How Much Does It Cost to Charge a BMW i4 at Home? $15.98

Charging a 2026 BMW i4 costs about $15.98 for a full charge and $5.73 per 100 miles at 17¢/kWh — about $687 a year at 12,000 miles.

Updated September 2026 · Source: EIA Electric Power Monthly Table 5.6.A (July 2026 data) · EPA fueleconomy.gov · next EIA update ~Oct 23

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Why this number

Charging a 2026 BMW i4 costs about $15.98 for a full charge (~94 kWh) at the US average rate of 17¢/kWh — roughly $5.73 per 100 miles, or $687 a year at 12,000 miles. The i4 uses 33.7 kWh/100 mi on the EPA combined cycle. The i4’s real cost scales with your own rate, from about 12¢ to over 50¢ across the US.

The BMW i4 (EPA data for the 2026 model year, the newest the EPA lists; dollar figures use 2026 electricity rates) uses 33.7 kWh per 100 miles on the EPA combined cycle — the wall-outlet figure, so charging losses are already counted (look up your exact trim at fueleconomy.gov ). At the US average residential rate of 17¢/kWh that puts the i4 at about $5.73 per 100 miles — 5.73¢ a mile. That is comfortably better than average — 30th most efficient of the 67 current models tracked here — and puts running costs in the range most buyers hope for when they switch.

What an i4 costs to charge at every rate

The same i4 costs $4.16 per 100 miles at Idaho’s 12.35¢ and $17.77 at Hawaii’s 52.72¢ — a 4.3× spread that is entirely the rate:

Wall-side for the i4: EPA’s 33.7 kWh/100 mi is measured at the outlet, charger losses included; quick-fill your state above for your own figure.

That per-mile figure is the one to hold against gasoline: at 17¢/kWh the i4’s 5.73¢ a mile compares with about 13.6¢ for a 30-mpg gas car at $4.07 a gallon (EIA weekly, Aug 31, 2026). The EV vs gas cost guide works the i4’s math in full — both formulas, and the electricity rate at which the advantage disappears.

Range: what a “full charge” of the i4 really means

EPA range across the lineup runs 232–333 miles, averaging 279. Multiplying that by the car’s efficiency gives roughly 94 kWh to refill a full range from empty, which is the honest way to think about a ‘full charge’ — battery capacity figures include a buffer you never actually use.

The i4 on a public fast charger

On a public fast charger at about 48¢/kWh the i4 costs $16.18 per 100 miles against $5.73 at home — 2.8× — or roughly $1,941 a year instead of $687 if it never sees a home outlet. Why a session costs more than the posted price for a i4 (10–80% charging curve, idle fees, per-minute billing) is explained once on the cost-to-charge hub ; the EV time-of-use calculator nets an overnight rate against the i4’s $687 flat-rate figure.

The i4 in cold weather

A hard winter lifts the i4 from 33.7 to roughly 43.8 kWh/100 mi (the middle of the 20–40% rise real-world data shows), so $7.45 per 100 miles instead of $5.73 and an effective range nearer 215 miles than 279. The mechanics behind the i4’s winter penalty — cabin heat, battery chemistry, preconditioning from the wall — are on the hub ; the i4’s $687 annual figure above already averages the seasons.

Where the i4 sits against other EVs

Its nearest neighbors on efficiency are the Lucid Gravity (33.6 kWh/100 mi) and the Audi Q6 e-tron (33.8 kWh/100 mi). The i4 at 33.7 kWh/100 mi sits against a set that runs from the Tesla Model Y at 26.9 kWh/100 mi, and the least efficient is the GMC Hummer EV at 67.8 — a spread that changes annual charging cost by $834 a year at 17¢/kWh and 12,000 miles.

Trims: does the i4 version you pick change the bill?

The EPA rates 7 configurations of the 2026 i4, and they are not close: 28.5 kWh/100 mi for the most efficient, 41.4 for the least, a 45% spread. At 12,000 miles that is about $263 a year between the cheapest and most expensive version of the same i4. Bigger wheels, all-wheel drive and performance tunes are usually what separates them — worth knowing before you tick the options box.

How it compares inside the BMW range

The i4 at 33.7 kWh/100 mi sits among 5 BMW EVs tracked here, running from 31.7 (iX3) to 39.4 (iX). Also on this site: BMW iX3 , BMW i5 , BMW i7 , BMW iX .

The tax question for the i4, answered plainly

Nothing about the i4 changes that: the rules are the same for every EV, and the full 2026 position — §30D, §25E, the ended §30C charger credit, state programs — is in the energy tax credit guide and on the cost-to-charge hub .

Related

Closest comparisons to the i4 on running cost and body style: Lucid Gravity (33.6 kWh/100 mi), Audi Q6 e-tron (33.8 kWh/100 mi), BMW i5 (33.3 kWh/100 mi), Polestar 2 (33.2 kWh/100 mi).

Put the i4’s $687 a year against a gas car in the EV vs gas calculator , check your state’s rate , or price a road-trip stop for a i4 in the Supercharger vs home calculator . All 67 EVs . The i4 is only one line on the household bill — the 40-appliance running-cost ranking shows where $687 a year of charging lands next to everyday loads like a dishwasher or a tankless water heater .

Frequently asked questions

How we calculated this

Worked for the i4: 33.7 kWh/100 mi ÷ 100 × 17¢ = $5.73 per 100 miles; 279 mi × 33.7 ÷ 100 = 94 kWh, × $0.17 = $15.98 per full charge; $5.73 × 12,000 ÷ 100 = $687 a year. The i4’s gasoline comparison is 12,000 ÷ 30 mpg × $4.07 = $1,628. EPA combined ratings, measured at the wall.

Sources: U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) electricity rates · DSIRE incentive records · public IRS/OBBBA guidance. Figures are modeled estimates, not quotes or tax advice. See our methodology.

Where to go next

• Cost to charge a Audi Q6 e-tron — 33.8 kWh/100 mi against the i4’s 33.7 — $5.75 vs $5.73 per 100 miles at 17¢.
• Cost to charge a Volvo EX40 — 33.8 kWh/100 mi against the i4’s 33.7 — $5.75 vs $5.73 per 100 miles at 17¢.
• Cost to charge a Lucid Gravity — 33.6 kWh/100 mi against the i4’s 33.7 — $5.71 vs $5.73 per 100 miles at 17¢.
• Cost to charge an EV: all 67 models ranked — Where the i4’s $687 a year sits among 67 EVs, plus the fast-charging, cold-weather and tax explainers.
• EV vs gas cost calculator — The i4’s 33.7 kWh/100 mi against your gas car’s mpg and your local pump price.