BMW i3 problems (2013–2022)
The only engine of the BMW i3 that we have documented, the BMW i3 / Mini Cooper SE, has high or critical severity faults in the versions it is fitted to. Our verdict for the versions it is fitted to: «With caution».[1][2][3][4]
Outside the engine: Fiches-auto.fr records, with only 14 testimonials, charging faults and a recall of the high-voltage battery in October 2022 because of a fire risk. The sample is small and we have not been able to confirm the campaign from an official source.[1]
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BMW i3 rating: acceptable reliability
Calculated using only 5 documented faults and their sources: the most serious and frequent faults weigh more. Limited evidence: it is based on few sources or few documented faults, so it is not included in the rankings. Having few documented faults does not mean it is reliable: it may simply be little studied. How it is calculated
- Electric motor6.63 faults
- Gearbox10.0No documented faults
- Suspension9.50 faults
- Brakes8.60 faults
- Tyres and wheels10.0No documented faults
- Steering9.30 faults
- Electrical system6.42 faults
- Headlights and lights8.60 faults
- Electronics and infotainment10.0No documented faults
- Climate control10.0No documented faults
- Bodywork and interior7.50 faults
- Airbags and safety10.0No documented faults
The weak points of the BMW i3
- 1Critical severity: Defective cells in the high-voltage battery of the i3 from 2018 to 2021BMW i3 / Mini Cooper SE engine
- 2Critical severity: BMW i3 high-voltage battery recall because of fire riskElectrical system
- 3Medium severity: Charger and charging socket fault on the BMW i3Electrical system
- 4Medium severity: Failure of the on-board charger and the charging port on the i3BMW i3 / Mini Cooper SE engine
- 5Medium severity: Motor electronics board (EME) built out of specificationBMW i3 / Mini Cooper SE engine
Documented engine
The first label is the most serious fault affecting that engine in this car; the second, our verdict for the versions it is fitted to. Each engine's risk index is calculated only from the faults that affect this car (how we calculate it). We only show engines we have documented with sources: if yours does not appear, we have not analysed it yet. View all engines
See what to check before buyingOutside the engine
1 recall or campaign documented, the latest: High-voltage battery recall because of fire risk. See the campaigns for the BMW i3
BMW i3 (I01): motor de 125 kW con baterías de 22, 33 and 42,2 kWh; el Cooper SE comparte el motor · Electrical
- Names
- i3 (60 Ah) · i3 94 Ah · i3 120 Ah · i3s 184 CV · i3 REx
- Faults that affect it
- 3 · 1 of high or critical severity
Verdict for the versions it uses
i3 22 kWh gross battery (60 Ah) (2013–2017)2013–2017 · 170 hp
With cautionIt is the oldest: the battery warranty will almost always have expired and the state of health (SoH) must be measured. The charging cases on the fiches-auto page involve cars from 2014 to 2016.[1][2]
i3 and i3s 33 kWh gross battery (94 Ah) (2016–2018)2016–2018 · 170–184 hp
With cautionUnits built before October 2018 fall outside the 2022 cell campaign, but the 8-year or 160,000 km warranty has just expired or is about to: require a battery state-of-health report.[2][3]
i3 and i3s 42.2 kWh gross battery (120 Ah) (2019–2022)2019–2022 · 170–184 hp
With cautionThis is the one that may be within the cell campaign (built 26/10/2018 to 31/08/2021) and still under battery warranty. Check against the chassis number that the defective module has been replaced.[3][4]
Faults that affect the i3
- Critical severityFrequency: OccasionalTraction batteryDefective cells in the high-voltage battery of the i3 from 2018 to 2021Yes: in October 2022 BMW launched a recall of the i3 built from 26/10/2018 to 31/08/2021 because a production defect in the winding of the cells' internal foils can overheat the modules and cause a fire. The defective module is replaced.
- Medium severityFrequency: RareChargingFailure of the on-board charger and the charging port on the i3There are owner testimonies on fiches-auto.fr of a charger that stopped working after around 800 charges (120,000 km) on a 2014 i3, of a charging port that failed at 49,000 km (covered by warranty) and of a 2016 i3 REx that would not charge. These are isolated cases from a very small sample.
- Medium severityFrequency: RarePower electronicsMotor electronics board (EME) built out of specificationIn 2019–2020 the DVSA recorded a recall of the i3 because the circuit board of the electric motor electronics (EME) was not built to specification; the unit is replaced. It affected 120 cars in the UK built between January and March 2019.
i3 BMW i3 / Mini Cooper SE pageAll versions and faults of the BMW i3 / Mini Cooper SE
Faults of the BMW i3 outside the engine
Suspension, brakes, tyres, electronics and the rest of the car. They occur with any engine.
