MG5 EV vs MG S5 EV

The MG MG5 EV is £500 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 MG MG5 EV comes out roughly £460 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 166 miles for the MG MG5 EV and 208 miles for the MG S5 EV - both below their WLTP figures, because sustained high speed is the hardest case for an EV. The MG S5 EV goes roughly 42 miles further between charging stops. A rapid charge to 80% takes around 40 minutes in the MG MG5 EV and 28 in the MG S5 EV, so the MG S5 EV loses less time at each stop. That makes the MG S5 EV the stronger long-distance car.

The MG MG5 EV is the easier car for tight UK car parks: it is 31 mm narrower than the MG S5 EV. In a standard 2,400 mm bay that leaves about 582 mm of total clearance for the MG MG5 EV and about 551 mm of total clearance for the MG S5 EV.

Over a 8-year ownership window EVcarsguide's degradation model projects roughly 90% battery health for the MG MG5 EV and 84% for the MG S5 EV. That gives the MG MG5 EV a modest edge in retained real-world range. The MG MG5 EV's LFP-type pack tolerates daily 100% charging, while the MG S5 EV's NMC-type pack lasts longest kept to about 80% for everyday use. The MG S5 EV has the longer battery warranty at 8 years, versus 7 for the MG MG5 EV.