This quarter, BMW’s lineup of all-electric cars in the United States has expanded with the all-new 2024 BMW i5 model, which is expected to be a strong contender in the premium sedan segment.

The 2024 BMW i5 was announced in May and InsideEVs already had an opportunity to take a first drive review, while deliveries to dealers started in late October.

BMW currently offers two versions of the i5, the rear-wheel drive BMW i5 eDrive40 and the sporty all-wheel drive i5 M60.

The base, BMW i5 eDrive40 with 19-inch wheels starts at an MSRP of $66,800 (plus a $995 destination charge). The switch to 20-inch wheels costs $800, but the switch to 21-inch wheels is expensive because it requires other additional elements.

In the case of the BMW i5 M60, the base MSRP is $84,100 (with the same $995 DST) and the switch to bigger wheels is $800 (20-inch) or $1,800 (21-inch).

In all cases, there is no $7,500 federal tax credit for the BMW i5, as the model is imported to the U.S. and exceeds the $55,000 price cap for cars.

In terms of the EPA Combined driving range, it’s up to 295 miles for the BMW i5 eDrive40 and up to 256 miles in the case of the BMW i5 M60. The difference is 39 miles or 13%. Both versions are equipped with the same 81.2-kilowatt-hour battery (usable capacity).

The i5 eDrive40 has a 250-kilowatt electric motor and can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in 5.7 seconds. The M60 has a dual-motor, all-wheel-drive powertrain with up to 442 kilowatts of power, which improves the acceleration to 3.7 seconds.

With the bigger wheels comes higher energy consumption of the car, thus lower range.

The i5 eDrive40 with 20-inch wheels gets 17 fewer miles (5.8%) than the 19-inch version, while the 21-inch wheels cut the range by 25 miles or 8.5%.

The i5 M60 also is not immune to this phenomenon and gets 8 miles or 3.1% less range when switching from 19- to 20-inch, or 16 miles (6.3%) less range with 21-inch wheels.

2024 BMW i5 EPA Energy Consumption

The EPA already officially listed all BMW i5 range and energy consumption ratings.

Energy consumption, including charging losses, of the 2024 BMW i5 eDrive40 with 19-inch wheels, is estimated at 105 MPGe or about 321 watt-hours per mile.

Interestingly, that’s a slightly better result than in the case of the 2024 BMW i4 eDrive40 19-inch at 100 MPGe or 337 Wh/mi.

2024 BMW i5 M60

Energy consumption, including charging losses, of the 2024 BMW i5 M60 with 19-inch wheels, is estimated at 91 MPGe or about 370 watt-hours per mile so that’s a 15% increase right away, compared to the i5 eDrive40.

In other words, the switch to a performance-oriented version will not only reduce range but also increase energy cost (and charging time slightly, too).

Another interesting thing is that the comparison with the BMW i4 M50 (19-inch) was rated at 95 MPGe or 355 Wh/mi, so it is a bit less energy-hungry.

In terms of charging, BMW says that the battery should be completely recharged within 10 hours, while 10-80% DC fast charging should take about half an hour (at up to about 205 kilowatts).

It’s worth noting that the car comes with two years of complimentary 30-minute charging sessions at the Electrify America charging network.