Hyundai IONIQ 9 vs Mercedes-Benz GLB

The Hyundai IONIQ 9 costs £18,895 more than the Mercedes-Benz GLB. On the headline specs that premium buys little measurable advantage - the two are closely matched on range, charging and space. The Mercedes-Benz GLB is not just cheaper - it also offers 87 kW faster peak rapid charging, 202 litres more boot space and 40 kW more power. On EVcarsguide's combined category scores, the Mercedes-Benz GLB comes out ahead overall.

The Mercedes-Benz GLB is £18,895 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 Mercedes-Benz GLB comes out roughly £18,975 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 321 miles for the Hyundai IONIQ 9 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 Hyundai IONIQ 9 goes roughly 53 miles further between charging stops. Both rapid-charge to 80% in a similar time, around 20-24 minutes.

The Mercedes-Benz GLB is the easier car for tight UK car parks: it is 119 mm narrower than the Hyundai IONIQ 9. In a standard 2,400 mm bay that leaves about 539 mm of total clearance for the Mercedes-Benz GLB and about 420 mm of total clearance for the Hyundai IONIQ 9. The Mercedes-Benz GLB also turns in a 1.3 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 9 and 84% for the Mercedes-Benz GLB. That gives the Hyundai IONIQ 9 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.