Hyundai IONIQ 5 (2021-2024) vs Mercedes-Benz GLB

The Mercedes-Benz GLB costs £9,105 more than the Hyundai IONIQ 5. For that premium it adds 141 miles more WLTP range, 75 kW more power and a 1.1s quicker 0-62mph time. On EVcarsguide's combined category scores, the Mercedes-Benz GLB comes out ahead overall.

The Hyundai IONIQ 5 is £9,105 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 Hyundai IONIQ 5 comes out roughly £9,145 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 199 miles for the Hyundai IONIQ 5 and 268 miles for the Mercedes-Benz GLB - both below their WLTP figures, because sustained high speed is the hardest case for an EV. The Mercedes-Benz GLB goes roughly 70 miles further between charging stops. Both rapid-charge to 80% in a similar time, around 18-20 minutes.

The two are within 29 mm on width, so neither is meaningfully easier to thread into a tight space. In a standard 2,400 mm bay that leaves about 539 mm of total clearance for the Mercedes-Benz GLB and about 510 mm of total clearance for the Hyundai IONIQ 5. The Mercedes-Benz GLB also turns in a 0.8 m tighter circle, which helps with U-turns and multi-storey ramps.

Over a 8-year ownership window EVcarsguide's degradation model projects roughly 89% battery health for the Hyundai IONIQ 5 and 84% for the Mercedes-Benz GLB. That gives the Hyundai IONIQ 5 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.