2026 BMW X Models Reviews

The BMW X1 won the Best Small Car starting under $80,000 category in CarsGuide's 2026 Car of the Year awards, and the line-up has just received a shake-up.While petrol and electric (iX1) versions of this small SUV are still on offer, there is now a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) variant.Dubbed the X1 xDrive25e, it’s priced from $79,900, before on-road costs. It’s almost $9000 more than the petrol-powered sDrive20i M Sport ($70,962 BOC), which is only front-wheel drive.This sees it compete against other plug-in hybrid rivals like the Mercedes-Benz GLA250e ($78,800 BOC) and Cupra Formentor VZe ($68,990 BOC). Audi hasn’t launched a PHEV version of its new-generation Q3 in Australia yet.Our test car is fitted with the Enhancement Package ($5700) which adds the following:Metallic paintPanoramic glass sunroof12-speaker Harman Kardon sound systemHeated steering wheelThere is a 1.5-litre turbocharged three-cylinder petrol engine that powers the front wheels with a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic, as well as an 80kW electric motor on the rear axle. Total system outputs are 180kW and 477Nm which is good for a 0-100km/h sprint in 6.8 seconds.There’s plenty of power on tap. Around town the electric motor handles almost all of it on its own, but lean harder on the accelerator or deplete the battery charge and the petrol engine steps in to assist.When the petrol engine first fires there can be slight hesitation as the powertrain shuffles how the drive is sent. It’s brief and then things smooth out.The three-cylinder petrol engine has a fun, perky but you can tell it's working hard to shift 1855kg of small SUV.Feeding the electric motor is a 16.3kWh (14.2kWh usable) lithium-ion battery pack which allows for up to 86km of WLTP-claimed electric range. During my urban real-world testing I saw closer to 55km, which isn’t very much by today's standards.BMW claims the X1 xDrive25e has a combined fuel consumption of 3.3L/100km, according to ADR 81/02 testing, though your usage will depend on how often you charge. When the battery was depleted I saw an average of 9.5-10L/100km, which is a fair bit for a car of this size.There is a 47L fuel tank that requires a minimum of 95 RON premium unleaded petrol.Charging up the battery pack can only be done by a Type 2 plug that’s on the front-left quarter panel and allows for AC charging at rates up to 11kW. With this a full charge is claimed to take 1.75 hours.Even though it can feel like the turbo three-cylinder engine is working hard, it’s aided by the electric motor. When you boot the accelerator there's plenty of oomph available, plus if you’re feeling frisky, there’s also a ‘Boost’ mode that turns everything to 11.Once the need for speed is over, it’s surprising just how fun this car is to drive, even around town. This is primarily thanks to light, yet direct steering.This version of the X1 comes with the M Sport package as standard, which means it has a sportier suspension set-up with adaptive dampers. It’s generally comfortable and compliant, though harsher bumps can transmit into the cabin with a jolt.There’s a lot of polish to this car and it’s clear it's still a segment benchmark, at least from a dynamic standpoint.The BMW X1 still has a striking cabin with its dual screen set-up, though the 10.7-inch touchscreen multimedia system does look a touch small now compared to some of its competitors.Looking elsewhere there's the classic chunky BMW steering wheel, a generous amount of open storage under the centre console, a handy clamp to hold your phone on the wireless charger, as well as a comically small centre armrest storage spot.Despite being a small SUV, there’s still a generous amount of space in the second row. Plus, the floor is virtually flat, meaning the centre seat isn’t a terrible place to sit. Though the centre seat has a roof-mounted seatbelt which does eat into rearward visibility.Adding to the segment-defying space, it has 490L of boot space with the rear seats upright, expanding to 1495L when folded. Surprisingly for a PHEV there’s even underfloor storage for the charging cables, however there’s no spare wheel.Petrol and electric versions of the BMW X1 have a five-star ANCAP safety rating. It’s unclear whether this will be extended to the PHEV.The following safety equipment is on offer:Autonomous emergency braking (AEB)Blind-spot monitoringRear cross-traffic alertLane-keep assistAdaptive cruise controlLane-change assistSurround-view cameraFront and rear parking sensorsParking assistDashcamAll of the safety systems are well-calibrated and don’t interfere with the driving experience, unless required.Like all BMWs, the X1 xDrive25e is covered by a five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty, which is standard for luxury carmakers but lacking when compared to mainstream counterparts. The high-voltage battery is also covered for eight years or 160,000km.BMW offers three- and five-year pre-paid service packages which are priced at $1466 and $2493, respectively. The latter equals about $500 per service, which is typical for a European luxury car of this size.

