I7 Owners' Real World Mileage and Range

[AllIn216]

I'm curious to hear from actual I7 owners on what kind of mileage or range you see with your cars in the real world. Especially if you tend to do primarily highway driving. And if you're willing to share anything about where you're at geographically, since climate can have an impact on these things (particularly in the cold).

My 2021 750 was in for service last month, and I was offered an I7 as a loaner but declined because of the amount of driving I had to do in the few days I would have had it. I needed to drive 250 miles (in a winter storm) to my first meeting later that morning, and the last couple of times I've had an EV loaner they were at various states of charge.

But it got me thinking, could an I7 work as a daily driver for me after my 750? I have a long commute (60mi each way) and if I'm off site locally or taking someone to lunch/dinner I probably average about 130-150 miles most days. 80%-90% highway driving. I also have an office in the Detroit area that I also work out of, and might cover a good 280-300 miles from the time I leave home until I get to check into my hotel for the night. Ideally I'd want to be able to get through my day and charge overnight at the hotel.

I'm wondering is that doable in the real world or not going to happen? Just looking at what BMW/EPA rating says that's at best a stretch, and probably a no-go in winter conditions. Or am I thinking about it wrong?

The electric company here has a nice calculator to estimate the cost to charge your EV. If I were to charge at home, with a lvl 2 charger overnight to capture the lowest $/kwh, First Energy estimates I'd spend $280/month charging an I7. I actually have a log of every fill at the gas station (with miles driven) and taking the average $/mi in gas for my 750 over the past 2 years, that same 5-day 130mi commute cost works out to $344/ month...not including any of those longer trips in either case.

I fully acknowledge that range anxiety is a bit of a red herring, and for most people's use case it's really a non-issue. I definitely have a different use case from most people but still wondering if an I7 could work without becoming a headache.

[ChairborneStranger]

I went through a similar planning process, but drive much less so there wasn't much risk involved.

First off, I'll say that with the amount of driving you do, I'd consider waiting until the next model to assess whether improvements may mitigate range concerns. Personally, I would never have purchased my i7 if I was still forced to commute or drive longer distances regularly.

Here are some of my experiences switching to an EV in the Chicago area, which hopefully helps put some context for your situation:

Cold Weather Driving

Once whether drops below ~20F-30F, range dips around 30%. Below zero, I've experienced ~50% drop in range. During subzero temps, public chargers in the Chicago area have extremely long wait times (30-60 minutes) and were in use 24/7 where access wasn't as simple as just driving up to recharge. Keep in mind, it doesn't matter the speed at which the i7 recharges, you're waiting for other vehicles, which may be 1st generation EVs and charging very slowly on DC or some idiot that left their car without being plugged in only to return a few hours later.

I did a longer trip in January totaling ~130 miles and started with a 90% charge. By the time I returned home, I was at 25%. From memory, temperatures were in the low 20s (F) that day and going above 80mph killed the battery quickly. I also noticed the start of the trip draining the most battery, but I had eaten through ~10% quickly at the start of the trip. If I had to do it over again, I would have pre-conditioned with the car connected to my charger and charged to 100%.


Home Charging

How many amps is your AC service panel rated for? You'll have to assess what headroom you have with your current line to assess whether your charging speed will be acceptable. The fastest chargers can run on an 80 amp circuit, but you may not be able to install without serious upgrades (if even possible in your neighborhood). You should be able to charge overnight fairly easily even with a 30amp installation, but you may run into annoyances during emergencies when you just return from a longer trip and need to run out again quickly and waiting to get charged.


Public Charging

Public charging during weather above ~30F isn't terrible and the i7 charges very quickly. I think Electrify America chargers are the most congested since they have contracts with many manufacturers (for free charging), but EVgo is fast and usually available near me. There are tons of others, but they're mostly very slow and would avoid unless you're planning to be parked for a while. Also, you're not going to get the max charging rate of the car, so it's a bit misleading.

The bigger issue is the cost. If you're charging at public chargers and not using the free option, you'll spend more than a comparable gas vehicle if you're charging during peak hours (11AM-8PM)...which is easily ~$30-40 (or more!) for ~60% of charge. I'm assuming if you're on the road, you won't have flexibility, so would recommend downloading a few EV charger apps to check costs near you.

