For years analysts said electric cars would one day become cheaper than petrol ones. The forecasts mostly pointed to the second half of this decade, and BloombergNEF expected the tipping point in 2026 specifically. Here it is.

The problem with the comparison until now was simple: hardly any electric model had a petrol twin it could be fairly compared with. BMW has now offered just such a pair. The new 2027 3 Series comes in both petrol and electric, and the electric version is cheaper.

The figures from the US market: the petrol M350 xDrive costs 65,900 dollars, the electric i3 50 xDrive 61,500 dollars, before delivery charges. The difference is 4,400 dollars, or 6.7 percent in favour of electricity. Both models have similar power, similar design and target the same buyer.

Pedants will note there is also a much cheaper petrol 3 Series: the 330 costs 49,900 dollars and the 330 xDrive 51,900 dollars. It's just that they have no electric counterpart for now. There is also a difference you won't see on the price list: the electric i3 is built on BMW's newest platform and technology, while the petrol car makes do with a reworked version of the existing one.

No drama on range either. The all-wheel-drive petrol 3 Series will most likely do around 724 kilometres on a full tank, like previous models. The electric one covers 753 kilometres on a single charge, and according to BMW a 10-minute fast charge adds about 335 kilometres. Only people who live on the motorway will feel the difference.

Until now the rule was: an electric car costs more in the showroom but less in the long run. Now it is starting to cost less in the showroom too. Will the first question here be the price - or where to charge it?