The i3 was unlike anything else on the road — in design, in construction, in purpose. But worn wiper blades don’t care how groundbreaking your car is. If yours are leaving streaks across that wide A-pillar view, it’s time for a swap.
Look up your i3’s model year in the size chart below and you’ll have the right blade dimensions in seconds. We’ll also point you toward the wiper brand that consistently earns high marks from BMW owners.
BMW i3 Wiper Blade Size Chart
| Year | Style | Driver | Passenger | Rear | Recommended |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Hatchback | 28" | 21" | 12" | Bosch ICON |
| 2020 | Hatchback | 28" | 21" | 12" | Bosch ICON |
| 2019 | Hatchback | 28" | 21" | 12" | Bosch ICON |
| 2018 | Hatchback | 28" | 21" | 12" | Bosch ICON |
| 2017 | Hatchback | 28" | 21" | 12" | Bosch ICON |
| 2016 | Hatchback | 28" | 21" | 12" | Bosch ICON |
| 2015 | Hatchback | 28" | 21" | 12" | Bosch ICON |
| 2014 | Hatchback | 28" | 21" | 12" | Bosch ICON |
About the BMW i3
The BMW i3 holds a distinction that few production cars can claim: it was the first mass-production car with a passenger cell made primarily of carbon-fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP). That fact alone set the i3 apart from everything else on sale when it arrived in US showrooms for the 2014 model year.
It launched BMW’s “i” electric sub-brand and signaled a genuine attempt to rethink what an urban electric vehicle could be, not simply an electrified version of an existing model, but a ground-up reinvention.
The car’s foundation was BMW’s LifeDrive architecture, a platform developed specifically for electric vehicles that split the car into two independent modules. The Life Module (the passenger cell) was built largely from CFRP. It sat atop the Drive Module, an aluminum chassis housing the battery, drivetrain, and suspension.
CFRP offers high strength while being significantly lighter than steel, helping keep curb weight to roughly 2,700 to just over 3,000 pounds depending on configuration and battery size, despite carrying a lithium-ion battery pack.
The carbon fiber was produced at a BMW and SGL Carbon joint venture facility in Moses Lake, Washington, powered largely by hydroelectric energy. Early competitors cross-shopped against the i3 included the Nissan Leaf, Chevrolet Spark EV, and Volkswagen e-Golf.
An optional range-extender (REx) model paired the electric drivetrain with a 647 cc two-cylinder gasoline engine derived from a BMW Motorrad design and produced by Kymco. It had no mechanical connection to the wheels; its sole purpose was generating electricity to help maintain battery charge once levels dropped, extending overall range.
Over its lifespan, BMW offered three primary battery capacities (approximately 22 kWh, 33 kWh, and 42 kWh gross), with later versions delivering an EPA-rated range of up to 153 miles for the all-electric model. A sportier i3s variant arrived for 2018 with a modest power increase, revised suspension tuning, and a slightly wider track.
BMW discontinued i3 sales in the US after the 2021 model year, with the iX and i4 expanding the brand’s electric presence in the American market. Global production at the Leipzig plant concluded in 2022 after more than 250,000 units were built over roughly nine years.
The i3 nameplate has since been reused for an unrelated electric sedan built for the Chinese market, but for US drivers, the original hatchback remains the only i3 officially sold in America.
See Also: BMW i4 wiper wiper sizes, BMW 2 Series wiper sizes, BMW Z4 wiper sizes