For a driver-focused brand like BMW, electric cars must have seemed terrifying. The brand is built around the feel of engines like its ever-fresh series of inline-sixes and their smooth but mechanical sound and operation. It turns out that adding electric power has actually been quite good for Bayerische Motoren Werke AG, even without the motoren. The German automaker has just announced the handover of its three-millionth model with a plug to a customer in Munich.
A 330e Is Car Number 3 Million
Fittingly, the BMW Group’s electrified car number three million was a 3 Series PHEV. The sedan was the brand’s bestseller for decades and the model that cemented its reputation as a driver’s car. In the first half of this year, more than 25% of all vehicles the company delivered were electrified, which for BMW means a plug, not a mild hybrid.
Sales of its electrified models continue to grow, too. The brand’s PHEV sales were up nearly a third in the first half of 2025, with electric sales up 16% for the year. Across the BMW Group, which includes Mini and Rolls-Royce, the company sells 15 full EVs and more than 10 PHEV models.
The 1.5 millionth fully-electric BMW Group model found its first owner in July. That car was a Mini Countryman built in Leipzig and delivered to a customer in Portugal. BMW said that if you lined up all 1.5 million EVs it has sold since the launch of the BMW i3, that it would stretch roughly from Munich to New York City. Though they probably wouldn’t like the saltwater bath.
“With the delivery of the three millionth electrified vehicle, the BMW Group has reached another important milestone that underlines the fact that electrified vehicles are an elementary component of our technology-neutral product portfolio.”
– Jochen Goller, board member in charge of brands and sales
Quirky i3 Was BMW’s First
When BMW launched the i3 in 2013, it was the company’s first mass-produced fully electric model. The car sold more than 250,000 units and spawned BMW’s first range-extender model. It was an incredibly quirky car, debuting a carbon fiber and aluminum chassis, clamshell rear doors, and an interior made largely from sustainable materials. BMW’s first PHEV, the i8, arrived not long after.
Today, BMW Group offers EVs from the tiny Mini Cooper through to the opulent Rolls-Royce Spectre. It has performance PHEVs and EVs, including the latest plug-in M5 and the i4 M60.
Expect BMW’s electric sales to grow as it launches more models. The automaker’s Neue Klasse of EVs is set to arrive shortly and will include new motors and platform technology promising even better performance and longer range. Plus, they’ll get rid of the modern BMW “tall grille.” While a new X3 EV will be the first in that series, BMW will also be bringing fully electric M cars to market. The first of those will probably be the M3 EV, with four motors and the potential to make more than 1,000 horsepower.