Hyundai IONIQ 5 vs Mercedes-Benz EQS (2021-2025)

The Mercedes-Benz EQS costs £59,300 more than the Hyundai IONIQ 5. For that premium it adds 180 miles more WLTP range, 90 litres more boot space and 120 kW more power. The Hyundai IONIQ 5 is not just cheaper - it also offers 60 kW faster peak rapid charging. On EVcarsguide's combined category scores, the Hyundai IONIQ 5 comes out ahead overall.

The Hyundai IONIQ 5 is £59,300 cheaper to buy. Running costs are almost identical - about £160 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 £59,380 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 228 miles for the Hyundai IONIQ 5 and 378 miles for the Mercedes-Benz EQS - both below their WLTP figures, because sustained high speed is the hardest case for an EV. The Mercedes-Benz EQS goes roughly 150 miles further between charging stops. A rapid charge to 80% takes around 18 minutes in the Hyundai IONIQ 5 and 31 in the Mercedes-Benz EQS, so the Hyundai IONIQ 5 loses less time at each stop. So the Mercedes-Benz EQS stops less often while the Hyundai IONIQ 5 stops for less time - pick on which you would rather do.

The Hyundai IONIQ 5 is the easier car for tight UK car parks: it is 36 mm narrower than the Mercedes-Benz EQS. In a standard 2,400 mm bay that leaves about 510 mm of total clearance for the Hyundai IONIQ 5 and about 474 mm of total clearance for the Mercedes-Benz EQS. The Mercedes-Benz EQS also turns in a 1.1 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 EQS. 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.