With a lot of used EVs, you’ll have to accept certain compromises. A base-model Ioniq 5 may be cheap and nice to drive, but its range is poor. A used Tesla Model 3 is cheap and goes far, but they tend to get creaky with age. Mercedes EQ cars are available for one third of their MSRP, but you have to accept ugly styling and so-so dynamics.
But the BMW iX has always been a no-compromise EV, and it’s finally cheap enough to be a realistic option for many shoppers.
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Source: Tim Stevens/InsideEVs
The large, two-row SUV has been on sale since 2022, and it’s proved to be a hit with critics. It offers up to 364 miles of range, has excellent real-world efficiency and is fun to drive, in my experience. It’s got a modern, sleek cabin with relatively easy-to-use technology, space for your whole family and 8.7 inches of ground clearance with standard all-wheel drive. As a go-anywhere, do-anything EV, it’s hard to beat. There’s just one catch: The iX starts at $87,100. Ouch.
But now you can get one for less than half of that. A brief look at AutoTrader, Cars.com and CarGurus showed plenty of examples available for under $45,000, with some coming in well under $30,000. And these aren’t cars with a crazy number of miles, either:
Photo by: InsideEVs
There’s another major benefit here. While most early current-generation EVs had some serious teething issues, BMW seems to have launched the iX and i4 without much fuss. Our long-term review from contributor Tim Stevens has been glowing and mostly trouble free, and Edmunds called its long-term tester a “refreshingly carefree EV.”
I monitor reliability metrics and owner complaints on forums with some regularity, and while there are certainly some issues, the iX seems to be a remarkably reliable vehicle. Given that EVs are far simpler to build, and that BMW has been building EVs in volume for some time, these should be more reliable and cheaper to maintain than any comparable gas vehicle.
It’s a good time to pick up a cheap iX, too, as the new EV market is in a weird place. We’re still waiting to see the full impact of the tax credit going away and regulations getting rolled back, and it’s unlikely that hyper-cheap EV lease deals are going to stick around. That means for most people, the best option will be a used EV.
For my money, if you want a true luxury EV experience in a captivating package, the iX is the best deal on the market.
Contact the author: Mack.Hogan@insideevs.com
