” fully electric X3 will cost you in Mzansi…

- Fully electric iX3 quietly docks in South Africa
- Pair of derivatives set to be offered from launch
- Max power of 345 kW; claimed range of 805 km

The new BMW iX3 has quietly touched down in South Africa, just 3 months after it bagged the 2026 World Car of the Year award. So, what will the “Neue Klasse” fully electric version of the X3 cost you in Mzansi?

Well, Cars.co.za can confirm the iX3 50 xDrive will be available locally in both M Sport and M Sport Pro guise, with the former priced from R1 690 000 and the latter coming in from R1 720 000. That sees the iX3 positioned well above the current petrol-powered X3 flagship, the M50 (priced from R1 557 947).

As a reminder, the new iX3 is a so-called “Neue Klasse” model, riding on an all-new platform rather than sharing the G45-series X3’s CLAR architecture. Furthermore, the iX3 is produced in Hungary, while various derivatives in the X3 range are manufactured at BMW’s Plant Rosslyn here in South Africa.

The iX3 50 xDrive is powered by a pair of electric motors (an electrically excited synchronous motor at the rear and an asynchronous item at the front), which together generate 345 kW and 645 Nm. That’s enough for a claimed 0-100 kph time of 4.9 seconds and a top speed of 210 kph.

What does the new BMW iX3 cost in South Africa?

DERIVATIVE PRICE

BMW iX3 50 xDrive M Sport R1 690 000
BMW iX3 50 xDrive M Sport Pro R1 720 000

The prices above includes a 2-year/unlimited kilometre vehicle warranty (likely plus an 8-year/100 000 km battery warranty) and a 5-year/100 000 km maintenance plan.

 
BMW iX3 is the first vehicle to earn a 5-star rating under ANCAP's new tougher rules

Every three years, Euro NCAP and ANCAP (Australia's NCAP) work together to revise and introduce new criteria for vehicle safety. The new 2026 rules are in effect, and BMW's new iX3 just scored the maximum 5-star rating at Euro NCAP and ANCAP.

Interestingly, this is the first vehicle to score five stars after the new, stricter rules for 2026 were announced. Those safety rules encourage car manufacturers to expand the safety features for a broader range of occupants and cater to various body types and sizes. Additionally, the new process includes evaluating fuel leakage and/or battery integrity for EVs.

The new protocols are based on four categories - Safe Driving, Crash Avoidance, Crash Protection and Post Crash. That means vehicles are assessed not only based on crash performance but also on technology and features before and after a collision.


 
BMW iX3 covers over 1,000 km in Chinese hypermiling test

A single BMW test driver rolled out of the Shenyang manufacturing plant at dawn, pointed the snout of the new BMW iX3 toward the capital, and refused to stop until Beijing's ring roads came into view.

By the time he pulled into BMW's R&D facility, the trip computer logged an eye-widening 1,030.2 km on a single charge - with a 5% still remaining in the pack. It has to be the longest single stint ever recorded by an electric Bimmer. Of course, the internal hyper-miling runs always come with an asterisk the size of Bavaria, but Munich is finally done playing defense with converted combustion platforms.

Naturally, I have to throw a bit of cold water on the hype before anyone expects to hammer down the highway with the climate control freezing the cabin and see four-figure distances on the dash. This was an extreme-range test engineered to test the absolute outer limit of efficiency.

But consider the baseline: the production-bound iX3 50L xDrive (same powertrain as the iX3 50 xDrive) has an official CLTC rating of 919 km, following an 805-km real-world test loop around Qinghai Lake. And I think we are only looking at the opening salvo of BMW's Gen6 eDrive architecture - there is more to come.

And in case you were wondering how the non-Chinese iX3 deals with long-range driving, we have the answer. We have tested the same version - the iX3 50 xDrive - and the results were quite interesting.

The secret sauce in the new iX3 is the 800V system that ditches prismatic cells for large cylindrical formats - a first for a mass-produced BMW in China. The high-nickel Series 9 chemical recipe is paired with a module-free cell-to-pack architecture that allows the cells to integrate directly into the structural battery housing.

 
BMW iX3 covers over 1,000 km in Chinese hypermiling test

A single BMW test driver rolled out of the Shenyang manufacturing plant at dawn, pointed the snout of the new BMW iX3 toward the capital, and refused to stop until Beijing's ring roads came into view.

By the time he pulled into BMW's R&D facility, the trip computer logged an eye-widening 1,030.2 km on a single charge - with a 5% still remaining in the pack. It has to be the longest single stint ever recorded by an electric Bimmer. Of course, the internal hyper-miling runs always come with an asterisk the size of Bavaria, but Munich is finally done playing defense with converted combustion platforms.

Naturally, I have to throw a bit of cold water on the hype before anyone expects to hammer down the highway with the climate control freezing the cabin and see four-figure distances on the dash. This was an extreme-range test engineered to test the absolute outer limit of efficiency.

But consider the baseline: the production-bound iX3 50L xDrive (same powertrain as the iX3 50 xDrive) has an official CLTC rating of 919 km, following an 805-km real-world test loop around Qinghai Lake. And I think we are only looking at the opening salvo of BMW's Gen6 eDrive architecture - there is more to come.

And in case you were wondering how the non-Chinese iX3 deals with long-range driving, we have the answer. We have tested the same version - the iX3 50 xDrive - and the results were quite interesting.

The secret sauce in the new iX3 is the 800V system that ditches prismatic cells for large cylindrical formats - a first for a mass-produced BMW in China. The high-nickel Series 9 chemical recipe is paired with a module-free cell-to-pack architecture that allows the cells to integrate directly into the structural battery housing.


Went to our local bmw dealership, the new ix3 in person vs on a website are 2 different beasts

I’m still glad , at least for me, I’ve escaped the “ car with an expiry date” ecosystem

Went in a Ford sponsored 4x4 training course with the Everest last weekend, and all I can say it “what a machiiiiiiine”


Mrs is still hooked on the EV , hoping more brands branch out, I’m not dropping that kind of money on the new ix3 now, the quote was 1.6m
 
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