BMW i3 Australia 2027: Price, 912 km Range and the FBT Catch

The new BMW i3 arrives in Australia in the first quarter of 2027, priced from $96,900 before on-road costs for the i3 40 xDrive and $112,900 for the i3 50 xDrive. It’s the first electric BMW 3 Series, and the i3 50’s 912 km WLTP range is the longest BMW has ever claimed for a car sold here. For Australian buyers there’s a catch. Neither version is cheap enough for the EV fringe benefits tax exemption, which rules out the main reason many people lease an electric car through their employer.

That trade-off is what this BMW i3 Australia guide covers: what you get for the money, what the range really means, how it compares with the BMW iX3 and Tesla Model 3, and what the FBT problem costs you.

The timing is strong for BMW. Battery electric cars took 24.2 percent of new-car sales in September 2026, ahead of petrol for the second month in a row, according to VFACTS and Electric Vehicle Council data reported by CarExpert. BMW is already one of Australia’s biggest EV brands, with 7,787 electric cars sold in 2024 (Electric Vehicle Council).

BMW i3 Australia price and specs

Two versions arrive first, both with all-wheel drive and both priced above the luxury car tax (LCT) threshold. Luxury car tax is a federal tax on cars above a set value, and it’s already included in BMW’s prices.

Spec	i3 40 xDrive	i3 50 xDrive
Price (before on-roads)	$96,900	$112,900
Battery	82.8 kWh	108.7 kWh
WLTP range	Up to 710 km	Up to 912 km
Power / torque	275 kW / 520 Nm	345 kW / 645 Nm
Drive	Dual-motor AWD	Dual-motor AWD
0 to 100 km/h	5.4 seconds	4.7 seconds
Peak DC charging	300 kW	400 kW
AC charging (standard)	22 kW	22 kW
Arrival	Q1 2027	Q1 2027

Sources: BMW Australia; The Driven, CarExpert, carsales and Chasing Cars, 29 to 30 September 2026. Prices include GST and LCT.

Standard equipment on both versions includes 19-inch wheels, the M Sport package and M Sport brakes, adaptive suspension, a panoramic glass roof, a 3D head-up display, Harman Kardon audio, heated front and rear seats, a heated steering wheel and a power boot lid (carsales and GoAuto, September 2026). An M Sport Pro pack costs $4,200.

Dimensions are typical of a mid-size sedan: 4,760 mm long, 1,865 mm wide, 1,480 mm tall, with a 2,897 mm wheelbase (CarExpert, March 2026). BMW Australia hasn’t published local boot or towing figures yet.

More versions are coming. BMW has confirmed an i3 M60 xDrive for 2027, and Australian outlets expect a cheaper rear-drive version later. An i3 Touring wagon has also been teased. None of those has a price yet.

Range and charging: 912 km in context

The i3 50’s 912 km WLTP rating is the headline, and it holds up on paper. It comes from a 108.7 kWh battery using BMW’s new sixth-generation cylindrical cells, inside an 800-volt electrical system. An 800-volt system lets the car charge at higher power with less heat, which is why charging speeds are so high.

WLTP is a lab test, though, and it runs optimistic at Australian highway speeds. Based on how other large-battery EVs perform here, expect roughly 80 to 88 percent of the claim in mixed driving. That’s about 730 to 800 km from the i3 50 and 570 to 620 km from the i3 40. Owners discussing the car online land in a similar place, pointing to BMW’s i5 sedan, which delivers well short of its WLTP figure in normal use. No Australian outlet has driven the i3 yet, so treat these as estimates. Our guide to real-world EV range explains what cuts it.

Even at 750 km, that’s Sydney to Melbourne territory with a short top-up, or a week of commuting for most households.

Charging is the other big step. The i3 50 peaks at 400 kW on DC and the i3 40 at 300 kW. BMW Australia says ten minutes on a fast enough charger can add 320 to 423 km of range, depending on the version. Most Australian fast-charging sites deliver well under 400 kW today, so you’ll rarely see that peak yet.

At home, a 22 kW onboard charger is standard in Australia. The onboard charger is the part of the car that converts AC power from your wall into DC for the battery. Very few homes can supply 22 kW. On a typical single-phase 7 kW wallbox, the i3 50’s battery takes about 15 hours from near-empty. Most owners top up nightly rather than charge from empty, so that’s rarely a problem.

BMW says the Neue Klasse platform supports bidirectional charging, including vehicle-to-load (V2L), vehicle-to-home and vehicle-to-grid. BMW Australia hasn’t confirmed which of those will work here, or when. Don’t buy one counting on V2G until it does. Our V2G guide explains where Australian approvals are up to.

Why the BMW i3 misses the FBT exemption

Neither i3 qualifies for the EV fringe benefits tax exemption, and that changes the maths for anyone planning a novated lease. A novated lease is a salary packaging arrangement where your employer pays for the car from your pre-tax salary.

