BMW i7 Review & Prices

The BMW i7 is an electric saloon that has some controversial looks and joins the iX as the electric flagship of the BMW line-up. It’s the electric alternative to the 7 Series and features the latest battery technology from the German firm. It’s a lot like buying a nice faux leather jacket instead of one made from a cow.

Looks-wise, the i7 will definitely split opinions. But once you’re used to it, the large kidney grilles and split headlights look pretty smart, while the long bonnet exudes class. The limousine styling continues down the side, so it can look a bit slab-sided, but the optional two-tone paint option could be a master stroke if you like that sort of thing.

From the rear, it’s pretty square, and you don’t get a full width light bar that is all the rage these days. You also get a lot of blue ‘electricity’ accents around the car to make it visually different from the 7 Series.

You get one of the nicest-feeling interiors around in the i7, with lots of leather – or vegan leather if you prefer – alongside crystally controls for the seat adjustment and gear lever. There’s also a lovely crystal strip that lights up depending on the climate control or interior ambience.

Watch: BMW i7 M70 review

But the highlight of the i7 is the optional cinema widescreen in the back. Folding down from the roof, it can stream your favourite shows or films on-demand, and it’s all controlled via voice commands or a door-mounted touchscreen. You can also get business class-style rear seats that recline to make you feel even more at home and comfortable on long drives.

The main point of the i7 isn’t the boot space, but you still get 500 litres to work with. You can’t fold the seats down to increase load capacity, which is a shame, and the i7 loses 25 litres compared to the plug-in hybrid 7 Series models. It’s also considerably down on the Mercedes EQS, which offers 610 litres.

The compact battery pack has a 102kWh capacity, and with that you can go up to 388 miles on a single charge. That is quite a way off the best for the Mercedes EQS, which can do up to 441 miles.

Out on the road, the i7 starts to surpass the Mercedes EQS, as well as some other big high-end EVs like the Tesla Model S. With the adaptive air suspension setup, bumps are barely noticeable and you’ll have next to no trouble on a long journey, where you can use the adaptive cruise control to make for a serene drive.

There’s no hiding that in town it feels all of its 5.4m, but with the help of all around cameras, you’ll be able to make smooth progress. The instant electric power also makes getting in and out of junctions easy. The i7 can also park itself while you keep an eye on your surroundings.

On the whole, the i7 is a comfortable and an accomplished limo that the Mercedes EQS and Tesla Model S will struggle to match. Although the Mercedes will go further on a charge, the i7 manages to be more fun to drive and packed with even more kit. While it may divide opinions with its looks, it's definitely the leader in the premium electric market.

If you like what you see, check out the latest BMW i7 deals available through Carwow. We’ve also got a wide selection of used BMWs, and if you’re looking to sell your car online, we can do that too.

The BMW i7 isn’t cheap — which is possibly the least surprising thing we could say about it. It comes with a six-figure price tag even in its most basic eDrive50 form, and it’s a few thousand pounds more expensive than the equivalent entry-level Mercedes EQS. In fact, the EQS has a price advantage against all like-for-like versions of the i7 - the all-wheel drive i7 xDrive60 costs about the same as the flagship AMG version of the EQS, and the sporty i7 M70 is considerably pricier than its aforementioned EQS AMG rival.

Against the Audi e-tron GT quattro, the i7 is way more expensive, and the Audi is faster, but it can’t match the BMW’s claimed range on a full charge (although their real-world figures are somewhat closer). It’s also nowhere near as spacious and comfortable as the i7. It’s a similar story when you start comparing the BMW with the Porsche Taycan. The Porsche is, in 4S form, faster, more fun, and much more affordable, but not quite so long-ranged and certainly not as spacious nor as comfortable inside.

A Tesla Model S is also more affordable to buy than the i7, and like the EQS it has the BMW licked when it comes to range (up to 405 miles, depending on the model). However, the Tesla isn't as comfy or as plush inside as the BMW, and if you order a new Model S you can only have one in left-hand drive.

The BMW i7’s greatest asset is its comfort — it’s exceptionally refined and smooth to drive, although it’s still a big and heavy saloon so doesn’t have the poise of lighter cars

In town

The i7 is a really big car. It’s a full 5.3 metres long, which means it’s around three feet longer than, say, a Ford Focus. It’s also quite tall and broad, so you do need your wits about you when driving around town, and narrow lanes or tight car parks can be a potential nightmare. Thankfully, there are some systems which can help to take the strain.

You can optionally have four-wheel steering, which turns the rear wheels by up to 3.5 degrees and instantly makes the i7 feel more nimble around town and which means it’ll get around tight corners with a little more ease. Plus there’s a very good all-round camera system which helps with low-speed manoeuvres and parking, not to mention an excellent and very clever automated parking system which can remember and repeat parking moves at regular destinations. There’s even a washer jet for the rear-facing camera to keep it clear of road grime.

