About $1,305 a year for full coverage on a national average — 9% less than the $1,438 average car. Insurers rate the BMW i3 at an index of 91 where 100 is a typical vehicle, based on how often and how expensively these cars actually generate claims (latest data covers 2019-2021).
The premium isn't spread evenly across the BMW i3: Collision — damage to your own car in a crash — carries its highest loss index at 105, while Comprehensive sits at 72. Those 33 points are the real reason behind the price, and they are the part a quote form never shows you. Against what the car is worth the bill looks different again: a 2015 i3 sells for a median $8,400, so a year of cover costs 15.5% of the car's value. Calculated from 5 insurance-loss records and live US listing prices.
Why a i3 costs what it does
Insurers don't price a car with one number — they track losses separately for each kind of cover. An index of 100 is the average vehicle, so anything above means this model generates costlier claims of that type:
Read it as «where the money goes». A high Collision figure means these cars are expensive to repair after a crash; a high Comprehensive figure points at theft, weather and vandalism instead. Estimated annual split at $1,305: Liability (BI + PD) $626 · Collision $365 · Comprehensive $157 · Other (UM / PIP) $157.
How it changed by generation
Insurance-loss index of the i3 across every generation in the data. Newer isn't automatically cheaper — driver-assist systems cut crash frequency, while sensors and aluminium panels push repair bills up:
Each point averages every recorded variant of that generation. The i3 has held a steady loss index across generations.
What a i3 costs by state
Where you park matters as much as what you drive. The i3's index applied to each state's average premium — the same car, the same cover, different postcode:
| State | i3 est. / yr | vs national |
|---|---|---|
| Florida | +39% vs US | |
| Louisiana | +38% vs US | |
| New York | +32% vs US | |
| District of Columbia | +26% vs US | |
| Georgia | +21% vs US | |
| Texas | +20% vs US | |
| Wisconsin | -30% vs US | |
| Hawaii | -31% vs US | |
| Idaho | -32% vs US | |
| North Dakota | -33% vs US | |
| Vermont | -33% vs US | |
| Maine | -36% vs US |
Six priciest and six cheapest states shown. Figures are the state's average premium scaled by the BMW i3's loss index of 91 — your own quote also depends on age, record, deductible and ZIP.
BMW i3 insurance — frequently asked
How much is insurance for a BMW i3?
About $1,305 a year for full coverage at the national average, versus $1,438 for a typical car. That's the model's insurance-loss index of 91 applied to the US average premium.
Why is the i3 expensive or cheap to insure?
For the BMW i3 the costliest area is Collision at an index of 105, covering damage to your own car in a crash — against 72 for its cheapest. Insurers set premiums from claim history like that, not from the sticker price — which is why the BMW i3 lands at 91, not at what it costs new.
Is that a lot relative to the car's value?
A year of cover is 15.5% of what a 2015 i3 sells for — $1,305 against a median price of $8,400. Cheap cars often show a higher percentage even when the dollar premium is lower, and at 15.5% the i3 sits on the expensive side of that trade.
Where does this data come from?
Insurance-loss indices published for real vehicles, combined with NAIC state average premiums. It's claim history, not a quote engine — so it shows what these cars actually cost insurers rather than what one company would offer you.
Will my own quote match this?
Treat it as a baseline for the car itself. Your figure also moves with age, driving record, deductible, mileage and ZIP code — the same i3 can differ by hundreds between two drivers.
How we work this out
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