Which BMWs Have Wireless Charging? (+ How to Retrofit It)
Have you ever found yourself tangled in charging cables inside your car?
With wireless charging, you can simply lay down your phone, and it will begin charging.
It’s a feature that’s quickly becoming the standard in many luxury vehicles.
But which BMW models offer the wireless charging feature? And if your BMW doesn’t have it, can you add it?
That’s what we will discuss today, so let’s get started!
Which BMW models have wireless charging?
BMW, being the trendsetter that it is, has been pretty quick to offer wireless charging in its vehicles.
It all started in August 2015 when BMW introduced its first wireless charging adapter kit:
In 2017, BMW started offering the wireless charging tray as a built-in feature in many of its models.
BMW wireless charging trays are located next to the cup holders and allow you to charge your phone without a cable:
Now, you might be thinking, “Does my BMW have wireless charging?” or perhaps, “Should I be looking for a certain model if I want this feature?”
To answer those questions, here is a list of all BMW models that are available with wireless charging:
- BMW 2 Series Gran Coupé F44 (2019 to 2024)
- BMW 3 Series F30/F31/G20/G21 (2017 to 2024)
- BMW 4 Series F32/F33/F36/G22/G23/G26 (2017 to 2024)
- BMW 5 Series G30/G31/G60/G61 (2017 to 2024)
- BMW 6 Series G32 (2017 to 2023)
- BMW 7 Series G11/G70 (2017 to 2024)
- BMW 8 Series G14/G15/G16 (2018 to 2024)
- BMW X1 F48/U11 (2020 to 2024)
- BMW X2 F39 (2018 to 2024)
- BMW X3 G01/G45 (2017 to 2024)
- BMW X4 G02 (2018 to 2024)
- BMW X5 F15/F85/G05 (2017 to 2024)
- BMW X6 F16/G06 (2018 to 2024)
- BMW X7 G07 (2019 to 2024)
- BMW Z4 G29 (2018 to 2024)
- BMW i4 G26 (2022 to 2024)
- BMW i7 G70 (2022 to 2024)
- BMW iX I20 (2022 to 2024)
- BMW XM G09 (2023 onward)
Note: BMW wireless charging is standard on most M models as well as high-spec BMW models, such as the X5 40i, M340i, or M850i. For other BMW models, wireless charging is a $500 optional extra.
If you’re unsure which BMW model you have, you can follow our guide here to find out!
How do you add wireless charging to a BMW?
If your BMW doesn’t have a wireless charging pad from the factory, don’t worry too much about it.
It’s quite an expensive option ($500), so you’d expect it to be a premium product.
However, there have been a lot of complaints about the BMW wireless charger, especially about it being slow, overheating your phone, or being too small.
Some BMW owners state that when they charge their phone using the original wireless charging tray, the battery level stays equal or, even worse, goes down.
Luckily, you can find several wireless charging tray retrofits specifically designed for various BMW models.
What is the price range? A much more acceptable $50 to $100.
You can see one installed in the image below:
Looks great, right?
As a last option, if you would also like to use your phone for Google Maps navigation or Spotify music streaming, an alternative is to get a wireless charging phone holder.
The main benefit of this is that your phone screen remains visible!
What if wireless charging is not working on your BMW?
Alright, you’ve tried wireless charging in your BMW, but your smartphone doesn’t seem to be charging up as it should.
Frustrating, right?
Let’s troubleshoot some common problems:
1. Ensure it’s a genuine wireless charging tray
First of all, ensure that your BMW really has a wireless charging tray.
Some BMW models have an NFC smartphone tray (used for the Digital Key feature) that looks like a wireless charging tray, but in reality, it isn’t one.
Here is how such a NFC smartphone tray looks:
In contrast, if your BMW has a genuine wireless charging tray, you will see a battery icon within the phone icon:
2. Check if your phone supports wireless charging
Next, ensure that your smartphone is Qi-compatible.
In simple terms, it means that your phone is designed to work with wireless charging stations. (The iPhone 8 and newer support wireless charging.)
Most modern smartphones are compatible, but it’s always a good idea to double-check.
3. Try to find the right phone positioning
Sometimes, it’s all about finding that sweet spot.
Make sure you’ve placed your phone correctly on the charging pad.
There’s usually a designated area where the phone should sit for optimal charging. If it’s slightly off, it might not charge.
A little adjustment here and there might just do the trick!
4. Remove your phone case
Lastly, maybe your phone case is too thick for BMW wireless charging to work.
So, try taking it off and try again. If it works now, you’ll know that your case is the culprit!
As another handy tip, don’t forget you can go to your General settings on the iDrive screen and activate a reminder to take your phone with you:
Last but not least, if you’ve decided that you don’t want to use wireless charging anymore due to the lower efficiency and your phone getting warm, we recommend buying a tried-and-tested high-quality charging cable.
Conclusion
All in all, BMW wireless charging can be another one of those things that makes your life a little bit easier.
Didn’t have wireless charging on your BMW? No worries! As we’ve explored, there are always ways to upgrade and add this cool feature.
Let us know if this article has helped you in the comments below, and drive safe!
Other BMW features
Interested in learning more about other BMW features? If so, take a look at these articles:
- BMW Ambient Air: Best Scents, How To Install It, And More!
- BMW Active Steering: What Is It & Does Your Car Have It?
- BMW Digital Key (Plus & Card): An Easy Guide For Everyone!
- BMW Electronic Damper Control (EDC): All You Should Know
- Which BMW Models Have Ambient Lighting? (+ 8 Related FAQs)
- Which BMW Models Have Launch Control? (+ How To Use It!)