Summary
Lots of negatives to note, but I do really enjoy my i7 after the initial learning curve. There are some amazing positives like not having to wait for the car to warm up (literally have heat within ~30 seconds even on subzero days), can 'start' my car without opening the garage door, never have to go to the gas station or worry about oil changes, have dramatically cut my fuel costs, etc.. ...but, I have to say that I think you'd hate life during winter and especially on the handful of days it dips below zero with the amount of driving you do.

Maybe wait until summer to try that i7 loaner on the best conditions just to see if that'd even work as I think you'd be stuck charging a few times per day. Also, it's stressful on the battery to keep charging to 100% so you may experience degradation faster than most on this forum. The real-world studies I've read suggest battery degradation may be minimal, but another thing to note is that BMW's current motors aren't brushless and will also experience degradation from wear and tear.

Let me know if you have any specific questions and I can try to answer.

[AllIn216]

Originally Posted by ChairborneStranger

I went through a similar planning process, but drive much less so there wasn't much risk involved.

First off, I'll say that with the amount of driving you do, I'd consider waiting until the next model to assess whether improvements may mitigate range concerns. Personally, I would never have purchased my i7 if I was still forced to commute or drive longer distances regularly.

Here are some of my experiences switching to an EV in the Chicago area, which hopefully helps put some context for your situation:

Cold Weather Driving

Once whether drops below ~20F-30F, range dips around 30%. Below zero, I've experienced ~50% drop in range. During subzero temps, public chargers in the Chicago area have extremely long wait times (30-60 minutes) and were in use 24/7 where access wasn't as simple as just driving up to recharge. Keep in mind, it doesn't matter the speed at which the i7 recharges, you're waiting for other vehicles, which may be 1st generation EVs and charging very slowly on DC or some idiot that left their car without being plugged in only to return a few hours later.

I did a longer trip in January totaling ~130 miles and started with a 90% charge. By the time I returned home, I was at 25%. From memory, temperatures were in the low 20s (F) that day and going above 80mph killed the battery quickly. I also noticed the start of the trip draining the most battery, but I had eaten through ~10% quickly at the start of the trip. If I had to do it over again, I would have pre-conditioned with the car connected to my charger and charged to 100%.


Home Charging

How many amps is your AC service panel rated for? You'll have to assess what headroom you have with your current line to assess whether your charging speed will be acceptable. The fastest chargers can run on an 80 amp circuit, but you may not be able to install without serious upgrades (if even possible in your neighborhood). You should be able to charge overnight fairly easily even with a 30amp installation, but you may run into annoyances during emergencies when you just return from a longer trip and need to run out again quickly and waiting to get charged.


Public Charging

Public charging during weather above ~30F isn't terrible and the i7 charges very quickly. I think Electrify America chargers are the most congested since they have contracts with many manufacturers (for free charging), but EVgo is fast and usually available near me. There are tons of others, but they're mostly very slow and would avoid unless you're planning to be parked for a while. Also, you're not going to get the max charging rate of the car, so it's a bit misleading.

The bigger issue is the cost. If you're charging at public chargers and not using the free option, you'll spend more than a comparable gas vehicle if you're charging during peak hours (11AM-8PM)...which is easily ~$30-40 (or more!) for ~60% of charge. I'm assuming if you're on the road, you won't have flexibility, so would recommend downloading a few EV charger apps to check costs near you.

Summary
Lots of negatives to note, but I do really enjoy my i7 after the initial learning curve. There are some amazing positives like not having to wait for the car to warm up (literally have heat within ~30 seconds even on subzero days), can 'start' my car without opening the garage door, never have to go to the gas station or worry about oil changes, have dramatically cut my fuel costs, etc.. ...but, I have to say that I think you'd hate life during winter and especially on the handful of days it dips below zero with the amount of driving you do.

Maybe wait until summer to try that i7 loaner on the best conditions just to see if that'd even work as I think you'd be stuck charging a few times per day. Also, it's stressful on the battery to keep charging to 100% so you may experience degradation faster than most on this forum. The real-world studies I've read suggest battery degradation may be minimal, but another thing to note is that BMW's current motors aren't brushless and will also experience degradation from wear and tear.

