24: BMW i8 - Setting the template for future supercars

Top 100 cars for 2019: futuristic styling matched with smart powertrain

BMW i8: It counts as a supercar in the attention grabbing stakes, with those concept car lines, and those ultra-cool doors
BMW i8: It counts as a supercar in the attention grabbing stakes, with those concept car lines, and those ultra-cool doors

Updated for 2019 with a bigger battery (which means you get the same 50km one-charge range, even though it's now being tested on the tougher WLTP-based fuel economy and emissions tests) the BMW i8 remains, arguably, the coolest supercar around.

Of course, it’s not really a supercar. No car with a 230hp three-cylinder Mini Cooper engine can seriously be considered such, even if there’s two electric motors on board to help propel it to BMW M3-style pace, it’s still not what you’d call ‘proper’ quick. That said, it never feels slow, and the fake engine noise (projected to the outside as well as the inside to impress passers-by) is all but flawless at covering up the three-cylinder’s whirring. Plus, it does definitely count as a supercar in the attention grabbing stakes, with those concept car lines, and those ultra-cool doors. Roadster version is achingly cool, but not quite as sharp as the coupe to drive, and lacks any rear seats.

Best model: i8 Coupe for €161,580

Price range: €161,580 to €178,890. Finance from €POA per month. Co2 emissions: 42 to 46g/km Sum up: The only truly forward-looking supercar.