► BMW i3 saloon snapped on test
► Next-gen electric 3-series
► Full scoop on 2026 i3 range
You’re looking at our first spy photographs of the new 2026 BMW i3 – the all-electric replacement for Munich’s bestselling 3-series. Developed under the Neue Klasse banner, denoting ‘New Class,’ it’s a line-in-the-sand fresh generation of EV that’ll span all shapes and sizes of BMW.
We’ve already papped the new BMW iX3, the first Neue Klasse product out of the blocks in 2025, but all eyes are now on this i3 saloon, owing to the cachet of the 3-series range, one of the most attainable BMWs for five decades.
Like the original Neue Klasse which spawned the 1500 and 2000tii back in 1962-1972 and saved the ailing car maker from bankruptcy, its successor is designed to make BMW fit for the next 20 years in the fast lane of the electric super-highway. You’ll still be able to order a petrol Three, but it’ll be an evolved version of today’s model – not the fancy-pants Neue Klasse tech stack.
Err, the new i3 doesn’t look nearly as exciting or radical as the Neue Klasse concept…
It’s an interesting point. This disguised prototype snapped on test in Germany does look much more conventional, we agree. But then Munich has form in playing it safe with its 3-series – the model which accounts fully for one in four BMW sales worldwide.
The shark-nosed BMW Vision Neue Klasse concept car revealed at the 2023 Munich motor show will inform the general proportions and some detailing of the i3: the front end, in particular, keeps the slant-nosed front end, although the details of the grille and bumper assembly are toned down for production and the C-pillar treatment looks much more conventional in our spy photos.
The rear end looks less of a major departure, too; despite the camouflage, we’d say the rump looks safer than the avantgarde boot treatment on the 2023 Neue Klasse concept. Note what look like pop-out door handles, better to smooth the airflow.
BMW i3: the 3-series plugs in
From 2025 all future BMW EVs will eventually switch to the new dedicated architecture no longer capable of accommodating ICE or PHEV applications. This Neue Klasse matrix will over the next four years introduce four different wheelbases to underpin the majority of BMW’s car line-up, stretching from humble 1-series through heartland 3-series to imperious X7.
The i3 is expected to be built in Munich, but is also destined for global plants as far afield as China and Mexico. Instead of light but expensive aluminium giga castings, BMW is opting for a less energy-intensive and even stiffer steel-alloy compound matrix. The monocoque structure and cell-to-pack battery installation improve the space utilisation by 30 percent over the CLAR WE conversion architecture, according to internal measurements.
Note the shark-nose slant visible at the front of the new i3.
New battery tech
Park the startling design for a moment and consider the Neue Klasse’s main intent: a clean-sheet electric car architecture destined to power nearly all group EVs in the latter half of this decade. The biggest innovation is in the battery department, the beating heart of any electric car. BMW claims a fifth higher energy density and an average WLTP energy consumption of 4.8 miles per kWh against 3.8 miles per kWh for the current BMW i4 – meaning the new generation should have a range 30 percent longer than today’s electric BMWs.
Charging, too, is promised to be a third quicker and Munich says the overall efficiency will improve by a quarter, thanks to clever thermal energy management and a standard-fit heat pump. According to chief technology officer Frank Weber, the key efficiency contributors are – in this order – powertrain, low rolling resistance tyres, sleek aerodynamics, reduced weight, wheel bearings and brakes.
800-volt electrical architecture for rapid charging
Prepare for a chemistry A-level lesson if you seek to unravel the hardware driving the clever stuff on Neue Klasse.
Let’s peek under the bonnet to see what’s powering the new i3 – literally and figuratively, as this prototype unfortunately suffered a flat 12-volt battery while on test (above).
The 800-volt sixth-generation drivetrain marks the switch from prismatic to round lithium iron phosphate (LFP) and lithium nickel manganese cobalt oxide (NMC) batteries, which power between one and four motors and allegedly come in two sizes, dubbed 4695 and 46120. Thanks to vented bottoms and a sandwich cooling system, the latest-generation cells promise a superior thermal performance said to contribute significantly to overall efficiency.
The cells are supplied to BMW specification by CATL, EDE and Northvolt from six plants in Europe, China and the US/Mexico. This new electrical architecture is optimised for rapid charging and takes around 12 minutes to top up enough energy to drive 200 miles, engineers claim. That is assuming you can find the necessary high-output charging stations that are a) working b) delivering their promised bolt of volts and c) not already hogged by a kilowatt-hungry electric newbie.
The battery sizes we expect on the new 2026 BMW i3
The Neue Klasse is expected to feature a wide choice of battery and power output configurations. The range of scalable power packs is initially rated at 75, 90 and 105kWh, sources say. While the base single-motor rear-wheel drive model should need no more than 300bhp to fend off its main rivals, the four-motor all-electric M3/M4 in the works may just about shatter the magic 1000bhp barrier – easily brawny enough to overcome the 300 kilo weight penalty of those clever new batteries. Warp-speed performance is guaranteed from future hot BMs, it seems.
The Neue Klasse project is like an onion, each layer unpeeling to reveal meaning for BMWs far and wide. It is clear that the scalable architecture will reach most corners of the model range in the latter half of the decade. Read more about BMW electric car plans.
When can I buy the new BMW i3? And will there be an i3 Touring?
Reflecting how BMW co-develops multiple bodystyles simultaneously, the iX3 electric SUV is currently planned to launch first – alongside a combustion X3 that looks near-identical but is actually based on a development of today’s CLAR WE platform. Second out of the blocks is the new 3-series, whose all-electric i3 previewed by Vision Neue Klasse will arrive in 2026. The electric i3 Touring and its ICE sibling are due to follow six months later.