The BMW i5 leaves the factory on 245/40 R20 and 245/45 R19 depending on wheel size, and the 245/45 R19 102Y XL below is the one most owners are replacing. XL is not optional here; it is what the car was type approved on. It is staggered: a 245 section at the front and a 275 at the back, so the two can never be swapped across axles and the rear goes first. The BMW iX1 takes the same size.
| Generation | Trim | Wheel | Tyre size | Load index | Speed | Construction | Marking | Pressure |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Current | eDrive40 and xDrive40 (19in, square) | 19in | 245/45 R19 | 102 | Y | XL | none | see plate |
| Current | Touring, and M60 (19in, staggered) | 19in | 245/45 R19 front, 275/40 R19 rear | 102 | Y | XL | none | see plate |
| Current | 20in wheels | 20in | 245/40 R20 front, 275/35 R20 rear | 99 | Y | XL | none | see plate |
Your own placard is the authority. You will find it on the on the driver's door jamb, on the B-pillar. Where it disagrees with this page, it wins. Match or exceed the size, load index, speed rating and construction class it gives, and use its pressure figure rather than anything printed on the tyre.
BMW gives the xDrive40 saloon permitted axle loads of 1,430 kg front and 1,605 kg rear. A pair of 102-rated tyres carries 1,700 kg, so on the square 19in set the rear margin is under 100 kg; a lower load index is not an option.
BMW lists the xDrive40 saloon on a square 245/45 R19, while the Touring and the M60 put a 275/40 R19 105Y behind it on the same rim size. Check whether the car is square before ordering a set of four.
On 20in the front drops to load index 99, 775 kg per tyre, and the rear 275/35 has about 96 mm of sidewall. BMW's Swiss data gives the Touring an unladen weight of 2,180 kg as an eDrive40 and 2,350 kg as an M60.
How these were chosen. Everything here already clears this vehicle's own load index, speed rating and construction class. Each heading is a question about use rather than a ranking. The whole method.
Graded A for wet grip, and nothing else that fits is graded higher. Graded C for rolling resistance. EPREL registration 676712.
Graded A for rolling resistance, the best of anything here, and that is the figure that shows on the range display. Graded B for wet grip. EPREL registration 2584460.
Measured at 69 decibels, the quietest of the set. Graded A for wet grip, and nothing else that fits is graded higher. EPREL registration 2650388.
A winter tyre, so a second set rather than a replacement for what is on the car now. Graded D for wet grip. Graded B for rolling resistance. EPREL registration 727667.
Rated below the speed this vehicle left the factory at, which is permitted for a winter tyre and is why it carries a T or an R. The load index and the construction class still match. Do not exceed the tyre's own rating while it is fitted.
Ordering is by the registered label figure, not by anything we think of them.
A high performance summer tyre available in the Y rated sizes that heavy, fast electric cars are specified with.
An all-season tyre for electric cars, which is a sensible default in a climate that rarely makes a full winter tyre worth the second set of wheels.
A studless winter tyre built for the weight and the rolling resistance demands of an electric car.
Rated below the speed this vehicle left the factory at, which is permitted for a winter tyre and is why it carries a T or an R. The load index and the construction class still match. Do not exceed the tyre's own rating while it is fitted.
A Korean-built summer tyre that turns up as original equipment more often than its profile suggests, graded A for fuel efficiency.
A touring summer tyre built with Bridgestone's Enliten construction, which cuts weight and rolling resistance across the range rather than in one model.
Including the manufacturer's own published figure. Neither source is standing next to your vehicle, which is why the placard still wins.
