2025 BMW M5 Sedan Is a 700-HP-Plus Plug-In Hybrid Monster

The 2025 BMW M5 sedan is here, and it has a charging port. There may be some of you reading this who thought you would never see the day in which one of the the most badass high-performance sedans on the planet goes hybrid. Yet here we are. We have no doubt that this revelation will be polarizing to say the least. We’re not here to change your opinion one way or the other, but we will say this: the hybrid powertrain makes the 2025 BMW M5 is the most powerful M5 ever. It’s just the facts.

BMW M Hybrid System Starts With a V-8

The previous BMW M5 had a 4.4-liter twin-turbo V-8 engine and guess what? The new 2025 BMW M5 also has a 4.4-liter twin-turbo V-8 engine. In a world where we’re used to combustion engines being downsized when being electrified, in this case the hybrid system only giveth and not taketh away.

The 2025 BMW M5 has the same S68B44T0 engine found in any current BMW model that offers a V-8. In the new M5, it’s tuned to 577 horsepower and 553 lb-ft. The engine revs relatively high, too, with a redline at 7,200 rpm.

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As you likely assumed by now, the remainder of the BMW M5’s total power comes from its M Hybrid system. A permanently excited synchronous electric motor is mounted inside the M5’s eight-speed transmission. That little motor provides 192 horsepower and 207 lb-ft. Though torque can be boosted up to 332 lb-ft at the transmission input via a “pre-gearing stage” process which BMW has patented. This same setup is found in the existing BMW XM performance SUV.

The electric motor is fed by a 14.8-kWh battery pack, which is managed by BMW’s “Combined Charging Unit.” Other than managing when to send power to the motor and when to charge the battery, the unit also acts as a transformer to supply power to the 12-volt system. According to BMW, the system also has predictive heat management which uses outside ambient temperature, predicted charging power, remaining distance to destination, and other factors to calculate the optimal temperature for the battery pack.

In case you were curious how much the M5 could EV, the battery is good for a scant 25 miles of all-electric range. That's just enough to get in and out of the neighborhood when you want to keep things quiet—or EV-only metropolitan zones that are becoming more common in Europe.

Combined with the V-8, the electric bits push the total system output to 717 horsepower and 738 lb-ft of torque. That’s enough power to get the 5,390-pound M5 sedan from zero to 60 mph in a claimed 3.4 seconds and a top speed of 190 mph with the optional M Driver’s Package (otherwise top speed is limited to 155 mph). Power is sent to all four wheels via BMW’s M xDrive all-wheel drive and managed across the rear axle by the Active M Differential.

We should note that for those who want to get drifty, if the driver fully disables the stability control, a two-wheel-drive mode can be selected—just like in the current M3 and M4.

Unfortunately, there's a catch. The hybrid system has apparently added substantial weight as BMW estimates the new M5 weighs in at a shocking 5,400 pounds. That's roughly 1,100 pounds heavier than the last standard M5 we weighed back in 2019 and 1,300 pounds heavier than the 2022 M5 CS we weighed. Totaled up, it makes the new model's power-to-weight ratio actually worse than the outgoing car. Hopefully, the instantaneous torque boost provided by the electric motor helps the new M5 accelerate as quickly or better than the old, non-hybrid version.

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No Giant Nostrils Here

Up front, one's eye is instantly drawn to the new massive air dam which, slants forward almost like an underbite. It’s not quite James William Bottomtooth III level, but certainly a member of the same yacht club. That’s not us roasting the front end though, it looks good in context with the rest of the car's subtler performance upgrades over the regular-grade 5 Series sedans (and related i5 EVs).

The LED headlights are angry, and the BMW kidney grills are flared but not as buck-toothed as those on the M3 and M4. The M5 is breathing hard, sure, but it’s not snorting milk up its nose. The wheel arches are larger than before, making the new M5 3 inches wider at the front wheels and 1.9 inches wider at the rear than the previous model. The front arches house 20-inch wheels and a pair of 21-inch wheels nestle beneath the rears.

The blacked-out rear end is nearly one-third diffuser ,which gives way to quad four-inch exhaust tips. The taillights are thin and de-emphasized, which gives the rest of the rear end look like hit was chiseled from a hard mineral. A subtle optional carbon fiber decklid spoiler adds a bit of extra black contrast.

Interior Tech and Gaming on the Go…Sort Of

If there’s one thing the BMW M5 is known for aside from its performance is its (more recent) tradition of offering decked-out interiors complete with tech and comfort. Two-toned leather upholstery is par for the course as are the twin reclining bucket seats up front.

The new three spoke, leather wrapped, flat-bottom steering wheel is host to a plethora of tactile buttons, including programmable M mode buttons. The iDrive controller returns on the center console to make navigating through BMW OS 8.5 easy. And if you are looking for entertainment, the 2025 BMW M5 offers the AirConsole service with its library of casual games to play in the car while waiting at a charger or gas station. If gaming isn’t your thing, you can stream YouTube or other on-demand video services while parked, of course.

2025 BMW M5 Pricing And Release

Expect the 2025 BMW M5 to hit dealerships in Q4 2024 with a starting MSRP of $120,675 which is quite a jump up from its previous starting price tag. We expect sales volume to be pretty tame based on that number. Once we get our hands on it we’ll let you know if its worth the price of admission.