It just shows how far ahead BMW was before they started lobbying for ICE units to remain in production for longer. It makes you wonder how much further they could have moved if they’d fully committed years ago. I’d still have the BMW over the others, the I3 rather than the I3s..
Couldn't agree more. Even a 55kWh battery package would be possible afaik. All it needs is a small update on assistants like a radar would be fine and some software enhancements. It's a future classic it will go up in value. I guess the Quandt family as the owners know what they are doing with making two different sorts of cars at the same time. But it's ridiculous. There is no way back to burning oil and gas.
Just bought this year 2022. BMWI3S so super cool, love it. Quality build. spec..20" blacks wheels..heat pump.. BLACK/WHITE body with blue accents.. std interior-- sun roof.. blue seat belts..all the toys if you need . Some lovely buttons. It just looks Cool...One of the last built.. 10/10. My forever Car.
Bought the BMW i3 early this year after seeing your comparison video of the 3 different battery versions. Absolutely love that car! Went for a 33 kWh version with a loft interior as I really like the airy lounge feeling you get inside the i3, which is amplified by the light interior. The i3 is comfortable for two persons and our large (+50kg) dogs in the rear seats - even semi long journeys with grownups in the rear is doable. We still have an old 7 seater ICE car for towing a trailer and occasional transport of both our dogs and other persons, but honestly we could probably do with the i3 and renting another car once or twice a year. So glad that we bought a car based on the 90% usual usage instead of focusing on the few exceptions. Thanks for all of our advice - really helpful stuff!
This is exactly what I tell ppl considering buying an EV. Buy an older decent capacity battery for a daily driver and a SUV for long trips and you'll be just fine.
The i3 gets my vote. We own a 94Amp with Rex. Driving in Singapore heat and humidity since 2018, 30.000km, had just to recently replace the A/C compressor (under warranty). Battery is still as efficient as on day 1. When respecting the speed limit, I get up to 220 km range when the Rex wakes up to tell us it's time to recharge, but don't worry, there's still 100+ km available. Despite the noise, the Rex is a must have option: zero range anxiety, we can even consider visiting Malaysia over the weekend, where fast chargers aren't common yet. The rear seats are really comfortable and the rear access is actually better than you think once you discover some tricks with the suicide doors. The boot can take 2 foldable bikes, and I could even fit a wheelchair. Impossible in the Mini and the Honda! The i3 will sure become a classic, the other 2 will fade away.
I continue to feel slightly curious about the BMW i3. When it first came out I loathed it. But... these days I can see myself owning one. Those quirky buggy looks have, to me, become cute. As to the specifications of that 2018 model, that's fine for me. The other two, others can have them.
After many many tours with an i3 I can honestly say the only thing I miss is a proper adaptive cruise control. The camera alone doesn't work that well. And I like to add it's certainly not the first choice for endless German autobahns bc wind and all. It's the perfect commuter car with some occasional visits at granny's apple pie outlet and a nice weekend hike somewhere in the woods. As soon as you realize how little of a car you actually need, it makes the rest of the live lighter, too.
The mini level 3 is a fantastic drive. Holds the road beautifully and is really fun. Mixed driving on country roads and town and got 5.7 miles/kW (temp outside 23c). Regularly in summer get 5miles/kW. The car feels like a premium car. Not selling this one but would definitely buy another. 😁
Can I ask how you find the ride quality? And what size wheels are on your car please? I have a 1.5 mini cooper at the moment, which came with 17" cosmos wheels. I've actually swapped them out for the basic 15" wheels, because the ride was pretty hard. Made even worse by the state of our roads! Many thanks in advance
I have a man Mini E with 17” wheels, rides well, better than my mk6 GTD did but not as nicely as my new 3 series. The only thing I would say is the steering isn’t perfect and can feel sticky around the dead ahead, otherwise it’s a brilliant little second car.
Mini 3 bought with 5000 miles on , handles a dream , tech great , range in winter 100, summer 120+, 10 kilowatt more would have been better, but not required really
owned the 2015 i3 rex engine variant for about 2 years. loved the little guy! only main reasons for getting rid of it was A. mine had almost 90k miles on it and i was worried about that BMW reliability. B. i went through tires very often having the 20 inch rims. any sized pothole and i was fearing i wouldn't make it home (sometimes i didn't). and C. i sold in November 2021 which was a great time to get a model 3 LR before all of the recent price hikes. still would recommend a lower mileage i3 to just about anyone. always put a smile on my face.
The Honda E is just so unbelievably beautiful and positive throwback. I am so looking forward to other E-cars that go the same way like Renault 5, Peugeot 205. Yeah, I'm old ;)
I absolutely love these side-by-side comparisons, Richard - you and your team are brilliant at creating really useful content for your channel. Though an i3 owner myself, I do love the charm and character of the Honda E... Rear wheel drive, like the i3... 'Proper' rear doors, that don't get you stuck in the car park "triangle of shame"...! All the tech you could ever ask for... A ride quality that doesn't see you looking like a nodding donkey on our increasingly pot-holed UK roads... But, that range is just not enough - I swapped out of a 120 mile-per-charge Gen 1 Leaf for the 94Ah i3 Rex and, even though I treat my i3 like she was a pure EV (the Rex literally only ever comes on for its occasional maintenance cycle) I can quite easily get 140-150 miles on a single charge... those extra 20-30 miles make a surprising difference, day-to-day... Pity though... the Honda does look awesome... 😉
I live in Norway so it was the Mini for its more predictable snow driving dynamics that sold me. I’ve driven an i3 in winter and hated it, even on studded winter tires its a handful, considering it will be my wife driving it every day IMO safe predictable handling is what I wanted, it is also a fun car to drive. The i3 is like Audis A2, well ahead of its time and not given the development it needed. BMW replaced it with a significantly more expensive less innovative vehicle. It’s a shame they never made a Mk2 i3.
Others have mentioned the tabs to drop the back seat from the boot in the i3, they were probably tucked under the boot liner you had in there. What you seemed to get in a tangle with, Richard, was the CCS charging in the i3. It's nothing to do with the REX. CCS was an optional extra in the early 60Ah battery models so you will find a significant number without on the second hand market for 2014 and 2015 ones in particular. They had 7kW AC as well. From the 94Ah [33kWh] ones onwards, mid 2016, CCS was standard and you got upto 11kW 3phase AC charging or 7kW single phase. I scanned the older comments quickly and didn't notice anyone noting this detail.
@@CandycaneBeyond yes, but a first time EV buyer needs to be alert that there are some on the 2nd hand market without CCS which are not for everyone. I had a 2017 one and now a 2019 one.
Thank you for the detailed comparison for ‘life in the day of’ these 3 smaller EVs! And good reminder - BMW used the the 94Ah battery/135kW motor from the 2nd gen i3 for the Mini, just as a fwd unit instead of rwd. A big part of why the two are both VERY efficient - both use BMW’s hybrid synchronous motor. Personally, I favor the i3. The advance material build of the passenger compartment makes it amazingly safe in accidents while very low mass for its size. The projected range near 180 miles was a stellar surprise to me as well.
Another great video by RSEV! It's been the MINI for us for the past 12 months - we love it. It would be interesting to see how the MINI stacks up vs Teslas in terms of efficiency Richard - how about an efficiency comparison test?
