BMW i3
Ranked 10 of 29 electric cars by recommenders
Owners praise its quiet, quick, trouble-free electric driving and practical design; critics say the range-extender engine is underpowered.
16 people recommended BMW i3 in Hacker News comments, 8 had mixed feelings and 13 criticized it, November 2025 to October 2026.
Summary written by Claude from 41 comments.
37 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 16
- mixed feelings
- 8
- warn against or regret it
- 13
The record
Recommended in 9 of 12 months
In 14 different threads.
- November 2025: recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: recommended
- February 2026: recommended
- March 2026: recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: recommended
- October 2026: recommended
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 16 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- 1.2 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, not met.
- Recommended in 9 of 12 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
- Recommended in 14 threadsNeeds 5 or more, met.
- The biggest thread supplies 19% of its recommendersNeeds half or less, met.
The same rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. Mixed feelings count toward neither side. How the badge works
What people say about it
Reasons grouped from a sample of 40 of the 54 opinions about it, picked in proportion to how many people recommend it, have mixed feelings and criticize it. Each mark is one comment in the sample. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Enough range for commuting
“It worked out to where they could do their commute, and ordinary errands entirely on battery”
Comment from 28 Sep 2026 in “Nissan's third generation e-POWER powertrain” “my i3 range was not perceptibly reduced after ~8 years, 82k miles”
Comment from 25 Jan 2026 in “Adoption of EVs tied to real-world reductions in air pollution: study” “It works pretty good for long trips.”
Comment from 30 Nov 2025 in “Electric vehicle sales are booming in South America – without Tesla” - Comment from 22 Mar 2026 in “How BYD Got EV Chargers to Work Almost as Fast as Gas Pumps”
Trouble-free, reliable ownership
“my experience which was overwhelmingly positive with no mechanical Issue ever”
Comment from 9 Sep 2026 in “Carmakers Have a New Idea to Boost EV Range: Add a Gas Engine” “All trouble free. Best car I have ever owned.”
Comment from 9 Sep 2026 in “Carmakers Have a New Idea to Boost EV Range: Add a Gas Engine” “Trouble-free EV and trouble-free motor.”
Comment from 9 Sep 2026 in “Carmakers Have a New Idea to Boost EV Range: Add a Gas Engine” Practical, stylish, distinctive design
“They didn't like the styling but it was super practical for them as a car.”
Comment from 25 May 2026 in “Jony Ive's Ferrari” “It was, and still is, the most stylish BMW.”
Comment from 19 Feb 2026 in “Chevy Bolt, BMW i3, or something else? At $10K, you have lots of EV options” “It dared to look different.”
Comment from 20 Feb 2026 in “Chevy Bolt, BMW i3, or something else? At $10K, you have lots of EV options” Lightweight, quick, fun to drive
“That tiny i3 will out-accelerate you at every light, and you will be making a ton of noise, while it is nearly silent.”
Comment from 15 Jul 2026 in “My Midlife Crisis Corolla Is Fast, Furious, and Modded” “The original i3 was super light, quirky, fun, innovative in so many ways.”
Comment from 21 Mar 2026 in “How BYD Got EV Chargers to Work Almost as Fast as Gas Pumps” “it is absurdly lightweight and RWD”
Comment from 28 Sep 2026 in “Nissan's third generation e-POWER powertrain”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Expensive to buy or repair
“its absolutely a horrendous deal compared to other EVs on the market at the same time”
Comment from 23 Mar 2026 in “How BYD Got EV Chargers to Work Almost as Fast as Gas Pumps” “It added to the cost due to expensive composite materials, lesser to the range.”
Comment from 10 Feb 2026 in “Luce: First Electric Ferrari. Designed by LoveFrom” “After it require replacing the entire headlight unit, a $800 part plus labor.”
Comment from 6 Dec 2025 in “BMW PHEV: Safety fuse replacement is extremely expensive” Range-extender engine underpowered
“the engine couldn't keep up with charging the battery to move the car on the freeway + running the AC, because it wasn't powerful enough”
Comment from 20 May 2026 in “Nobody understands the point of hybrid cars [video]” “also could not overcome power draw of the EV drive motor”
Comment from 28 Sep 2026 in “Nissan's third generation e-POWER powertrain” “The BMW i3 used what was basically a scooter engine.”
