2026 BMW iX gets updated styling and a lower price

By automotive-mag.com 4 Min Read
  • The refreshed 2026 BMW iX lineup expands
  • Every iX has more than 300 miles of range
  • The revised BMW iX costs $76,325 and arrives in the second quarter

The 2026 BMW iX marks the first major update since the electric midsize SUV debuted for the 2022 model year, bringing power and efficiency upgrades as well as refreshed styling and a new base model.

That new grade—dubbed xDrive45—sits below xDrive60 and M70 xDrive grades that replace last year’s xDrive50 and M60, respectively. It costs $76,325 (including a $1,175 destination charge), which is $11,920 less than the 2025 BMW iX xDrive50, the less-expensive of the two grades available for that model year. The xDrive60 and M70 cost $89,675 and $112,675, respectively, after destination.

All models still feature dual-motor all-wheel drive, with the base xDrive45 rated at 402 hp and 516 lb-ft of torque and capable of the 0-60 mph run in 4.9 seconds, according to BMW. The xDrive60 is tuned for 536 hp and 564 lb-ft. That’s increase of 20 hp over the xDrive50 it replaces, but torque remains unchanged, as does the BMW-estimated 0-60 mph time of 4.4 seconds.

The range-topping M70 performance model generates 650 hp and 811 lb-ft with launch control (570 hp and 749 lb-ft otherwise) compared to 610 hp and 749 lb-ft for the outgoing M60 model. However, the 0-60 mph estimate also remains the same, at 3.6 seconds. BMW also quotes a 155-mph top speed with optional performance tires and 130 mph with the standard tires, compared to 124 mph for the lower-tier iX models.

2025 BMW iX

Battery capacities differ slightly at 100.1 kwh (usable) for the iX xDrive45, 113.4 kwh for the ixDrive60, and 112.8 kwh for the ix M70. BMW claims that all three versions will offer more than 300 miles of range, at 340 miles for the xDrive60, 312 miles for the xDrive45, and 302 miles for the M70. Each improves on the 2025 model’s best of 309 miles.

Range improvements are due to a more-efficient battery management system, silicon-carbide inverters, and a new battery chemistry that affords greater energy density, BMW claims, while a standard heat pump should boost efficiency in cold weather. The iX still uses a 400-volt electrical architecture, and its maximum DC fast-charging rate of 195 kw (175 kw for xDrive45 models) is unchanged.

Styling changes include new headlights with distinctive vertical elements, a new grille with similar vertical striations and optional illumination, and a new front fascia with a more squared-off appearance.

2025 BMW iX

2025 BMW iX

Inside, the iX retains the curved dashboard display that debuted on this model and has since been applied to most of BMW’s lineup, but it gains new functions like gaming and video streaming. An optional M Sport Package adds new multifunction seats with extra bolstering and massage.

Production of the 2026 BMW iX starts in March at the automaker’s Dingolfing, Germany, plant. U.S. deliveries are scheduled to start in the second quarter. The updated iX will be quickly followed by the first of BMW’s next-generation Neue Klasse EVs, a compact crossover likely to be badged as the iX3 and previewed by the Vision Neue Klasse X concept.

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