BMW iX1 and iX2 update means both now go further on a charge

The focus may have been on BMW’s new iX3 recently with its 500-mile range, but the German firm is also aiming to keep its lower-rung electric models competitive thanks to range increases for the iX1 and iX2.

A small boost in usable battery capacity from 64.6kWh to 65.2kWh sees range for the entry-level iX1 eDrive20 Sport jump from 293 miles to 318 miles. Go for the xDrive30 and you’ll see a maximum range of 288 miles – an improvement of 18 miles over the old model. For the iX2, range now stands at 318 miles and 294 miles for the eDrive20 and xDrive30 respectively.

To achieve this extra range, BMW looks to have made some fairly serious changes to the iX1 and iX2’s hardware. It’s staying tight-lipped on most of the tweaks, but says that a new silicon-carbide inverter has been fitted to reduce energy consumption. It’s thought that new wheel bearings will help cut frictional losses, too.

Pricing for the updated iX1 is already up on BMW UK’s online configurator. The eDrive20 Sport kicks off at £43,555, while the £55,145 xDrive30 Shadow Edition caps off the range. The iX2 line-up starts at £43,880 and tops out at £55,850. If that’s a little too steep for your liking, there are plenty of used iX1s on the Auto Express Buy A Car service with prices starting at just over £22,000 for three-year-old examples.

The iX1 and iX2’s 130kW maximum charge rate hasn’t been altered, meaning a 10 to 80 per cent top up should take around 29 minutes. Performance is unchanged too, with the 201bhp single-motor eDrive20 going from 0-62mph in 8.6 seconds and the dual-motor 309bhp xDrive30 models completing the sprint in 5.6 seconds.

The iX1 and iX2 updates come at the same time as a similar upgrade for the MINI Countryman Electric, which shares the same UKL2 underpinnings and battery as its BMW siblings. As a result, the MINI’s range increases from 286 miles to 311 miles.

When the iX1 arrived in 2022, it went head-to-head with the Volvo XC40 Recharge (now EX40) and the Mercedes EQA, but new rivals have come thick and fast since then. Audi’s Q4 e-tron is in line for an update of its own soon and the Tesla Model Y has become more affordable than ever with the introduction of the entry-level ‘Standard’ version. An all-new iX1 is expected to arrive at the end of 2027, with styling inspired by the firm’s latest Neue Klasse design language.

But the BMW Group’s small EVs aren’t the only ones getting powertrain tweaks for 2026, as the M5 super-saloon has been updated too. Ahead of Euro 7 regulations due later this year, the M5’s twin-turbocharged, 4.4-litre V8 has been downgraded from 577bhp to 535bhp in a bid to lower emissions. 

The good news is that the electric motor’s output has been bumped up so the total combined power figure remains at 717bhp. We’ll have to wait and see if the revised balance of power for the plug-in hybrid M5 has changed the way it drives.

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