COTY 2016 Best Green Car: BMW i3

There was one car that stood tall above the rest of the 2016 Carsales Car of the Year finalists in an innovation sense: BMW’s i3.

The diminutive electric vehicle took line honours in the Green Car category for 2016, after enamouring judges with its clever styling, highly efficient drivetrain and highly sustainable manufacturing and construction.

Mating an efficient electric motor with a 650cc motorcycle engine/generator dubbed a ‘range extender’ — essentially to recharge the batteries to extend the vehicle’s driving range — the new 94kWh REX i3 is priced from a relatively expensive $71,990 (plus on-road costs) in Australia.  It boasts some impressive green credentials, though, and signals electric propulsion’s readiness for the road ahead.

These factors are bolstered by the i3’s unique construction, which comprises a carbon-fibre tub and recycled materials in the dashboard and elsewhere. Dynamically it lives up to BMW benchmarks with nippy progress around town and faithful handling – even on those cheese-cutter green tyres.

That said, the i3 formula isn’t perfect. During extensive testing, judges were less than impressed with the car’s suicide rear-door design (the front door needs to be opened first), and also criticised the car’s firm ride and intrusive road noise on coarse surfaces.

The i3’s tiny nine-litre fuel tank for the range-extender system also made its claimed 390km travelling range overly optimistic in the real world.

But as a vehicle that emits zero CO2 around town and can still be driven interstate without range anxiety, the i3 REX fulfils the green-car brief like no other electric vehicle.

2016 carsales.com.au Car of the Year category winners:
Best First Car: Skoda Fabia
Best City Car: Audi A3 Sportback e-tron
Best Family Car Under $30K: Skoda Octavia
Best Family Car Over $30K: Mazda6
Best Green Car: BMW i3 ReX
Best Offroad 4x4: Ford Ranger
Best Performance Car Under $100K: Ford Focus RS
Best Performance Car Over $100K: Porsche 911 Carrera S
Best Prestige Car Under $100K: Audi A4
Best Prestige Car Over $100K: Mercedes-Benz S-Class
Best SUV Under $50K: Mazda CX-9
Best SUV Over $50K: Audi Q7
Best Tradie vehicle: Ford Ranger