BMW i5 vs Mazda 6e

The BMW i5 costs £28,800 more than the Mazda 6e. For that premium it adds 154 litres more boot space, 60 kW more power and a 1.9s quicker 0-62mph time. On EVcarsguide's combined category scores, the Mazda 6e comes out ahead overall.

The Mazda 6e is £28,800 cheaper to buy. Running costs are almost identical - about £152 a year either way, at 8,000 miles on an off-peak home tariff. Add 5 years of charging and the Mazda 6e comes out roughly £28,840 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 297 miles for the BMW i5 and 290 miles for the Mazda 6e - effectively matched, and both well below their WLTP figures because sustained high speed is the hardest case for an EV. Both rapid-charge to 80% in a similar time, around 24-30 minutes.

The two are within 10 mm on width, so neither is meaningfully easier to thread into a tight space. In a standard 2,400 mm bay that leaves about 510 mm of total clearance for the Mazda 6e and about 500 mm of total clearance for the BMW i5. The Mazda 6e 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 84% battery health for the BMW i5 and 90% for the Mazda 6e. That gives the Mazda 6e a modest edge in retained real-world range. The Mazda 6e's LFP-type pack tolerates daily 100% charging, while the BMW i5's NMC-type pack lasts longest kept to about 80% for everyday use.