Also included are full LED headlights, an automatic tailgate, flush door handles and BMW’s Digital Key Plus, whereby you can use your smartphone to unlock and start the car. Inside, there’s wireless phone charging and a full suite of connectivity options, including wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Electric memory seats are also standard.

Quality is undiminished, despite the significant price difference. We genuinely struggled to find any rough or scratchy plastics, with BMW using things like fabric inserts and ambient lighting to hide any cheaper materials on the dash or doors.

M Sport gives a more dynamic look, although in all honesty the differences aren’t as marked as they once were. There are different wheels and different interior trim, as well as M-branded puddle lights and blue M brake callipers. M Sport Pro brings a chintzy light-up grille dubbed ‘Iconic Glow’, plus extra high-gloss trim, sports seats, belts and a more conventional three-spoke steering wheel.

Stat for stat, the iX3 40 very closely matches the latest, rear-wheel-drive Mercedes GLC 250. Both will apparently do around 380 miles (WLTP) on a charge, and both can top up their similarly sized batteries at more than 300kW. BMW claims it’ll take the iX3 just 21 minutes to go from 10-80 per cent, beating the Merc – on paper – by a mere 60 seconds. The GLC starts from £55,495 – £2,245 more than the cheapest iX3.

Reasonable efficiency during our time with the base BMW meant we returned a real-world range just shy of 300 miles, which should be plenty for most motorists. The xDrive50 on our long-term test fleet is averaging around 350 miles – equivalent to £136 per mile of additional range.

It’s a practical car, too. There’s a generous 520-litre boot and under-floor storage, plus you can recline the rear seats for extra comfort. That back bench splits and folds in a 40:20:40 formation, freeing up 1,750 litres as and when you need it. It’s a shame BMW wasn’t able to add some precious extra space in the frunk – especially as there’s no bulky front motor taking up space under the bonnet.

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