2026 BMW i5 LWB Launched At Rs 79.60 Lakh Onwards: Is This The Best Balance Of Sport, Luxury And Electric?

Lately, BMW has been launching new products amid the growing demand for luxury cars. With their recent slew of LWB cars like the recently launched BMW X1 LWB, they also unveiled the i5 LWB last month. Today, they have officially launched the i5 LWB at a price of Rs 79.60 lakh (ex-showroom) onwards. What is special about this new electric executive sedan is that it is the first i5 LWB and is locally produced in India at BMW Group’s Chennai plant. This has helped bring down the cost of the i5 LWB. Let’s explore what BMW’s new electric proposition packs in:

2026 BMW i5 LWB: Price And Variants

All prices are ex-showroom pan-India

The First Edition is limited to 99 units, and BMW claims that they have all been asked for already. However, there are no major functional differences between the two variants apart from styling touches and a rear-seat entertainment package.

2026 BMW i5 LWB: Exterior

If you’re familiar with the current generation 5-series, the i5 LWB looks largely similar to it, but with the stretched look on the side profile. The serious-looking i5 LWB has the twin-pod LED headlamps with the twin-LED DRLs. They sit on either side of the well-known BMW kidney grille, which now also has an LED lighting element on the surrounds. The sculpted bumper houses a few black trims, which include the air vents on either corner and the lower air dam to cool the battery pack. The i5 also includes some silver styling accents overall on the car to give it a premium look.

On the side profile, looking at the design of the i5 LWB, you wouldn’t be able to tell immediately that this is the long-wheelbase model. However, the proportions do look stretched thanks to the 20-inch dual-tone alloy wheels, the large rear doors and the long silver window finish, which stretches all the way to the C-pillar with the ‘5’ branding at the end.

Moving over to the rear, the i5 LWB has a different bumper as opposed to the i5 M60 on sale already. This new model carries some premium touches like a chrome finish on the bumper and the edgy, yet simplistic-looking rear bumper.

One of the only other differentiators is the ‘35 L’ badging on the rear bumper, which subtly gives away that this is the LWB.

The BMW i5 LWB is available in 4 colour options: Mineral White, Carbon Black, Phytonic Blue and Oxide Grey.

The Phytonic Blue colour on the i5 gives it a luxury look, also thanks to the contrasting silver accents on the exterior. 

2026 BMW i5 LWB: Interior

Step inside the i5 and you will be greeted by the typical BMW interior experience. The interior fit and finish, quality of materials and ergonomics are up to the standards of what you’ll expect from the premium luxury sedan segment. 

What sits proudly in the centre is the dual-screen curved display for the infotainment and the driver’s display. The interior feel is elevated by the wrap-around customisable ambient lighting.

However, the hero feature of the i5 LWB is the rear seat. The stretched car now has lavish backseat space, making it a great chauffeur-driven car. The rear seat experience is further enhanced by the obligatory panoramic glass roof. Overall, the brown and black interior theme is finished generously with leatherette for most touchpoints. 

2026 BMW i5 LWB: Features And Safety

The premium BMW electric sedan for India packs in features like a large 14.9-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. It comes paired with a 17-speaker Bowers & Wilkins premium sound system. On the same display panel, the driver also gets a 12.3-inch information display. The i5 LWB also packs in adaptive LED headlights, four-zone climate control, customisable ambient lighting, powered and ventilated front seats, and connected car technology.

Safety-wise, the German executive sedan packs in 8 airbags, ABS with EBD, rain-sensing wipers, electronic stability control (ESC), ISOFIX child-seat mounts, tyre-pressure warning system (TPMS) and electronic parking brake (EPB).

The i5 LWB also include Level-2 ADAS features. While the i5 LWB has not been tested by a third-party testing agency, the standard i5 has been crash-tested by Euro NCAP and has been rated 5 stars.

2026 BMW i5 LWB: Drivetrain

The 2026 BMW i5 LWB comes with one battery pack. That is an 81.6 kWh battery with a single rear-wheel-drive motor setup.

Drivetrain specifications are as follows:

The i5 LWB is capable of charging its batteries from 10 per cent to 80 per cent in 33 minutes with 160 kW DC fast charging.

Rivals

The i5 sits in a class of its own, being a long-wheelbase electric luxury sedan. Hence, the closest rival would be the Lexus ES500e and the upcoming Volvo ES90.

If not electric, the i5 LWB goes against the Mercedes-Benz E-Class, the Audi A6, and its ICE cousin, the BMW 5-Series.

ZigSays…

The launch of the first-ever BMW i5 LWB in India is a sign that the Indian market has, firstly, warmed up to electric cars and, secondly, has a large enough sales capacity to be manufactured in India. This is the third iteration of the 5-series, which is on sale in India. 

The 5-series is among the quintessential BMWs in its history. With the launch of the electric drivetrain, BMW hopes to slowly move towards more electric mobility. This is helped by a confident, inspiring 8-year or up to 1.60 lakh km battery warranty.

Would you be considering the BMW i5 if you had a budget of up to Rs 80 lakhs? Let us know in the comments.