At the Bharat Mobility Global Expo 2025, BMW India pulled off the improbable. A secret vehicle—the BMW iX1 eDrive20L. It can reshape the luxury vehicle market in India as well as the country’s electric vehicle space.
It is a battery-electric version of the X1 SUV, but BMW India already had one of those. This is different. First, it is a long-wheelbase X1, a whole 108 millimeters longer than the standard. That might not seem like much but if you are the sort of person who pays for an extra-legroom seat on an airline, you know how precious four and bit inches can be.
You might think it would be expensive. Well, here’s the biggest shocker—it isn’t. At least by luxury car standards, it is downright affordable. It is priced at Rs 49 lakh, thanks to local assembly at BMW India’s plant outside Chennai and a lower GST rate—5 per cent for the EV version and 43 per cent for the internal combustion engine (ICE) one.
Exclusive for India
This new electric variant is Rs 2-5 lakh cheaper than its ICE counterpart, and that’s before factoring in the road tax and registration exemptions available for EVs in many Indian states. For instance, an iX1 owner in Delhi will just pay for insurance on top of the ex-showroom price, making it almost Rs 10 lakh cheaper while having extra legroom. And this is a model exclusive to India as no other market in the world gets a right-hand-drive long-wheelbase X1.
For comparison, the Mercedes-Benz EQA has a price of Rs 67.4 lakh, the Volvo EX40 is Rs 56.1 lakh, the Hyundai IONIQ Rs 46.05 lakh and the refreshed Kia EV6, also launched at the show, is priced at Rs 61 lakh. All of these prices are ex-showroom. The BMW iX1 20L is thus the only luxury marque SUV to have a price tag below Rs 50 lakh.
One could argue that some of the competing cars have slightly better performance and bigger battery packs compared to the iX1 20L’s 66.4-kilowatt-hour battery pack and 200 horsepower. However, BMW India claims it is good enough for 500 kilometers of range, pretty much on the ball compared to its rivals.
Here comes the rub: How is the iX1 eDrive20L to drive? First impressions—it is not the peppiest BMW I have driven. You can tell that the carmaker has dialled back the power so that one does not use up charge storming out of a red light. But keep sustained pressure on the pedal and the 200 horsepower begins to tell. The car can go plenty fast, but BMW has clearly tuned this one for efficiency. And truth be told, if you want a fast BMW, get one that converts dinosaur juice to noise and power, like the M4 Competition.
What’s impressive is that the iX1 also has BMW’s fantastic regeneration system. In regular driving modes, you get back as much as 30-50 per cent of the power you use just through slowing down and braking. If you keep the vehicle in ‘Adaptive’ mode, which I did throughout, the system uses the forward camera and sensors to automatically slow down when you lift off the accelerator. It is the same system found in the much more expensive (and imported) iX50.
I loved the iX1 for day-to-day commute in cities. Despite the extra legroom, it is not a leviathan like the iX50, making it easy to manoeuvre and park. And when I took some friends out, they were stunned by the rear legroom. You see, the BMW X1 isn’t exactly known for spacious back seats—the first generation X1 was positively cramped. But this one smashes that perception. As a tall individual, I was surprised that I could even cross my legs.
The interior of the iX1 feels exactly like a BMW should. Luxurious. There is nothing cut-price here; the seats are comfortable. I actually like the upright wireless charging stand, and you get wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, which plays music through a very good Harman Kardon speakers. Luggage space is more than sufficient for a family weekend getaway, even if you have a toddler.
Also read: Mahindra Thar Roxx beats Maruti Dzire at ICOTY 2025 in closest result in award’s history
Performance, range and luxury feel
As I have consistently said in my columns, only buy an electric vehicle if you have a home-charging setup. Unfortunately, that’s easier said than done in many Indian cities. But with the iX1 20L priced lower than its ICE models, it might not sting as much to use India’s growing public charger infrastructure.
Over the four days I had the vehicle, I drove around 200 kilometres. While that’s not the claimed 500-kilometre range, based on my usage, the car can easily manage 400-plus kilometres. Range is not just dependent on how you drive but also on things like the air-conditioning use. Since it was late January in Delhi, I barely needed it. So the range in peak summer could be less.
But the range is sufficient for a Delhi-Chandigarh run. As I said, the public charging infrastructure is growing, with high-speed charging options available in most major cities. I recently used one of Hyundai’s 150kW chargers in Gurugram to charge the iX50 using the Statiq EV Charging app. Sure, using these superfast chargers isn’t as fast as a ‘splash and dash’ at a petrol pump, but it’s fast enough.
A good—if not great—performance, solid range, a proper luxury feel, and the BMW badge, all at a price below Rs 50 lakh? This vehicle is proof that BMW takes the Indian market quite seriously, it might just push them past Mercedes-Benz while also convincing fence-sitters about the utility of EVs. Nobody—well most people—will not buy an EV for altruistic reasons of ‘saving’ the planet. They’ll buy one if it makes sense. And if I had to distill this review into one word, that is what the iX1 eDrive 20L is, sensible.
@kushanmitra is an automotive journalist based in New Delhi. Views are personal.
(Edited by Ratan Priya)