2021 BMW i3

Owner complaints, recalls, fuel economy and safety ratings from public NHTSA and EPA data, updated Oct 17, 2026.

Fuel economy
31 mpgcombined; city 30, highway 31; every version of this model year; plug-in hybrid versions on gasoline, 100 MPGe on electricity
Five years of fuel
$13,250EPA's own estimate for plug-in hybrids: its national gasoline and electricity prices and the share of miles it expects on electricity; not priced for any state; every version of this model year; fuel only, 15,000 miles a year
NHTSA overall safety rating
Not ratedNHTSA has no overall rating for this year
Recall campaigns
0none on file
Owner complaints
0filed with NHTSA; not adjusted for sales

Trims

NHTSA's VIN data lists these trims for the 2021 i3. A trim's engine and numbers are shown as its own only where EPA names versions after the trim and no other version could be it; "seen with" means a source shows that engine on the trim, not that it was the only one. Recalls and complaints cover the whole model year: whether a recall applies to a car depends on its VIN, on NHTSA's recall lookup.

Problems owners report

Owners have filed 0 complaints with NHTSA about the 2021 i3. These are unverified owner reports, counted by the part of the car they name; one complaint can name several parts. Counts aren't adjusted for how many were sold, so they don't show how reliable a car is.

Complaints by model year

Newer years have had less time to collect complaints, and counts aren't adjusted for sales, so a shorter bar doesn't mean a more reliable year.

  1. 201476
  2. 201547
  3. 201633
  4. 201753
  5. 201814
  6. 201913
  7. 20200
  8. 20210

Every i3 year side by side

Recalls

NHTSA lists no recalls for the 2021 i3. NHTSA's recall lookup checks a specific VIN.

Service bulletins and investigations

Carmakers sent NHTSA 21 service bulletins and notices that cover the 2021 i3, the latest on May 6, 2026. They tell dealers how to fix known issues.

The parts they mention most: equipment (9), electrical system (7), visibility (4), engine and engine cooling (3), equipment adaptive/mobility (2).

NHTSA defect investigations

Opening an investigation isn't a finding of a defect. Outcomes are as NHTSA's summary states them. A recall is shown as an investigation's outcome only where NHTSA's summary names it; other recalls NHTSA's file lists with it are marked as listed, not caused.

InvestigationPartOpenedStatus
Defect petition DP22005
Pedestrian alert sounds · covers 43 makes		Electrical systemJan 27, 2023Closed Aug 7, 2023
Petition withdrawn
NHTSA's record and documents

Maintenance

Oil

The owner's manual gives the oil and how often to change it. We show oil facts only once we've checked them against the manual, and we haven't yet for the 2021 i3.

Oil change near you: Jiffy Lube · Take 5

Specs

EPA class: subcompact cars. EPA greenhouse gas score: 10 out of 10. Each version EPA tested:

VersionEngineTransmissionFuelCity / hwy / comb
i3
Rear-Wheel Drive		125 kW AC InductionAutomatic (A1)Electricity
153 miles of range		124 / 102 / 113 MPGe
i3 with Range Extender
Rear-Wheel Drive		0.6 L, 2 cylAutomatic (A1)Premium Gasoline or Electricity
126 miles on electricity, 200 miles in all		30 / 31 / 31 on gasoline
100 MPGe on electricity
i3s
Rear-Wheel Drive		135 kW AC InductionAutomatic (A1)Electricity
153 miles of range		124 / 102 / 113 MPGe
i3s with Range Extender
Rear-Wheel Drive		0.6 L, 2 cylAutomatic (A1)Premium Gasoline or Electricity
126 miles on electricity, 200 miles in all		30 / 31 / 31 on gasoline
100 MPGe on electricity

Sources and dates

Fuel cost: EPA mpg with fuel prices for the week of Oct 12, 2026 and electricity prices for Jul 2026. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (Oct 2026). Complaints are unverified reports owners filed with NHTSA. About the data