I have an i3 and agree with everything you said about it. It has a front storage space froot which I find really useful. It is really spacious inside and it is nice not to have the clear flat floor across the car. If you want it is really fast at the lights. I have done long trips in it and because the battery in my case 33kw it recharges to a good level quickly. In the city I love the regen. I find the distance gauge to be accurate but with regen on full in a city you tend to get a high percentage of the range back through the regen. Build quality is good. A classic in the making.😀
Thanks Richard and your team for another informative video. We have a Mini electric on order, so valuable stuff. I love watching your channel as do so many others, but if I may, I would like to make 2 comments on your videos. Firstly, thank you so much for telling us your height when reviewing rear seat space. It is pointless to just say 'I fit, it is sufficient' unless the audience knows what size you are. As an over 6 footer, this peeves me when I subesquently try a vehicle and find the reviewer must have been just average height and I wasted my trip. Secondly, I have to conclude that your sound editor is young and full of vim. Whenever there is music it is far too loud and I have to turn down the volume, then turn it back up to hear the narrative. I watch on a proper PC with sound fed through a professional amplifier to wall mounted stereo speakers. For those of us over 50, we really don't appreciate the volume variance, which seems so common on RUclips videos, but never on TV. I hope this is constructive critique rather than moaning, your content is always excellent and very watchable.
Great review. I’ve had my i3s for 20 months 13,500 now, options I bought were reversing camera and front parking sensors (it comes with the rears) I don’t think you mentioned heated seats mine were standard. Oh and there are release tabs to drop the rear seats from the back. So what do I love about it? Well everything except the charging port is on the wrong side for countries that drive on the left (or want to use Tesla Superchargers). 😬✅😍
I have had a 2015 i3 REX for a year now. I can’t fault it for practicality range option and nippy about town. It has CCS, parking assist although only used this twice so far! The ride is a little firmer than I would like but it was designed as a city car so understandable. It has done 41k miles and I paid £15.5k a year ago which in todays market seems pretty good vfm. I hope to keep this for at least a couple more years until more affordable EVs become available. One other bonus is it has zero Road tax.
Thanks Richard, another great video. We've had BMW i3 60Ah Rex for 3 years now. Its a 2016 model and has CCS. I agree with many of the comments below, it is a fun car and more practical than it first looks. I've had to do some longer journeys recently, up to 400 miles in a day; with Rex and 50kW charging all the way to 80+% it actually worked really well. Its a little tail happy in the wet on summer tyres but winter tyres or some more reserved driving sort that. I can sit in the back seat quite comfortably, although the sound system is basic and not great when sat in the back. Note however the ride is firm and jittery when driving on a rough road and the car does get blown around when its windy (not something that we experience in Aberdeenshire of course .....!). So I'm torn whether I would recommend it or not; as a city car or a car to throw around a bit on a country road, you wont regret it.
Super video again, Richard. Many thanks for the efforts you & your team put into these. Please keep them coming. I’d like to suggest a future video on a buyers guide showing what you personally look out for when purchasing secondhand Tesla Model 3’s (soon Y’s too, no doubt) The different batteries (what dates they were introduced & how to check this), any tell-tale previous owner bad habits to watch out for (if applicable), or anything else you look for to help wannabe purchasers make a better informed choice.
i3 is a fantastic family car that is also a hoot to drive. One error in the video there are actually pull straps to drop the rear seats down from the hatch.
Nice video as usual, enjoyed it as always with the real world, normal person perspective. We went with a mini out of these 3 (plus the Fiat 500) for a lot of subjective reasons, build quality and performance. Amazing little car, good to see you got 148 mile range too, speaks volumes about the quality of the BMW engineering.
I have a VW E-Golf (mk7.5) it’s similar in range with the Mini (both have a WLTP of 144). I was so disappointed it was the first and only fully electric Golf as it’s a cracking car and I’m sure it would also make for good second hand markets. I’m hoping they do bring out an updated E-Golf before I hang the keys up on this. I dont like VWs ID range
Another great and informative video. BWW were ahead of the pack when they released the i3. It was designed to be an electric vehicle from the ground up with some innovative design choice. There was an excellent RUclips video that shows how the car was built from scratch in the factory It's a pity BWW seemed to have lost their way a bit with their latest EVs except for the iX, but that's an expensive car! I've had a Mini in the past and the build quality is good, with excellent performance and handling if you are the driver, but not so great on ride comfort for the passengers (a bit like a go-kart!). I also found the cabin claustrophobic. For me, the Honda E has the most charm, especially with regards to the dash, overall cabin design and quality of finish. I just wished it had a little more range and phone wireless charging.
Hi Richard,I’m on my 2nd i3rex and as you can imagine I absolutely love it/them, looking to upgrade to 120 ah (shame 120 not avail with Rex as that would’ve the ultimate for me) keep the excellent vids coming !
My favourite is the i3S 30Ah (33kWh) with Rex. It's the only car capable of sidestepping the UK charge network outside of a Tesla. It's Quick, handles Great, has CCS, won't ever rust, has a carbon fibre tub chassis. Also has a phenomenal battery, ours has now done 125k miles and has lost just 2% capacity since new still reporting 31kWh and does 80 miles round trip daily often returning home with over 30% SOC. Also Swiss watch reliable, never had an issue. 5 Star car .
Your i3 rex is top of my list at the moment as I hope to get 2016 nearer £10k (last with no road tax) and with CCS in a year or two as I have no home charging option. Not a fan of extended warranties and wondered if have had any costly servicing from BMW? - I understand boots around suspicion can split and tyres are not cheap - would you still recommend one at 8 years old?
@@markreed9853 ours was last day with no road tax. 30Apr 2017 I believe. Tyres haven't been particularly expensive about £115 each and last 17k approx . Its only had 2 services then I got bored and haven't bothered since. It's been fine. I will change the oil in the Rex next month and that's it.
@@EVMYT thanks, am I right in saying it only needs an oil/ filter change on the Rex every 2-years? Hoping to use it 100% on electric but do understand it will start the engine at random times to check itself?
@@markreed9853 yes but BMW don't have a mileage requirement for servicing the i3 they just say every 2 years. They sent me home twice after I took it for a service before that as the miles were creeping up and said to wait. By the time it was 2 years old it had done 55k miles. I don't even send it to BMW for oil changes now, local place does it for £70
@@EVMYT I'm lucky in a way as I know an acquaintance who is a mechanic but when I mention the i3 he says he doesn't like working on them due to limited space I think so he may need some persuasion😂(fosters normally does it) - strangely its going to have to wait a couple of years so my Tesla shares pay for it 😂
I've had an i3S since 2019. It's my best car to date: punchy performance, good handling, decent steering feel, beautiful interior with lots of texture (Suite and Lodge feel nicest, make sure you get the wood dash panel), compact dimensions yet *loads* of space in the front and enough in the back (there's even a little frunk), excellent visibility, 100% reliability so far, dirt-cheap to run, and tonnes of unusual engineering features to geek out over. There's only one really major problem with it as far as I'm concerned: the harsh ride. It's pretty uncomfortable; I was in a Polestar 2 the other day and very envious of its ability to soften bumps. There are a few smaller niggles. Range from the 120Ah version is perfectly livable, all I ever need in the summer (150-200 miles), but I'd be happier with a bit more in the winter (110-150). Charging speed is fine, but most EVs today can take more than 50 kW. Software interface is okay but a bit German and unintuitive - prefer it to the mess in the new i4 though. Would like the footwells to be a bit lower; that's an issue with the skateboard battery platform. The hifi is just ok, bass easily gets lost even with the Harman Kardon system. Would like a little more motor noise and a little less road/wind rumbling. Would like an equivalent to Tesla's sentry mode and HEPA filter. And on non-S models, the roadholding is quite poor on wet, windy or rough roads; this is the main reason I went for the S (it's *extremely* planted).
