A single camouflage-clad electric M3 prototype was lately spotted navigating the 12.8-mile Green Hell, appearing perfectly suited for the challenge.
- BMW has started testing the upcoming electric M3 at the Nürburgring Nordschleife in Germany.
- The model will have up to four electric motors and over 1,000 horsepower in its most powerful guise.
- It's scheduled to launch in 2027, following the electric 3 Series variant's entry into the market by one year.
The production of a completely electric M3 by BMW is significant, and this model will stand apart from all previous ones, including present BMW electric vehicles. Nonetheless, it must retain the core characteristics typical of a gasoline-powered M3, despite lacking its distinctive engine—a key element contributing to the engaging driving dynamics that have made these automobiles highly sought after.
It must provide not just enjoyable and engaging driving dynamics but also achieve impressive lap times on a racetrack. Following sightings of it undergoing tests in the snow-covered regions of Northern Europe, the electric M3 The prototype was spotted circling the Nürburgring Nordschleife, the renowned 12.8-mile testing circuit known for its challenging layout with 157 turns encompassed within a single lap, making it a key spot for evaluating most new performance vehicles.
The prototype clearly shows the BMW Neue Klasse design cues, including the telltale headlight design and the general squared-off aesthetic. We’re not sure if this car is wearing its final production body panels, though, and it could just be a mule that blends production parts with one-off handmade pieces made only for testing.
This model features standard M-series flared wheel arches enhanced with extra bolt-on fender extensions, possibly indicating that it may still be a development prototype. The vehicle appears to accommodate extremely wide tires; we anticipate they might measure around 295 or 305 sections in width. It requires substantial tire size due to expectations of delivering significantly greater power output compared to all preceding M models—even surpassing the recently introduced plug-in hybrid M5, known for exceeding 700 horsepower.
We're confident this is the all-electric version of the M3 since it doesn’t have noticeable exhaust outlets, and its front grille is largely sealed off. @joelre98 posted an Instagram video showing the prototype driving onto the track and silently powering away. If this was a plug-in hybrid, the combustion engine would have started up when the driver floored it as it passed the camera.
Another indication that this doesn’t feature final production components is the obvious placeholder rear lights, which surely won’t look like this on the production car. They will be very close in style to what we saw on the concepts previewing the electric 3 Series equivalent , which will likely be called i3 in non-M guise, so the M model could be the i3M or Mi3.
Whatever its name, the electric sedan must be both a crowd pleaser, able to pull high-angle slides and a precision corner carver to make driving enthusiasts nod their heads approvingly. BMW also has something to demonstrate in the performance EV space, where its offerings so far haven’t quite been what we expected. Both the i4 and i5 are lined up in a straight path, but when they reach the corners, their heaviness becomes apparent, significantly reducing the agility compared to gasoline-powered BMWs.
Given our experience with numerous performance electric vehicles, we'd opt for either the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N or the Tesla Model 3 Performance when looking to navigate a racetrack at high speeds over an electric BMW nowadays, which says something. However, this comparison includes models with up to four motors and more than 1,000 horsepower in the most powerful variants combined with BMW’s motorsport expertise, we have high hopes for the electric M3, which was met with great enthusiasm by BMW executives at an internal drive meeting.
BMW has not specified a timeline for revealing the electric M3, but it will occur after they unveil the standard non-M i3 sedan in 2026. This unveiling follows shortly after the introduction of their initial Neue Klasse vehicle—an electric version similar to the X3—which is set to launch later this year. While we might witness the electric M3’s premiere as early as 2026, it is more probable that it will hit the market in 2027.
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