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2020 BMW i8

Plug-in hybrid

Subcompact Cars
2 EPA-rated configurations
Data refreshed 2026-10-26

Safety Signal

85 / 100 from the NHTSA recall record

Recalls1 critical 1

Complaintsnone reporting a crash, fire or injury 1

Crash ratingnot rated by NHTSA —

Fuel economybest combined, EPA 27 mpg

2020 2019 2018 2017 2016

The 2020 BMW i8 is sold in the U.S. as a plug-in hybrid convertible with 2 EPA-rated configurations. The most efficient version, the I8 Coupe, is EPA-rated at 27 mpg combined. NHTSA lists 1 recall campaign for this model year, 1 rated critical, which gives it a Safety Signal grade of B. Owners have filed 1 complaint, most often about the electrical system.

BMW i8 — photograph via Wikimedia Commons — BMW i8 · Photo: OWS Photography · CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Specs & fuel economy

Source: EPA fueleconomy.gov

Configuration	Powertrain	Drive	Engine / motor	City	Hwy	Comb	Range	kWh/100mi	Charge (240V)	Annual fuel*
I8 Coupe	Plug-in hybrid	AWD	1.5L 3-cyl turbo + 105kW DCPM	26	29	27 (36 MPGe blended)	18 mi electric	49	3 h	$3,050
I8 Roadster	Plug-in hybrid	AWD	1.5L 3-cyl turbo + 105kW DCPM	26	29	27 (36 MPGe blended)	18 mi electric	49	3 h	$3,050

*EPA estimate at 15,000 miles/year at EPA reference fuel and electricity prices. fueleconomy.gov record ids: 42369, 42370.

Emissions & certification

Source: EPA emission certificates

Configuration	Smog rating	Emission standard	Where it can be sold new	SmartWay
I8 Coupe	3 / 10	California LEV-III ULEV125 / Federal Tier 3 Bin 125	All 50 states (federal, all altitudes); California and states following California standards	—
I8 Roadster	3–6 / 10	California LEV-III ULEV125 / Federal Tier 3 Bin 125 / California LEV-III ULEV50	All 50 states (federal, all altitudes); California and states following California standards	—

Certified for all fifty states, so it can be registered new anywhere in the U.S.

The smog rating scores tailpipe pollutants other than greenhouse gases, 1 (worst) to 10 (best), and is comparable only within a model year. The standard is the federal bin or California tier the configuration was certified to. Both come from the EPA certificate behind the window sticker.

Specifications filed with NHTSA

Source: NHTSA vPIC

Dimensions Exterior

Body style	Convertible/Cabriolet
Doors	2

Engine Basics

Cylinders	3
Displacement	1.5 L

Engine Output

Horsepower

228 hp

Fuel Economy

Fuel	Electric

Seating

Seat rows	1
Seating capacity	2 seats

Transmission

Transmission	Automatic
Transmission speeds	6

Driver assistance

Standard: Anti-lock brakes, Backup camera, Electronic stability control, Forward collision warning, Pedestrian automatic emergency braking

Filed by the manufacturer with NHTSA under the federal vehicle-identification rule and decoded from the VIN pattern — not a manufacturer press kit, so it describes the configurations we could identify rather than every trim. Figures for the trim you are looking at may differ.

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Recalls (1)

Source: NHTSA recall database

!critical

Electrical System

4,509 vehicles 100% reported repaired

Problem BMW of North America, LLC (BMW) is recalling certain 2020-2021 530e, 530e xDrive, 530e iPerformance and X3 xDrive30e and MINI Cooper Countryman All4 SE, 2020 BMW i8, and 2021 330e, 330e xDrive, 745Le xDrive and X5 xDrive45e vehicles. Debris may have entered one or more of the hybrid battery cells during their production. Risk The debris could result in a short-circuit, increasing the risk of fire or injury. Fix BMW will inspect and, if necessary, replace the battery module free of charge. The remedy is currently being developed. Until the remedy is completed, drivers are instructed to not charge their vehicles. Drivers are instructed to not drive in manual mode, sport mode, and to not use the shift paddles. Owners were notified of the safety risk October 23, 2020. The recall began November 24, 2020. Owners may contact BMW customer service at 1-800-525-7417.