I had a BMW i3 94ah REX as my company car - clocked up 110K+ miles over 4 years. REX really useful back then when only in-journey charging option was ECOTRICITY-roulette. Fast, comfortable (in the front at least) and you could get loads of stuff in the back with the seats down and great tech + it has a Carbon Fibre tub - how amazing is that!
Thanks for a typically excellent video. Also the comments are very interesting and these show that, from ownership experience, the BMW i3 is by far the most popular. This might be because it's been around longer so more people have them, but also simply because it's so well-liked - the comments are overwhelmingly positive (main complaints are the firm ride and fragile tyres). My wife will need to replace her mk 1 Leaf and I think the Mini might be safest for her with it's predictable fwd handling, But the range, capacity (as a 2-seater) and the parking-resistant plastic body of the i3 are tempting, especially the i3S with it's more stable handling.
I’ve owned my BMW I3S Rex for the last 4 years. I regularly get 120 miles electric and another 90 miles on the Rex. I’ve been to Cornwall and back twice from the North West and it was really easy. I’ve ordered a KIA EV6 but I think that I’ll miss my little I3S.
The BMW i3 is really amazing, when you get to drive it and use it everyday thats when you really get to realize how good it is, too bad BMW didnt update it with modern interiors and a restyling instead they abandoned it which is incredibly stupid, it could have been really competitive especially with a lower price
I have had a 2017 I3 Rex 33Kwh and have ran it for 3 years now, just love it and I think its a Future Classic. I do like the Honda Design but I'm more than happy with the I3
Sure you can fold rear seats in i3 from outside easily. There are straps for this purpose in the corners. They are covered by the rediculous rubber thing in the video.
Great video as always, have to say the quirkiness of the Honda gets my vote - However as prices for a fully loaded Hyundai Kona are now sub £30k it has to be put in the mix with these 3 purely on range? Not that I would put my money on the Kona, I run one now as a temporary company car until my Ioniq 5 arrives ....it's a little bit boring :-)
I had a BMW i3 a few years ago and returned it due to the battery being degraded but wow what an amazing vehicle! I loved every aspect of it besides the range...silly me i didnt get the REX model
Mini and i3 at 5.1mi/kWh and 4.9mi/kWh are super efficient considering you were driving up to 70mph. My Leaf is hitting 4.1mi/kWh. That roughly 1mi/kWh difference over say 5000 miles a year is 250kW saved, at 28.5p/kWh that would save £356.25 a year for just 5000 miles.
Great video, as always. I have had a blue Honda e for the past 16 months and 11,000 miles. Love it, my personal favourite car in 30 years, inc Focus RS Mk2, Mini Cooper S, Jag XF etc. Mine suits my life well at the moment, only had to rapid charge 6 times and all driving has been confined to South Yorkshire. Our Kia diesel, does long trips, caravan, dog, extended family etc but it is so dull and has the worst drivetrain combo ever of a diesel/ manual/old school cruise control. Downsides to the Honda - Silly placement of the one pedal drive mode button (it should be activated by an extra click of the left regen paddle), small boot (but not actually been a problem for me) and that's about it. Upsides - Quality design touches everywhere, such a nice place to sit and look back at when leaving it anywhere. About town acceleration and handling are almost perfect although I'd love to try the Mini from that respect. Adaptive cruise is awesome, wireless CarPlay is also awesome. Nothing has gone wrong. The app is laggy but I only use it for pre-heating/cooling and it works fine for that. I got mine when is was £29 k, so only leased it through my little company for £250 + VAT per month. Not sure its good value at the 450 per month prices now. I considered both the Mini, i3 and 208 but the spec (free adaptive cruise and wireless CarPlay) and design touches won it over for me. It's a luxury purchase not a money saving purchase, even though it's cheap to run, so had to be right for me. I could have kept by old Fiesta with no monthly cost.
I wonder if yours is the gloriously shiny, royal blue metallic Honda E I often see whizzing around Rotherham, then...? Private reg plate on it...? If so, I always point it out to my wife when we're out & about - it looks absolutely stunning. I have a '67 plate, Protonic Blue i3 if ever you see me passing by... 👍
We own both the mini (2022) and the BMW (2019 120rex). Under the boot it's the same car. We live in San Diego and on average we are around 3.7-4 m/kWh. We are moving to the UK in a year and I am glad to hear that they are more efficient. You can fold the seats down from the boot of the BMW. I'd recommend either one.
@@JeLifeCoach it depends on what you mean better. I3s I would choose over the two. It’s more comfortable has usable back seats, and it has a ton of cargo space for its size. Mini though… handles like the Miata, stiffer suspension.
The Honda is not available in my country, and the end of production has left i3 owners with nowhere to go. The Mini is just too, well, mini, but we'll see when a 4-door version comes out.
I believe that only some of the earlier 60Ah i3’s don’t have CCS - I have a 94Ah Rex that does have CCS. Fantastic car - such a shame BMW have dropped it.
My 2015 i3 REX has CCS, I think only the very first batch out of the factory didn't have it. 50Kw charging doesn't sound like much, but the i3 maintains it right up to 75%.Lots of more recent cars start out at 100Kw or more, but can only maintain it for a few minutes.
One other thing that I find amazing - I mean, correct me if I'm wrong, but the "og" Hyundai IONIC would still slap all of them around easily regarding efficiency, right?
These are all great cars. I own a BMW i3 94 Rex and it is by far the best city car I have ever owned. The design integrity is incredible and it makes you wonder how BMW could go so wrong since with its Electric cars. But I also love minis and that Honda is classic Honda - quirky and more brilliant engineering. I reckon 1. BMW, 2. Honda 3. Mini but hard call
Nice video, but three points: 1. The mini boot floor can be raised to create a flat loading area 2. The i3 seats can be folded flat without having tor return to the cabin; there are pull tags on either side accessible from the boot. 3. All i3s, including REX versions have "fast" charging (~44kW actual) as standard from, I think, the 94Ah models onwards; fast charging was an option on the early 60Ah models.
We have the i3 rex it is amazing how much you can get in it with the seats down. The only thing I would have done differently was by the bigger battery no rex one. As we hardly ever use the rex as we need to stop for a break anyway and it changes fast on a rapid charger.
What I like about I3 and the Honda is that the're trying to go ahead in time. I think the light build of the i3 body especially the canopy is pretty smart as it permits softer suspension on a relatively high car because the body roll when cornering is less. In my experience many SUV's have quite stiff suspension. At least if its not air suspension. Unfortunately the high body also compromises range a little bit which is a pity. Would have loved a lower i3 but its not going to be build as the new i3 will not be based on carbon and aluminium but on steel. Btw a lower i3 would have some difficult with getting the battery in.
I have an i3 in the same colour as the one in the test. It's a really great car and I love it. It's very well built and feels as quick off the line as the 540i I owned a couple of years ago! The rear doors can be a faff in tight parking bays but It's not a big issue and it does have some advantages to offset the downsides. The interior still looks 100% modern Went for a drive to the coast today - 120 miles of mixed roads and it managed 5.3 m/kWh. It has the standard 19" wheels which might help a bit over the 20s on the test car? It works as a City Car but you can easily do longer trips in it.
