Used BMW i3 Wheel Hub

The BMW i3 was launched in 2013 and received a significant update in 2017, so a 2014 hub and a 2018 hub sit either side of that revision boundary. The underlying platform carried over, but whether the hub itself interchanges across that 2017 update is something you should confirm with the breaker against your exact registration, as brake and bearing specifications can change at a facelift. Never assume a direct swap without checking.

The i3 is an electric vehicle and the relevant variable is motor output rather than a conventional engine size – the standard i3 and the higher-output i3s (introduced in 2017) can carry different brake and hub assemblies to cope with increased performance. If you have an i3s, tell the breaker this specifically so they can match the correct hub. Quoting your registration is the safest way to make sure you get the right part.

Trim levels on the i3 – such as Suite, Loft, Lodge, and Atelier – are primarily interior and cosmetic packages and do not change the wheel hub specification. The hub you need is determined by the model year and whether your car is a standard i3 or the i3s, not by which interior trim you have. You may find cosmetic differences in brake caliper colour or alloy wheel style between cars from different trim grades, but the hub itself is the same across trim lines within the same variant.

Yes, it matters – the NS (nearside, passenger side) and OS (offside, driver side) hubs are handed, meaning they are mirror images of each other and are not interchangeable. Always tell your breaker which side you need before they pull the part. Getting the wrong side is a very common and easily avoided mistake.

The range-extender Rex model carries a small petrol generator in the rear, which adds weight compared with the battery-only version, and this could in principle affect rear hub or bearing specifications. This is an area of genuine uncertainty, so rather than assuming the parts are identical you should confirm with the breaker by providing both your registration and the donor car's registration. Do not assume fitment without that check.

The i3 received a notable update in 2017 which introduced the i3s performance variant alongside a refreshed standard model, and brake specifications on the i3s differ from the original i3. For like-for-like replacements – standard i3 to standard i3 or i3s to i3s – hubs within the same generation are more likely to interchange, but whether a pre-2017 hub crosses cleanly to a post-2017 car is something to confirm with the breaker using your registration rather than take on trust.