BMW has crossed a line owners of its cars around the world believe it shouldn’t have by turning the multimedia screens in their cars into what they perceive to be advertising billboards.What the German carmaker is positioning as “a limited-time themed experience” promoting the movie Spider-Man: Brand New Day and delivered through its Festive App has the blood of BMW owners and drivers in 35 markets boiling.Selected post-2020 BMW models played a full-screen animation on the main multimedia screen in response to the tap of a banner served across its upper third.And in what appears to be a tangled web of overreach, the in-car ‘experience’, run in partnership with Sony Pictures and Marvel from July 27 to August 10, then took control of the car’s audio system and ambient lighting settings to lean into the movie.In BMW's defence, a company spokesperson told CarsGuide, "Each driver could individually decide with a single click whether they wanted to view the Spider-Man animation or not."Similar activations have been featured in BMW vehicles on several occasions and they were positively received."The animation was intended to generate excitement for the new BMW iX3 and its appearance in the film."It was not designed to promote the film or serve as a conventional movie trailer."Therefore, it should not be considered traditional advertising, and there will continue to be no advertising displayed in the vehicle," they said.That response aligns with statements made by BMW’s top brass three years ago, committing to ensuring a car’s interior remained "a private space."Speaking at an industry media roundtable discussion in late 2023, BMW Group Senior Vice President for Connected Company Development Stephan Durach specifically stated its cars’ interiors were not a commercial space.‘In-car commerce’ has emerged in parallel with the proliferation of automotive subscription services and increasing efficiency of over-the-air updates. BMW has history with more formal (and commercial) software-based subscription sales, previously pitching monthly fees in a variety of markets for unlocking everything from heated seats and remote engine start to adaptive cruise control and Apple CarPlay.But this time around the company said the Spider-Man activation is a one-off promotion rather than the leading edge of a longer-term marketing strategy. And it’s worth noting BMW Australia opted out of the campaign.

The soon-to-arrive BMW iX3 40 eDrive will open the new iX3 range, sitting well below the iX3 50 xDrive in terms of price, but not in terms of equipment, with both models sharing the same features list.BMW has secured Luxury Car Tax-busting pricing for the 40, starting at $89,900, before on-road costs. For that, you get a single motor for rear-wheel drive and a smaller battery than in the twin-motor 50 xDrive.The iX3 40's battery is 82.6kWh and the range promise is a still-considerable 635km, while its rear motor delivers 235kW and 500Nm – enough for a sprint to 100km/h in a brisk 5.9 seconds.

In a world of monstrously big SUVs and terrifyingly giant utes, there still exists the super large saloons for those who prefer to maintain a powerful presence with class and sophistication. We're talking limos - not the party kind - we mean the luxurious transport for business executives or those who prefer to be driven rather than drive.We've put together the top 5 largest cars currently sold in AustraliaLength: 5139mm Width: 2241mm Height: 1464mmA Lotus was not on my list of possible big-car candidates, but here we are with the fully electric 5139mm long Emeya four-door lift back. The Emeya is the first of its kind from a brand that forged its iconic reputation by building tiny sportscars in a shed. Things have changed and Lotus is now owned by Chinese manufacturer Geely, and the Emeya is built in China. While not the longest car here, the Emeya is actually the widest with its wing mirrors out. Despite its enormous exterior dimensions the Emeya isn’t particularly voluminous on the inside, but there are four seats and a 509-litre boot. Dual motors make 450kW and 710Nm, 0-100km/h in 4.1 seconds. The starting price is $190K.Length: 5139mm Width: 1900mm Height: 1450mmSecretly loving that a Toyota, sorry Lexus, quietly slipped into this top 5 elite party. At 5235mm end-to-end the LS isn’t small, and nor is it short on luxury.Lexus positions itself as a Benz or BMW on a budget, but with a starting price of $200,000 the LS isn’t all that cheap. The value is outstanding, however, compared to the others here, and while rolling up in a Lexus to meet business executives at the airport doesn’t have the same impact as a BMW 7 Series, but as a car girl, I honestly think the LS is more opulent.Powered by a V6 hybrid the LS is without a doubt the most reliable and cheapest to maintain limo here.Length: 5391mm Width: 1950mm Height: 1544mmBMW’s 7 Series is seriously imposing, a cliff face on wheels, with its gigantic grille and its sheer vertical drop, but it’s not just all front - this beast is 5.39m end to end. As a reference the Australian design rules state a car park space must be 5.4m long and 2.4m wide. So it’ll fit… just.   