Let me know if you have any specific questions and I can try to answer.

Wow, thank you for sharing your experience and for such a thoughtful and detailed response! This is great information. I agree with you, it's probably best to wait for future EV models in my case before going fully electric. That's been my gut feeling all along, but after turning down the I7 loaner, I felt like challenging that viewpoint and exploring if maybe I had it wrong.

While it is a lot of driving, at least it's my own terms. I am the CEO of the company, and it's important to me to have a presence in our facilities as well as being out there to work on and grow the business. So for various reasons, I choose to cover as much ground as I do, and embrace doing do in way that I wouldn't if it were a situation where I was being told that I had to.

[ChairborneStranger]

Originally Posted by AllIn216

Wow, thank you for sharing your experience and for such a thoughtful and detailed response! This is great information. I agree with you, it's probably best to wait for future EV models in my case before going fully electric. That's been my gut feeling all along, but after turning down the I7 loaner, I felt like challenging that viewpoint and exploring if maybe I had it wrong.

While it is a lot of driving, at least it's my own terms. I am the CEO of the company, and it's important to me to have a presence in our facilities as well as being out there to work on and grow the business. So for various reasons, I choose to cover as much ground as I do, and embrace doing do in way that I wouldn't if it were a situation where I was being told that I had to.

No problem and respect your hands-on involvement! Have you looked into the 750e? It may reduce your fuel bill without having to worry about range.

If you hadn't read the iX press release, I'll link here as it's likely similar to what we can expect for the next generation i7: BMW USA Press Release - The New 2026 BMW iX

My best guess is the next i7 may hit ~400 miles of range and have slightly better range in cold weather due to the heat pump. I'd still be a bit wary as the heat pump only recycles heat and limited to -4F (so would still be impacted during colder midwestern winters or when the car has been sitting overnight). The new wheel bearing may also bring some benefits to highway driving, but something to keep in mind is that winter tires will negate this benefit also. If BMW can hit 450-500 miles of fair-weather range on the next i7, these concerns may be non-issues during extreme cold.

[Laguna Beach]

With that kind of driving no way on the i7 but treat yourself to at least any other new 7er. Such a great car and it’ll make those miles drift away in luxury like no other. Btw my i7 gets 220 miles per 100% charge max and is in the shop now 3 weeks trying to find out why. If I drove like you I’d have so much range anxiety I’d spend all my gas savings on therapy.

[dimapb]

I’ve only had my 2025 i7 xdrive60 for 4 weeks and have about 1K miles on it, but the most I’ve been able to get is 2.4 miles per kilowatt. Granted, it’s been under 40 degrees here which probably has an impact, but I do miss my 2023 760i.

[AllIn216]

Originally Posted by ChairborneStranger

No problem and respect your hands-on involvement! Have you looked into the 750e? It may reduce your fuel bill without having to worry about range.

If you hadn't read the iX press release, I'll link here as it's likely similar to what we can expect for the next generation i7: BMW USA Press Release - The New 2026 BMW iX

My best guess is the next i7 may hit ~400 miles of range and have slightly better range in cold weather due to the heat pump. I'd still be a bit wary as the heat pump only recycles heat and limited to -4F (so would still be impacted during colder midwestern winters or when the car has been sitting overnight). The new wheel bearing may also bring some benefits to highway driving, but something to keep in mind is that winter tires will negate this benefit also. If BMW can hit 450-500 miles of fair-weather range on the next i7, these concerns may be non-issues during extreme cold.

The 750e is definitely interesting! There was one on the lot at the dealership I go to, but it sold before I was able to get around to stopping in for a test drive. I'm curious to see for myself how it drives, as the reviews seem to have been a bit polarizing.

[AllIn216]

Originally Posted by Laguna Beach

With that kind of driving no way on the i7 but treat yourself to at least any other new 7er. Such a great car and it’ll make those miles drift away in luxury like no other. Btw my i7 gets 220 miles per 100% charge max and is in the shop now 3 weeks trying to find out why. If I drove like you I’d have so much range anxiety I’d spend all my gas savings on therapy.

