BMW I3
Owners filed 215 complaints across 7 model years of the BMW I3. The 2014 drew the most (54).
Which BMW I3 years should you avoid?
No BMW I3 year stands out. Across the 4 model years old enough to judge, none drew twice the complaints of a typical year (about 50), and none shows an unusual share of fires, crashes or deaths for its age.
Better bets: among years old enough for a low count to mean something, the 2016 drew the fewest complaints without an unusual share of serious ones.
How this is worked out: each year is compared with a typical year of the same model, which takes most of the difference in sales out of it, and its share of serious failures is compared with every other car of the same model year, because older cars were complained about differently. A year needs 25 complaints to be judged at all. Complaints are unverified owner reports. Full method →
Every BMW I3 model year compared
Complaints per year| Year | Complaints | Relative volume | Recalls | Fires | Crashes | Most reported | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 1 | 0 | — | — | Structure › Body | Routine | |
| 2019 | 13 | 1 | — | 1 | Electrical System | Routine | |
| 2018 | 14 | 3 | — | — | Steering | Routine | |
| 2017 | 53 | 3 | 1 | 2 | Unknown or Other | Routine | |
| 2016 | 33 | 2 | — | 3 | Structure › Body | Routine | |
| 2015 | 47 | 3 | 1 | 1 | Steering | Routine | |
| 2014 | 54 | 4 | — | 3 | Power Train | Routine |
Data: NHTSA complaint and recall files, October 2026. Complaints are unverified owner reports.