You Can Already Buy A BMW i8 For Less Than £60k

It doesn’t seem that long ago that I was scanning the classifieds and seeing nearly new i8s being sold for a premium. But, three years on from the hybrid coupe’s release, it’s a very different story on the used market.

The earliest i8s have dropped below the £60,000 mark - by the time you factor in options, it’s likely some of these will have lost almost half their original purchase cost in just a few years.

We’ve plucked out this 18,159 mile example for closer inspection. It’s up for a little over £60k - £63,950 - so what are you getting for your money?

First up, a punchy hybrid powertrain. It’s made up of a 1.5-litre, turbocharged inline-three that powers the rear wheels, and an electric motor for the front axle. Total output is 354bhp, making 0-62mph possible in 4.5 seconds.

It’s the off-the-line thrust that’s the most impressive thing about the i8, with the motor’s instant torque giving you a healthy kick up the rear when you stamp on the throttle.

It’s a little more confused when it comes to handling - low rolling resistance tyres and heavy batteries certainly don’t do wonders for a car with sporting pretensions, after all. But, it’s still capable and exciting to drive in its own unusual way.

You can roll around in near silence for anything up to 22 miles on electric power alone, but don’t expect to fly under the radar: even a few years on from launch, the futuristic i8 is still an attention grabbing car. And that’s before you turn up somewhere and open up one of those dihedral doors…

Would this be your sports car of choice if you had around £60k to blow on a car? Or would you go with something a little more conventional? Let us know in the comments.