I was pretty surprised the math only worked out to ~$40/month in fuel savings, which wouldn't go very far towards therapy lol. It's hard to believe, but I have averaged 27.0 MPG over the roughly 60,000 miles on my 2021 750, which surely has cut into potential savings. I don't drive slow or hypermile by any stretch of the imagination, I definitely did not buy the car for it's efficiency. It's been a pleasant surprise though for such a large car with a V8. The engine clearly doesn't have to work hard at all to maintain 75-80mph steady state cruise.

I've been able to drive the current 760 a few times now as loaners, and I've been mostly impressed. The interior is much more modern and the seats feel more comfortable. The 760 rides noticeably better even with larger wheels, and I would say is incrementally quieter too.

I've become a big fan of the 7 Series, and probably will pick some variation of it for my next daily driver too.

[AllIn216]

Originally Posted by dimapb

I’ve only had my 2025 i7 xdrive60 for 4 weeks and have about 1K miles on it, but the most I’ve been able to get is 2.4 miles per kilowatt. Granted, it’s been under 40 degrees here which probably has an impact, but I do miss my 2023 760i.

From what I understand, the colder temperatures can certainly impact range. Is that in mostly city or highway driving?

What made you move on from the 760, end of lease?

[pcgeek]

Do you have access to L2 charging at any of the offices or stops (particularly on the longer Detroit drives)?

The 130-150 mile days should work easily but much more than that and it gets to be a problem, particularly in the winter. If you have access to a L2 charger while you're in one of the offices or at one of your stops on the longer routes then that changes things pretty significantly.

[dimapb]

Originally Posted by AllIn216

From what I understand, the colder temperatures can certainly impact range. Is that in mostly city or highway driving?

What made you move on from the 760, end of lease?

Combined city/highway.
Yes, my lease was ending and I was offered a pretty good lease on the new i7. About $800/month less and I couldn’t pass on it. To be honest with you, I’ve never even driven an i7 before signing the new lease. I’m certainly getting used to an EV and it’s a very nice car. It’s a bit slower than 760i but still extremely fast. It also feels a little less wobbly than 760i. My only issue is the range anxiety and the fact that I now need to plan my trips instead of just getting in the car and going.
First world problems, right?

[mjr24]

So, those of us who live in climates that are cold during the winter know the range drops off a lot when the temp gets under 30 degrees or so.

What happens when it's get hot during the summer (like 75-95 degrees). Does the range go up higher than when it's like, say, 55 degrees?

I've only had my i7 since October so haven't gotten anything over like 65 since then.

[F5506m]

Temps in Northeast have started climbing.

Below 0F - 80% Charge - Range 130 miles
Current Temps in high 50's - 80% Charge - Range 215-220

Will see what happens when temps really warm up.

[jettie1767]

Originally Posted by F5506m

Temps in Northeast have started climbing.

Below 0F - 80% Charge - Range 130 miles
Current Temps in high 50's - 80% Charge - Range 215-220

Will see what happens when temps really warm up.

I've not seen my i7 go below 170 miles at 80% charge during winter in NJ. I do see the same low 200s when it's high 50s. In the summer, it's gone up to 255-260 miles at 80% charge.

[AllIn216]

Originally Posted by pcgeek

Do you have access to L2 charging at any of the offices or stops (particularly on the longer Detroit drives)?

The 130-150 mile days should work easily but much more than that and it gets to be a problem, particularly in the winter. If you have access to a L2 charger while you're in one of the offices or at one of your stops on the longer routes then that changes things pretty significantly.

I can't think of many places that I go regularly that have charging stations other than some of the hotels. I'm usually in fairly industrial areas...not a lot of EV early adopters. I'm sure that the automotive OEM HQ's have at least a token number of chargers somewhere on their campuses. But driving a foreign car and where you must park it can get complicated, even approaching in a faux-pas in certain situations. I genuinely don't know if they would even allow me to charge a BMW on their premises...now that I'm thinking about it, it's got me curious to see what would happen!


But in all seriousness, I imagine that I could adapt make it work and get by if I HAD to, but not without inconvenience (extended trips with planned detours/downtime).

