BMW X3 xDrive30e EV Charging Cable

Two X3 plug-ins that charge nothing like each other

The 2020 to 2024 xDrive30e runs roughly 13 kWh with a 3.7 kW charger and up to 34 miles of WLTP electric range. The car that replaced it in 2024, badged 30e xDrive, carries 19.7 kWh usable, does 50 to 56 miles, and charges at 11 kW through BMW's Combined Charging Unit.

On the older one a 32A cable is wasted money, and that much is certain. On the newer one we have to be straight with you: BMW quotes 11 kW and a two and a quarter hour charge, but 11 kW is a three phase figure and BMW does not publish what the car draws from a single phase. Its sister car the X1 xDrive30e is documented at 7.4 kW on one phase, while the equivalent Volkswagen Group unit manages only about 4 kW. We have not been able to settle which the X3 does, so if you have the 2024 on car, ask a dealer before paying the difference for 32A.

How long a full charge takes

Times below are computed from the pack size and the power drawn with 13 per cent allowed for charging losses. The 13 kWh column is the 2020 to 2024 car, which cannot exceed 3.7 kW whatever you plug into it. The 19.7 kWh column is the 2024 on car, and the 7.4 kW row for it is the best case rather than a promise, for the reason given above.

Neither X3 plug-in has any DC capability. There is no rapid socket, so the Type 2 lead is the only way charge reaches the battery, and a car bought used without one cannot be charged at all until a cable arrives.

Which length to buy

On the 2020 to 2024 car the flap is on the front nearside wing, the kerb side on a UK car, which matches every other BMW plug-in hybrid. BMW has not published the position for the 2024 on car, and we are not going to guess at it: if you have the newer one, take thirty seconds to look before you order.

The X3 is 4.7 metres long. Nose in with the charge point on the left and 5 metres is comfortable. Reverse in, or park with the wall box on the far side, and 10 metres is the honest answer. Work it out from where the car genuinely sits, not where it could sit, and leave slack.

How these cables are built

It is a CE marked IEC 62196-2 cable, IP55 against the weather, rated to work between -30C and +50C.

Three pin leads are made to IEC 62752, CE marked and IP67 sealed, with a -30C to +60C specification. Two years of manufacturer warranty, free next working day shipping anywhere in the UK, and a month to change your mind.

Also from BMW: BMW 330e EV Charging Cable. The full range of BMW charging cables is on one page.

BMW X3 plug-in hybrid charging cable questions

Which cable does an X3 plug-in hybrid need?

The 2020 to 2024 xDrive30e is limited to 3.7 kW, so 16A is plainly enough. On the 2024 on car BMW quotes 11 kW three phase but does not publish the single phase figure, so we cannot honestly tell you whether 32A helps. Ask a dealer before paying the difference.

How long does the X3 30e take to charge?

BMW quotes two and a quarter hours for the 2024 on car, but that is the three phase figure. On one phase it depends on the single phase rate BMW has not published. The older xDrive30e is about four hours at its 3.7 kW ceiling.

Can an X3 plug-in hybrid rapid charge?

No. No BMW plug-in hybrid has DC capability, so motorway rapid chargers cannot be used. Everything goes in through the Type 2 socket.

Where is the charge port on an X3 xDrive30e?

The front nearside wing on the 2020 to 2024 car, which is the kerb side in Britain. BMW does not publish the position for the 2024 on car, so check yours rather than assume.