While the U.S. market is still months away for the all-new BMW iX3 and the revived BMW i3, the North American branch is pushing forward with upgrades on other electric vehicles. On the bmwusa.com website, the 2026 BMW i5 M60 has quietly claimed the title of the first BMW in the United States to come equipped with a native NACS (SAE J3400) charging port — and most people missed it.
More Charging Options For Customers
For years, one of the most persistent frustrations for non-Tesla EV drivers was watching Tesla’s Supercharger network — dense, reliable, fast — sit just out of reach. Adapters existed, but they were workarounds, not solutions. The shift to NACS as an industry standard has been changing that, and BMW’s adoption of the port, at least at the top of the i5 lineup, marks a meaningful step in that direction.
With the NACS port, i5 M60 owners gain seamless access to Tesla Superchargers through the BMW ChargingNetwork. Pull up, plug in, charge — no adapter required. For long-distance travel in particular, where Supercharger density can make or break a road trip, this is a genuine quality-of-life upgrade.
But There’s a Catch
Here’s where it gets interesting, and a little frustrating depending on your budget: NACS is exclusive to the M60. The two other variants in the 2026 i5 lineup — the rear-wheel-drive i5 eDrive40 and the all-wheel-drive i5 xDrive40 — still rely on the CCS1 standard.
That means if you want the most flexible charging setup BMW currently offers in the US, you’re also buying into the most expensive, most performance-focused version of the car. The M60 starts well above its siblings, packing a dual-motor all-wheel-drive powertrain with serious performance credentials. To BMW’s credit, the i5 M60 does include adapters for both CCS Level 3 DC fast charging and J-1772 Level 2 charging. So while NACS is the native port, you’re not locked out of the broader charging ecosystem. The car handles almost any charging scenario you’re likely to encounter.
The iX3 and i3 — both confirmed for the US market — will arrive with NACS as standard across their lineups, which would represent a far more complete rollout of the standard for BMW. But until those vehicles land in showrooms, the i5 M60 holds the distinction of being the brand’s first. [Top image provided by a user on Redditq_]
