Is the BMW i3 Rex free of London congestion charge (for no…)

[ImABitLongCars]

Hi guys, I’m just returning back to the UK from having been abroad for several years.

That’s good news for me because I get to buy cars again, having had about 40 in 20 years.

We live in Kensington in Central London, and I’m debating a BMW i3 S Rex or a Porsche Cayenne e-hybrid (2016-2020 later one, not the earlier sucky one). Will also get a ridiculous second car alongside it.

Question is… Which for some reason I can’t find the answer to anywhere… the BMW i3 fully electric is definitely congestion charge free… but is the BMW range extender? Obviously this may all change in 2026.

Would love a clear annswer on this from an owner as I can’t find one anywhere.

Any experiences on charging on the street in central London as well.


Thanks!!!

[1O6Rallye]

Why don't you look up the reg plates of some for sale online and type them into the congestion charge check website?

[p1stonhead]

For Central London the i3 couldn’t be a better vehicle in my opinion.

But why the REX? The bigger 120ah battery (which doesn’t come with one) will do 200 miles easily around town and 170 on a run.

The REX is often the only part of the car that goes wrong it seems, and unless you’re doing long distances I would steer clear. It needlessly complicates the pure EV version.

Edited by p1stonhead on Thursday 31st October 08:51

[_Neal_]

As per the above, don't bother with the Rex. BMW ditched it when they fitted the larger battery (giving very similar range) anyway.

i3s are excellent, and very good value as well second hand.

[Luke.]

_Neal_ said:

As per the above, don't bother with the Rex. BMW ditched it when they fitted the larger battery (giving very similar range) anyway.

i3s are excellent, and very good value as well second hand.

i3s are absolutely brilliant. I had a Rex and wish I hadn't. Never used it and I don't even live in a city. It also has an annoying habit of running the engine every now and then to keep everything ticking over. All in all, a bit of a pain in the arse.

Also, can't help thinking your two cars couldn't be more different. You after something little or large?

[p1stonhead]

Luke. said:

_Neal_ said:

As per the above, don't bother with the Rex. BMW ditched it when they fitted the larger battery (giving very similar range) anyway.

i3s are excellent, and very good value as well second hand.

i3s are absolutely brilliant. I had a Rex and wish I hadn't. Never used it and I don't even live in a city. It also has an annoying habit of running the engine every now and then to keep everything ticking over. All in all, a bit of a pain in the arse.

Also, can't help thinking your two cars couldn't be more different. You after something little or large?

Can’t think of a worse car for proper Central London, than a Cayenne sized thing to be honest!

Parking the i3 in town is incredibly easy. The smallest of spots are perfectly doable. Love it so much.

[_Neal_]

Ridiculously good turning circle as well. i3 a superb choice OP.

ETA - I'm also not convinced the S is worth the premium over the standard car - having driven both, the regular i3 has more than enough poke.

Edited by _Neal_ on Thursday 31st October 09:54

[p1stonhead]

_Neal_ said:

Ridiculously good turning circle as well. i3 a superb choice OP.

Yep think it’s only beaten by a London black cab plus a couple more tiny city cars?

It’s really really small.

[Shabaza]

The Rex isnt congestion charge exempt because its technically a hybrid and the ice engine emits pollutants etc.

However, the congestion charge exemption for EVs ends next year so the benefits will soon disappear anyhow

[maz8062]

The REX is not exempt but the full EV one is. It’ll cost you £10 for the year mind, and the concession is due to end in 2025.

[p1stonhead]

_Neal_ said:

Ridiculously good turning circle as well. i3 a superb choice OP.

ETA - I'm also not convinced the S is worth the premium over the standard car - having driven both, the regular i3 has more than enough poke.

Edited by _Neal_ on Thursday 31st October 09:54

I tried both before buying the standard. I found the S a fair bit firmer and more crashy and uncomfortable so went with the standard suspension one.

And the normal one isn’t exactly a Range Rover!

[maz8062]

p1stonhead said:

_Neal_ said:

Ridiculously good turning circle as well. i3 a superb choice OP.

ETA - I'm also not convinced the S is worth the premium over the standard car - having driven both, the regular i3 has more than enough poke.

Edited by _Neal_ on Thursday 31st October 09:54

I tried both before buying the standard. I found the S a fair bit firmer and more crashy and uncomfortable so went with the standard suspension one.

And the normal one isn’t exactly a Range Rover!

The S has Sport mode, more power, a wider track and handles better than the non S. I also think it looks better than standard with its subtle body kit and wider tyres.

If money is an issue go with standard - if not, the S is the one to have in my view.

[p1stonhead]

maz8062 said:

p1stonhead said:

_Neal_ said:

Ridiculously good turning circle as well. i3 a superb choice OP.

