BMW I7 Charging Cable

Quick recommendation

A BMW i7 charging cable has to move more energy than any other cable BMW owners buy from us. The i7 carries 101.7 kWh of usable battery and accepts up to 22 kW on AC, three phase, standard on cars built from 2023. The very first xDrive60 deliveries in late 2022 were quoted at 11 kW. Battery size does not vary across the eDrive50, xDrive60 and M70 xDrive, so the charging answer is the same for all three.

Every BMW i7 uses a Type 2 to Type 2 Charging Cable. The inlet on the offside rear combines the Type 2 AC connection with the DC pins, and the AC half is what a home or destination charger uses.

The size of that battery is what makes the cable choice matter here. Paying for a three phase cable to use on a house supply buys nothing: the i7 will draw 7.4 kW from it and 7.4 kW from the single phase cable that costs less, because a British domestic feed carries one phase. What the battery does change is the cost of getting the cable wrong. A 32A single phase cable is the sensible home choice and takes the i7 from empty in about 15 hours 30 minutes, which is already two overnight windows rather than one.

Step down to a 16A cable and the same job takes 31 hours. In practical terms that is around 14 miles put back per hour instead of 28, so a seven hour off peak window returns about 98 miles rather than 196. On a car with this much battery, a 16A cable never catches up with normal use and the saving disappears inside a month of charging.

Because a full charge is a long job, most i7 owners top up rather than fill. That makes a Type 2 to 3 Pin Charging Cable more useful than it first looks. At 2.3 kW it adds roughly 9 miles an hour, so an afternoon on a 13A socket at a relative's house is worth something, and it removes the risk of arriving somewhere with no working post.

Other large BMWs in the range include the BMW i5 and the BMW iX, both of which take the same cable. You can see everything we stock on the BMW EV charging cable range.

Our cables are built to IEC 62196, CE certified, and rated to run between -30C and +50C, or +60C for the 3-pin. The Type 2 to Type 2 cable is sealed to IP55 and the Type 2 to 3 Pin to IP67. A 2 year manufacturer's warranty covers every one, and UK orders qualify for same-day dispatch on working-day orders placed before 2pm.

BMW i7 Charging Times by Battery

101.7 kWh usable, i7 eDrive50 and xDrive60, WLTP up to 388 miles

Maximum onboard AC charging speed: 22 kW three phase on cars from 2023, 11 kW on the earliest xDrive60 deliveries.

101.7 kWh usable, i7 M70 xDrive, WLTP up to 348 miles

Maximum onboard AC charging speed: 22 kW three phase as standard.

Expect lower figures in winter and on long fast runs.

BMW i7 Charging Cable FAQs

Which cable fits a BMW i7?

A BMW i7 takes a Type 2 to Type 2 charging cable, and the 32A single phase version suits nearly every owner. It carries the full 7.4 kW a domestic wallbox provides and refills the 101.7 kWh battery in about 15 hours 30 minutes. We stock it in 5m, 10m, 15m and 20m.

Would a 22kW cable speed up a BMW i7 at home?

No. A BMW i7 can accept 22 kW, but only from a three phase supply, and houses in Britain are fed with a single phase. At home the car takes 7.4 kW through either cable. The three phase cable is worth owning if a workplace or destination charger you use often runs three phase AC, where it cuts a full charge to about 5 hours 15 minutes.

How long does a BMW i7 take to charge from empty?

A BMW i7 takes roughly 15 hours 30 minutes from empty on a 7.4 kW home wallbox with a 32A single phase cable, and about 5 hours 15 minutes on a 22 kW three phase AC supply. Very few owners run the battery flat, so a nightly top up of 150 to 200 miles is the more useful number.

What cable length suits a BMW i7?

The BMW i7 is close to 5.4 metres long with the charge flap on the offside rear wing, so parking direction changes the answer more than it does on a smaller car. Reversing onto a drive with a wallbox by the house usually works with 5m, while nose in parking or a charger on the opposite wall of a garage points to 10m. It is worth measuring the actual run before ordering.

Do I still need a cable if my i7 came with one?

Many BMW i7 cars were supplied with a single phase cable, and it will not use the car's 22 kW three phase charger. It is also common for the supplied cable to be shorter than a driveway needs. A second cable in the boot means a public post is never a problem when the first one is plugged in at home.

Is a 16A cable enough for a BMW i7?

A 16A cable will charge a BMW i7 but it halves the rate to 3.7 kW, stretching a full charge to 31 hours and returning around 14 miles for each hour on the plug. On a battery of 101.7 kWh that difference shows up every night, so the 32A cable is the better buy.