Filed with NHTSADefect report PDF Remedy instructions PDF

NHTSA campaign 20V601000 reported Sep 30, 2020 BMW of North America, LLC the full filing, and every vehicle covered →

These are vehicle campaigns — the ones the automaker filed against this model. NHTSA also records equipment recalls, filed by a parts maker against a component (a tyre, a child seat, an aftermarket part), and those are not listed here or counted above. nhtsa.gov/recalls shows both for a VIN.

NHTSA defect investigations

Electrical System:Propulsion System — Pedestrian alert sounds closed

NHTSA received a petition on or about July 18, 2022, requesting that Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 141 be applied to all electric and hybrid vehicles operating in the United States. The petition can be reviewed at NHTSA.gov under ODI Number 11486072. FMVSS 141 establishes performance requirements for pedestrian alert sounds for motor vehicles. The standard applies to hybrid and electric vehicles that have a gross vehicle weight rating of 4,536 KG or less or are defined as low-speed vehicles. The standard became fully applicable to all such vehicles manufactured on or after March 1, 2021. On January 27, 2023, NHTSA opened Defect Petition (DP) 22-005 to evaluate the subject mat

Opened Jan 27, 2023 · closed Aug 7, 2023 · action DP22005 · the investigation’s page →

Whether any of this applies to one specific i8

A campaign covers a build range, not a model year, so two identical-looking cars from 2020 can differ. Both of these check a VIN against the manufacturer’s own list, free, in about ten seconds. BMW publishes its own lookup because federal rule 49 CFR 573.15 requires it to, and to keep it current to within seven days.

NHTSA VIN check →BMW’s own VIN lookup →

Hear about a recall before the letter does

The manufacturer’s letter is the last step of a recall: it has up to 60 days after filing to mail owners, at the address on the registration. We email you the day NHTSA posts a recall on the 2020 BMW i8, with what to do next. Nothing else, ever — no newsletter, no marketing, one-click unsubscribe in every message.

Owner complaints

Source: NHTSA complaint database

1complaints filed

0 involved a crash · 0 a fire · 0 injuries · 0 deaths reported

Filed per year: 2021: 1

Most-cited components

Electrical System 1

In owners' own words

Filed with NHTSA by the people who own these cars, one per problem area. Quoted as written, with anything identifying removed.

The contact owns a 2020 Bmw I8. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 20v601000 (electrical system). The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to the dealer for the recall repair. The mechanic stated that there were several high voltage battery cells that were faulty.

Electrical System at 952 miles May 19, 2021 NHTSA owner report · ODI 11417740

Complaint counts are raw owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects, and scale with how many were sold. Use them to spot patterns, not to rank.

Crash ratings

Source: NHTSA NCAP

NHTSA has not published 5-Star crash ratings for this model year.

Service bulletins & campaigns

Source: NHTSA manufacturer communications

Communicationsfiled with NHTSA 15

Most recentmanufacturer date 2026-07-10

Kindsas classified by NHTSA 14 service bulletins, 1 service campaign

Most often about: Electrical System, Equipment, Steering, Power Train, Engine.

