The brand-new BMW iX3 is already ahead of the game as a What Car? winner

The What Car? Car of the Year is a significant award. To be judged as the best new car to be launched in the last 12 months is a pretty impressive achievement. Which begs a question of this year’s winner: exactly how good is the brand-new BMW iX3? Considering the first deliveries won’t arrive until March, it must be phenomenally good to have taken the title before it’s even taken to the road.

The BMW iX3 was crowned 2026 What Car? Car of the Year at a glittering ceremony – dubbed the ‘Motoring Oscars’ – at the JW Marriott Grosvenor House on London’s Park Lane. According to the judges, this brand-new premium electric SUV is “a truly great car that leapfrogs rivals with a stepchange in capability”

Everything about the second-generation BMW iX3 is entirely new

It was developed from the ground up as an electric vehicle (EV), sitting on BMW's new ‘Neue Klasse’ EV platform and powered by the latest battery technology that will form the basis of the brand's next generation electric models. It combines ground-breaking range with ultra-rapid charging, software updates in everything from the infotainment system to safety, along with long-distance comfort and an enjoyable driving experience.

The exterior styling is completely different from the rest of the current BMW range, including the X3 it shares a badge with. The new iX3 It features a significantly revised front end with slimmer, vertically arranged kidney grilles, and a new light signature.

The large, horizontal LED taillights also boast an all-new light signature with a distinct depth effect, there’s a new minimalist BMW badge, and if you specify the M Sport pack, you’ll also add a two-section front apron, unique side skirts, a pronounced rear diffuser element, and distinctive M alloy wheels.

Interior design and tech for the new BMW iX3

It's all change on the inside in terms of design and the technology on offer too.

Instead of a traditional instrument cluster, BMW’s new Panoramic iDrive projects key information like speed and navigation onto a dark strip across the base of the windscreen, putting it right in the driver's eye line and reducing distraction.

A customisable 17.9-inch touchscreen running a new BMW operating system is positioned next to the steering wheel. There are very few physical buttons, with most functions controlled via the touchscreen, voice command, or new haptic-feedback buttons on the multifunction steering wheel that are only visible when their associated function is available.

The new BMW iX3 is also very well-equipped in general across all three trim options – entry-level iX3, M Sport, and M Sport Pro.

It features a powered tailgate, two-zone climate control, keyless entry and start, heated front seats, LED headlights with automatic high beam, electrically operated front seats, wireless phone charging, and of course, that new infotainment system controlling it all. The spacious interior also includes loads of storage, loads of luggage space, and loads of room for heads and legs.

For now, there is only one version available to lease in the UK, the iX3 50 xDrive. Other powertrain options will follow, but if you order yours now you have a choice of one.

Not that it’s a bad choice to be facing.

The 50 xDrive powertrain gives you two electric motors driving all four wheels to generate lots of grip and traction. It also generates 469bhp that can propel its sizeable frame to 62mph in just 4.9 seconds.

Every iX3 is fitted with a massive 108.7kWh battery, giving the 50 xDrive an official range in the region of 450 - 500 miles, depending on wheel size and how heavy your right foot happens to be. Even at the lower end of that range, the new BMW iX3 will keep going long after many of its rivals have run out of electrons.

And the new iX3 is also the first electric BMW to be built on 800V architecture. That allows you to recharge the battery at a maximum rate of 400kW, which means you could add more than 200 miles of range in as little as 10 minutes, while a 10-80% charge could be completed in around 20 minutes.

If you’re thinking of leasing a big, comfortable electric SUV with a premium badge, the new BMW iX3 should tick a lot of your boxes.

It's hugely practical in terms of interior space, rapid charging times, and that massive 500-mile range. It’s also stylish, comfortable, well-equipped, and powerful enough to put a big smile on your face.

All of which helps to explain how the new BMW iX3 was voted What Car? Car of the Year before it had even arrived.