BMW built the same car for gas and electric. The EV is $4,400 cheaper.
BMW's 2027 3 Series lineup features both gas and electric models, with the electric i3 50 xDrive priced $4,400 lower than its gas-powered counterpart. This marks a significant milestone in the automotive industry where electric vehicles are achieving price parity or superiority over internal combustion engines.
Why it matters
Price parity is a critical tipping point for mass EV adoption, signaling that electric vehicles are becoming economically competitive with traditional cars.
For years, automotive analysts have been predicting that electric vehicles would become cheaper than their gas-powered equivalents. They figured it would happen sometime in the latter half of the 2020s. BloombergNEF, for example, expected it to happen in 2026.
EV prices have dropped significantly in the last few years, but it has been hard to compare prices with fossil fuel vehicles because not every EV has a like-for-like gas-powered model.
BMW has given us one. The 2027 BMW 3 Series comes in both gas and electric versions, and the EV is $4,400 cheaper .
The gas-powered M350 xDrive will set you back $65,900, while the electric i3 50 xDrive will cost $61,500, neither price includes destination charges. Both are similarly powerful, similarly styled, and aimed at similar pocketbooks. The difference is the EV is 6.7% cheaper.
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