Launched in 2013, the i3 was the first series-production model of the BMW i sub-brand and one of the boldest designs of its era. Its LifeDrive architecture split the car into an aluminium Drive module carrying the battery and motor and a carbon-fibre-reinforced-plastic Life module for the occupants, keeping the body light without a steel shell. Rear-hinged coach doors, no B-pillar, and eucalyptus, wool and recycled plastics in the cabin completed the statement.

The 170 hp motor drove the rear axle, and over nine years the battery grew from 22 to 42.2 kWh, lifting WLTP range from 190 to 310 km. The REx version carried a two-cylinder scooter-derived petrol generator under the boot floor to top up the battery on the move. A sportier i3s with a wider track and 184 hp arrived in 2018. Production ended in summer 2022 after roughly 250,000 cars.