How Do Car Seats Fit in a 2023 BMW i4?

Editor’s note: This Car Seat Check was published in September 2022 about the 2022 BMW i4; little has changed with the 2023 model. See what’s new for 2023 or check out a side-by-side comparison of the two model years.

The verdict: The BMW i4 Gran Coupe is an electric vehicle that joined the iX in BMW’s EV lineup for 2022. BMW calls the i4 a Gran Coupe, but it has four doors. In the back, there are seats for three passengers, but room is very tight, and we struggled to install rear-facing car seats, which take up a lot of legroom. For this Car Seat Check, we tested the sport-oriented M50 trim.

Does it fit three car seats? No.

Take a look at how the Latch system and each car seat scored below in our Car Seat Check of the 2023 BMW i4.

Related: Search Car Seat Checks

A Grade

• Latch: The two sets of lower anchors sit under flaps. They’re easy to find and use. Three top tether anchors sit on the seatback. They’re also clearly marked and easy to use.

B Grade

• Forward-facing convertible: This seat was easy to install and fit well. The i4’s head restraints are very small and sit high up, so they may not need to be removed to install a forward-facing convertible. To accommodate taller car seats, you’ll need to remove the head restraint before installation. Removing the head restraint isn’t easy because you must insert a key into a tiny hole to release the head restraint before pulling it up and out.

C Grade

• Infant: This seat was easy to install, but legroom was an issue for the 5-foot-6-inch passenger sitting in front of the car seat; her knees were grazing the glove box.
• Rear-facing convertible: As with the infant seat, installation of the rear-facing convertible was problem-free, but front-passenger legroom was again a problem.
• Booster: After we removed the head restraint to situate the booster flush against the seatback, the booster fit well. Removing the head restraint was again annoying, however. Also, the i4’s outboard buckles are flush with the seat-bottom cushion, so they’re tough to grasp. The middle buckle is floppy and will also likely be hard for kids to find and use independently.

Grading Scale

A: Plenty of room for the car seat and the child; doesn’t impact driver or front-passenger legroom. Easy to find and connect to Latch and tether anchors. No fit issues involving head restraint or seat contouring. Easy access to the third row.

B: One room, fit or connection issue. Some problems accessing the third row when available.

C: Marginal room plus one fit or connection issue. Difficult to access the third row when available.

D: Insufficient room, plus multiple fit or connection issues.

F: Does not fit or is unsafe.

About Cars.com’s Car Seat Checks

Editors Jennifer Geiger and Jennifer Newman are certified child safety seat installation technicians.

For the Car Seat Check, we use a Chicco KeyFit 30 infant-safety seat, a Graco Contender 65 convertible seat and Graco TurboBooster seat. The front seats are adjusted for a 6-foot driver and a shorter passenger. The three child seats are installed in the second row. The booster seat sits behind the driver’s seat, and the infant and convertible seats are installed behind the front passenger seat.

We also install the forward-facing convertible in the second row’s middle seat with the booster and infant seat in the outboard seats to see if three car seats will fit; a child sitting in the booster seat must be able to reach the seat belt buckle. If there’s a third row, we install the booster seat and a forward-facing convertible. Learn more about how we conduct our Car Seat Checks.

Parents should also remember that they can use the Latch system or a seat belt to install a car seat, and that Latch anchors have a weight limit of 65 pounds, including the weight of the child and the weight of the seat itself.

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