I loved the fresh style of the Honda E but its range and price totally kills it. BMW i3 was brilliant in its day, shame BMW management couldn't see what they had or what the "market wanted".... Imagine dropping the i3 and saying Hydrogen is the future!!
hay the i3 has little straps in the back to fold the seat forward from the boot side. you don have to go round. good video, i owned mini and i3 for long time, did like the Honda from your review. All three are excellent little movers. Also in the us all the rex have ccs. ????
I have a Tesla Model 3 LR and looking for a second car. I prefer the styling of the Honda E. Trying to decide if I can justify the price and the short range. 110 miles feels very limited. Will the Honda E hold its value well?
i3. Very practical zippy mini electric for shorter daily city commute. Pity BMW didn’t come thru with increasing its range beyond the 153 miles 120Ah pack version. Loved it very much.
All great little cars. Shame we still don’t have cheaper small cars. Had i3 for 3 years and it was great.. (94Ah Rex), although a bit wobbly on rough surface/bumps and those suicide doors were great if you had lots of room. In tight car park/spaces with car next to you, really awkward… but loved it though. The Mini E, is my wife’s next car, after eGolf goes back to lease company, really funky, although a little bit small at the back. Has the same battery and drivetrain as the previous i3s 94Ah… and weirdly, it is more efficient than the Bemer…, without carbonfibre, etc… aerodynamics I assume. I could only get 3.8mi/kwh long term consumption with town/motorway combined after 45000miles.
I have had my “Litl’ Blue” 2017 BMW i3 BEV 33Kw 94Ah since 01/25/2021. I bought it in showroom condition from an original owner with 24k on the odometer. I’m 75, drive it about 30-100 miles a month mostly to pick up online ordered groceries and to visit the VA clinic. I use a 240V, 16A (3.84Kw) Level 2 charger in my carport routed inside as an alternate to my dryer outlet. I get 13.5 miles per hour of charging and at home my FPL electric cost at $0.031 per Mile. If there is a more perfect EV out there, I simply don’t want it. I don’t need more range, acceleration, styling, features, reliability, comfort, handling, or value. Litl Blue is obviously my Forever Car. Paid $16,500 but was offered $24,000 by Edmunds 3 months ago which tickled my worn out ego. You will name yours too lol.
Thanks Rich, another great video well worth watching for anyone in the market. Do you think there are any bad EVs out there? I haven't come across one yet.
@@StevenHaggis glad you like it. I had one and would rather walk. I'm a Twizy owner so nothing against Renault. Zoe was just the worst EV of the lot. Had issues with earth faults when charging up too and software bugs caused endless issues. Better places to put your money
Honda turning diameter 8,6m smart 453 turning diameter 6,95, i think that takes the record, it would actually park on the left of the Honda with a few cm, between them
Just done Glasgow to St Albans and back this weekend and I took the Mini petrol. It gets 55 mpg easy on a run and it was 443 miles door to door with a slight detour to visit a place. When my fuel tank says 150 miles I get twitchy 😁 but I did it on a less than a tank or would have I always top up from full at Penrith. I can’t imagine doing it in one of these it would be a nightmare. The Tesla’s I’d have no problem with and I get these are city Cars. I would just need the next gen MINI EV to get 300 miles real world as our MINI’s go on road trips and holidays. I’d love a EV I was sitting in a traffic jam for an hour on the M6 heading south and guy beside me was in a model 3 and thought yeah him crawling at 4 mph was easy. Why BMW insist on not using kWh is beyond me just to confuse the issue and sound like it has more to the pack. Also I tip my hat for that John o' Groats to Lands end run you did as I had enough when I got up the drive last night with 440 done and couldn’t imagine doing 830 plus miles in a day. 😁
Have several ideas cars but we bought a 2020 i3s as a runabout. We get free electric charge at work 4 miles away so no home charger at all yet and 3 months don’t feel we need one. Good car, nippy, decent space inside, range is ok for what we need. Only downsides are charging network in uk is a joke, suicide doors whilst making it easier to get in back are rubbish in tight Carparks as you can’t get out if rear so have to move forward out of the space.
How do you feel about the rising prices in October and do you reckon charging your vehicle at home will have a significant impact on cost? I also wonder if public charging will significantly increase.
I love… my 2021 Model 3 SR+! But, it was great fun to watch this video and see all these EVs and their uniqueness! Thank you for a terrific comparison (love the side by side drives!) of their features and specs. Great (or as you say, “Brilliant!”).
I have a 2020 i3S, I am also a long term owner of a perfect Audi A2 90. These cars are a similar size/shape and both have unique construction. We really like the i3 but there is no way I will ever sell the A2 what with its 60mpg, £30.00 road tax and the ability to remove the rear seats in a few seconds. I had considered having the A2 electrified but quotes were circa £50k which is pretty ridiculous, especially when you can get a modern i3 for less than half that cost.
The I3 is a great car for the size. My biggest issue with it is that it is no longer in production which means that as time goes on getting hold of spares will be more problematic than the other cars. The styling of the Honda E is something that I find really attractive with the proviso that the early reviewers were not so impressed with its range figures. I don't like the Mini Electric so much but I suspect it would be more practical than the Honda E with the I3 being the best on that front.
They are all great, I've heard the BMW is pricey to insure as it is near impossible to repair with that carbon? I would like them to be tested right down to completely out of power as I believe some keep alot more in reserve than others (the Honda upto 20 miles for example)?
I live in the uk, had a 2019 Mercedes e220d AMG LINE cabriolet and swapped in for a BMW i3s 2022, I got a refund on my insurance, in was 20% cheaper than the Mercedes. This was through admiral.
Great comparison. Just a shame the person driving the Honda e on the motorway in the video had the drivers window slightly open - this would kill its efficiency
It just shows how far ahead BMW was before they started lobbying for ICE units to remain in production for longer. It makes you wonder how much further they could have moved if they’d fully committed years ago. I’d still have the BMW over the others, the I3 rather than the I3s..
Couldn't agree more. Even a 55kWh battery package would be possible afaik. All it needs is a small update on assistants like a radar would be fine and some software enhancements. It's a future classic it will go up in value. I guess the Quandt family as the owners know what they are doing with making two different sorts of cars at the same time. But it's ridiculous. There is no way back to burning oil and gas.
Why the I3 over the I3S?
@@wreckage-vs5jv they have radar on i3.
@@iurieduca8790 imgs.xkcd.com/comics/duty_calls.png
I love my I3
Just bought this year 2022. BMWI3S so super cool, love it. Quality build. spec..20" blacks wheels..heat pump.. BLACK/WHITE body with blue accents.. std interior-- sun roof.. blue seat belts..all the toys if you need . Some lovely buttons. It just looks Cool...One of the last built.. 10/10. My forever Car.
Just bought the BMW i3S and could not be happier! Good range and enough space for 4 people
So nice to see a video that doesn’t discount i3 for simply being older as a model! Because it is still one of (if not the) best.
Bought the BMW i3 early this year after seeing your comparison video of the 3 different battery versions. Absolutely love that car! Went for a 33 kWh version with a loft interior as I really like the airy lounge feeling you get inside the i3, which is amplified by the light interior.
The i3 is comfortable for two persons and our large (+50kg) dogs in the rear seats - even semi long journeys with grownups in the rear is doable.
We still have an old 7 seater ICE car for towing a trailer and occasional transport of both our dogs and other persons, but honestly we could probably do with the i3 and renting another car once or twice a year.
So glad that we bought a car based on the 90% usual usage instead of focusing on the few exceptions.
Thanks for all of our advice - really helpful stuff!
