BMW has updated its most popular EV, the i4, with increased efficiency and a more powerful model.

New components in the inverter, which are made of silicone carbide, reduce power consumption by 4.5%, giving up to 22km of additional range.

A top-of-the-range model has been launched — the i4 M60 xDrive — with 601PS, an additional 57PS over the car it replaces.

Powered by a pair of electric motors, one on each axel, the M60 will accelerate to 62mph in 3.7 seconds, 0.2 seconds faster than the old i4 M50 xDrive.

However, performance does come at a cost to efficiency, as the i4 M60 will have a range of 269 miles.

The BMW i4 eDrive 35 and i4 eDrive 40 now have ranges of 266 miles, and 317 miles respectively.

BMW is also now offering a free extended battery warranty for electric vehicle batteries, up to eight years or 160,000 kilometres.

If a vehicle’s battery health drops below 70% of its original capacity during this period, BMW will fix it for free.