B840326 Service campaign
2026-07-10 · Electrical System
Once the Telematics Module (TCB2) enters sleep mode, a BMW Data Services trigger for Remote Services(remote engine start, lock/unlock/climate conditioning) will not be able to reactivate the TCB2. Due to this issue, Remote Services will not function in the vehicle when parked and locked.
B360121 Service bulletin
2024-05-01 · Steering
At low outside temperatures (below 40 degrees F) and slow driving speeds (i.e. when parking, maneuvering)with a large steering angle, the front end can be slightly axially misaligned.
B611305 Service bulletin
2024-01-11 · Electrical System
The electrical system of BMW vehicles has been subject to an ongoing development process over the last few years. This has led to increased demands being placed on the battery. This document covers important information for the dealer on how to handle “discharged battery” complaints.
B360121 Service bulletin
2024-01-08 · Steering
At low outside temperatures (below 40 degrees F) and slow driving speeds (i.e. when parking, maneuvering)with a large steering angle, the front end can be slightly axially misaligned. This can be felt (jerking)/ heard via an acoustic acknowledgement (clunk) as seen at the 11 second mark of the video. See attached video V36 01 21.
B840922 Service bulletin
2022-09-01 · Equipment — Electrical
Due to a production error, the telematics control units were delivered without an IMS configuration.
SIB651312 Service bulletin
2022-05-01 · Electrical System
The Headunit High (HU-H), also called NBT, began replacing the Car Information Computer (CIC) on certain MY2013 vehicles with option 609 (as of 7/2012 production). This uses map North America NEXT. The Headunit High 2 (HU-H2), also called NBT-EVO, superseded the NBT HU and was introduced in 3/2014. This uses map North America EVO. The Headunit High 4 (HU-H4, also called MGU21) superseded the MGU s
B651312 Service bulletin
2021-09-01 · Equipment — Electrical — Navigational System(Global Positioning System)
The Headunit High (HU-H), also called NBT, began replacing the Car Information Computer (CIC) on certain MY2013 vehicles with option 609 (as of 7/2012 production). This uses map North America NEXT. The Headunit High 2 (HU-H2), also called NBT-EVO, superseded the NBT HU and was introduced in 3/2014. This uses map North America EVO. The Headunit High 3 (HU-H3, also called MGU) superseded the NBT-EVO
B840121 Service bulletin
2021-05-01 · Equipment — Electrical
TELEMATICS UNIT DEACTIVATION DUE TO 3G CELLULAR TECHNOLOGY DISCONTINUATION: The discontinuation of 3G cellular communication for Combox, TCB 3G and ATM 3G (Telematics ControlModule) can no longer be supported by the cellular network provider starting February 2022.

A service bulletin is the manufacturer telling its dealers how to diagnose or repair a known condition. It is not a recall, not a finding that the vehicle is defective, and the work is not automatically free — though a bulletin is often what a dealer works from when you describe a symptom, so quoting the document number can save a diagnosis. The count is every communication filed; the list shows the most recent, one entry per campaign, because a single campaign is usually filed as several documents on the same day. The summaries are NHTSA's; the full documents come from the manufacturer.

i8 by model year

all years, side by side →

Year Safety Recalls Complaints

2020 this page B 1 1 27 mpg 2019 C 2 0 27 mpg 2018 A 0 0 28 mpg 2017 A 1 0 28 mpg 2016 A 0 3 28 mpg

Common questions about the 2020 i8

Source: EPA, NHTSA and manufacturer press kits

Does the 2020 BMW i8 have any recalls?

NHTSA has posted 1 recall campaign for the 2020 BMW i8, 1 of them rated critical. The most serious on file is 20V601000, covering Electrical System. 1 of them was filed with no repair available at the time — NHTSA's file records what the manufacturer had in hand on the filing date, not what exists today. Check your own VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls; a recall applies to specific build ranges, not every car.

How safe is the 2020 BMW i8?

NHTSA has not published a crash-test rating for the 2020 BMW i8 yet. On the recall record WhichTrim grades it B (85/100), which measures open and severe recalls rather than crash protection.

What is the fuel economy of the 2020 BMW i8?

Across the 2 EPA-rated configurations of the 2020 BMW i8, the best EPA combined figure is 27 mpg (MPGe on the electrified versions). Figures are the EPA's own, per configuration, and every one is listed above.

What do owners complain about on the 2020 BMW i8?

Owners have filed 1 complaint with NHTSA about the 2020 BMW i8, most often about electrical system. Complaints are unverified owner reports, so treat the pattern as a signal and the individual report as an anecdote.

How clean is the 2020 BMW i8?

The EPA smog rating for the 2020 BMW i8 runs 3 to 6 out of 10 across its configurations. That score covers tailpipe pollutants other than greenhouse gases, and it only compares vehicles within the same model year. It is certified for all fifty states, so it can be registered new anywhere in the U.S. Its configurations were certified to different standards — California LEV-III ULEV125, California LEV-III ULEV50, Federal Tier 3 Bin 125 — which the table above lists per configuration.

