Used BMW i4: which years to buy, which to avoid

The i4 eDrive40 is the one to target, ideally a 2023 car in M Sport trim, in the £24,000-£30,000 bracket. It has the range (a genuine 365 miles WLTP, 270-300 in real use), the best blend of pace and efficiency in the line-up, and rear-wheel drive that makes it the keen driver's pick in this class. The cheaper eDrive35 saves a little but gives up meaningful range for not much money, and the M50 is brilliant but thirstier and dearer. Nothing here is off-limits, but treat the earliest 2021 and early-2022 build cars with a bit more diligence, because those are the ones caught by the early high-voltage battery recalls. A separate "drivetrain malfunction" software recall covers 2022-2025 cars, so a VIN-level recall check matters whatever year you end up looking at. The good news, and the big difference from the E-GMP cars like the Ioniq 5 and EV6, is that there's no single endemic component hanging over the i4. Its problems are mostly software plus a handful of small early-build campaigns, and the underlying car has a solid reliability reputation.

The rest of this piece breaks the years down, explains the recall situation properly, and covers what to check before you sign.

A year-by-year breakdown

2021/2022 (launch)

UK deliveries started in late 2021 with two versions: the rear-drive eDrive40 (335bhp, 83.9kWh battery, up to around 365 miles WLTP) and the dual-motor M50 (537bhp, all-wheel drive, 0-62 in about 3.9 seconds). Both are built on BMW's CLAR platform, the same architecture as the petrol 4 Series Gran Coupe, rather than a bespoke EV skateboard. That has consequences worth knowing about, covered further down.

These earliest cars are where the recall attention sits. A small number of late-2021 and early-2022 builds were subject to high-voltage battery campaigns, so this is the year group where a recall check is least optional. Build quality and the drivetrain itself have held up well.

Used pricing: roughly £20,000-£26,000 for an eDrive40.

2023 (eDrive35 arrives)

In early 2023 BMW added the entry-level eDrive35: a smaller 70.2kWh battery (around 67kWh usable), 286bhp, rear drive, and up to roughly 300 miles WLTP. It slots in below the eDrive40 but only by a few thousand pounds used, which is why the eDrive40 remains the smarter buy for most people. The rest of the range carried on largely unchanged.

This is the sweet-spot year. By 2023 the early battery-build issues are behind you (though the later software recall still applies), prices have softened nicely, and there's plenty of choice.

Used pricing: £23,000-£31,000 for an eDrive40, £23,000-£30,000 for an eDrive35, £30,000-£42,000 for an M50.

2024 (the mid-life update)

BMW gave the i4 a light refresh during 2024, with UK cars on the updated specification arriving in the second half of the year. It's a styling-and-tech update rather than a mechanical one: a revised kidney grille and slimmer head and tail lights, some interior trim changes, and a move to the iDrive 8.5 operating system (the QuickSelect menu layout), which is noticeably slicker than the original iDrive 8. The powertrains carried over unchanged. One mild downside of the update is that a few physical controls migrated into the touchscreen.

If you can find a post-update 2024 car within budget, the newer software is the main reason to prefer it. It isn't worth a large premium over a well-sorted pre-update car, though.

Used pricing: £30,000-£40,000 for an eDrive40.

2025 onwards

The updated range continued through 2025. From around the middle of the year BMW rolled out an efficiency update using a new silicon-carbide inverter, worth roughly 5% more range, and renamed the range-topping M50 as the M60 with power raised to about 601bhp. These cars are still expensive used because they're recent, but they're the cleanest pick if the budget stretches.

Used pricing: £38,000-£55,000+ depending on trim and mileage.

The recall picture (and the "drivetrain malfunction" warning)

This is the section to read carefully, but it needs the right framing. The i4 has had several recalls in its first few years. Unlike the E-GMP ICCU saga, these are not one single platform-wide failure. Most affected small numbers of early cars, and all recall work is carried out free.

There are really two things to understand.