You can also have a remote driving function, which works via the BMW app on your smartphone, allowing you to shuffle the car in and out of very tight parking spaces while standing outside. The standard adaptive air suspension helps around town too, as it can lift up the nose by 20mm to help cope with steep driveways or XXL speed bumps. 

On the motorway

A long motorway drive is where the i7 is in its natural habitat. The air suspension actually lowers slightly at high speeds to make the car more aerodynamic, but that doesn’t mean that it also becomes stiffer or more uncomfortable. Actually, it’s one of the smoothest, most soft-riding cars you can buy and it’s exceptionally relaxing to drive on a long journey. The adaptive cruise control and lane-keeping steering help, too. They’re not fully autonomous — of course — so you’re still in charge, but they’re very good at keeping a safe distance from the car in front and holding you between the white lines.

The only thing is you’ll need to keep an eye on them as they don’t always seem to pick up speed signs, although when the system does recognise the local limit it will automatically slow you down, which should keep the speeding tickets at bay. Joining a fast-moving motorway is pretty easy too, as all versions of the i7 are very quick - even the least potent rear-wheel drive cars have 455hp on tap, so they can accelerate from 0-62mph in 5.5 seconds, and the 544hp all-wheel drive model completes the same sprint in 4.7 seconds. Opt for the 659hp M70 range-topper, and you'll have a BMW i7 that can dash to 62mph from a standing start in just 3.7 seconds - not bad for a luxury limo that weighs nearly 2.8 tonnes.

On a twisty road

All the softness and refinement might make you think that BMW has forgotten its old ‘Ultimate Driving Machine’ slogan when it comes to getting the i7 to go around corners. Nothing could be further from the truth. That air suspension also has an optional active anti-roll system which keeps the body almost dead-level when cornering, and the i7’s steering is fast and accurate, if not quite as sharp as you might find in some smaller, lighter BMWs.

The result is a limo that can corner properly, and you can even have some fun throwing this big, heavy car around. It’s far lighter on its toes in corners than the Mercedes EQS for example, although not as good to drive as the smaller, less roomy Audi e-tron GT.

There’s lots of space in the i7’s cabin — not to mention tremendous comfort — but like the interior stowage options, the boot isn’t as big nor as versatile as it could be

The driving position of the i7 is very good, and with the controls for the electrically-adjusted front seats mounted up high on the door panels, you won’t have to fumble around down by your hips to find the right position. Seat comfort is exceptional, and there’s plenty of legroom and headroom in the front for even the tallest drivers and front-seat passengers. The felt-lined door bins stop stuff rattling around in them, but they could be slightly more generous in size. There’s more storage space under the front armrest but it’s slightly shallow. You get two cupholders in the front, and in front of those is a storage area which is also home to the wireless phone charging pad. The glovebox opens electrically, by pressing a touch-sensitive button on the dashboard, and it’s felt-lined to prevent rattles as well, although again it’s not the most generously-sized storage space. 

Space in the back seats

Rear seat passengers are exceptionally well-cared for, as the i7 is as good for space in the back as standard as the old long-wheelbase version of the 7 Series. There’s proper stretching-out space, although the rear seats are really shaped for two, not three people so anyone in the centre rear seat is going to feel a bit cheated. The seat behind the front passenger can also fully-recline, like a business-class airline seat, although it also moves that front passenger seat forwards and partially folds it, so you can’t have anyone other than the driver sat in the front to get the full premier passenger experience. 

On a more practical note, you get ISOFIX anchor points — easily accessible ones, too — in the outer rear seats, and storage space and cupholders in the fold-away centre arm-rest. There are also decent-sized door bins and map pockets in the backs of the front seats. Rear seat passengers also get their own USB charging sockets, mounted usefully high-up in the centre of the front seat backs. The best bit? Probably the ultra-soft and comfy little pillows, attached to the rear headrests!

Boot space

The i7 offers 500 litres of boot space under its standard electrically-powered boot lid, which is 25-litres less than you get in the petrol-powered 7 Series, and a massive 110 litres less than you get in the Mercedes EQS’ boot. The EQS is also a fastback, with a liftback-style tailgate making it more versatile than the saloon-style i7. 

There is at least a useful under-floor storage space which is big enough for you to be able to stash your charging cables, and the opening for the boot is big and wide, but there’s no ‘frunk’ boot in the front — in spite of how huge the bonnet is — and nor do the back seats fold flat to open up extra loading space. You do get tie-down points and shopping hooks, and the i7’s quality feel extends even into the boot, with a thick, luxurious carpet covering everything.