Comment from 9 Sep 2026 in “Carmakers Have a New Idea to Boost EV Range: Add a Gas Engine” Range-extender version reliability issues
“I heard that the i3 has some horror stories if you got the hybrid”
Comment from 6 Dec 2025 in “BMW PHEV: Safety fuse replacement is extremely expensive” “The gas motorcycle engine loved breaking down, due to disuse.”
Comment from 9 Sep 2026 in “Carmakers Have a New Idea to Boost EV Range: Add a Gas Engine” Styling divides opinion
“its design was… yuck, and it was designed for a very very limited subset of people”
Comment from 24 Feb 2026 in “Tesla registrations crash 17% in Europe as BEV market surges 14%”
Other electric cars people recommend
The four most recommended other electric cars, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Mixed | Criticize | Approval | Months | Had for | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tesla vehicles | 142 | 49 | 384 | 27% | 12 | 6 yrs24 people | — |
| BYD electric cars | 124 | 27 | 50 | 71% | 12 | — | Approved |
| Tesla Model 3 | 88 | 27 | 103 | 46% | 12 | 6 yrs23 people | — |
| Ferrari Luce | 53 | 73 | 303 | 15% | 7 | — | — |
| BMW i3This page | 16 | 8 | 13 | 55% | 9 | — | — |
Also compared with Rivian electric vehicle, Nissan Leaf, Chevrolet Bolt and Renault 5 Electric.
What people said
40 of the 54 opinions about it, picked in proportion to the three counts, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“the engineering undependable”
“It doesn't allow you to "fill up and drive anywhere" like a car.”
“it is absurdly lightweight and RWD”
“those had small engines that mainly acted as generators for the battery”
“they're not terribly efficient in terms of converting fuel to distance travelled”
“also could not overcome power draw of the EV drive motor”
“And the range extender was underpowered.”
“It worked out to where they could do their commute, and ordinary errands entirely on battery”
“Trouble-free EV and trouble-free motor.”
“my experience which was overwhelmingly positive with no mechanical Issue ever”
“All trouble free. Best car I have ever owned.”
“The BMW i3 used what was basically a scooter engine.”
“The gas motorcycle engine loved breaking down, due to disuse.”
“Both excellent cars, neither a substitute for the other whatsoever.”
“That tiny i3 will out-accelerate you at every light, and you will be making a ton of noise, while it is nearly silent.”
“I wouldn't know if anything exists that is worthy to replace it.”
“Sad that the i3 concept didn't take off, I loved it”
“They didn't like the styling but it was super practical for them as a car.”
“a legendary concept car that escaped into the wild, and caused BMW to lose a lot of money”
“Skinny tires and I can go a mix of highway and city driving and get 5.1 miles per kWh.”
“the engine couldn't keep up with charging the battery to move the car on the freeway + running the AC, because it wasn't powerful enough”
“was loud and didn’t do much”
“its absolutely a horrendous deal compared to other EVs on the market at the same time”
“the range is perfect for my use”
“great second hand bargain at current ~$5K price point”
“The original i3 was super light, quirky, fun, innovative in so many ways.”
“it made me really appreciate the bev. So much more room in the engine bay and simpler overall.”
“its design was… yuck, and it was designed for a very very limited subset of people”
“It dared to look different.”
“it was a great car, particularly in its last iteration plus range extender”
“It was, and still is, the most stylish BMW.”
“It added to the cost due to expensive composite materials, lesser to the range.”
“my i3 range was not perceptibly reduced after ~8 years, 82k miles”
“Always drives like an electric, but can pound highway miles on gas.”
“the way it limits the gas tank and won't let you control it manually in the US for tax purposes sucks”
“That battery capacity for initial models is woeful by today's standards.”
“After it require replacing the entire headlight unit, a $800 part plus labor.”
“I heard that the i3 has some horror stories if you got the hybrid”
“Doesn't drive like a BMW, but apparently it wears like one.”
“It works pretty good for long trips.”
Counts come from 1,791,911 Hacker News comments labeled by Claude, November 2025 to October 2026, with data through October 31, 2026. Counts updated 2 Nov 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.