This is exactly what I tell ppl considering buying an EV. Buy an older decent capacity battery for a daily driver and a SUV for long trips and you'll be just fine.
The i3 gets my vote. We own a 94Amp with Rex. Driving in Singapore heat and humidity since 2018, 30.000km, had just to recently replace the A/C compressor (under warranty). Battery is still as efficient as on day 1. When respecting the speed limit, I get up to 220 km range when the Rex wakes up to tell us it's time to recharge, but don't worry, there's still 100+ km available. Despite the noise, the Rex is a must have option: zero range anxiety, we can even consider visiting Malaysia over the weekend, where fast chargers aren't common yet. The rear seats are really comfortable and the rear access is actually better than you think once you discover some tricks with the suicide doors. The boot can take 2 foldable bikes, and I could even fit a wheelchair. Impossible in the Mini and the Honda!
The i3 will sure become a classic, the other 2 will fade away.
I continue to feel slightly curious about the BMW i3. When it first came out I loathed it. But... these days I can see myself owning one. Those quirky buggy looks have, to me, become cute. As to the specifications of that 2018 model, that's fine for me. The other two, others can have them.
My ev journey began with an i3 rex, it was fab.
I rue the day I sold it.
After many many tours with an i3 I can honestly say the only thing I miss is a proper adaptive cruise control. The camera alone doesn't work that well. And I like to add it's certainly not the first choice for endless German autobahns bc wind and all. It's the perfect commuter car with some occasional visits at granny's apple pie outlet and a nice weekend hike somewhere in the woods. As soon as you realize how little of a car you actually need, it makes the rest of the live lighter, too.
The mini level 3 is a fantastic drive. Holds the road beautifully and is really fun. Mixed driving on country roads and town and got 5.7 miles/kW (temp outside 23c). Regularly in summer get 5miles/kW. The car feels like a premium car. Not selling this one but would definitely buy another. 😁
Can I ask how you find the ride quality? And what size wheels are on your car please? I have a 1.5 mini cooper at the moment, which came with 17" cosmos wheels. I've actually swapped them out for the basic 15" wheels, because the ride was pretty hard. Made even worse by the state of our roads! Many thanks in advance
I have a man Mini E with 17” wheels, rides well, better than my mk6 GTD did but not as nicely as my new 3 series. The only thing I would say is the steering isn’t perfect and can feel sticky around the dead ahead, otherwise it’s a brilliant little second car.
We've had an i3 for three years. Brill little car, and not so little. Sad to see it go - replacing with a model Y, but I know I'll miss it.
I’d continue to shop. Teslas aren’t the greatest.
Mini 3 bought with 5000 miles on , handles a dream , tech great , range in winter 100, summer 120+, 10 kilowatt more would have been better, but not required really
owned the 2015 i3 rex engine variant for about 2 years. loved the little guy! only main reasons for getting rid of it was A. mine had almost 90k miles on it and i was worried about that BMW reliability. B. i went through tires very often having the 20 inch rims. any sized pothole and i was fearing i wouldn't make it home (sometimes i didn't). and C. i sold in November 2021 which was a great time to get a model 3 LR before all of the recent price hikes. still would recommend a lower mileage i3 to just about anyone. always put a smile on my face.
He's done it again, finger on the pulse ! .... love it
The Honda E is just so unbelievably beautiful and positive throwback. I am so looking forward to other E-cars that go the same way like Renault 5, Peugeot 205. Yeah, I'm old ;)
I love the BMW I3 and your videos 😁
I absolutely love these side-by-side comparisons, Richard - you and your team are brilliant at creating really useful content for your channel.
Though an i3 owner myself, I do love the charm and character of the Honda E...
Rear wheel drive, like the i3...
'Proper' rear doors, that don't get you stuck in the car park "triangle of shame"...!
All the tech you could ever ask for...
A ride quality that doesn't see you looking like a nodding donkey on our increasingly pot-holed UK roads...
But, that range is just not enough - I swapped out of a 120 mile-per-charge Gen 1 Leaf for the 94Ah i3 Rex and, even though I treat my i3 like she was a pure EV (the Rex literally only ever comes on for its occasional maintenance cycle) I can quite easily get 140-150 miles on a single charge... those extra 20-30 miles make a surprising difference, day-to-day...
Pity though... the Honda does look awesome... 😉
I live in Norway so it was the Mini for its more predictable snow driving dynamics that sold me. I’ve driven an i3 in winter and hated it, even on studded winter tires its a handful, considering it will be my wife driving it every day IMO safe predictable handling is what I wanted, it is also a fun car to drive.
The i3 is like Audis A2, well ahead of its time and not given the development it needed. BMW replaced it with a significantly more expensive less innovative vehicle. It’s a shame they never made a Mk2 i3.
Others have mentioned the tabs to drop the back seat from the boot in the i3, they were probably tucked under the boot liner you had in there. What you seemed to get in a tangle with, Richard, was the CCS charging in the i3. It's nothing to do with the REX. CCS was an optional extra in the early 60Ah battery models so you will find a significant number without on the second hand market for 2014 and 2015 ones in particular. They had 7kW AC as well. From the 94Ah [33kWh] ones onwards, mid 2016, CCS was standard and you got upto 11kW 3phase AC charging or 7kW single phase. I scanned the older comments quickly and didn't notice anyone noting this detail.
I have a 2014 Rex and it has DC fast charging
@@CandycaneBeyond yes, but a first time EV buyer needs to be alert that there are some on the 2nd hand market without CCS which are not for everyone. I had a 2017 one and now a 2019 one.
Thank you for the detailed comparison for ‘life in the day of’ these 3 smaller EVs!
And good reminder - BMW used the the 94Ah battery/135kW motor from the 2nd gen i3 for the Mini, just as a fwd unit instead of rwd. A big part of why the two are both VERY efficient - both use BMW’s hybrid synchronous motor.
Personally, I favor the i3. The advance material build of the passenger compartment makes it amazingly safe in accidents while very low mass for its size.
The projected range near 180 miles was a stellar surprise to me as well.
Overall I think the Mini takes it for me, hence the reason I ordered one in February and it comes at the end of this month
There’s just something about the mini that comes up trumps for me. Just wish the boot was a little bigger.
Great vid and new subbie!👍
Another great video by RSEV! It's been the MINI for us for the past 12 months - we love it. It would be interesting to see how the MINI stacks up vs Teslas in terms of efficiency Richard - how about an efficiency comparison test?
I have a bmw i3 rex , range is no concern to me, can't wait for the upcoming mazda ev rex
I like the look of the mini, but I still have range anxiety so I bought a BMW i3 Rex for $14k with 55k miles. Great car.
I have an i3 and agree with everything you said about it. It has a front storage space froot which I find really useful. It is really spacious inside and it is nice not to have the clear flat floor across the car. If you want it is really fast at the lights. I have done long trips in it and because the battery in my case 33kw it recharges to a good level quickly. In the city I love the regen. I find the distance gauge to be accurate but with regen on full in a city you tend to get a high percentage of the range back through the regen. Build quality is good. A classic in the making.😀
Thanks Richard and your team for another informative video. We have a Mini electric on order, so valuable stuff. I love watching your channel as do so many others, but if I may, I would like to make 2 comments on your videos. Firstly, thank you so much for telling us your height when reviewing rear seat space. It is pointless to just say 'I fit, it is sufficient' unless the audience knows what size you are. As an over 6 footer, this peeves me when I subesquently try a vehicle and find the reviewer must have been just average height and I wasted my trip. Secondly, I have to conclude that your sound editor is young and full of vim. Whenever there is music it is far too loud and I have to turn down the volume, then turn it back up to hear the narrative. I watch on a proper PC with sound fed through a professional amplifier to wall mounted stereo speakers. For those of us over 50, we really don't appreciate the volume variance, which seems so common on RUclips videos, but never on TV. I hope this is constructive critique rather than moaning, your content is always excellent and very watchable.
