BMW iX review - Practicality & boot space

The iX has been designed from the ground up to be spacious and practical, despite needing to carry around a hefty battery pack. The result is excellent interior space, albeit with a boot that's perhaps not quite as big as expected. To make up for it, the iX has a surprisingly high towing capacity.

BMW iX interior space & storage

The BMW iX is a large SUV with a fairly tall roofline and boxy shape, so there's plenty of headroom, even for adults over six feet tall. It's comfortable too, thanks to soft seats that are also slightly reclined in the back for extra relaxation on longer trips. Some electric cars suffer from a lack of foot space because their batteries affect space inside the car but this isn’t an issue in the iX.

Up front, there’s also a lower tray with twin cup holders and a place to put your smartphone whilst on the move.

Boot space

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The rear electric motor does have a more noticeable effect in the boot because it has a fairly high loading lip and floor compared with the BMW X5. It can still carry a decent 500 litres behind the back seats but this is around 150 litres down on the combustion-engined model. It's also a bit smaller than the 605-litre boot found in the Audi e-tron, and there's no 'frunk' storage area under the bonnet like you'll find in the Tesla Model X. There is a dedicated space under the floor for your charging cable, but this isn’t always very handy if you’ve got the boot packed with heavy items.

Towing

According to BMW's figures, the iX could be one of the best electric tow cars on the market, thanks to a maximum braked trailer capacity of 2,500kg. That's more than the 2,280kg max of the Tesla Model X, while the Audi e-tron is limited to 1,800kg. Range will be affected by pulling a heavy or boxy trailer.