BMW i4 vs Hyundai IONIQ 6 N

The Hyundai IONIQ 6 N costs £12,395 more than the BMW i4. For that premium it adds 150 kW faster peak rapid charging, 228 kW more power and a 2.5s quicker 0-62mph time. The BMW i4 is not just cheaper - it also offers 64 miles more WLTP range and 99 litres more boot space. On EVcarsguide's combined category scores, the BMW i4 comes out ahead overall.

The BMW i4 is £12,395 cheaper to buy. Running costs are almost identical - about £176 a year either way, at 8,000 miles on an off-peak home tariff. Add 5 years of charging and the BMW i4 comes out roughly £12,475 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 261 miles for the BMW i4 and 252 miles for the Hyundai IONIQ 6 N - effectively matched, and both well below their WLTP figures because sustained high speed is the hardest case for an EV. A rapid charge to 80% takes around 31 minutes in the BMW i4 and 18 in the Hyundai IONIQ 6 N, so the Hyundai IONIQ 6 N loses less time at each stop.

The BMW i4 is the easier car for tight UK car parks: it is 88 mm narrower than the Hyundai IONIQ 6 N. In a standard 2,400 mm bay that leaves about 548 mm of total clearance for the BMW i4 and about 460 mm of total clearance for the Hyundai IONIQ 6 N. The Hyundai IONIQ 6 N also turns in a 0.5 m tighter circle, which helps with U-turns and multi-storey ramps.

Over a 8-year ownership window EVcarsguide's degradation model projects roughly 84% battery health for the BMW i4 and 89% for the Hyundai IONIQ 6 N. That gives the Hyundai IONIQ 6 N a modest edge in retained real-world range. Both use NMC-type cells, so for daily use keep the charge limit near 80% to slow degradation.