The BMW i8 has 5 cu ft of cargo space. In practice that is 0 checked suitcases, or 2 carry-ons, or about 4 supermarket bags. A folded pushchair will not fit alongside luggage. Against 103 cars with a similar-sized cabin it sits below the average of 11 cu ft.
What actually fits in a i8
Cubic feet are an abstraction — 5 cu ft means nothing until you load it. Here is the same number in things people actually load, 0 checked cases or 2 carry-ons for the BMW i8, with a packing allowance — a boot is not a cube, and corners go to waste.
| What you are loading | How many fit | Each item |
|---|---|---|
| Checked suitcases | 0 | 27 × 21 × 14″ — 4.6 cu ft |
| Carry-on cases | 2 | 22 × 14 × 9″ — 1.6 cu ft |
| Supermarket bags | 4 | about 1 cu ft each |
| Golf bags | 0 | full set, about 5 cu ft |
| Folded pushchair | Does not fit | about 6 cu ft |
Counts assume 80% usable volume: luggage does not tessellate, and a wheel arch eats the rest.
Cabin or boot — where the space went
Every car is a fixed envelope, and designers decide how to split it between people and things — the BMW i8 gives 5.8% of its 86 cu ft to luggage. The share below is the honest way to compare an estate with a coupé of the same footprint, and among 103 cars with a cabin within eight cubic feet of the BMW i8 the boot averages 11 cu ft.
| Space | Volume | Share of total |
|---|---|---|
| Passenger cabin | 81 cu ft | |
| Cargo area | 5 cu ft | |
| Total interior | 86 cu ft |
Under 15% to luggage — the space went to passengers, not their bags.
Against cars with a similar cabin
Compared with 103 models whose passenger space is within eight cubic feet — a fairer group than marketing classes, which put an estate and a coupé in the same bracket.
| Measure | This car | Similar cars | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cargo volume | 5 cu ft | 11 cu ft | -6.0 cu ft |
| In checked suitcases | 0 | 1 | -1 |
Cars with the same room
Closest matches by trunk volume — useful when the boot is the deciding factor and the badge is not. The BMW i8 sits at 5 cu ft, so these are the cars that carry the same load.
| Car | Trunk volume | vs BMW i8 | Checked suitcases | Measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mini Cooper Convertible | 0 cu ft | 0 | 2025 | |
| Aston Martin DB9 | 0 cu ft | 0 | 2016 | |
| Lexus LC | 0 cu ft | 0 | 2026 | |
| Ferrari Portofino | 0 cu ft | 0 | 2021 | |
| Ferrari Portofino M | 0 cu ft | 0 | 2023 | |
| Polestar 1 | -1 cu ft | 0 | 2021 |
Boot space is one number. Buying is a longer list.
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How we count
Cargo and passenger volumes come from EPA interior-volume records — the same figures manufacturers file for the window sticker, measured to a standard method rather than claimed in a brochure.
The luggage counts are ours — 0 checked cases for the BMW i8 come out of its 5 cu ft. We assume 80% usable volume, because a boot is not a cube: wheel arches, a sloping tailgate and the shape of the cases themselves waste the rest, which is why the BMW i8 counts as 4 cu ft of usable space rather than 5. Suitcase sizes are the airline standards — 22 × 14 × 9″ for carry-on, 27 × 21 × 14″ for checked, so the BMW i8 takes 2 of the small ones. Numbers are deliberately conservative; if we say four cases fit, four cases fit.
Frequently asked questions
How much cargo space does the BMW i8 have?
5 cu ft behind the rear seats, plus 81 cu ft of passenger cabin.
How many suitcases fit in a i8?
About 0 checked cases (27 × 21 × 14″) or 2 carry-ons, allowing for the fact that a boot is not a perfect cube.
Will a pushchair fit in a i8?
Not comfortably. A folded pushchair needs about 6 cu ft and this car offers 5 in total, so it would fill the boot entirely.
Is that a lot for this size of car?
Compared with 103 cars of a similar cabin size, it is below the average of 11 cu ft.
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