Are there service bulletins for the 2020 BMW i8?

The manufacturer has filed 15 service bulletins and related communications with NHTSA for the 2020 BMW i8, most often covering electrical system, equipment, steering. The most recent is dated 2026-07-10. A bulletin is not a recall: it is the repair procedure a manufacturer sends its dealers for a condition it knows about, and the work is not automatically paid for. It is still worth knowing — if the symptom matches, quoting the bulletin number at the service desk can save a diagnosis. The document numbers and summaries are listed above.

What we hold, and what an empty row means

Paid vehicle-history reports will not tell you the difference between “nothing happened to this car” and “we never received that record” — both of the big two say as much in their own help pages. Most of what is on this page comes from complete federal registers, so we can tell you which is which, row by row.

Data	Held	Source	What it covers — or what empty means
Fuel economy & configurations	2 configurations	EPA certification records	Every configuration the EPA certified for sale, with its own test figures.
Emission certificates	2 configurations	EPA emission certificates	Smog rating, standard and the sales area that decides where the car can be sold new.
Recalls	1	NHTSA recall campaigns	A complete federal register: every campaign covering this model year, with severity and advisory flags.
Owner complaints	1	NHTSA complaint database	Also complete, but unverified: these are reports owners filed, not findings. Counts scale with how many were sold.
Crash ratings	none	NHTSA NCAP	NHTSA has not tested this model year. Cars are selected for testing, so untested is not unsafe.
Service bulletins	15	NHTSA manufacturer communications	Everything the manufacturer told its dealers about a defect or malfunction, short of a recall.
Investigations	1	NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation	Open and closed defect investigations, with the agency's own narrative.
Driver-assist crash reports	none	NHTSA Standing General Order 2021-01	No report has been filed. Only entities named in the order report, and only crashes they hear of — so this is also what an unequipped car, or a manufacturer without telematics, looks like.
Specifications filed with NHTSA	10 fields	NHTSA vPIC, decoded from VIN patterns	What the manufacturer filed under the federal VIN rule — a configuration, not the full trim ladder.
Trims, pricing & equipment	none	Manufacturer press kit	We have not transcribed a press kit for this model year yet. This is our gap, not the manufacturer's — the one row here where an empty cell means we are behind.

Rebuilt nightly; this page was generated 2026-10-26. Every figure above is traceable to the source named beside it, and the JSON for this page carries the same values with their identifiers.

Sources & method

Safety Signal starts every model-year at 100 and subtracts points per open NHTSA recall campaign by severity: critical 15 (fire risk, park-outside or do-not-drive advisories), high 8 (brakes, steering, airbags, loss of drive power, structure, battery), moderate 6, minor 3 (software, labels, lighting fixed by an update). The most serious recall counts in full and each further one counts 85% of the one before, because a vehicle sold in millions is recalled more often than a rare one without being more dangerous — and because a flat subtraction bottomed the scale out, scoring a vehicle with 22 recalls within a point of one with six. A ≥ 90, B ≥ 80, C ≥ 70, D ≥ 60, otherwise F. Read it as what it counts: recall campaigns on the federal record, weighted by severity. The damping reduces the sales bias by roughly 40% but does not remove it: like our complaint counts, this is not normalized by how many were sold, so a best-seller still scores somewhat worse than an obscure model with the same real risk. NHTSA crash ratings, do-not-drive and park-outside advisories, and the crash, fire, injury and death counts in owner complaints are reported separately on every page and never blended into the letter — a vehicle can hold five stars and a poor letter at once, and where that happens we say so rather than leave you to notice. Because the scale subtracts from a clean sheet, a model year too new to have been recalled, complained about or bulletined scores full marks on an empty record; we label those grades provisional rather than present them as earned.

EPA figures come from fueleconomy.gov vehicle records. Recalls, complaints, investigations and crash ratings come from NHTSA's public flat files, refreshed nightly.

JSON for this page · API