SPACE AND PRACTICALITY
interior still looks thoroughly modern. Strips of exposed carbonfibre and panels made from unusual materials such as compressed kenaf plant fibre give it an upmarket, futuristic feel.
The e-208 can’t quite match the i3 for the quality of its materials, but it comes much closer than you might expect, with plenty of squidgy plastic on the dashboard and swish black and metal-effect trims helping to lift the ambience while also feeling reassuringly robust. It’s only lower down that you’ll find a few scratchy plastics that aren’t present in the i3.
Front space, rear space, seating exibility, boot
The i3’s high-set front seats mean occupants will find their heads closer to the roof than in the e-208, but there’s still plenty of space for six-footers. In fact, the i3 feels more spacious up front, due to the absence of a conventional console between the front seats.
In the rear, the i3 offers a bit more head and leg room, but you sit bolt upright and the space is rather narrow, so it feels claustrophobic. The e-208 is roomy enough for a couple of average-sized adults and, unlike the i3, allows you to carry a middle passenger if necessary.
Although the i3’s rear-hinged doors offer larger apertures than you get with the more conventional e-208, the high floor hampers access, and the fact that you can’t open the rear doors without first opening the front ones is highly inconvenient.
Luggage space is a closerrun affair. The e-208’s boot is significantly deeper than the i3’s, allowing it to hold one extra carry-on suitcase (five versus four). However, the i3 has a slightly wider boot opening and virtually no load lip, while the e-208 benefits from having rear seatbacks that fold in a handy 60/40 split, as opposed to the i3’s 50/50.
Factor in a small discount and the Government’s £3000 grant and a private cash buyer can get the e-208 for less than £26,500. However, that’s still more than the £22,500 or so you’ll pay for the i3, which would have cost the original owner £28,570 with the grant (£4500 back in 2018) included.
On the other hand, if you’re looking to buy through PCP finance, the i3 will cost you slightly more in monthly payments, due to a higher interest rate than on a new e-208.
While both brands offer a three-year warranty and an eight-year/100,000-mile battery warranty from new, the used i3 is already two years into its coverage. BMW offers an additional year of coverage for Approved Used cars, but to get a full three years to match the e-208, you’ll have to take out an extended warranty.
However, BMW’S warranty isn’t cheap, at £1060 per year. Neither are the i3’s servicing or insurance costs, but its slower predicted depreciation is enough to offset these, making it cheaper to run over three years by around £2000.
Both cars have the ability to rapid charge, but the e-208 allows for a rate of up to 100kw, whereas the i3 is limited to 50kw. If you can find a suitable charger, the e-208 can be charged from 0-80% in just 30 minutes – 10 minutes quicker than the i3. At home, the i3’s smaller battery goes from 0-100% in four and a half hours via a typical 7kw charger, versus seven and a half hours for the e-208.
The i3’s safety rating has now expired, but it didn’t do brilliantly when it was tested back in 2013, and automatic emergency braking (AEB) wasn’t available even as an option. The standard 208 achieved only four stars last year – not great, but that was under the latest stringent criteria. Plus, it gets AEB as standard.