The current BMW X5 has been around since 2019, and the SUV is celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2025. But BMW is already prepping its replacement with a new generation that promises to bring fully electric powertrains to one of the brand's most popular models.
The new X5 will adopt BMW's latest styling cues—previewed by the Neue Klasse X concept— while offering several different powertrains alongside an EV option. However, the SUV is still a couple of years from hitting the streets and BMW isn't diving into all the details just yet.
Here's what we do know about the next-generation X5 so far.
What Will It Be Called?
There’s no doubt BMW will keep the X5 name around for the next-generation model. What will likely change are the trim-specific designations. Earlier this year, BMW announced it would drop the letter "i" from the end of its gas-powered models. The company started using the letter to differentiate its fuel-injected cars from its carbureted ones all those years ago, now it uses the "i" to denote its battery-electric vehicles.
But in the future, there won’t be any confusion between a model like the iX5 and the X5 M60—the letter "i" will only adorn BMW’s EVs. Expect these tweaks when looking at the next-gen model.
What Will It Look Like?
The next-generation BMW X5 will adopt styling cues from the Neue Klasse X concept that debuted earlier this year. It retains the traditional proportions of the classic SUV while adopting modern (and EV-focused) elements like flush door handles. The SUV in our rendering has a super-thin kidney grille that separates large, stylized headlights. The bold new face sits above an angular lower grille opening that matches the bumper design of the concept.
The rest of the SUV looks like a modern BMW with sharp, simple creases in the sheet metal down the side. The rendering doesn’t show off the rear, but we don’t expect any surprises for the hatch, with the X5 (hopefully) retaining its split tailgate design for the next generation. The SUV will likely receive taillights that look like those on the 2025 X3.
We don’t know what the cabin will look like, but the X5 could adopt BMW’s new dashboard layout, which the company previewed with the X concept. It had a wide screen at the base of the windshield and a smaller, horizontal display in the center for the infotainment, but BMW could tone it down for the production version.
What Platform Will It Use?
While BMW is preparing to launch its Neue Klasse platform very soon and the next X5 will adopt those styling cues, all signs point to the next-generation model riding on the CLAR architecture. It currently underpins the latest 7 Series and 5 Series, and the new iX. BMW has been using and refining the CLAR platform since its 2015 launch.
What Will Power It?
BMW’s CLAR architecture will allow the automaker to offer combustion, hybrid, and battery-electric powertrains in the new SUV. At the top of the range will likely be the X5 M60e hybrid, with the rest of the X5 lineup likely mirroring the options in the 5 Series, especially with the battery-electric vehicles. Customers should expect turbocharged four- and six-cylinder engines alongside hybrid options.
The electric iX5 will likely use the same motors as the i5, but BMW will probably tweak the software and use newer battery technology. The all-wheel-drive, dual-motor i5 M60 sedan makes 593 horsepower and 586 pound-feet of torque and can reach 60 miles per hour in 3.7 seconds. The X5 should be just as powerful and likely a few tenths slower given the extra mass.
When Will It Debut?
The new BMW X5 isn’t expected to go on sale until the 2027 model year, with production beginning in August 2026. So a debut isn’t likely until sometime next year, and it could happen closer to 2026. It will arrive after the first of the Neue Klasse models go on sale—the i3 and iX3—that are scheduled to begin production as early as 2025 or 2026, and the US might have to wait until they actually hit our showrooms. New BMW models often arrive in Europe first.
How Much Will It Cost?
The entry-level 2025 BMW X5 sDrive40i starts at $66,875 today (all prices include the $1,175 destination charge), with the range topping out with the X5 M60i if you exclude the potent X5 M. The M60i is $91,175, and we expect the next-generation X5 to have a similar price spread.
However, the updated X5 isn't expected to go on sale for a few more years, so the price could creep upward in the lead-up to the launch of the new model. $70,000 to start for the next-gen X5 does not seem out of the realm of possibility, with the top end of the price likely inching toward the $100,000 mark. The current BMW X5M Competition costs over $120,000 to start, and it might not be the only X5 variant over the six-figure threshold when the new one arrives.