Thanks to everyone for their input! Even though the I7 isn't a great fit for me right now this was still a fun thought experiment.

[phaphaphooey]

Originally Posted by Laguna Beach

With that kind of driving no way on the i7 but treat yourself to at least any other new 7er. Such a great car and it’ll make those miles drift away in luxury like no other. Btw my i7 gets 220 miles per 100% charge max and is in the shop now 3 weeks trying to find out why. If I drove like you I’d have so much range anxiety I’d spend all my gas savings on therapy.

Did you ever get any answers? I have similar (terrible) efficiency to you and am curious if you figured out why? I drive the car the same as my to 2 EVs (both Teslas) and my efficiency on the BMW is way worse.

[F5506m]

Originally Posted by jettie1767

I've not seen my i7 go below 170 miles at 80% charge during winter in NJ. I do see the same low 200s when it's high 50s. In the summer, it's gone up to 255-260 miles at 80% charge.

Just another data point. I am seeing between 220-250 in the summer with temps in high 80's lower 90's. I have seen that the range really gets affected if you drive over 80mph on the highway. If I drive between 70-75mph I can get 3.1Kw per mile average.

[DroMike]

I just charged my i7 from about 45% to 80% and when finished saw that my mileage was ostensibly 304 at 80%. At 100% this would impute a range of 380 miles (well, at least in the app...)!!!

While this is admittedly the highest imputation I've received in the 20 months I've owned my car, I might also mention mine is the 2024 eDrive50 version w/19" tires, which provides the most generous mileage natively.

[blake6551]

I was getting a real 365mi+ range late last summer in perfect weather temps on highway. Even in winter I would expect close to 300mi range on a highway trip.

[blueice123]

Originally Posted by blake6551

I was getting a real 365mi+ range late last summer in perfect weather temps on highway. Even in winter I would expect close to 300mi range on a highway trip.

May I ask which settings and drive mode this was with? Was it with cruise control? Thanks.

[F5506m]

Originally Posted by blake6551

I was getting a real 365mi+ range late last summer in perfect weather temps on highway. Even in winter I would expect close to 300mi range on a highway trip.

It is fall temps in Northeast. I took a road trip this weekend. Charged the car to 100% drove approx. 250 miles and car still have 20% batter left with a range off around 100 miles. Temps make a big difference in range.

[AllIn216]

Back in this shop with what seems to be an air strut issue, and I was offered an I7 loaner again this week. I took the I7 this time, knowing I would just be doing my normal local-ish commute. It's very nice, and drives very smooth. The car feels extraordinarily heavy, but the ride is fabulous. And I found pretty much everything you guys mentioned here to be true, so thanks again for all the great advice and sharing your experiences!

The range seems to definitely be workable for my "normal" days. A normal day's driving used up about 50%-60%, which probably leaves just enough buffer for other stuff or winter weather losses. The dash indicated that I averaged 3.2 mi/kwh, or 31.25 kwh per 100 miles, which was significantly better than the window sticker indicated (41.0 kwh/100mi).

Charging was....a learning experience to say the least. Not owning an EV, I'm not currently set up with a level II charger in the garage. I was excited though, because I have an open 240V plug for an air compressor that I got rid of; unfortunately that excitement was short-lived because of a different plug configuration. So for the 1st night, I plugged in with the included 120V unit. That added a whopping 5% charge in just over 13 hours! LOL. Not knowing how long the shop will have my car, I then proceeded to panic knowing I probably needed at least the 55% charge I had for the day, and later detoured to find a compatible public fast charging station. While I waiting/charging, it dawned on my that the 240V plug that BMW includes as standard is actually common to electric ovens...which oddly enough I have in a finished are of my "garage." So I was able to finish charging at home, pulling out the oven and plugging in there. Days like these, I could totally charge at home overnight on 240V. The Ionna public charger's cost $/kwh was right around 4x my all-in standard residential rate at home!

Overall I liked the car a lot. I still don't see how it objectively makes sense for my use case, but having a few days experience living with an EV (an exceptionally nice one at that) satisfies my curiosity. I feel better now seeing firsthand what it would take to make the I7 work and what kind of concessions/changes I'd need to be willing to make.