Electrical system
- Critical severityFrequency: OccasionalElectrical systemBMW i3 high-voltage battery recall because of fire riskAccording to the fiches-auto.fr fiche, the i3 battery was the subject of a recall in October 2022 because of a fire risk; the fiche does not detail the scope, and we have not been able to verify it from an official source.
- Medium severityFrequency: OccasionalElectrical systemCharger and charging socket fault on the BMW i3According to fiches-auto.fr, 5 of the 14 i3 testimonials mention charging problems: a charger that failed after about 800 charges (120,000 km) on the 170 hp electric version and a socket fault at 49,000 km, covered by warranty.
What the MOT inspection finds on the BMW i3
Official Dutch MOT (APK) inspection data: 3,085 inspections of 1,500 cars registered between 2013 and 2022, compared with cars of the same age.
- Fewer defects than average
Suspension and axles· counts in the score
Defects in 0.3% of inspections; in cars of its age, 2.7%.
- Fewer defects than average
Brakes· counts in the score
Defects in 1.8% of inspections; in cars of its age, 3.2%.
- Fewer defects than average
Steering· counts in the score
Defects in 0.1% of inspections; in cars of its age, 1.1%.
- Fewer defects than average
Headlights and lights· counts in the score
Defects in 6.8% of inspections; in cars of its age, 12.9%.
- Average
Rust and bodywork· counts in the score
Defects in 0.2% of inspections; in cars of its age, 0.2%.
- Fewer defects than average
Exhaust and emissions
Defects in 0% of inspections; in cars of its age, 1.2%.
- Fewer defects than average
Fluid leaks
Defects in 0% of inspections; in cars of its age, 1.4%.
- Fewer defects than average
Glass, wipers and mirrors
Defects in 2.9% of inspections; in cars of its age, 3.8%.
- Average
Tyres and wheels· depends mostly on maintenance
Defects in 17.2% of inspections; in cars of its age, 15.4%.
The inspection measures wear and the defects visible at a periodic check, not engine or electronics failures. Source: RDW Open Data (public domain). How we calculate it · opendata.rdw.nl
Checklist for buying a used BMW i3
Check the advert or the paperwork to see which engine the car has and go through its section. Each point comes from a documented fault; you can tick them off as you inspect.
If it has the BMW i3 / Mini Cooper SE (2013–2022)
Buying a BMW i3?
We will put you in touch with a partner only if you authorise it in the form.
Own a BMW i3? Tell us what faults you have had, at what mileage and how much you paid. Report your fault.
Frequently asked questions
Is the BMW i3 reliable?
The only engine of the BMW i3 that we have documented, the BMW i3 / Mini Cooper SE, has high or critical severity faults in the versions it is fitted to. Our verdict for the versions it is fitted to: «With caution». Fiches-auto.fr records, with only 14 testimonials, charging faults and a recall of the high-voltage battery in October 2022 because of a fire risk. The sample is small and we have not been able to confirm the campaign from an official source.
What problems does the BMW i3 have apart from the engine?
Fiches-auto.fr records, with only 14 testimonials, charging faults and a recall of the high-voltage battery in October 2022 because of a fire risk. The sample is small and we have not been able to confirm the campaign from an official source. The most important documented faults are: BMW i3 high-voltage battery recall because of fire risk (electrical system, critical severity) and charger and charging socket fault on the BMW i3 (electrical system, medium severity).[1]
What faults does the BMW i3 have?
The most important by severity and frequency, on the engines we have documented, are: defective cells in the high-voltage battery of the i3 from 2018 to 2021 (BMW i3 / Mini Cooper SE, critical severity), failure of the on-board charger and the charging port on the i3 (BMW i3 / Mini Cooper SE, medium severity) and motor electronics board (EME) built out of specification (BMW i3 / Mini Cooper SE, medium severity).
What is the best year to buy a BMW i3?
According to our rating by year, the best are 2017, 2016, 2015 and 1 other years with the same rating (8.1/10); the worst rated is 2019 (6.9/10). Each year's rating counts only the engines sold that year and the faults that affect those units: open each year to see what changes.
Does the BMW i3 have recalls?
Yes: we have documented one campaign for the BMW i3, such as high-voltage battery recall because of fire risk (2022). Check with your VIN at the official service centre whether yours has been done.[1]
Sources
Every fact on this page links to its source. If you find an error, let us know.
- Tous les problèmes sur BMW i3 2013 (testimonios de propietarios y llamadas a revisión)fiches-auto.fr · Other source · consulted 30 October 2026 · in French
- BMW i3 reliabilityAuto Express · Motoring press · consulted 30 October 2026
- BMW i3 (2018 – 2021): EV/Hybrid, firecar-recalls.eu · Other source · published 22 October 2022 · consulted 30 October 2026
- DVSA – base de llamadas a revisión (R/2019/289, R/2022/322)DVSA (Reino Unido) · Official body · consulted 30 October 2026
- BMW i3 (hatchback)Wikipedia (en) · Other source · consulted 30 October 2026