I have a Honda E, love it ❤❤
Great review. I’ve had my i3s for 20 months 13,500 now, options I bought were reversing camera and front parking sensors (it comes with the rears) I don’t think you mentioned heated seats mine were standard. Oh and there are release tabs to drop the rear seats from the back. So what do I love about it? Well everything except the charging port is on the wrong side for countries that drive on the left (or want to use Tesla Superchargers). 😬✅😍
I have had a 2015 i3 REX for a year now. I can’t fault it for practicality range option and nippy about town. It has CCS, parking assist although only used this twice so far! The ride is a little firmer than I would like but it was designed as a city car so understandable. It has done 41k miles and I paid £15.5k a year ago which in todays market seems pretty good vfm. I hope to keep this for at least a couple more years until more affordable EVs become available. One other bonus is it has zero Road tax.
Thanks Richard, another great video. We've had BMW i3 60Ah Rex for 3 years now. Its a 2016 model and has CCS. I agree with many of the comments below, it is a fun car and more practical than it first looks. I've had to do some longer journeys recently, up to 400 miles in a day; with Rex and 50kW charging all the way to 80+% it actually worked really well. Its a little tail happy in the wet on summer tyres but winter tyres or some more reserved driving sort that. I can sit in the back seat quite comfortably, although the sound system is basic and not great when sat in the back. Note however the ride is firm and jittery when driving on a rough road and the car does get blown around when its windy (not something that we experience in Aberdeenshire of course .....!). So I'm torn whether I would recommend it or not; as a city car or a car to throw around a bit on a country road, you wont regret it.
Mini was a surprise with its efficiency. Might have to have another look
Super video again, Richard. Many thanks for the efforts you & your team put into these. Please keep them coming. I’d like to suggest a future video on a buyers guide showing what you personally look out for when purchasing secondhand Tesla Model 3’s (soon Y’s too, no doubt) The different batteries (what dates they were introduced & how to check this), any tell-tale previous owner bad habits to watch out for (if applicable), or anything else you look for to help wannabe purchasers make a better informed choice.
i3 is a fantastic family car that is also a hoot to drive. One error in the video there are actually pull straps to drop the rear seats down from the hatch.
Nice video as usual, enjoyed it as always with the real world, normal person perspective. We went with a mini out of these 3 (plus the Fiat 500) for a lot of subjective reasons, build quality and performance. Amazing little car, good to see you got 148 mile range too, speaks volumes about the quality of the BMW engineering.
Here in the US, the only one available now is the Mini Cooper SE. I bought it, and it’s great!
Great little cars. Love to see you try out the SEAT Mii!
I have a VW E-Golf (mk7.5) it’s similar in range with the Mini (both have a WLTP of 144). I was so disappointed it was the first and only fully electric Golf as it’s a cracking car and I’m sure it would also make for good second hand markets. I’m hoping they do bring out an updated E-Golf before I hang the keys up on this. I dont like VWs ID range
As ever real world tests people want, superb no BS
Another great and informative video. BWW were ahead of the pack when they released the i3. It was designed to be an electric vehicle from the ground up with some innovative design choice. There was an excellent RUclips video that shows how the car was built from scratch in the factory It's a pity BWW seemed to have lost their way a bit with their latest EVs except for the iX, but that's an expensive car! I've had a Mini in the past and the build quality is good, with excellent performance and handling if you are the driver, but not so great on ride comfort for the passengers (a bit like a go-kart!). I also found the cabin claustrophobic. For me, the Honda E has the most charm, especially with regards to the dash, overall cabin design and quality of finish. I just wished it had a little more range and phone wireless charging.
Hi Richard,I’m on my 2nd i3rex and as you can imagine I absolutely love it/them, looking to upgrade to 120 ah (shame 120 not avail with Rex as that would’ve the ultimate for me) keep the excellent vids coming !
Only available in Canada. Would be the dream spec
My favourite is the i3S 30Ah (33kWh) with Rex. It's the only car capable of sidestepping the UK charge network outside of a Tesla. It's Quick, handles Great, has CCS, won't ever rust, has a carbon fibre tub chassis. Also has a phenomenal battery, ours has now done 125k miles and has lost just 2% capacity since new still reporting 31kWh and does 80 miles round trip daily often returning home with over 30% SOC. Also Swiss watch reliable, never had an issue. 5 Star car .
Your i3 rex is top of my list at the moment as I hope to get 2016 nearer £10k (last with no road tax) and with CCS in a year or two as I have no home charging option. Not a fan of extended warranties and wondered if have had any costly servicing from BMW? - I understand boots around suspicion can split and tyres are not cheap - would you still recommend one at 8 years old?
@@markreed9853 ours was last day with no road tax. 30Apr 2017 I believe. Tyres haven't been particularly expensive about £115 each and last 17k approx . Its only had 2 services then I got bored and haven't bothered since. It's been fine. I will change the oil in the Rex next month and that's it.
@@EVMYT thanks, am I right in saying it only needs an oil/ filter change on the Rex every 2-years? Hoping to use it 100% on electric but do understand it will start the engine at random times to check itself?
@@markreed9853 yes but BMW don't have a mileage requirement for servicing the i3 they just say every 2 years. They sent me home twice after I took it for a service before that as the miles were creeping up and said to wait. By the time it was 2 years old it had done 55k miles. I don't even send it to BMW for oil changes now, local place does it for £70
@@EVMYT I'm lucky in a way as I know an acquaintance who is a mechanic but when I mention the i3 he says he doesn't like working on them due to limited space I think so he may need some persuasion😂(fosters normally does it) - strangely its going to have to wait a couple of years so my Tesla shares pay for it 😂
For me the Mini is the winner best around out of the 3
Even though I’ve made my EV choices these videos are endlessly enjoyable and I still hanker after an i3!
Honda E stands out for its design inside & out. 👍
I have the BMW i3s, picked it up in march and absolutely love it. Love the quirkiness and handling. Plenty of room inside for 4 people and a dog
I've had an i3S since 2019. It's my best car to date: punchy performance, good handling, decent steering feel, beautiful interior with lots of texture (Suite and Lodge feel nicest, make sure you get the wood dash panel), compact dimensions yet *loads* of space in the front and enough in the back (there's even a little frunk), excellent visibility, 100% reliability so far, dirt-cheap to run, and tonnes of unusual engineering features to geek out over.
There's only one really major problem with it as far as I'm concerned: the harsh ride. It's pretty uncomfortable; I was in a Polestar 2 the other day and very envious of its ability to soften bumps.
There are a few smaller niggles. Range from the 120Ah version is perfectly livable, all I ever need in the summer (150-200 miles), but I'd be happier with a bit more in the winter (110-150). Charging speed is fine, but most EVs today can take more than 50 kW. Software interface is okay but a bit German and unintuitive - prefer it to the mess in the new i4 though. Would like the footwells to be a bit lower; that's an issue with the skateboard battery platform. The hifi is just ok, bass easily gets lost even with the Harman Kardon system. Would like a little more motor noise and a little less road/wind rumbling. Would like an equivalent to Tesla's sentry mode and HEPA filter. And on non-S models, the roadholding is quite poor on wet, windy or rough roads; this is the main reason I went for the S (it's *extremely* planted).
