VB-2018
Available now
In the workshop 52 days
2018 BMW i3s 94 Ah
Asking price
$15,400
vs market
-12%
Range, rated against measured
Measured on our 60-mile mixed loop, September, 88 °F. Winter in a northern state costs another 15–25%.
Battery report
91% of new capacity
- Battery & BMS 91
- Drive units 92
- Suspension 86
- Brakes & regen 88
- Body & paint 88
- Interior 87
- Software & charging 85
Charging
50 kW peak
10–80% takes about 42 minutes on a charger that can supply 50 kW or more.
Onboard AC charger 7.4 kW — a full night on a 240 V wall unit
Battery replacement
$11,200
Current cost of a replacement pack or module set for this model, fitted. We publish it so you can do the arithmetic before you buy, not after.
8 years / 100,000 miles on the battery — transfers
Running cost
3.2 mi/kWh
Efficiency from the EPA rating and usable battery capacity. At Florida electricity prices that is about $4 per 100 miles of home charging — roughly a third of what a petrol equivalent costs to run.
Service costs are lower too: no oil, no belts, and brake wear is halved by regenerative braking.
Condition
88/100
Seven measured systems, including the battery and the charging hardware. Red-flag items are either corrected before listing or written into the defect log with the price consequence stated.
Honest condition for the mileage — priced accordingly.
3 findings, published
1 moderate
- Moderate 107-mile range: a city car, not a road car Disclosed, priced in
- Minor Carbon body panel has a repaired stone chip on the bonnet Disclosed with photographs
- Note Rear tyres are the narrow eco size and expensive Quoted in the file
Specification
WBY8P2C5•••••119
- Stock
- VB-2018
- Battery
- 33 kWh · health 91%
- EPA range
- 107 mi
- Measured range
- 101 mi (September, 88 °F)
- DC charging
- 50 kW · 10–80% in 42 min
- Onboard charger
- 7.4 kW AC
- Power
- 184 hp · 199 lb-ft
- 0–60 mph
- 6.3 s
- Drive
- RWD · 4 seats
- Curb weight
- 3,005 lb
- Odometer
- 29,870 mi
- Exterior
- Fluid Black
- Interior
- Atelier grey
- VIN (masked)
- WBY8P2C5•••••119
- Title
- Clean · Florida, in hand
- Previous owners
- 2
- Days on lot
- 52
Service history
2 records
- Battery cycle, AC/DC charging test, 12V battery replaced 29,870 mi · In-house bay
- Brake fluid, cabin filter, software update 24,600 mi · BMW dealer
Highlights
- Carbon-fibre body on an aluminium chassis — nothing else on the lot is built like it
- Rear-wheel drive, 1,356 kg, and genuinely entertaining in town
- Longest-standing car here: 52 days, which makes it the most negotiable
Inspector's notes
We have kept this one because it is the most interesting car on the lot, not the most practical. Buy it if your driving is city miles with a charger at home.
BMW has ended i3 production, so parts come from the dealer network. Not a problem today; worth knowing in five years.
Verified data
Factory figures, checked.
Range, efficiency, battery capacity, charging power and dimensions come from the manufacturer and the EPA rather than from a listing aggregator. Where a figure could not be verified we leave it out and say so.
Manufacturer & EPA
- Battery
- 27.2 kWh usable (33.2 kWh gross, 94 Ah)
- EPA range
- 107 mi
- EPA efficiency
- 112 MPGe combined · 126 city / 99 highway
- DC fast charging
- 50 kW peak — 0–80% in about 42 minutes
- Onboard charger
- 7.4 kW AC — 0–100% in about 4.5 hours
- Power
- 184 hp · 199 lb-ft (the i3s, not the standard i3)
- 0–60 mph
- 6.3 s (Car and Driver; BMW claims 6.8 s)
- Curb weight
- 3,005 lb
- Drive
- RWD · 4 seats · no front trunk
- Cargo
- 9.2 cu ft behind the rear seats (38.8 folded, ISO measurement)
- Dimensions
- 158.1 in long · 70.5 wide · 62.6 high · 101.2 in wheelbase
- NHTSA overall
- Not rated
Model watch list
What this generation is known for.
Documented faults for this exact year and powertrain, listed whether or not this particular car shows them — the recall or service bulletin is named so you can check it yourself.
- Recall 19V-310: a circuit-board fault inside the Electric Motor Electronics module can cut the high-voltage supply and cause a loss of propulsion
- Recall 18V-652: capacitors in the supplied portable charging cable can fail and create a shock or fire hazard — the cable is inspected or replaced
- BMW bulletin SI B22 01 15: left-side drivetrain mount failure lets the electric drivetrain move under load, with a banging noise on load reversal; BMW says do not drive
- Unique tyre sizes with historically one supplier, short tread life and frequent back-orders
Notes on the data
- This is the battery-electric i3s; the range-extender version is a different car with a petrol generator.
- BMW publishes two different cargo figures using two measurement standards; we quote the ISO one and say so.
- Tyres are the practical limitation of this car: unique 20-inch sizes, originally one supplier only, and short life.
- The i3 has no NHTSA overall rating. Auction comps for a 2018 i3s run far below dealer asks, which is why the market band is wide.