Updated for 2026/27 with BMW’s next-gen Neue Klasse design the 7 Series looks even more menacing and futuristic, while the interior is sporty and hi-tech with screens everywhere. As for powertrains you can burn fossil fuel with a 3.0-litre inline 294kW/580Nm six-cylinder engine on offer but the electric i7’s enormously powerful and torquey motors (making up to 400kW and 745Nm) and seamlessly brutal ability to get out of its own way suits the big BMW limo better.  The 7 Series starts at a list price of $272,900.Length: 5469mm  Width: 2109mm  Height: 1510mmThe Mercedes-Maybach S-Class is a super luxury version of the S-Class and it’s even longer than one too. A regular S-Class long wheelbase is 5289mm end to end while the Maybach version stretched 180mm at 5469mm in length.While more or less the same car as the S-Class the Maybach offers more legroom, more decadence and more engine - with a V12 offered on the higher grades.The Maybach is also more expensive - almost double the price of an S-Class LWB at about $630,000Length: 5982mm, width: 2154mm Height: 1656mmOf course the biggest car sold in Australia is a Rolls-Royce and it’s not just the Phantom Extended, it’s also the Ghost Extended at 5715mm and the Spectre Series II at 5453mm. But if we had included them, then the top 5 biggest cars would have all been Rollers.So we’ve gone for the largest Rolls-Royce car, the Phantom Extended, which at 5982mm is more a train than a car and 220mm longer than the standard wheelbase Phantom.While there are only four seats in a Phantom Extended they are the size of lounge chairs in a sumptuous hotel lobby and legroom is, well you can literally lie down back there because the seats become beds.In Australia the Phantom Extended starts at more than $1.1m but as with most Rolls-Royce’s the customers will want to personalise it with bespoke touches taking the final price much higher. 

Carmakers are looking to save costs and the environment, which means they will be using more recycled materials in their vehicles.This is being further reinforced by new European Union regulations, which require a minimum amount of recycled plastics used in cars and key battery materials such as lithium, cobalt and nickel, among others.This means more and more carmakers will be diving into the skip bin to grab crucial materials to put into your next car.The German giant is the latest to tout its recycling handiwork, reducing CO2 emissions from production of its new X5 SUV by using second-hand materials and renewable energy.A big part of this is electric arc furnace steel (EAF), which sounds absolutely badass, and it is. It effectively uses electric currents to melt scrap metal into new liquid steel that can be reshaped into car parts.BMW uses recycled materials in a range of components such as wheel rims, rear axle supports and brake calipers. The doors consist of 35 per cent reused materials and the headliner is made of 100 per cent recycled plastic bottles.In the electric iX5 60 XDrive, about a third of its weight, or 940kg, is made up of recycled materials.BMW has reduced the materials it sends to landfills by 88 per cent in the past 20 years.Toyota is aiming to have its range of vehicles be at least 30 per cent built from recycled materials by 2030.The brand flags 19 parts including catalytic converters, bumpers, EV batteries and motors to be designed to be easily removed from scrap vehicles and deconstructed future range of vehicles.Toyota’s Gosei plastics manufacturing subsidiary has developed materials with a 50 per cent recycled plastic content and performance equivalent to newly-made plastics, which it says is a world-first. Examples of this material being used are in the glove box and grille-backing material in the new Euro-market Camry.Other new Toyotas using recycled plastics include the incoming new-generation RAV4 and the Crown Sport SUV.

