The 2025 BMW M5's Plug-In Hybrid Powertrain: Here's What to Know

With the debut of the all-new G90-generation M5, BMW is bringing the sports sedan icon into the electrified propulsion era. The nameplate’s familiar twin-turbocharged V-8 will now come paired to an electric motor, providing more than 700 horsepower — and with that going to all four wheels, not a drop should go to waste.

Here’s everything you need to know about the new plug-in hybrid M5’s battery-enhanced powertrain.

Like its predecessor, the G90 BMW M5 comes equipped with a twin-turbocharged V-8 engine. More specifically, it’s the 4.4-liter S68 V-8 engine that first arrived in 2022 in the X7, replacing the S63 V-8 of the same displacement. According to BMW, the gas engine alone is good for 577 hp and 553 lb-ft of torque, with that peak torque figure available as low as 1,800 rpm. The engine isn’t afraid of revs either, with its redline set at 7,200 rpm.

While those figures are far from ordinary by any means, the team in Munich didn’t stop there. The M5’s V-8 is mated to a single permanently excited synchronous electric motor, which is integrated into the brand’s eight-speed automatic transmission. The electric motor might be small, but it provides up to 194 hp and 207 lb-ft of torque. Put it together, and M5 will arrive with 717 hp and 738 lb-ft of torque in combined output. For reference, that’s the same amount of ponies as a Dodge Charger Hellcat, with about 31 more lb-ft to boot. Super-sedan territory is hard to define, but it seems safe to say that with this new M5, that barrier has officially been breached.

That electric motor is fed via a 14.8-kWh battery pack, which BMW mounted low in the floor to help with weight distribution. That’s enough juice not just keep the motor going in a performance-boosting capacity, it also can propel the M5 up to 25 miles on pure electricity alone, assuming you can make do with the electric motor's Honda Civic Hybrid-like output.

The system also allows for some unique performance settings, including a pre-gearing feature that sees the electric motor's torque figure jump to 332 lb-ft at the transmission. A long tug on the left shift paddle will also activate Boost Control, which brings even more performance between 20 and 90 mph. BMW says that the sedan will be capable of accelerating from 0-60 mph in just 3.4 seconds, which almost seems conservative given the output on hand. Of course, that new battery-electric system does play a role in the M5’s beefy curb weight, which has climbed to of 5,390 pounds. Top speed is limited to 155 mph in standard spec, but customers can opt for the M Driver’s Package, which sees that figure jump to a cool 190 mph.

While this is the first time we’ve seen a plug-in hybrid setup come to an M sedan, this system in particular benefited immensely from the system found in the brand’s BMW M Hybrid V8 endurance racer. Suffice it to say, the motorsports connection with the M brand is still alive and well in the EV era. We can’t wait to see what this system can do in the real world following the car’s global debut at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in July. The first production cars are expected to hit the streets in the fourth quarter of this year.

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