Abarth 600e vs MG S5 EV

The Abarth 600e costs £2,500 more than the MG S5 EV. On the headline specs that premium buys little measurable advantage - the two are closely matched on range, charging and space. The MG S5 EV is not just cheaper - it also offers 91 miles more WLTP range, 39 kW faster peak rapid charging and 93 litres more boot space. On EVcarsguide's combined category scores, the Abarth 600e comes out ahead overall.

The MG S5 EV is £2,500 cheaper to buy. Running costs are almost identical - about £168 a year either way, at 8,000 miles on an off-peak home tariff. Add 5 years of charging and the MG S5 EV comes out roughly £2,500 cheaper overall. These figures cover list price and home charging only - insurance, servicing, tyres and depreciation will move the real total.

EVcarsguide estimates a real-world motorway range of about 173 miles for the Abarth 600e and 208 miles for the MG S5 EV - both below their WLTP figures, because sustained high speed is the hardest case for an EV. The MG S5 EV goes roughly 34 miles further between charging stops. Both rapid-charge to 80% in a similar time, around 27-28 minutes.

The Abarth 600e is the easier car for tight UK car parks: it is 70 mm narrower than the MG S5 EV. In a standard 2,400 mm bay that leaves about 621 mm of total clearance for the Abarth 600e and about 551 mm of total clearance for the MG S5 EV.

Over a 8-year ownership window EVcarsguide's degradation model projects roughly 84% battery health for the Abarth 600e and 84% for the MG S5 EV. That is close enough that capacity loss should not decide between them. Both use NMC-type cells, so for daily use keep the charge limit near 80% to slow degradation. Both batteries carry a 8-year manufacturer warranty.