BMW iX2 vs VW ID.5

The BMW iX2 costs £4,820 more than the VW ID.5. On the headline specs that premium buys little measurable advantage - the two are closely matched on range, charging and space. The VW ID.5 is not just cheaper - it also offers 34 miles more WLTP range, 35 kW faster peak rapid charging and 60 kW more power. On EVcarsguide's combined category scores, the VW ID.5 comes out ahead overall.

The VW ID.5 is £4,820 cheaper to buy. Running costs are almost identical - about £136 a year either way, at 8,000 miles on an off-peak home tariff. Add 5 years of charging and the VW ID.5 comes out roughly £4,740 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 265 miles for the BMW iX2 and 293 miles for the VW ID.5 - both below their WLTP figures, because sustained high speed is the hardest case for an EV. The VW ID.5 goes roughly 28 miles further between charging stops. Both rapid-charge to 80% in a similar time, around 29-29 minutes.

The two are within 7 mm on width, so neither is meaningfully easier to thread into a tight space. In a standard 2,400 mm bay that leaves about 555 mm of total clearance for the BMW iX2 and about 548 mm of total clearance for the VW ID.5. The VW ID.5 also turns in a 1.7 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 iX2 and 84% for the VW ID.5. 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.