Business 40
Toyota Corolla 60th Anniversary Edition Marks 57 Million Sales Worldwide
BMW iX3 family holiday test: 1,400 miles across France in an electric SUV
A two-week family trip to south-western France in a BMW iX3 puts electric car touring to the test, revealing strong motorway performance, patchy rural charging and a software glitch that resolved itself overnight.
By George Kensington · 5 min read
Electric cars may be ideal for short commutes, but a two-week family holiday in south-western France was always going to be the ultimate test of long-distance EV touring. The BMW iX3, with its claimed range of more than 400 miles, made the prospect of endless charging stops far more realistic, and an overnight ferry to St Malo helped ease the anxiety of a 1,400-mile round trip with children and a dog aboard.
The plan was to top up in Portsmouth before boarding Brittany Ferries, but the car had barely made a dent in its range by check-in, so the stop was skipped. After a sticker identified the vehicle as an EV — they cannot sit alongside lorries inside the boat — the family boarded at 8.15pm, leaving time for dinner and a proper sleep before rolling off the ferry in France. It proved a civilised way to travel, though the last pet-friendly cabin for the overnight sailing was snapped up, prompting a note to book earlier next time.
On the autoroute, the iX3 came into its own. There was a touch of wind rustling around the A-pillar, but the ride settled beautifully, the seats were superb and the car made fast, unruffled progress. The first overnight stop in Tours came 278 miles in, with 16% battery remaining, and a charge of 81.58kWh cost a very reasonable €28.63 — about 30p per kWh. Useful motorway signage showed how far away the next charger was, and petrol station-style boards at charging stations announced prices in advance.
From Tours, the route continued down to the Dordogne, where sweeping, undulating country roads wiped away any doubts about whether the iX3 is a real BMW. The car breathed with the sinuous, often rutted tarmac, making it easy to find a rhythm, while the head-up display warned of upcoming corners like a silent rally navigator. Sport settings made the ride too hard for passengers, but the chassis composure even in Efficient mode was superb, with beautifully weighted and fluid steering.
A hitch emerged after a shopping trip, when the car gave a few random warnings and the phone was reluctant to tether. That led to a stressful evening run to Bordeaux airport to collect a daughter, accompanied by all manner of electrical glitches. Messages flashed up saying driver assistance was restricted and the sat-nav claimed a function was only available when stationary — while the car was stationary. Both the main touchscreen and the otherwise excellent Panoramic iDrive display kept going black, usually on approach to junctions on dark, remote country lanes. Fortunately, the car still drove fine, and a software update the following morning appeared to cure whatever ailment it had been suffering.
Charging was mostly straightforward, though rural areas proved tricky. A car park charger in Verteillac delivered just 5.8kWh in over an hour, so the family switched to out-of-town industrial parks, such as the Plug Inn near Poitiers, which offers 320kW charging and a lounge with super-fast wi-fi, air-con, clean loos and a coffee machine. On the return leg, a Tesla Supercharger claimed to provide 329kW but the car would not take more than 91kW, resulting in a lethargic 47-minute charge. Like so many in France, that station sat in a hypermarket car park — ideal for a spot of shopping.
The iX3's frunk proved a revelation, ideal for stashing the dog's more aromatic rubbish and, on the way home, exactly the right size for stacking wine bottles — a case and a half with room to spare. A final top-up outside Caen before boarding the return ferry to Portsmouth brought total energy use to 450kWh across 1,353 miles, or a round 3.0mpkWh — not bad for a fast cross-continental run, fully laden, in 40-degree heat with cold air blasting.
Two main conclusions emerged from the trip. France is doing better than Britain with its EV infrastructure, and if the iX3 represents the future of electric motoring, that future looks bright.
