2026 BMW i4 M60 | UK Review

M Division had another rip-roaring year in 2025, clocking its 14th consecutive year of sales growth as it laid down a record number of registrations. Buried beneath the headlines was another interesting nugget: after three years as M’s biggest-selling car, the top-rung BMW i4 was dethroned, outsold by the new X3 M50. Still, BMW is keen to point out the electric saloon (sorry, Gran Coupe) “continues to enjoy major popularity,” and another light tickle – following its full LCI in 2024 – should help them whoosh silently out of showrooms for a little longer.

Its most notable change is in output. Gone is the M50 and its 544hp, replaced by the M60 with 601hp – an increase of over ten per cent – though the same 586lb ft peak torque. Spread across two motors and put to the road via xDrive, it means startling acceleration. A claimed 3.7-second sprint to 62mph feels bolder in reality and sits two tenths quicker than the outgoing M50, which already felt like a veritable catapult with everything hooked up. 

Its 2024 facelift carried out the brunt of the big changes – largely related to tidying up the interior and boosting the touchscreen – but every i4 in the range now benefits from silicon-carbide power inverters, eking out more efficiency and range across the board. While the entry, rear-drive i4s claim up to 4.1 miles per kWh and 380 miles fully charged, the all-guns-blazing M60 hangs impressively on their tail with 3.6mi/kWh for a range of 334 miles. 

On paper, of course: wintry driving with lots of heating and demisting (plus the inevitable exploration of its performance) saw us score 2.5mi/kWh and more like 200 miles. Its 81.1kWh battery continues to charge at a maximum of 205kW; that means a 10-80 per cent top-up in 30 minutes, or the ability to add up to 115 miles of range in ten minutes if the cells are warmed and you’re lucky with the charging network. 

Fully charged, though, it’s an almighty thing to spend time with. Unlike its lowlier eDrive siblings, the M60 gets standard adaptive damping and variable steering, and together they create a car that seemingly covers all bases. It’s a lush, hushed limo for the commuting it’ll likely spend most of its time doing and feels like a proper cocoon over longer distances. Lower and more aerodynamic than the mass electric SUV market, its saloon body whispers along motorways easily while emulating a Bentley or Rolls-Royce in how tangible its vivid swell of untapped power is. Knowing you can call it all up in an instant, monstering a slip road or overtake, brings a childish glee. But BMW has tuned the throttle pedal so well, acceleration only feels binary should you want it to. There’s no accidental surge forward and you can mete out its deep wave of torque with pleasing accuracy.

Which does genuinely tempt you out onto your favourite roads. It’s flipping heavy (naturally), though the damping is brilliant and increases in tenacity nicely as you graduate through the drive modes. Even in its comfiest setting, the M60 never wallows, and with everything ramped up it feels in careful control of its mass – a mass which does metaphorically shrink a bit in corners, the handling being taut and accurate. And with requisite commitment, it’s rather fun. You’ll be going some to make the car properly move around; this is a more studious application of xDrive than a bona fide M car, one that prioritises traction and forward momentum a bit more. For those tumbling into this car on a tempting lease or company car deal, who may never have experienced even half its peak outputs before, probably that’s prudent. 

It’s a shame you can’t shuffle through its numerous brake regen levels via a pair of paddles – instead delving into the central screen – but a quick prod of the gear selection switch to ‘B’ activates one-pedal driving and allows you to haul speed down more suddenly on corner entry, shifting the M60’s balance nicely ahead of its obscene propulsion along the next straight. If that sounds too gamified for you, then you won’t appreciate the whirring Hans Zimmer ‘Iconic Sounds’ that accompany the whole process. You can turn those off, but I found real entertainment in leaving them on and indulging the i4’s version of dynamism. Crucially, its rear-biased balance and general, unflappable composure feel rooted in BMW’s core values. Anyone offended by this car’s swagger will be deliberately looking for something to moan about.

Which doesn’t mean it’s untouchable. Any praise for how the car slows into corners must be caveated by the fact its M Sport Brakes are part of the £2,425 M Sport Package Pro. Admittedly that outlay also brings adaptive LED headlights with smart high beam assist – a thoroughly good addition to any car – but shouldn’t M discs and pads be standard when you have more torque and weight than an F10 M5 to keep in check?

Its head-up display, wireless charging and heated wheel – which feel like gimmes in a posh, forward-facing EV – are also optional, the former two concealed within pricey packs. Active cruise control is another £600 extra and one not fitted to our test car, a discovery I only made on wet and miserably congested M62 once I’d pressed the steering wheel button to activate it – and was duly greeted with a command to pull over, log into the touchscreen and start a subscription. How very 2026. 

However, I still recall reading magazine group tests as a kid (I had friends…), that the 3-Series regularly won despite making its stereo optional when rivals didn’t. So perhaps times haven’t changed that much after all. It’s just from the position of a pure configurator surfer rather than an actual buyer, some of the omissions on the i4’s standard kit list seem a bit stingy. Maybe more so because I’m fresh from a trip through Germany in a BMW 550e (a gloriously under-the-radar thing, I hasten to add) with Assisted Driving Plus tech that allowed genuine hands-off Autobahn driving. It absorbed more stress than I dare admit and felt like a tantalising glimpse of a smarter future. As enthusiasts, we intrinsically resist autonomous driving, yet applied carefully, in the right place at the right time, it can feel terrific. Promise.

Something a future i4 might just benefit from, then. This G26 generation will soldier on a little while yet, likely sold concurrently with the march of Neue Klasse and its impending i3 saloon. If that proves anything like the iX3, which has swept up awards and admiration like no modern car besides the Renault 5, then we’ve a lot to look forward to. 

In the meantime – irritations aside – this i4 continues to be one of the very best EVs on sale if you still cherish how a car drives. Keep it under the microscope too long and you may conclude it’s a mite too heavy to truly reward, or that the performance of this M60 car is simply inappropriate for everyday use. But overall, the i4 remains as accomplished and gratifying as pure plug-ins get at something resembling a sensible price, not least because you should find discounts easy to come by in a still tumultuous market. Or you can use the PH buying guide to help you snare a used M50, barely any slower, for under £30k…

Engine: Twin AC synchronous electric motors
Transmission: Single-speed, all-wheel drive
Battery: 400V lithium-ion, 81.1kWh capacity (net)
Power (hp): 601 (total system, Boost mode)
Torque (lb ft): 586 (total system, Boost mode)
0-62mph: 3.7sec
Top speed: 140mph (limited)
Weight: 2,285kg
Efficiency/range: 3.6mi/kWh, 334 miles (321 miles on 20in alloys)
Max DC charging: 205kW; 10-80% charge in 30mins
Price: £69,995 (£82,807 as tested, including M Sport Package Pro at £2,425, Technology Pack at £2,100, BMW Individual 20in Bicolour Aerodynamic wheels at £1,825, BMW Individual Tanzanite Blue II paint at £1,725, Comfort Pack at £900, Harman/Kardon Audio at £500, and Heated Steering Wheel at £250)