Tesla Model 3 or BMW i4: the batteries compared
What the advert doesn’t say: capacity by version, the manufacturer’s warranty, and what a failure would cost.
The essentials
- Longest warranty: Tesla Model 3, 8 years or 120,000 miles, against 8 years or 100,000 miles (BMW i4).
- Cheapest new pack: Tesla Model 3, about €15,000, against €17,000 (BMW i4).
- Cheapest to charge: Tesla Model 3, from £5.59 per 100 miles at home, against £6.40 (BMW i4).
- Module-by-module repair: feasible on each of these models.
Side by side
| Criterion | Tesla Model 3 | BMW i4 |
|---|---|---|
| On sale | since 2019 | since 2021 |
| Battery capacity | 49 · 57 · 73.5 · 75 · 76 kWh, other versions not recorded | 66 · 67.1 · 80.7 · 81.3 kWh, other versions not recorded |
| Chemistry | NCA, LFP, NMC | NMC |
| Battery warranty | 8 years or 120,000 miles guaranteed capacity: 70% | 8 years or 100,000 miles guaranteed capacity: 70% |
| Repairable module by module | Yes | Yes |
| Replacing one module | €900 – €2,600 | €950 – €2,600 |
| New pack, order of magnitude | ≈ €15,000 | ≈ €17,000 |
| WLTP consumption | 3.7 – 4.7 miles/kWh | 2.8 – 4.1 miles/kWh |
| Home charging, per 100 miles | £5.59 – £8.84 | £6.40 – £11.91 |
| Battery lease | Never | Never |
| Going further |
Capacity: every version sold under that name. Warranty: terms recorded for the UK, by year of first registration. Prices: orders of magnitude recorded in France, in euros, never quotes. Charging: from the most frugal version on the cheapest tariff to the thirstiest in real-world use.
Before you choose
A table compares models; you buy a car. Capacity depends on the version, the warranty on the date of first registration, and the state of health on the life the battery has had. The checker answers for one specific car: remaining warranty, expected state of health, cost of a failure.