The  BMW iX3 50 xDrive is the for-now flagship of the new iX3 range, combining ridiculous range with proper driving fun.The 50 xDrive is $109,900 MSRP, and for that you get a massive battery, lots of range and plenty of dual-motor punch, and a long list of standard features – including the headline-grabbing Panoramic Vision, which swaps the traditional driver screen for a vast display that stretches the entire width of the cabin.Its massive 108.7kWh net NMC battery delivers a maximum driving range of 805km, which is frankly ridiculous. To get it, you need to engage Efficiency Max, which dulls the drive experience, but that is an impressive number all the same. Engage the sportier settings and the figure drops to more like 650km-plus. Its twin-motor AWD set-up delivers a total 345kW and 645Nm, which is a lot. And because there is no traditional transmission to step through, and because all that oomph arrives at once, it feels plenty punchy. BMW says the sprint to 100km/h takes 4.9 seconds, and we believe them. Top speed is a claimed 210km/h.

The BMW iX3 is more than just a new EV for the German brand, it's the flag bearer for the Neue Klasse (or New Class) architecture, promising new tech, features and driving fun that will spread to all BMW's incoming electric vehicles. But does it live up to the hype? We put it to the test at its local launch to find out.

Electric vehicles (EVs) are becoming increasingly popular in Australia as people transition from owning combustion- or hybrid-powered vehicles.One major consideration that many people have when considering which EV to buy is how much range it offers, but another factor that should be considered is how quickly the battery can be charged.EV and battery technology is continually evolving, but here is a rundown of the 11 EVs with the highest DC fast-charging rate that are either already on sale or confirmed for a launch in Australia.It’s worth noting that the fastest DC fast-chargers in Australia currently are 400kW and these are operated by AmpCharge. However, Denza has confirmed that it’s rolling out its 1500kW ‘Flash’ charging network at its dealers by late 2026 or early 2027.The forthcoming Denza Z9 GT electric shooting brake will launch in Australia in either late 2026 or early 2027, alongside the ‘Flash’ charging network.Final specifications have yet to be locked in, but peak DC fast-charging is up to 1500kW. This allows a 10 to 97 per cent charge in nine minutes.The Mercedes-AMG GT 4-Door, which is due in Australia during 2027, offers a peak DC fast-charging rate of 600kW.This allows the 111kWh lithium-ion battery pack to charge from 10 to 80 per cent in 11 minutes. It offers up to 460km of WLTP-claimed range.The XPeng X9 electric people mover has a peak DC fast-charging rate of up to 542kW. This allows for a 10 to 80 per cent charge in 12 minutes.Two versions are available, the FWD Standard Range and AWD Performance.The former has a 94.8kWh lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery with up to 535km of WLTP-claimed range. The latter has a larger 110kWh nickel manganese cobalt (NMC) battery with up to 580km of WLTP-claimed range.The recently revealed BMW iX5 will launch in Australia around mid-2027 and will follow after the launch of the new, petrol-powered X5 variants later this year.The iX5 60 xDrive is the only variant to be detailed so far and it offers a peak DC fast-charging rate of 460kW.It has a 141kWh lithium-ion battery pack and a 10 to 80 per cent charge is claimed to take 23 minutes. It offers up to 845km of WLTP-claimed range.The updated version of the XPeng G6 with the larger 80.8kWh LFP battery has a peak DC fast-charging rate of 451kW. It’s currently the highest in Australia.A 10 to 80 per cent charge is claimed to take 12 minutes.In RWD Long Range form there’s up to 525km of range and in AWD Performance form there’s up to 510km, according to WLTP testing.While the entry-level G6 RWD Standard Range with its smaller 68.5kWh can only DC fast-charge at rates up to 382kW, it’s still claimed to take 12 minutes to charge from 10 to 80 per cent. It offers up to 480km of WLTP-claimed range.The entry-level Zeekr 7X RWD with its 75kWh LFP battery can DC fast-charge at rates up to 450kW. It offers up to 480km of WLTP-claimed range.The 7X Long Range RWD and Performance AWD, on the other hand, with its larger 100kWh NMC battery can charge at rates up to 420kW. WLTP-claimed range is 615km and 543km, respectively.Mirroring the Zeekr 7X SUV, the forthcoming, entry-level version of the 7GT electric shooting brake has a peak DC fast-charging rate of 450kW. It has a 75kWh