BMW’s new electric vehicle i3 will be priced from £369 a month for customers leasing the car from November in the UK and customers will be able to complete elements of the purchase online but all customers will visit the dealer network.

The leasing price compares with £189 a month leasing price for the Nissan Leaf. The i3 can be bought outright for £25,680, which includes the Government subsidy of £5,000.

BMW said the i3 will be sold via a multi-channel sales model, comprised of authorized i dealers within the BMW dealer network, a Customer Interaction Center (CIC) as well as an online platform.

Customers will be able to personalise their entire purchasing process to suit their needs. However, a BMW spokeswoman told AM that while many aspects of the buying journey would be able to be completed online, each purchase of an i3 will involve a visit to a BMW dealership.

Customers buying an i3 sign up to a 36 month contract with an initial £2,999 payment, followed by monthly payments of £369 and contract mileage of 24,000miles.

There will also be a range extender version of the i3 which will feature a 650cc two-cylinder petrol engine to maintain the battery charge and extend the range to an approximate 180 miles on one tank of fuel, although prices have not been confirmed yet.

Ian Robertson, member of the board of management, sales and marketing BMW, said: “The BMW i3 heralds the dawn of a new era for individual mobility and for the BMW Group.

“True to a genuine BMW, the BMW i3 has strong emotional appeal, outstanding product substance and a guarantee of sheer driving pleasure. With this leading-edge vehicle and compelling price, we will provide customers with an attractive offer for electromobility.”

Charging and maintenance

The BMW i3 comes as standard in the UK with AC Fast Charging which sees a 7.4Kw charge power up the BMW i3 from zero to 80% within three hours.

An optional BMW i Wallbox  can be purchased and installed at the customer’s home and “green” power options will be offered via selected BMW i partners, for emission-free home charging.

Occasional charging can also be performed using a pre-supplied cable, fitting a standard household socket at 3.7Kw, when a 32 Amp AC Fast Charging port is not available. Charging this way takes eight to 10 hours. DC Fast Charging is the third and final option available to owners and allows a BMW i3 to get an 80% charge in 30 minutes to one hour.

It uses a 50Kw connection to do this and is the best option for public locations where quick short charges are required.

The BMW i3 will have its international world premiere on July 29 at parallel events in London, New York and Beijing where further details with be revealed.