I had a BMW i3 94ah REX as my company car - clocked up 110K+ miles over 4 years. REX really useful back then when only in-journey charging option was ECOTRICITY-roulette. Fast, comfortable (in the front at least) and you could get loads of stuff in the back with the seats down and great tech + it has a Carbon Fibre tub - how amazing is that!
Great episode very interesting I’d have the Mini
Thanks for a typically excellent video. Also the comments are very interesting and these show that, from ownership experience, the BMW i3 is by far the most popular. This might be because it's been around longer so more people have them, but also simply because it's so well-liked - the comments are overwhelmingly positive (main complaints are the firm ride and fragile tyres). My wife will need to replace her mk 1 Leaf and I think the Mini might be safest for her with it's predictable fwd handling, But the range, capacity (as a 2-seater) and the parking-resistant plastic body of the i3 are tempting, especially the i3S with it's more stable handling.
Great Video, no faffing... well done...
I’ve owned my BMW I3S Rex for the last 4 years. I regularly get 120 miles electric and another 90 miles on the Rex. I’ve been to Cornwall and back twice from the North West and it was really easy. I’ve ordered a KIA EV6 but I think that I’ll miss my little I3S.
@Rsymons_1👈ON TELEGRAM ooh what have I won?
Nice video as usual and by the way you said 28kW usable for the Honda so not sure why message came up 🤔👍
The BMW i3 is really amazing, when you get to drive it and use it everyday thats when you really get to realize how good it is, too bad BMW didnt update it with modern interiors and a restyling instead they abandoned it which is incredibly stupid, it could have been really competitive especially with a lower price
9:50 .. the 360 degree view !
Why don’t Tesla support that ? It’s VERY useful when parking!
Cameras in the wrong place in a Tesla
I have had a 2017 I3 Rex 33Kwh and have ran it for 3 years now, just love it and I think its a Future Classic. I do like the Honda Design but I'm more than happy with the I3
I wish the Honda E was available in the US. It seems like such a good car
Sure you can fold rear seats in i3 from outside easily. There are straps for this purpose in the corners. They are covered by the rediculous rubber thing in the video.
Dropped one of the seats from the rear just this morning, actually.
Great video as always, have to say the quirkiness of the Honda gets my vote - However as prices for a fully loaded Hyundai Kona are now sub £30k it has to be put in the mix with these 3 purely on range? Not that I would put my money on the Kona, I run one now as a temporary company car until my Ioniq 5 arrives ....it's a little bit boring :-)
I had a BMW i3 a few years ago and returned it due to the battery being degraded but wow what an amazing vehicle! I loved every aspect of it besides the range...silly me i didnt get the REX model
Mini and i3 at 5.1mi/kWh and 4.9mi/kWh are super efficient considering you were driving up to 70mph. My Leaf is hitting 4.1mi/kWh. That roughly 1mi/kWh difference over say 5000 miles a year is 250kW saved, at 28.5p/kWh that would save £356.25 a year for just 5000 miles.
Great video, as always. I have had a blue Honda e for the past 16 months and 11,000 miles. Love it, my personal favourite car in 30 years, inc Focus RS Mk2, Mini Cooper S, Jag XF etc. Mine suits my life well at the moment, only had to rapid charge 6 times and all driving has been confined to South Yorkshire. Our Kia diesel, does long trips, caravan, dog, extended family etc but it is so dull and has the worst drivetrain combo ever of a diesel/ manual/old school cruise control.
Downsides to the Honda - Silly placement of the one pedal drive mode button (it should be activated by an extra click of the left regen paddle), small boot (but not actually been a problem for me) and that's about it. Upsides - Quality design touches everywhere, such a nice place to sit and look back at when leaving it anywhere. About town acceleration and handling are almost perfect although I'd love to try the Mini from that respect. Adaptive cruise is awesome, wireless CarPlay is also awesome. Nothing has gone wrong. The app is laggy but I only use it for pre-heating/cooling and it works fine for that. I got mine when is was £29 k, so only leased it through my little company for £250 + VAT per month. Not sure its good value at the 450 per month prices now.
I considered both the Mini, i3 and 208 but the spec (free adaptive cruise and wireless CarPlay) and design touches won it over for me.
It's a luxury purchase not a money saving purchase, even though it's cheap to run, so had to be right for me. I could have kept by old Fiesta with no monthly cost.
I wonder if yours is the gloriously shiny, royal blue metallic Honda E I often see whizzing around Rotherham, then...?
Private reg plate on it...?
If so, I always point it out to my wife when we're out & about - it looks absolutely stunning.
I have a '67 plate, Protonic Blue i3 if ever you see me passing by... 👍
@@jonathantaylor1998 You may have seen it, but it’s not that one, just an ordinary 21 plate. Slight beautiful blue though 😅
We own both the mini (2022) and the BMW (2019 120rex). Under the boot it's the same car. We live in San Diego and on average we are around 3.7-4 m/kWh. We are moving to the UK in a year and I am glad to hear that they are more efficient. You can fold the seats down from the boot of the BMW. I'd recommend either one.
Which one has more comfortable suspension?
@@JeLifeCoach it depends on what you mean better. I3s I would choose over the two. It’s more comfortable has usable back seats, and it has a ton of cargo space for its size.
Mini though… handles like the Miata, stiffer suspension.
The Honda is not available in my country, and the end of production has left i3 owners with nowhere to go. The Mini is just too, well, mini, but we'll see when a 4-door version comes out.
You can easily fold down the back seats of the i3 from the cargo area !! On both sides there is a loop also !!!
I believe that only some of the earlier 60Ah i3’s don’t have CCS - I have a 94Ah Rex that does have CCS. Fantastic car - such a shame BMW have dropped it.
My 2015 i3 REX has CCS, I think only the very first batch out of the factory didn't have it. 50Kw charging doesn't sound like much, but the i3 maintains it right up to 75%.Lots of more recent cars start out at 100Kw or more, but can only maintain it for a few minutes.
One other thing that I find amazing - I mean, correct me if I'm wrong, but the "og" Hyundai IONIC would still slap all of them around easily regarding efficiency, right?
How did they make the Honda e this inefficient? Because Honda hybrids are pretty good.
great video mate
These are all great cars. I own a BMW i3 94 Rex and it is by far the best city car I have ever owned. The design integrity is incredible and it makes you wonder how BMW could go so wrong since with its Electric cars. But I also love minis and that Honda is classic Honda - quirky and more brilliant engineering. I reckon 1. BMW, 2. Honda 3. Mini but hard call
I had the mini and loved it. But changed it due to practicality re boot space and passenger space. Also great sporty ride but a tad to firm for me.
Great video! 👍🏼 could you make a video on the mg zs ev lr. Can lend mine 😉
Nice video, but three points:
1. The mini boot floor can be raised to create a flat loading area
2. The i3 seats can be folded flat without having tor return to the cabin; there are pull tags on either side accessible from the boot.
3. All i3s, including REX versions have "fast" charging (~44kW actual) as standard from, I think, the 94Ah models onwards; fast charging was an option on the early 60Ah models.
We have the i3 rex it is amazing how much you can get in it with the seats down. The only thing I would have done differently was by the bigger battery no rex one. As we hardly ever use the rex as we need to stop for a break anyway and it changes fast on a rapid charger.
What I like about I3 and the Honda is that the're trying to go ahead in time.