LFP battery and can charge from 10 to 80 per cent in 13 minutes.Other versions of the 7GT have a larger 100kWh NMC battery that can charge at rates up to 420kW.The top-spec BMW iX3 50 xDrive has a peak DC fast-charging rate of 400kW.It has a 108.7kWh lithium-ion battery pack and a 10 to 80 per cent charge is claimed to take 21 minutes. It offers up to 805km of WLTP-claimed range.The entry-level iX3 40 with its slightly smaller 82.6kWh lithium-ion battery pack has a peak DC fast-charging rate of 300kW. Despite this, a 10 to 80 per cent charge is still claimed to take 21 minutes. It offers up to 635km of WLTP-claimed range.The MG IM5 Platinum RWD and Performance AWD have a peak DC fast-charging rate of 396kW.They both have a 100kWh NMC battery pack and WLTP-claimed range of 655km and 575km, respectively. A 30 to 80 per cent charge is claimed to take 15 minutes.The entry-level IM5 Premium RWD, on the other hand, has a peak DC fast-charging rate of 153kW. It has a 75kWh LFP battery, up to 490km of WLTP-claimed range and a 30 to 80 per cent charge is claimed to take 20 minutes.The MG IM6 Platinum RWD and Performance AWD have a peak DC fast-charging rate of 396kW.They both have a 100kWh NMC battery pack and WLTP-claimed range of 555km and 505km, respectively. A 30 to 80 per cent charge is claimed to take 15 minutes.The entry-level IM5 Premium RWD, on the other hand, has a peak DC fast-charging rate of 153kW. It has a 75kWh LFP battery, up to 450km of WLTP-claimed range and a 30 to 80 per cent charge is claimed to take 20 minutes.The forthcoming Porsche Cayenne Electric offers a peak DC fast-charging rate of 390kW.It has a 113kWh lithium-ion battery pack and up to 542km of WLTP-claimed range. A 10 to 80 per cent charge is claimed to take 16 minutes.While Hyundai, Kia and Genesis models on the E-GMP platform, like the Ioniq 5, EV6 and GV60, among others, display a claimed 10 to 80 per cent charge time when plugged into a 350kW DC fast-charger, a common misconception is they have a peak DC fast-charging rate of 350kW.However, this is not the case. None of the aforementioned Hyundai Group brands quote an official peak charging rate, but real-world data indicates it’s around 240kW.

A new report has shed light on which electric vehicles (EVs) maintain the highest percentage of battery life over time.Swedish car marketplace Carla has published results from a study into battery life of electric cars, using data from 10,000 battery tests on EVs in Sweden between 2022 and 2026.The results may come as a surprise to some, with the best brand for battery health after 10,000km travelled being Kia, and the second best being Hyundai with 96.8 per cent and 95.4 per cent battery health, respectively.The next brands down were premium marques Mercedes-Benz (95 per cent) and BMW (94.5 per cent), with Ford (94.3 per cent) sitting above Geely Group brands Volvo (94.2 per cent) and Polestar (93.7 per cent).Volkswagen Group vehicles took up the next four positions, which in order included Audi (92.9 per cent), Skoda (92.6 per cent), VW (92.4 per cent) and Porsche (90.9 per cent).Tesla, which is often quoted as a brand with impressive battery degradation figures in other studies placed 12th in the Swedish study, with its cars maintaining 90.2 per cent battery health after 10,000km.The grouping of various brands together comes as little surprise given each parent company will source batteries from similar places and use familiar chemistries and heat management methods.Another graph from the same study shows average battery degradation between the first 50,000km (94.39 per cent) and the next 50,000km was negligible, at just over 2 per cent. Average battery health of the 10,000 cars tested by 100,000km was 92.35 per cent.More interesting is the breakdown by model, with the study showing the car with the least overall battery degradation was the Kia Niro EV, which maintained 97.25 per cent of its battery capacity.The Hyundai Kona Electric and Kia EV6 also scored well, with the next model down being the Volvo XC40 Recharge and Polestar 2.The popular Tesla Model Y also maintained 92.18 per cent of its battery capacity on average over 10,000km, although ranked 18th in the study, below many VW Group, BMW, and Geely Group products.It is worth noting that this study does not simply transfer across to the Australian market. Many of the EVs delivered to Sweden are built in Europe which often use different battery suppliers to the versions of the cars sold here.In addition, Sweden’s cool climate may produce different results to our hot climate, with different demands placed on