AION V vs MG S5 EV

The AION V costs £4,955 more than the MG S5 EV. For that premium it adds 41 kW faster peak rapid charging. The MG S5 EV is not just cheaper - it also offers a 1.4s quicker 0-62mph time. On EVcarsguide's combined category scores, the AION V comes out ahead overall.

The MG S5 EV is £4,955 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 MG S5 EV comes out roughly £4,915 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 264 miles for the AION V 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 AION V goes roughly 57 miles further between charging stops. Both rapid-charge to 80% in a similar time, around 25-28 minutes.

The two are within 5 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 546 mm of total clearance for the AION V. The MG S5 EV also turns in a 0.7 m tighter circle, which helps with U-turns and multi-storey ramps.

Over a 8-year ownership window EVcarsguide's degradation model projects roughly 90% battery health for the AION V and 84% for the MG S5 EV. That gives the AION V a modest edge in retained real-world range. The AION V'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.