BMW Australia has announced a new entry-level model for its new iX3 medium electric SUV called the 40. Priced from $89,900 plus on-road costs – crucially underneath the Luxury Car Tax threshold – the new iX3 40 is priced $20,000 lower than the iX3 50 xDrive that’s already available to order. The first units of the 40 will arrive in the fourth quarter of 2026.

The biggest change to the iX3 40 compared with the 50 xDrive is its drivetrain. Instead of the 345kW dual-motor set-up and 108.7 kWh battery set-up of the 50 xDrive, the 40 instead employs a 235kW/500Nm rear-mounted motor paired with a smaller 82.6 kWh battery.

While it’s not as fast or as long-legged as the 50 xDrive, the 40 still sprints to 100km/h in just 5.9 seconds and its range is rated at 635km on the WLTP cycle versus the up-to 805km claim of the 50 xDrive.

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Importantly, the iX3 40 can be DC fast charged at up to 300kW and BMW claims a 10-80 per cent charge time of just 21 minutes. According to the brand, in just 10 minutes of charging, the iX3 40 can gain up to 300 km of range under “optimal conditions”.

AC charging is standard at a rate of up to 11 kW, with an optional 22 kW AC charging allowing a full charge in just over four hours.

According to BMW, the standard feature list for the iX3 40 mirrors the 50 xDrive and highlights include 20-inch alloy wheels, a panoramic roof, LED lighting with an illuminated central grille, the brand’s latest operating system with both a 17.9-inch touchscreen and another ‘panoramic’ screen at the base of the windscreen, Harman Kardon audio and safety features like adaptive lane guidance, adaptive cruise control and a 360-degree camera.

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BMW has also expanded the amount of colour options for the iX3 range. In addition to the new ‘BMW Individual Frozen Ocean Wave Blue’ as a part of the standard paintwork offering, iX3 customers now have access to the BMW Individual Program which unlocks a plethora of colour choices.

For an extra $7600, iX3 buyers can now choose from colours such as ‘Tanzanite Blue’, ‘Lava Green’, ‘ Malachite Green Dark’,  Sepang Bronze’ and ‘Twilight Purple’.

BMW iX3 pricing (excluding on-road costs):

40$89,900
41 50 xDrive$109,900

The BMW iX3 40 will arrive into BMW dealerships from the fourth quarter of 2026.