temperature management systems, and different pressures placed on batteries while discharging or charging.However, more Australian cars using batteries from Chinese suppliers may actually be an advantage. Lithium-iron phosphate (LFP) batteries from CATL (China’s largest battery supplier) are now pervasive across EVs from many brands sold in Australia. The Swedish study compared the performance of these Chinese CATL LFP batteries, Korean LG Chem batteries and two different types of Japanese Panasonic batteries, all in the Tesla Model 3 to control for model differences.The CATL cells had the highest average battery health, maintaining 93.3 per cent, the LG Chem cells were next at 91.5 per cent, and the Panasonic NMC batteries ranked lower at 89.8 and 88.2 per cent respectively.One factor worth keeping in mind is BYD’s lack of a major footprint in Sweden despite launching there in 2022, leaving it off the study. Not only does this exclude BYD from the ranking system, but it also leaves its batteries out.BYD sells its signature LFP ‘Blade’ batteries to many brands for cars sold in Australia, including Kia, KGM, and even entry-level versions of the Tesla Model 3 and Model Y.The study confirms several things - battery degradation is often over-stated, with almost all cars maintaining over 90 per cent capacity at the 100,000km mark, and newer chemistries and temperature management systems are having a notable improvement on battery life across all makes and models.Previous stories of cars losing up to 50 per cent of their capacity were often limited to early-generation NMC batteries using air-cooled technology. Almost all new EVs sold, particularly in Australia, use liquid-cooled cells.In other good news for Aussie EV owners and those considering a second hand EV, the Carla study is not the first time EV batteries have performed better than expected when surveyed en-masse.In Australia, auction house Pickles recently shared data based on its battery health scoring which showed EVs with between 80- and 120,000km were maintaining a battery health score of around 91 per cent.

Some of the world’s biggest carmakers, engineering and petrol companies are joining forces to save petrol-powered cars.BMW and Toyota are running a pilot program with Spanish petrochemical company Repsol and German industrial giant Bosch to see if they can make 100 per cent renewable petrol work in the real world.The six-month long experiment will use about 20 BMW and Toyota vehicles powered by Repsol’s 100 per cent renewable petrol, dubbed Nexa 95.Bosch will be tracking the refuelling data to validate the experiment’s success.Nexa 95 is produced with European Union compliant feedstocks, which have to meet strict renewable targets.A feedstock is a raw material that is used to make the fuel, and Nexa 95 is derived from agricultural and forestry residues, used cooking oils and other sustainable organic waste.It isn’t carbon neutral but reduces net CO2 emissions by more than 70 per cent compared to conventional petrol-powered vehicles.It is fully compatible with petrol vehicles without the need for any modifications and can be delivered via the existing refuelling infrastructure, with the fuel already available in a number of Spanish petrol stations.The program is trying to work out if vehicles running on this fuel can be deployed at scale to help decarbonise transport.Electric vehicle sales are growing in Australia and in many other countries, but the majority of sales in Europe, the US, Australia and many other places still use petrol as their primary fuel source.A switch to a renewable fuel source could dramatically cut emissions without forcing drivers to switch to expensive battery-powered electric vehicles.Toyota Europe executive Pascal Ruch said this fuel could make a meaningful contribution to decarbonisation today, and can be applied to older vehicles.“We believe renewable fuels can play a key role alongside electrification in reducing CO₂ emissions,” said Ruch.“It is becoming clear that there is a growing risk that 100 per cent zero-emission vehicles by 2035 may not be fully achieved. In such a scenario, renewable fuels can help bridge the gap to deliver carbon neutrality, especially when combined with hybrid and plug-in hybrid technologies,” he said.BMW and Toyota are two companies striving to find an alternative to battery-powered electric cars.The two have also teamed up in developing hydrogen fuel-cell vehicles (FCEV), which are a different type of electric car.FCEVs turn hydrogen into electricity, which then powers an electric motor. Water is the only tailpipe emission.