The i7’s cabin is hugely luxurious and full of high-tech features, but not all of them are as clever as they seem

The i7’s cabin steps ahead of that of the Mercedes EQS, mostly because it uses nicer materials and has a sense of higher quality about it. That’s true of the deep-pile carpets on the floor, which are almost like those of a Rolls-Royce, and the soft leather on the seats, which can be optionally replaced by a ‘vegan’ leather option if you like.

The dashboard uses the big curved digital display that we’ve already seen in the iX electric SUV and which runs on the eighth generation of BMW’s ‘iDrive’ software. It’s all very advanced, and features items such as ‘augmented reality’ — which overlays direction arrows for the sat nav onto a live feed taken from the front-facing camera — and an optional 2,000-watt Bowers & Wilkins stereo which comes with ‘exciter’ bass speakers mounted in the backs of the seats. There’s a lot of crystal-effect buttons and trim in the i7, which you might find either tacky or delightful, and the full-width crystal strip on the dashboard (it’s actually made of plastic) lights up depending on what functions you’re using, as well as being part of the background mood lighting.

Even the glass roof gets in on the act, as it can be inlaid with strips of LED lights which act as part of the cabin mood lighting.

The star of the show, though, is the optional 31.0-inch screen which folds down from the roof and which turns the back seats into a mobile cinema or video game arcade. It’s a touchscreen, but it also runs on 8K high-definition picture quality and there’s a built-in Amazon Fire Stick to allow those in the back to watch movies or TV shows, or you could plug in a games console. It does entirely remove any rearward vision for the driver, though and the controls are more fiddly to use than they really ought to be.

That’s true of the controls on the big infotainment screen in the front, too. BMW has unwisely put all of the heating and ventilation controls on the screen, and there are so many adjustable items that you actually have to scroll the screen sideways so that the driver and front seat passenger can access all of the available options.

Equally, BMW has moved controls for the active cruise control from the steering wheel to the screen, which makes items such as the radar-guided distance control (which keeps you a safe distance from the car in front on the motorway) far too awkward to access. Those in the back get handy little smartphone-like control panels built into the rear doors, which allows them to adjust their seats, open and close sunblinds, and operate some of the big TV functions.

We do like the exceptional quality levels though, and the fit and finish is hard to fault. There are also very nice touches such as front air vents that are hidden within the dash design, and which are controlled by subtle little buttons which don’t break up the lines of the cabin.

There’s a ‘soft-close’ function for the doors as standard — no need to slam them shut — and you can optionally have fully electric doors which open and close at the press of a button.

One amusing touch are the ‘Iconic Sounds’ — electronic noises meant to replace the traditional sounds of an engine, and which BMW has had made by legendary Hollywood music composer Hans Zimmer (Gladiator, Inception, and so many more). They’re a little odd, but quite good fun.

The i7 uses a big, but surprisingly slim-fitting, 102kWh battery pack, which gives it an official range on one charge between 334 and 387 miles, depending on the model. That would be impressive, but the Mercedes EQS has a slightly bigger battery and can hit a claimed 441 miles on one charge. The i7 will struggle to hit that official maximum range too, especially if you’re doing any motorway miles. We conducted one of our range tests with the i7 and found on a mainly motorway run it managed 303 miles before the battery was completely drained.

On the upside, the i7 can charge at up to 22kW on AC power, such as from a kerb-side charging point, with a full 22kW charge taking just over six hours, says BMW. You can get 195kW charging from more powerful DC public chargers, which can add as much as 106 miles of extra range in just 10 minutes.

As an electric car, the i7 is still zero-rated for VED car tax, and you’ll pay just two per cent in BIK tax if you’re a company car buyer.

The i7 hasn’t been tested by Euro NCAP yet, but the iX SUV — which shares some of the i7’s parts and construction — received a full five-star rating.

As standard, the i7 comes with four-wheel drive, traction control (which includes BMW’s ‘near-actuator’ system which speeds up response to a slipping wheel), stability control, radar-guided cruise control, forward collision alert and emergency braking, lane-keeping steering, all-round cameras and parking sensors, speed limit assistance, and ‘evasion assistance’ for the steering which can help you swerve around obstacles.

There’s also a blind-spot monitor, rear cross traffic alert, and a system that warns you if you’re about to open your door when a cyclist is coming up in your blind spot.

The i7 is too new for us to have a solid handle on how reliable it will be, although BMW’s reliability rating has been improving of late — although it’s not quite as impressive as you might think, and the likes of Lexus and Genesis are well ahead in reliability terms. BMW does offer a standard three-year unlimited mileage warranty, and the i7’s battery pack is covered for eight years or 100,000 miles.