BMW i5 Touring - long-term review

I’ll let you in on a little secret: I did a road trip in the i5 as soon as I got it. It’s only now that I’ve had the space to write about it. I wanted to get a trip in early doors to calm my nerves about range anxiety and start to get used to running an electric car again. Plus, we all know that range can vary in the summer and winter months.

Let’s face it, “what’s the range?” is the most burning question anyone wants to know when you’ve got an electric car.

It wasn’t a massive road trip, more of a quick late summer holiday trip covering 200 miles one way. The range at the start was a promising 300+. Technically it could do it in one. But... I chickened out, watching the miles melt away and not having confidence in the car (or myself). So I stopped. Pathetic.

This one at least happened to be a fast Shell recharge at a Waitrose - my view is to always go for the fast chargers, because life’s too short. That meant dinner was sorted and I got a hassle-free recharge, something which wasn’t always available with my first experience of EV ownership.

But would this be my last stop? Sadly no. I had to stop again because my destination didn’t have a home charger, so I knew I wanted to arrive with a decent range for starting the week. I did trickle charge which to my surprise over the course of the holiday filled it quicker than I expected and actually made it useable.

I now know after a few months living with the i5 I completely overreacted and should have trusted my initial knowledge that BMW's range is reliable. If you don’t drive like a tool (resist the boost button!) you’ll get some range back, unlike some other EVs.

This car is a cruiser as much as it’s a workhorse, peaceful inside, especially so if you put on the Hans Zimmer drive mode (see an earlier report). I’ve found the sat nav head up display a bit too distracting but I’m pleasantly pleased that my punt on my next EV being a BMW is paying off and not since have I been nervous about range.

But now we're in the winter months, will I be eating my words?