Which M should I buy?

Pick what the car is for, your budget and how much repair risk you can live with. You get the three cars that fit best on that list, each with its cost to own a year and its chance of a big bill.

Your shortlist: electric performance, any budget, some risk

  1. BMW G26 i4 M50

    1st of 4 on the electric performance list

    50Guide Score for 2024Specialistabout $2,344 a year to own
    Why it fits
    It scores 99 for this purpose, 1st of 4; its strongest parts are drive feel (67) and ownership (48). Best year to buy: 2024.
    Cost to own
    About $2,344 a year ($1,416 to $4,014)
    Chance of a bill over $10,000 in five years
    5.1%
    Typical price
    About $48,373, the middle of 8 permitted prices ($39,791 to $61,522)
  2. BMW G60 i5 M60

    2nd of 4 on the electric performance list, likely 2nd to 3rd

    47Guide Score for 2024Not for most buyersabout $2,653 a year to own
    Why it fits
    It scores 86 for this purpose, 2nd of 4; its strongest parts are drive feel (70) and ownership (58). Best year to buy: 2024.
    Cost to own
    About $2,653 a year ($1,721 to $4,483)
    Chance of a bill over $10,000 in five years
    under 0.1%
    Typical price
    No permitted price yet
  3. BMW G70 i7 M70

    3rd of 4 on the electric performance list, likely 2nd to 4th

    44Guide Score for 2026Not for most buyersabout $2,957 a year to own
    Why it fits
    It scores 68 for this purpose, 3rd of 4; its strongest parts are drive feel (70) and ownership (58). Best year to buy: 2026.
    Cost to own
    About $2,957 a year ($2,051 to $4,983)
    Chance of a bill over $10,000 in five years
    under 0.1%
    Typical price
    No permitted price yet

See the whole electric performance list

Where the prices come from

The typical price is the middle of the asking and sold prices we recorded from sources whose terms allow this use (bonhams.com, classiccars.com, driveway.com, enthusiastauto.com), read October 27, 2026 to October 28, 2026, with 11 auction results sold between 2015 and 2023. A car fits a budget when its typical price is at or under it. 43 of the 69 generations have 3 or more such prices; a car with fewer shows “no permitted price yet” and is left out once you set a budget. Asking prices sit above what cars sell for, so treat a car near your line as a stretch.

Each list is ordered by the Guide Score’s parts weighted for that purpose (method v5-final.14), so a car can lead a list with a lower overall Guide Score; the score shown beside each car is its overall one. It is an editorial score, built only from permitted, sourced data. The cost to own is for a car bought at five years old, or its own age if older, kept five years. How it works.