The early battery campaigns. Certain late-2021 to mid-2022 build cars were recalled because a high-voltage battery module may have been damaged or built out of specification during production, with a short-circuit or thermal risk in the worst case. The advice on affected cars was not to drive or charge them until the module was replaced, which sounds alarming but reflects how manufacturers handle any battery campaign out of caution. The volumes were small. What Car?'s UK data points to two related battery recalls covering only a few hundred cars between them. There was also a separate campaign relating to the high-voltage battery charging electronics on a small number of cars.

The "drivetrain malfunction" software recall. This is the one most likely to be relevant to the car in front of you. Across 2022-2025 cars, the electric drive-motor software could incorrectly detect a fault and briefly shut the high-voltage system down, cutting drive power for a few seconds, with a "Drivetrain malfunction" message on the dash. BMW addressed this with a 2025 software recall, fixed by a free update that in many cases can be applied over the air. Owners across several model years have reported the warning. It's usually software, though in a minority of cases it has been traced to a cooling-system fault or the cell-supervision module.

The practical takeaway for a used buyer: run a VIN-level recall check with BMW or the bmw.co.uk recall lookup, and confirm both the battery campaigns (where applicable) and the drivetrain-malfunction software update are closed out before you buy. Get it in writing. None of it should cost you anything, but you want it done.

Other known issues to verify

iDrive software glitches. Laggy screens, the odd reboot, and occasional wireless CarPlay navigation bugs are the most commonly reported niggles, particularly on early iDrive 8 cars. Mostly resolved by updates, and the iDrive 8.5 cars from the 2024 update are smoother. Check the car is on a recent software version.

12V battery. As with most modern BMWs, the auxiliary 12V battery is a known weak point and a cheap fix, but a chronic pattern of 12V faults is worth questioning.

Tyre wear. The i4 is heavy (well over two tonnes) and often runs on run-flat tyres, so expect to get through them. The M50 and M60, on wider rubber, are harder on tyres again. Budget accordingly and check current wear and alignment.

Coolant leaks. A small number of cars have had coolant or battery-cooling faults, occasionally sitting behind a drivetrain-malfunction warning. Virtually all have been handled under warranty.

Charging hiccups. Some owners report interrupted public charging sessions. This is frequently a charger-side problem rather than the car, but it's worth confirming the car initiates cleanly on both AC and a DC rapid charger.

Safety rating. Worth knowing rather than worrying about: the i4 holds a four-star Euro NCAP rating, marked down on the assistance tests (its automatic emergency braking underperformed in one pedestrian scenario) rather than on crash protection.

Battery health has been reassuring so far. There's no widespread pattern of rapid capacity loss in 2022-2024 cars, and most examples return close to their original range allowing for seasonal variation.

Pre-purchase checks specific to the i4

In addition to the usual used-EV checks in the 14-point checklist:

• Run a VIN-specific recall check. Confirm the early battery campaigns (on 2021/2022 cars) and the 2022-2025 drivetrain-malfunction software recall have been completed. BMW customer service or any BMW dealer can confirm against the VIN. Get it in writing.
• Confirm the software version. Ideally the car is on iDrive 8.5 (standard on the 2024-update cars, and available as a retrofit update on some earlier cars). Out-of-date software on a recent car suggests it hasn't seen a dealer lately.
• Check the full BMW service history. A complete record matters more than any survey score for telling you how a specific car has been treated.
• Test rapid charging if you can. With a reasonably warm battery at a low state of charge, an eDrive40 or M50 should climb toward 200kW on a 150kW+ rapid charger; an eDrive35 toward 180kW. Sustained low speeds warrant questions.
• Inspect the tyres. Check wear is even and matched, note whether they're run-flats, and watch for pulling or vibration on the test drive.
• Ask about any "drivetrain malfunction" history. A car that has thrown the warning and had the software update is fine; one still waiting for it is not.
• Run a battery health check if you have access to one. See the battery state of health guide for how.