I think the light build of the i3 body especially the canopy is pretty smart as it permits softer suspension on a relatively high car because the body roll when cornering is less. In my experience many SUV's have quite stiff suspension. At least if its not air suspension.
Unfortunately the high body also compromises range a little bit which is a pity. Would have loved a lower i3 but its not going to be build as the new i3 will not be based on carbon and aluminium but on steel. Btw a lower i3 would have some difficult with getting the battery in.
I have an i3 in the same colour as the one in the test. It's a really great car and I love it. It's very well built and feels as quick off the line as the 540i I owned a couple of years ago! The rear doors can be a faff in tight parking bays but It's not a big issue and it does have some advantages to offset the downsides. The interior still looks 100% modern
Went for a drive to the coast today - 120 miles of mixed roads and it managed 5.3 m/kWh. It has the standard 19" wheels which might help a bit over the 20s on the test car?
It works as a City Car but you can easily do longer trips in it.
I loved the fresh style of the Honda E but its range and price totally kills it. BMW i3 was brilliant in its day, shame BMW management couldn't see what they had or what the "market wanted".... Imagine dropping the i3 and saying Hydrogen is the future!!
hay the i3 has little straps in the back to fold the seat forward from the boot side. you don have to go round. good video, i owned mini and i3 for long time, did like the Honda from your review. All three are excellent little movers. Also in the us all the rex have ccs. ????
I have a Tesla Model 3 LR and looking for a second car. I prefer the styling of the Honda E. Trying to decide if I can justify the price and the short range. 110 miles feels very limited. Will the Honda E hold its value well?
Could also have mentioned all the cars with a frunk... But love your unbiased content. Only one of these are made with supercar materials :)
i3. Very practical zippy mini electric for shorter daily city commute. Pity BMW didn’t come thru with increasing its range beyond the 153 miles 120Ah pack version. Loved it very much.
Just bought i3 haven't collected yet
Damm the BMWs are efficient 👍
All great little cars. Shame we still don’t have cheaper small cars.
Had i3 for 3 years and it was great.. (94Ah Rex), although a bit wobbly on rough surface/bumps and those suicide doors were great if you had lots of room. In tight car park/spaces with car next to you, really awkward… but loved it though.
The Mini E, is my wife’s next car, after eGolf goes back to lease company, really funky, although a little bit small at the back. Has the same battery and drivetrain as the previous i3s 94Ah… and weirdly, it is more efficient than the Bemer…, without carbonfibre, etc… aerodynamics I assume. I could only get 3.8mi/kwh long term consumption with town/motorway combined after 45000miles.
Great review.
Has anyone charged an i3 at a Tesla Charging station?
Thank you.
I have had my “Litl’ Blue” 2017 BMW i3 BEV 33Kw 94Ah since 01/25/2021. I bought it in showroom condition from an original owner with 24k on the odometer. I’m 75, drive it about 30-100 miles a month mostly to pick up online ordered groceries and to visit the VA clinic. I use a 240V, 16A (3.84Kw) Level 2 charger in my carport routed inside as an alternate to my dryer outlet. I get 13.5 miles per hour of charging and at home my FPL electric cost at $0.031 per Mile. If there is a more perfect EV out there, I simply don’t want it. I don’t need more range, acceleration, styling, features, reliability, comfort, handling, or value. Litl Blue is obviously my Forever Car. Paid $16,500 but was offered $24,000 by Edmunds 3 months ago which tickled my worn out ego. You will name yours too lol.
Thanks Rich, another great video well worth watching for anyone in the market. Do you think there are any bad EVs out there? I haven't come across one yet.
Nissan Leaf is not treating its batteries nicely
Zoe
@@EVMYT Zoe??? I've got a Zoe and it's great!!
@@StevenHaggis glad you like it. I had one and would rather walk. I'm a Twizy owner so nothing against Renault. Zoe was just the worst EV of the lot. Had issues with earth faults when charging up too and software bugs caused endless issues. Better places to put your money
Honda turning diameter 8,6m
smart 453 turning diameter 6,95, i think that takes the record, it would actually park on the left of the Honda with a few cm, between them
i3 boot you can get 15 bags of horse feed in it, with the seats down.
Just done Glasgow to St Albans and back this weekend and I took the Mini petrol. It gets 55 mpg easy on a run and it was 443 miles door to door with a slight detour to visit a place. When my fuel tank says 150 miles I get twitchy 😁 but I did it on a less than a tank or would have I always top up from full at Penrith. I can’t imagine doing it in one of these it would be a nightmare. The Tesla’s I’d have no problem with and I get these are city Cars. I would just need the next gen MINI EV to get 300 miles real world as our MINI’s go on road trips and holidays. I’d love a EV I was sitting in a traffic jam for an hour on the M6 heading south and guy beside me was in a model 3 and thought yeah him crawling at 4 mph was easy. Why BMW insist on not using kWh is beyond me just to confuse the issue and sound like it has more to the pack. Also I tip my hat for that John o' Groats to Lands end run you did as I had enough when I got up the drive last night with 440 done and couldn’t imagine doing 830 plus miles in a day. 😁
Have several ideas cars but we bought a 2020 i3s as a runabout. We get free electric charge at work 4 miles away so no home charger at all yet and 3 months don’t feel we need one. Good car, nippy, decent space inside, range is ok for what we need. Only downsides are charging network in uk is a joke, suicide doors whilst making it easier to get in back are rubbish in tight Carparks as you can’t get out if rear so have to move forward out of the space.
How do you feel about the rising prices in October and do you reckon charging your vehicle at home will have a significant impact on cost? I also wonder if public charging will significantly increase.
I love… my 2021 Model 3 SR+!
But, it was great fun to watch this video and see all these EVs and their uniqueness!
Thank you for a terrific comparison (love the side by side drives!) of their features and specs. Great (or as you say, “Brilliant!”).
I have a 2020 i3S, I am also a long term owner of a perfect Audi A2 90. These cars are a similar size/shape and both have unique construction. We really like the i3 but there is no way I will ever sell the A2 what with its 60mpg, £30.00 road tax and the ability to remove the rear seats in a few seconds. I had considered having the A2 electrified but quotes were circa £50k which is pretty ridiculous, especially when you can get a modern i3 for less than half that cost.
Richard, any chance of a comparison between a Kona 64 kWh ultimate and a tesla M3 rear wheel drive , similar quoted range?
The I3 is a great car for the size. My biggest issue with it is that it is no longer in production which means that as time goes on getting hold of spares will be more problematic than the other cars. The styling of the Honda E is something that I find really attractive with the proviso that the early reviewers were not so impressed with its range figures. I don't like the Mini Electric so much but I suspect it would be more practical than the Honda E with the I3 being the best on that front.
I have the BMW i3 love it would have got a new one if they still made them
IF I could buy that Honda EV in the USA I'd be ordering one like yesterday.
They are all great, I've heard the BMW is pricey to insure as it is near impossible to repair with that carbon? I would like them to be tested right down to completely out of power as I believe some keep alot more in reserve than others (the Honda upto 20 miles for example)?
I live in the uk, had a 2019 Mercedes e220d AMG LINE cabriolet and swapped in for a BMW i3s 2022, I got a refund on my insurance, in was 20% cheaper than the Mercedes. This was through admiral.
Bmw i3s 120 Ah my car and i love it.
Great comparison. Just a shame the person driving the Honda e on the motorway in the video had the drivers window slightly open - this would kill its efficiency
Good info .