ETA - I'm also not convinced the S is worth the premium over the standard car - having driven both, the regular i3 has more than enough poke.

Edited by _Neal_ on Thursday 31st October 09:54

I tried both before buying the standard. I found the S a fair bit firmer and more crashy and uncomfortable so went with the standard suspension one.

And the normal one isn’t exactly a Range Rover!

The S has Sport mode, more power, a wider track and handles better than the non S. I also think it looks better than standard with its subtle body kit and wider tyres.

If money is an issue go with standard - if not, the S is the one to have in my view.

It has 10hp more. It’s not noticeable. Sport mode only makes the throttle ridiculously twitchy. And it’s less comfortable.

The S does look far better though

[_Neal_]

p1stonhead said:

maz8062 said:

p1stonhead said:

_Neal_ said:

Ridiculously good turning circle as well. i3 a superb choice OP.

ETA - I'm also not convinced the S is worth the premium over the standard car - having driven both, the regular i3 has more than enough poke.

Edited by _Neal_ on Thursday 31st October 09:54

I tried both before buying the standard. I found the S a fair bit firmer and more crashy and uncomfortable so went with the standard suspension one.

And the normal one isn’t exactly a Range Rover!

The S has Sport mode, more power, a wider track and handles better than the non S. I also think it looks better than standard with its subtle body kit and wider tyres.

If money is an issue go with standard - if not, the S is the one to have in my view.

It has 10hp more. It’s not noticeable. Sport mode only makes the throttle ridiculously twitchy. And it’s less comfortable.

The S does look far better though

Exactly - the throttle in normal mode (in a standard one) is sharp enough, and the standard car isn't about handling anyway (although they drive very well) so wider track/limit handling is irrelevant IMO.

Basically buy an S if you want the looks, otherwise day to day, especially for London roads which are very much not smooth, the standard one is likely to be the better choice in my view.

[p1stonhead]

_Neal_ said:

p1stonhead said:

maz8062 said:

p1stonhead said:

_Neal_ said:

Ridiculously good turning circle as well. i3 a superb choice OP.

ETA - I'm also not convinced the S is worth the premium over the standard car - having driven both, the regular i3 has more than enough poke.

Edited by _Neal_ on Thursday 31st October 09:54

I tried both before buying the standard. I found the S a fair bit firmer and more crashy and uncomfortable so went with the standard suspension one.

And the normal one isn’t exactly a Range Rover!

The S has Sport mode, more power, a wider track and handles better than the non S. I also think it looks better than standard with its subtle body kit and wider tyres.

If money is an issue go with standard - if not, the S is the one to have in my view.

It has 10hp more. It’s not noticeable. Sport mode only makes the throttle ridiculously twitchy. And it’s less comfortable.

The S does look far better though

Exactly - the throttle in normal mode (in a standard one) is sharp enough, and the standard car isn't about handling anyway (although they drive very well) so wider track/limit handling is irrelevant IMO.

Basically buy an S if you want the looks, otherwise day to day, especially for London roads which are very much not smooth, the standard one is likely to be the better choice in my view.

Coding the car to start in eco pro was best thing I’ve done. Throttle is far nicer. No other differences to the mode anyway unless you specifically change the AC

Worth doing if you have one.

[macron]

What did you use to code it?

[p1stonhead]

macron said:

What did you use to code it?

BimmerCode and an OBD thingy.

You can change a load of stuff. I only really did a couple bits.

[ImABitLongCars]

This is why I love pistonheads. Super helpful thanks guys.

Yes I’m with you on the S, I’m slightly agnostic but like the looks and used to firm cars, so would go S ideally or regular if the right one comes up. I’m after Loft interior + sunroof + post 2017 facelift which is already hard to find at a reasonable price.

REX I was thinking as we do the odd long journey and may not always be able to charge it but I guess good planning gets around that and avoids any REX problems. Congestion charge we get a 90% discount on so not the end of the world. I would assume that EVs will still pay less post 2025 but who knows!

Cayenne because it’s a lot of car for the money and would actually be fully electric for our city use, but yes a bit of an unnecessary beast for central London and would cost 3x as much to run in real terms. We had a turbo before in central London and loved it but it was totally unnecessary.

Anyone have experience of street charging from lampposts in central London?

[ImABitLongCars]

I can’t quite figure out how much it costs to charge a car on the lamposts in Kensington…

[Shaoxter]

ImABitLongCars said:

I can’t quite figure out how much it costs to charge a car on the lamposts in Kensington…

Download zapmap. Not sure about Kensington but near me they're 40-60p/kWh, which is quite a lot if that's your only source of electricity.