MG S5 EV vs Toyota C-HR+

The Toyota C-HR+ costs £3,000 more than the MG S5 EV. On the headline specs that premium buys little measurable advantage - the two are closely matched on range, charging and space. The MG S5 EV is not just cheaper - it also offers 47 kW more power and a 2.1s quicker 0-62mph time. On EVcarsguide's combined category scores, the Toyota C-HR+ comes out ahead overall.

The MG S5 EV is £3,000 cheaper to buy. The Toyota C-HR+ is cheaper to charge, roughly £136 a year versus £168 for the MG S5 EV, at 8,000 miles on an off-peak home tariff. Add 5 years of charging and the MG S5 EV comes out roughly £2,840 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 208 miles for the MG S5 EV and 235 miles for the Toyota C-HR+ - both below their WLTP figures, because sustained high speed is the hardest case for an EV. The Toyota C-HR+ goes roughly 28 miles further between charging stops. Both rapid-charge to 80% in a similar time, around 28-30 minutes.

The two are within 21 mm on width, so neither is meaningfully easier to thread into a tight space. In a standard 2,400 mm bay that leaves about 551 mm of total clearance for the MG S5 EV and about 530 mm of total clearance for the Toyota C-HR+. The MG S5 EV also turns in a 0.5 m tighter circle, which helps with U-turns and multi-storey ramps.

Over a 8-year ownership window EVcarsguide's degradation model projects roughly 84% battery health for the MG S5 EV and 84% for the Toyota C-HR+. That is close enough that capacity loss should not decide between them. Both use NMC-type cells, so for daily use keep the charge limit near 80% to slow degradation. Both batteries carry a 8-year manufacturer warranty.