$16.30 a Full Charge: BMW i5 Charging Cost at Home

Charging a 2027 BMW i5 costs about $16.30 for a full charge and $5.66 per 100 miles at 17¢/kWh — about $679 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 2027 BMW i5 costs about $16.30 for a full charge (~96 kWh) at the US average rate of 17¢/kWh — roughly $5.66 per 100 miles, or $679 a year at 12,000 miles. The i5 uses 33.3 kWh/100 mi on the EPA combined cycle. The i5’s real cost scales with your own rate, from about 12¢ to over 50¢ across the US.

The BMW i5 (EPA data for the 2027 model year, the newest the EPA lists; dollar figures use 2026 electricity rates) uses 33.3 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 i5 at about $5.66 per 100 miles — 5.66¢ a mile. That is comfortably better than average — 28th 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 i5 costs to charge at every rate

The same i5 costs $4.11 per 100 miles at Idaho’s 12.35¢ and $17.56 at Hawaii’s 52.72¢ — a 4.3× spread that is entirely the rate:

Wall-side for the i5: EPA’s 33.3 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 i5’s 5.66¢ 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 i5’s math in full — both formulas, and the electricity rate at which the advantage disappears.

Range: what a “full charge” of the i5 really means

EPA range across the lineup runs 262–328 miles, averaging 288. Multiplying that by the car’s efficiency gives roughly 96 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 i5 on a public fast charger

On a public fast charger at about 48¢/kWh the i5 costs $15.98 per 100 miles against $5.66 at home — 2.8× — or roughly $1,918 a year instead of $679 if it never sees a home outlet. Why a session costs more than the posted price for a i5 (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 i5’s $679 flat-rate figure.

The i5 in cold weather

A hard winter lifts the i5 from 33.3 to roughly 43.3 kWh/100 mi (the middle of the 20–40% rise real-world data shows), so $7.36 per 100 miles instead of $5.66 and an effective range nearer 222 miles than 288. The mechanics behind the i5’s winter penalty — cabin heat, battery chemistry, preconditioning from the wall — are on the hub ; the i5’s $679 annual figure above already averages the seasons.

Where the i5 sits against other EVs

Its nearest neighbors on efficiency are the Polestar 2 (33.2 kWh/100 mi) and the Lucid Gravity (33.6 kWh/100 mi). The i5 at 33.3 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 i5 version you pick change the bill?

The EPA rates 6 configurations of the 2027 i5, and they are not close: 28.9 kWh/100 mi for the most efficient, 36.5 for the least, a 26% spread. At 12,000 miles that is about $155 a year between the cheapest and most expensive version of the same i5. 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 i5 at 33.3 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 i4 , BMW i7 , BMW iX .

The tax question for the i5, answered plainly

Nothing about the i5 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 i5 on running cost and body style: Polestar 2 (33.2 kWh/100 mi), Lucid Gravity (33.6 kWh/100 mi), BMW i4 (33.7 kWh/100 mi).

Put the i5’s $679 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 i5 in the Supercharger vs home calculator . All 67 EVs . The i5 is only one line on the household bill — the 40-appliance running-cost ranking shows where $679 a year of charging lands next to everyday loads like a gaming PC or a well pump .

Frequently asked questions

How we calculated this

Worked for the i5: 33.3 kWh/100 mi ÷ 100 × 17¢ = $5.66 per 100 miles; 288 mi × 33.3 ÷ 100 = 96 kWh, × $0.17 = $16.30 per full charge; $5.66 × 12,000 ÷ 100 = $679 a year. The i5’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 Kia EV6 — 33.2 kWh/100 mi against the i5’s 33.3 — $5.64 vs $5.66 per 100 miles at 17¢.
• Cost to charge a Polestar 2 — 33.2 kWh/100 mi against the i5’s 33.3 — $5.64 vs $5.66 per 100 miles at 17¢.
• Cost to charge a Rivian R2 — 33.1 kWh/100 mi against the i5’s 33.3 — $5.63 vs $5.66 per 100 miles at 17¢.
• Cost to charge an EV: all 67 models ranked — Where the i5’s $679 a year sits among 67 EVs, plus the fast-charging, cold-weather and tax explainers.
• EV vs gas cost calculator — The i5’s 33.3 kWh/100 mi against your gas car’s mpg and your local pump price.