There are few genuinely unique cars on the road, but the BMW i8 is one of them. It combines stand-out styling and supercar performance with the efficiency of a plug-in hybrid and a luxurious interior. If you like to go against the grain and can afford an i8, you’ll find out everything you need to know about it in this guide.
You can’t actually buy or lease a new i8 in the UK any more, as BMW stopped making it in 2020. It’s a relatively rare sight, but there’s a decent supply of used examples available. While you’re here, why not check out the i8s in stock at heycar?
You'll either love or hate the i8’s styling, but there’s no denying it’s a dramatic-looking car that really stands out from the crowd. However, it isn’t dramatic for the sake of it. Every element of the bodywork is designed to make the car as aerodynamic – and therefore efficient – as possible.
You get in through the upwards-opening ‘butterfly’ doors (which allow much easier access than conventional doors would) and you’ll find a swooping dashboard design. Again, it looks pretty dramatic, but all the controls and the media system are shared with BMW’s saloon cars, so everything is really easy to use. There’s very generous space in the coupe’s front seats, but the rear seats are only child-sized. Or you can use them as extra storage space to supplement the compact boot. The open-top Spyder only has two seats, but there’s as much room as in front of the coupe.
To drive, the i8 feels simultaneously light and agile, and smooth and comfortable. It’s also very fast when the engine and electric motor are working together to give all the power they can offer. It’s still pretty swift, in fact, when they’re working on their own. Overall, the i8 driving experience is really well-rounded. That may sound like faint praise, but it pulls off the same trick as the legendary Porsche 911. The i8 can cruise quietly and efficiently to some far-flung place, then give you a fantastic time on a winding country road when you get there.
It’s worth fleshing out the efficiency point, because the i8 gives better fuel economy than any comparable sports car. You need to fully recharge the batteries regularly to get anywhere near the sky-high official MPG numbers, but 40mpg-plus is easily achievable. It also has a range of driving on battery power alone of more than 30 miles, which is enough to cover most people’s daily commute.
If you have already decided you want an i8, you’ll be pleased to know it’s a fantastic car. If you’re considering one against a selection of other sports cars, such as the Porsche 911, the BMW offers a unique experience.
With plug-in hybrid power, fuel and vehicle excise duty costs are really low for this type of car, although insurance premiums will be pricey. The i8 is proving to be very reliable, too, with many owners covering big mileages without encountering any trouble. Retained values are very strong, and prices for the earliest examples are probably as low as they’re going to get. The best used i8s may actually start to increase in value soon.
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There is only one powertrain option in the BMW i8. That's understandable given how complex the combination of a mid-mounted 1.5-litre petrol three-cylinder turbo engine and powerful electric motor must have been to build.
Not all BMW i8s are alike though, and it's worth buying a car built after the mid-life facelift (BMW calls this an LCI). That's because the later car has a more powerful 144PS electric motor and larger 11.6kWh battery pack. It makes the BMW i8 better at its hybrid party tricks, increasing the zero-emissions range and improving economy.
The handling was also tweaked over the course of the car's life, with thicker anti-roll bars and improved adaptive dampers added to the later cars to make them sharper through corners and more supple in town.
There’s only one engine available in the i8 and it’s perhaps the car’s key selling point. With plug-in hybrid power, the i8 gives fuel economy and CO2 emissions that no other comparable sports car can match, and it’s still seriously fast.
BMW i8 1.5 Plug-in Hybrid petrol – The petrol engine in the i8 is a 1.5-litre three-cylinder turbocharged unit that’s also found in the Mini Cooper. Here, it works with an electric motor to produce a total of 373PS, which translates to 0-62mph in 4.3 seconds in the coupe (4.5 seconds in the Spyder). The battery can offer an EV range of up to 34 miles and it takes a couple of hours to recharge at home. CO2 emissions are really low, at 49g/km for the coupe and 50g/km for the Spyder. A six-speed automatic gearbox and four-wheel drive are also standard.
BMW didn’t think it necessary to have multiple trim levels for the i8, but the package of standard equipment is pretty comprehensive – and features BMW’s top-of-the-line tech. There are some variations between the coupe and Spyder models, which we’ll go over below.
BMW i8 coupe – In coupe form, the i8 comes with BMW’s top-grade Professional media system, which features built-in sat-nav and Apple CarPlay connectivity, plus a Harman/Kardon stereo, air conditioning, leather upholstery, electrically-adjustable heated front seats, a 360-degree camera system, head-up display and cruise control.
BMW i8 Spyder – The i8 Spyder has all the same features as the coupe, plus it gets a wireless phone charging pad, wi-fi hotspot and an electric retractable roof.
The BMW i8’s exterior dimensions are:
Length: 4689mm
Width: 1942mm
Height: 1298mm
The BMW i8 coupe’s boot capacity is 154 litres.
There are plenty of BMW i8s sold before 1 April 2017 that enjoy free road tax thanks to their sub-100g/km carbon dioxide emissions. For later i8s put on the from the start of April 2017, you will pay £180 for road tax every year, which is unlikely to put off any potential buyer given the i8's cost as a used car.
Unsurprisingly, the i8 is ranked in the very top insurance group: group 50. It’s a powerful and complex car that is made from exotic materials, so repair costs can be steep.