BMW IX3 News

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.

BMW’s incoming iX3, which wears the brand’s dramatic Neue Klasse design aesthetic, is the first car to be tested to ANCAP’s new safety regime.The iX3 scored a maximum five stars, scoring relatively highly across the safety body’s four new categories.The new categories include, Safe Driving (which rates driving support systems), Crash Avoidance (which rates hazard mitigation technologies), Crash Protection (which rates the vehicles crash structure and physical safety hardware) and Post Crash (which rates how well the systems on board the car assist first responders following a crash).“Over three decades of ANCAP influence, this is the most comprehensive ratings framework we’ve applied. We have again stepped up our assessment to capture and evaluate the many ways a modern car can protect its occupants and other road users,” ANCAP Chief Executive Carla Hoorweg said.“The BMW iX3 is the first model we’ve put through this new rating process, and its specification and performance have captured the essence of the new requirements.”It is unsurprising the BMW iX3 ranked so highly to the new standards, as it is designed to comply with EuroNCAP safety procedures, which ANCAP’s procedures are largely based. The iX3 was physically tested in Europe for the EuropNCAP score, which was applied to the ANCAP scale.ANCAP’s new rating system places more emphasis on safety systems calibrated well enough that car buyers are likely to leave them on.“Systems that irritate rather than improve the drive experience will be marked down, with lane keep systems now assessed on how naturally they interact with the driver, including steering response and driver override effort,” said Hoorweg.“The ‘smart coupling’ of driver alertness with safety system intervention is also now assessed. Vehicles that enhance – or minimise – their response according to the driver’s level of alertness are rewarded,” she addedIn what may come as a relief to many new car buyers, the Safe Driving pillar also scrutinises the existence of physical controls, although for now it is limited to only core functions like indicators, hazard lights, horn, gear selector and headlights.Some of the most frustrating touchscreen-based systems, like climate and multimedia controls, will get a free pass.The safety body also now ranks the accuracy of speed limit assist systems, which are also a frequent source of irritation in new vehicles.The iX3 ranked well enough for Safe Driving (71 per cent), marked down for the lack of some occupant detection features, some distraction monitoring function, and the adaptive cruise not responding entirely to road features like roundabouts.It ranked more highly in Crash Avoidance (83 per cent), with its auto emergency braking and lane keep systems scoring highly across most categories.It also scored well for Crash Protection (86 per cent) - which now involves extra crash dummies for more thorough testing. It was marked down slightly for vehicle-to-vehicle compatibility for presenting a “moderate risk to occupants of an oncoming vehicle if struck”.The Post Crash Pillar was the iX3’s highest ranking category (95 per cent), scoring high across all categories including its eCall feature, high-voltage battery isolation function and door handle functionality.Other new elements of ANCAP’s testing regime for the next few years include a new crash barrier test, more robust avoidance assessments, the assessment of rollover injuries, new “pothole” test which assesses the ability of the driver to maintain control of the car when avoiding road hazards, more intense whiplash testing, a motorcycle t-bone test, and “serious component failures” also carry a more dire penalty.The five-star ANCAP rating applies to both the 50 xDrive and 40 variants of the new iX3.

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