What a used i4 should cost in mid-2026

Approximate retail pricing for clean examples with reasonable mileage (30-50k miles):

Year	Variant	Price band
2022	eDrive40	£20,000-£26,000
2023	eDrive40	£23,000-£31,000
2023/24	eDrive35	£23,000-£30,000
2022/23	M50	£30,000-£42,000
2024 (update)	eDrive40	£30,000-£40,000
2025	eDrive40 / M60	£38,000-£55,000+

Private sales typically sit £1,500-£2,500 below the equivalent dealer figure. BMW's approved-used scheme adds a warranty and inspection on top, which is worth factoring in given the early-build recall history.

What it competes with

The natural rivals in the £24,000-£34,000 bracket:

• Tesla Model 3 (2022-2024) is the most direct rival: a saloon of similar size and money, with better real-world efficiency, longer range and far stronger rapid-charging access through the Supercharger network. The i4 answers with a plusher cabin, better material quality and a more involving drive. (Our Model 3 guide is on the way.)
• Polestar 2 (2023+ Long Range), see our Polestar 2 guide. Similar price and rear-drive character, a simpler reliability story, less rear space.
• Tesla Model Y (2022-2024), see our Model Y guide. The practical SUV alternative: roomier and better for charging, less special to sit in and drive.
• Hyundai Ioniq 5 / Kia EV6 (2022-2024), see our Ioniq 5 guide and EV6 guide. The E-GMP cars charge faster (800V architecture, 220kW+ versus the i4's 400V, 200kW) and offer far more interior space, plus longer warranties. They carry the ICCU question the i4 doesn't.
• Mercedes EQE is the plusher executive option if comfort and refinement outrank driver appeal.

The i4's case rests on the driving (sweet rear-drive balance, the best steering in the class, genuinely quick even in eDrive40 form), the cabin quality and the badge. The trade-offs come from the conversion platform: there's no front boot, the rear floor has a slight hump, and the coupe roofline pinches rear headroom for taller passengers. Its 400V architecture means it tops out around 200kW on a rapid charger, slower than the E-GMP cars though perfectly usable. And BMW's three-year basic warranty is shorter than Kia's seven or Hyundai's five, so most early cars are now out of bumper-to-bumper cover, even though the separate eight-year battery warranty still has years to run.

Frequently asked questions

Is the BMW i4 reliable? Broadly yes. UK surveys and reviews rate it as a polished, dependable EV, and the drivetrain and battery have proved robust. The main frustrations owners report are software and infotainment glitches rather than anything mechanical, and the recall items are addressed free. Buy one with its recalls closed out and a full history and it's a sound used choice.

eDrive35, eDrive40 or M50/M60? The eDrive40 for almost everyone. It has far more range than the eDrive35 for not much more money used, and its 335bhp is plenty. The eDrive35 only makes sense if it's appreciably cheaper and your mileage is low. The M50 (and the later M60) are seriously fast and great fun, but they cost more, use more, and chew through tyres, so they're a want rather than a need.

What is the "drivetrain malfunction" warning? It's a message that the high-voltage system has briefly shut down and cut drive power. On the i4 it has usually been a drive-motor software issue, covered by a 2022-2025 recall and fixed with a free software update (often over the air). Occasionally it points to a cooling fault. Check the car has had the update before buying.

Pre-update or the 2024 facelift? The 2024 update is mostly styling and the better iDrive 8.5 software rather than anything mechanical. The newer software is the main reason to prefer it, but a well-sorted earlier car on an up-to-date software version is no hardship and saves money.

What's the real-world range? An eDrive40 returns around 270-300 miles in mixed use against its 365-mile WLTP figure, dropping toward 220-250 in cold weather. The eDrive35 and M50 are lower again. The eDrive40 is the long-distance pick of the range.

How does it compare to a Tesla Model 3? The Model 3 wins on efficiency, outright range and charging convenience. The i4 wins on interior quality and the way it drives. If you do a lot of long motorway trips the Tesla's charging network is a real advantage; if the car spends most of its time closer to home and you value how it feels, the BMW makes its case.

Is the battery warranty still valid on a used one? BMW covers the high-voltage battery for eight years or 100,000 miles, separate from the three-year basic warranty. So even a 2022 car still has several years of battery cover left, though the general warranty on the earliest cars has typically expired. Confirm the exact dates against the specific car.