Hyundai IONIQ 5 N vs Mercedes-Benz GLC

The Hyundai IONIQ 5 N costs £4,700 more than the Mercedes-Benz GLC. For that premium it adds 118 kW more power and a 3.5s quicker 0-62mph time. The Mercedes-Benz GLC is not just cheaper - it also offers 126 miles more WLTP range and 90 kW faster peak rapid charging. On EVcarsguide's combined category scores, the Mercedes-Benz GLC comes out ahead overall.

The Mercedes-Benz GLC is £4,700 cheaper to buy. The Mercedes-Benz GLC is cheaper to charge, roughly £176 a year versus £208 for the Hyundai IONIQ 5 N, at 8,000 miles on an off-peak home tariff. Add 5 years of charging and the Mercedes-Benz GLC comes out roughly £4,860 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 232 miles for the Hyundai IONIQ 5 N and 297 miles for the Mercedes-Benz GLC - both below their WLTP figures, because sustained high speed is the hardest case for an EV. The Mercedes-Benz GLC goes roughly 65 miles further between charging stops. Both rapid-charge to 80% in a similar time, around 22-27 minutes.

The two are within 27 mm on width, so neither is meaningfully easier to thread into a tight space. In a standard 2,400 mm bay that leaves about 487 mm of total clearance for the Mercedes-Benz GLC and about 460 mm of total clearance for the Hyundai IONIQ 5 N.

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