BMW iX3 vs VW ID.5

The BMW iX3 costs £16,255 more than the VW ID.5. For that premium it adds 43 miles more WLTP range and 135 kW faster peak rapid charging. On EVcarsguide's combined category scores, the VW ID.5 comes out ahead overall.

The VW ID.5 is £16,255 cheaper to buy. Running costs are almost identical - about £152 a year either way, at 8,000 miles on an off-peak home tariff. Add 5 years of charging and the VW ID.5 comes out roughly £16,295 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 293 miles for the BMW iX3 and 293 miles for the VW ID.5 - 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 21 minutes in the BMW iX3 and 29 in the VW ID.5, so the BMW iX3 loses less time at each stop.

The VW ID.5 is the easier car for tight UK car parks: it is 43 mm narrower than the BMW iX3. In a standard 2,400 mm bay that leaves about 548 mm of total clearance for the VW ID.5 and about 505 mm of total clearance for the BMW iX3. The VW ID.5 also turns in a 1.9 m tighter circle, which helps with U-turns and multi-storey ramps.