BMW i5 Touring Review

BMW was among the very earliest adopters to EV cars with its i3 and i8 models, both of which were quite radical in their approaches. The BMW i5 Touring, on the other hand, is about as low key as it gets.

This is not a bad thing in our book as those buying an executive estate car are unlikely to be looking for something left-field and whacky. What they want is lots of space, comfort, equipment, and driving range.

The BMW i5 Touring serves up those requirements in full. Starting with space, you get the same 570-litre boot as the 5 Series Touring powered by petrol or plug-in hybrid drivetrains. No surprise there as they all share the same platform, though this does also mean the i5 misses a 'frunk' under the bonnet to stash charging cables.

There is an underfloor hatch in the BMW i5 Touring's boot for just that purpose, and you can expand the boot by lowering the 40-20-40 split and tip rear seats. Do this using the levers in the set into the sides of the boot and you don't even need to fiddle around behind the seats. With the seats folded down, you have an identical 1700-litres of capacity as the petrol versions, so there's not penalty for going EV.

You won't notice much different in the rest of the cabin, either, as the BMW i5 Touring follows the same classy lines as its i5 saloon counterpart or the petrol-powered models. This means you get superbly comfortable seats, a great driving position, and with the estate there's better all-round vision. This is augmented by a 360-degree parking camera.

Space is generous for those in the front and the two outer rear seats, which have Isofix mounts. However, anyone sitting in the central rear pew will find themselves perched higher and on a more thinly padded cushion, so its best reserved for occasional short-hop use.

Also the same as other latest generation 5 Series models is the 12.3-inch main dash display and 14.9-inch infotainment screen. They are joined together to form an elegant sweep in front of the driver. The infotainment is, in general, easy to navigate, but some menus can take a while to suss out. Thankfully, BMW has retained an iDrive-style controller on the transmission tunnel that is much easier to work than using the touchscreen in our experience.

Now, power for the BMW i5 Touring comes in two choices, with either the i5 eDrive40 or the high performance M60 xDrive. While the M60 grabs the headlines with its four-wheel drive, 601PS power output, and 0-62mph in a sizzling 3.9 seconds, it is expensive. For this reason, and the fact the eDrive40 is no slouch, we'd choose the lower power model.

The BMW i5 eDrive40 Touring also has a greater EV driving range than its sister model - up to 340 miles versus 310 miles. While the eDrive40 is rear-wheel drive only, it feels exactly like a BMW should on the road with agile handling, precise steering, and a controlled, supple ride. Given it has few direct rivals right now, it is a compelling choice for anyone looking at an upmarket EV estate.

There are two power options to choose from with the BMW i5 Touring, though there is a large jump in price if you want the all-wheel drive, all powerful M60 xDrive Touring. It comes with 601PS to make it a serious performance wagon, with a near £100,000 starting price to match.

Brilliant as the M60 is, our vote goes to the i5 eDrive40 Touring. It has a longer driving range, is much cheaper (though still pricey) to buy, and is superbly equipped in starting point Sport Edition trim. You can upgrade to the M Sport if you want that look, though it does add around £6500 to the final bill.

The BMW i5 Touring currently starts at £69,850 for the BMW i5 eDrive40 Sport Edition. The BMW i5 eDrive40 M Sport rises to £76,355, while the BMW i5 M60 xDrive Touring tops the range at £99,995.

That means the BMW i5 Touring is firmly into premium executive-car money, and the M60 xDrive in particular brushes against six figures before options. Even by the standards of large EVs, that is serious money.

The upside is that the BMW i5 Touring feels like a very complete product. The interior quality is excellent, the performance is strong, and the practicality is genuinely useful rather than tokenistic.

It still needs to be judged as a luxury purchase, though. This is not a bargain way into electric estate motoring. It is a premium BMW first and foremost.

The Porsche Taycan Sport Turismo is the most obvious alternative if you want a premium electric estate with a stronger sporting bent. It feels lower, more focused and more special to drive, though it is usually less practical for the money and expensive once you start adding options.

