BMW Australia has announced that it aims to launch three new EV variants of its range which will fall under the Luxury Car Tax (LCT) threshold, and qualify for fringe benefit tax exemptions, in a bid to tap into the rapidly growing leasing and fleet market.
The new variants will cover three of its electric models including:
- BMW i4 eDrive35 – $85,900 before on-roads
- BMW iX3 M Sport – $89,100 before on-roads
- BMW iX1 eDrive20 – $78,900 before on-roads
These variants will fall under the LCT as zero-emission vehicles, where the limit is set at $89,332 for this financial year.
BMW is already offering the iX1 xDrive30 priced below the tax threshold. That is a small electric SUV that is based on the BMW X1 platform which was launched in Q2 2023. It’s got a starting price of $84,900 and is equipped with a 67 kWh battery pack that can deliver up to 400 km of range.
The new base variant of the iX1 comes with the same battery pack but delivers up to 475 km of range from its single-motor powertrain. The motor produces up to 150 kW of power and 247 Nm of torque. This can sprint from 0-100 km/h in 8.6 seconds. It will be available in Australia by Q1 2024.
Sticking to the upcoming SUV lineup, the new BMW iX3 M Sport comes with a powertrain that offers 210 kW of power and 400 Nm of torque. It’s fed by an 80 kWh battery pack that delivers up to 461 km of range. It’s expected to be here in a couple of months in Q4 2023.
The final variant is the electric i4 four-door sedan which comes with a similar powertrain to the iX3 M Sport. It offers 210 kW of power and 400 Nm of torque which allows it to sprint to 100 km/h from a standstill in 6 seconds. The new i4 variant is equipped with 70 kWh battery which delivers up to 430 km in range.
The new variants fall in line with the BMW Group’s ambitions to have 20% of its new vehicle sales to be fully electric vehicles. In 2025, the luxury brand aims to ramp that up to 25% before 2026 when one in three vehicles is expected to be fully electric.
In Australia, we are starting to see many more electric models this year as Australian drivers look at various segments in the market for EV options. With over 56,000 EV sales so far in 2023, more brands are starting to offer EV options to meet the demand.
This includes models from brands like BMW who have traditionally aimed at the upper end of the market. Now with the increased LCT threshold, more models to the range will enable more customers to consider EVs over ICE vehicles, reducing our overall emissions in the long term.
2023/24 BMW FBT & LCT exempt fully electric line-up
| Model | Power | Torque | Accel. (sec) |
Gross battery capacity (kWh) |
Range | Price | Launch timing |
| iX1 eDrive20 | 150kW | 247Nm | 8.6 | 67 | Up to 475# | $78,900* | Q1, ‘24 |
| iX1 xDrive30 | 230kW | 494Nm | 5.6 | 67 | Up to 400^ | $84,900* | Q2, ‘23 |
| i4 eDrive35 | 210kW | 400Nm | 6.0 | 70 | Up to 430^ | $85,900* | Q4, ‘23 |
| iX3 M Sport | 210kW | 400Nm | 6.8 | 80 | Up to 461^ | $89,100* | Q4, ‘23 |
#Provisional values according to WLTP.
^ Range is based upon Combined Driving Test Cycle in accordance with ADR 81/02 on purpose built test vehicles. Actual figures will depend on many factors including traffic conditions, driving habits, prevailing conditions and your vehicle’s equipment, condition and use. These figures should not be expected to be achieved in real world driving conditions and should only be used for comparing one vehicle with another.
Riz is the founder of carloop based in Melbourne, specialising in Australian EV data, insight reports and trends. He is a mechanical engineer who spent the first 7 years of his career building transport infrastructure before starting carloop. He has a passion for cars, particularly EVs and wants to help reduce transport emissions in Australia. He currently drives a red Tesla Model 3.