The rule is simple. An EV is only FBT exempt if its value at first sale is below the LCT threshold for fuel-efficient vehicles. That threshold is $91,661 for 2026-27, according to the ATO’s luxury car tax thresholds. The value used for the test is the GST-inclusive price before LCT is added.

Here’s how the numbers work out, using the ATO’s LCT method (33 percent of the amount above the threshold, excluding GST):

	i3 40 xDrive	i3 50 xDrive
List price (includes LCT)	$96,900	$112,900
Value for LCT and FBT test (approx.)	$95,691	$107,999
Estimated LCT included in the price	About $1,209	About $4,901
Over the $91,661 threshold by	About $4,030	About $16,338
FBT exempt?	No	No

These are Gridly estimates based on list price. Dealer delivery and options add to the value, so the real figures will be slightly higher.

The i3 40 misses by about $4,000. That’s frustrating, because the cheaper BMW iX3 40 at $89,900 sits just under the threshold and does qualify. Online, BMW fans have said they’d hoped for a single-motor i3 under $75,000 for exactly this reason. The cheaper rear-drive i3 that’s expected later could fill that gap, if BMW prices it low enough.

The rules also tighten soon. Under changes announced in the May 2026 Budget, EVs priced at $75,000 or less keep the full exemption from 1 April 2027, while EVs between $75,000 and the LCT threshold get a 25 percent FBT discount instead. The Treasury announcement sets out the timeline. Neither i3 benefits under either regime, because both sit above the threshold. Our EV FBT exemption guide explains what this means for leases signed before and after April 2027.

You can still salary package an i3, but FBT applies to the full car benefit. That usually wipes out most of the saving that makes leasing an EV attractive. Run your own numbers with the FBT savings calculator.

BMW i3 vs iX3, i4 and Tesla Model 3

The i3 costs more than the cars it competes with most directly, including BMW’s own. Here’s how it stacks up as of October 2026, before on-road costs.

Model	Price	WLTP range	Drive	FBT exempt?
BMW i3 40 xDrive	$96,900	Up to 710 km	AWD	No
BMW i3 50 xDrive	$112,900	Up to 912 km	AWD	No
BMW iX3 40	$89,900	635 km	RWD	Yes
BMW iX3 50 xDrive	$109,900	805 km	AWD	No
Tesla Model 3 Premium Long Range RWD	$61,900	750 km	RWD	Yes
Tesla Model 3 Performance AWD	$80,900	600 km	AWD	Yes

Sources: BMW Australia, EV Central, carsales and CarExpert (2026); Tesla Model 3 figures from our Tesla Model 3 review, October 2026.

vs BMW iX3: The i3 50 costs $3,000 more than the iX3 50 and adds 107 km of WLTP range, in a lower, sportier body. The two share the same Neue Klasse powertrain. BMW’s 3 Series has traditionally been cheaper than the equivalent X3, which is why some buyers were disappointed by the i3’s pricing. If you want the FBT exemption, the iX3 40 is the only Neue Klasse BMW that qualifies.

vs BMW i4: The i4 eDrive35 is now the only i4 sold here, at $88,900 before on-roads (carsales, September 2026). The i3 40 costs $8,000 more but brings AWD, more power, much faster charging and newer software. The i4 also stays under the FBT threshold, which may matter more to you than any of that.

vs Tesla Model 3: The Model 3 Premium Long Range RWD offers 750 km WLTP for $61,900, which is $35,000 less than the i3 40, and it qualifies for the FBT exemption. Note that Tesla no longer sells a Model 3 Long Range AWD in Australia. What the i3 offers instead is AWD with long range, quicker charging, and a more traditional premium cabin. Whether that’s worth the gap is a personal call.

For a wider look at the segment, see our best electric sedans in Australia.

Who the BMW i3 suits

The i3 suits buyers paying cash or through a business, who drive long distances and want a premium sedan with AWD and one of the longest ranges announced for any EV in Australia. If you regularly drive from Sydney to Canberra and back, or from Melbourne to regional Victoria, the i3 50’s range and charging remove most of the planning.

It suits salary packagers far less. Without the FBT exemption, a cheaper EV that qualifies will usually cost you less each fortnight, even if it’s a lesser car. Compare a novated lease on an iX3 40 or Model 3 against an i3 before you commit.

Running costs need a look too. Several owners of previous BMWs online complained about high dealer servicing bills once prepaid plans ended. BMW hasn’t announced service pricing for the i3, so ask the dealer about a prepaid service plan when you order.

There’s no rush either way. Deliveries start in early 2027, local reviews will follow, and BMW may announce the cheaper rear-drive version and confirm local bidirectional charging in that time. Register interest on BMW Australia’s i3 page and compare it against every other electric car on sale in Australia while you wait.