The Audi A6 Avant e-tron is another natural rival, especially for buyers who want an electric executive estate with a clean design, a high-tech cabin and Audi’s usual polish. It is likely to be one of the BMW i5 Touring’s most important competitors.

The Mercedes-Benz E-Class Estate is not a full EV, but it is still relevant because many premium-estate buyers will be weighing the BMW i5 Touring against more conventional plug-in or combustion alternatives rather than another electric estate. It remains a benchmark for comfort and long-distance ease.

Beyond those three, buyers may also look at the BMW i5 Touring and simply decide whether they want an estate at all or whether an electric SUV such as the BMW iX or Mercedes-Benz EQE SUV makes more sense. The BMW i5 Touring’s appeal is that for many drivers, it probably will not.

Practicality is one of the BMW i5 Touring’s major strengths. Open the powered tailgate and you get 570 litres of boot space, which is exactly the kind of figure buyers will expect from a large executive estate.

Better still, it is a useful 570 litres. The shape is broad and square, the floor sits flush with the load sill and there is helpful underfloor storage for charging cables and smaller items. Fold the 40:20:40 split rear seats and capacity rises to 1,700 litres.

That means the BMW i5 Touring is genuinely useful rather than merely better than the saloon. It also stacks up very well against the Audi A6 Avant e-tron, which is a much more relevant benchmark here than a combustion or plug-in rival because it is an electric estate with the same basic brief. The Audi offers 502 litres of boot space, so the BMW i5 Touring holds a clear advantage for outright luggage capacity before you even consider the BMW’s square load bay and useful underfloor cable storage.

Passenger space is equally convincing. There is plenty of room up front and generous legroom in the rear, while the estate body gives you a slightly airier feel than the saloon. The only real compromise is the centre rear seat, which is higher and thinner than the outer pair and best treated as occasional seating.

The BMW i5 Touring measures 5,060mm long, 1,900mm wide & 1,515mm high.

That makes it a large estate by any measure, and it has the road presence to match. Even so, the BMW i5 Touring does not feel cumbersome once you are aboard. The visibility is good for a car of this type, and the estate body actually helps with confidence when looking over your shoulder or placing the rear of the car.

The long wheelbase also helps create the sort of spacious, settled cabin atmosphere buyers in this class want.

BMW uses the same curved display setup here as in the saloon, pairing a 12.3-inch digital driver display with a 14.9-inch central touchscreen. It still looks excellent and gives the cabin exactly the sort of flagship-lite ambience BMW wants.

There is a lot to take in at first because BMW’s software is rich in features and not especially shy about presenting them. But the system is fast, clear and better thought through than many rivals once you spend a little time with it.

Crucially, BMW has retained the iDrive rotary controller on the centre console. That makes interacting with the system on the move much easier than relying on touch alone, and it remains one of the best infotainment-control solutions in the business.

This is one of the BMW i5 Touring’s strongest areas. BMW’s Veganza upholstery feels expensive enough that many buyers will not miss traditional leather, while the rest of the cabin is finished to a very high standard.

Switchgear, trim materials and the overall sense of solidity all help make the BMW i5 Touring feel properly premium. It is not an especially flamboyant interior, but it is a very rich and carefully judged one.

In simple terms, it feels as expensive as the price tag suggests it should.

Choose the BMW i5 eDrive40 Touring and it comes with an 83.9kWh (81.2kWh usable) battery and 340PS motor that drives the rear wheels. This delivers 0-62mph in 6.1 seconds, so its performance is very close to that of the 530e plug-in hybrid version.

In real world driving, this is all the power and performance you will need. Should you want to overtake with an extra bit of bustle, there's a boost paddle behind the steering wheel that gives an extra shot of power for 10 seconds, though we didn't find it necessary. In every other situation, the eDrive40 feels refined, quiet and there's a choice of brake regenerations settings from mild to strong so you can coast or drive in a one-pedal fashion depending on your preference.

With the M60 xDrive, as the names suggests, it's four-wheel drive and this is achieved with a second motor to power the front wheels. In total, its two motors deliver 601PS and there's the same 83.9kWh battery, so it does mean a reduced driving range compared to the eDrive40. Still, that won't worry anyone buying this car for its 0-62mph time of 3.9 seconds.

A big estate car is not usually the first car that springs to mind when you think of entertaining driving. However, the BMW 5 Series Touring has always bucked that trend, and the latest i5 Touring follows the same path.

While the outrageously fast M60 xDrive comes with four-wheel drive to endow it will impressive all-weather traction, there is a pay-off in ride quality with its larger 20-inch wheels. Other models with the eDrive40 spec come on 19-inch wheels as standard, which are a little more forgiving on lumpy, bumpy roads.

The M60 also has the Adaptive Suspension Professional set-up fitted as standard. This lowers the car by 5mm compared to the other models and works to give more precision steering feel. This suspension system is an option for the eDrive40 models, but we'd question spending the extra £2400 when these models come on 19-inch wheels as standard for a smoother ride.

Also, the normal steering set-up of the BMW i5 Touring is very good to begin with. It's not quite as jam-packed with feel as the previous generation 5 Series Touring was, but it certainly keeps you up to date on the car's position, attitude, and grip.

While many BMW i5 Touring buyers will be drawn in by the looks of the M Sport trim, we reckon the Sport Edition is the one that drives with the best comfort. It's also a very nimble handling machine where you will never feel left behind or unsettled on any road or at any speed. Plus, the i5 Touring is also easy to park in town.

With no internal combustion engine to deal with as in its petrol-fuelled sister models, the BMW i5 Touring is very quiet. There is a little zizz from the tyres on poor quality tarmac, but not anything intrusive or irritating. Nor do you hear much in the way of wind noise at any speed.

The BMW i5 Touring has not been separately tested by Euro NCAP, but it is based on the same platform and structure as the latest BMW 5 Series, which earned a full five-star Euro NCAP rating in 2023.

That makes the BMW i5 Touring reassuring on paper, and it is backed up by a strong standard assistance package that includes the expected mix of automatic emergency braking, lane support systems and other modern safety technology.

BMW also offers additional packs for buyers who want more advanced driver-assistance and parking functions.

The official WLTP range for the BMW i5 eDrive40 Touring is up to 370 miles in the most efficient form, while the BMW i5 M60 xDrive Touring manages up to 322 miles.

Those are strong figures for a large, premium electric estate and help make the BMW i5 Touring feel genuinely usable as a long-distance EV.

Charging performance is strong too. Both versions support DC charging at up to 205kW, which allows a 10-80% charge in around 30 minutes under ideal conditions. AC charging is 11kW as standard, with faster AC capability available in some cases.

That gives the BMW i5 Touring a very convincing charging story overall, especially for buyers with easy home charging access.

BMW provides a three-year unlimited-mileage warranty on the BMW i5 Touring. The high-voltage battery is covered separately for eight years or 100,000 miles.

Servicing is handled through BMW’s condition-based approach and service-plan structure rather than simple old-fashioned fixed intervals. For EVs, BMW Service Inclusive covers items such as the service vehicle check, microfilter and brake fluid for a defined period.

Insurance is predictably expensive. The BMW i5 eDrive40 Touring sits in group 43, while the BMW i5 M60 xDrive Touring rises to group 50.

That puts the M60 right at the top of the scale, so buyers should budget carefully.

The BMW i5 Touring now pays the standard annual VED rate after year one, which is £200 for zero-emission cars.

Because every BMW i5 Touring costs more than the £50,000 threshold that now applies to electric cars, it also attracts the Expensive Car Supplement. Under the current 2026 rates, that adds £440 a year in years two to six, taking the total annual VED bill to £640 during that period.

That is a meaningful ongoing cost and it does blunt some of the old EV tax advantage.