Citroën ë-C5 Aircross vs Hyundai IONIQ 5 (2021-2024)

The Hyundai IONIQ 5 costs £2,930 more than the Citroën ë-C5 Aircross. On the headline specs that premium buys little measurable advantage - the two are closely matched on range, charging and space. The Citroën ë-C5 Aircross is not just cheaper - it also offers 83 miles more WLTP range and 32 kW more power. On EVcarsguide's combined category scores, the Hyundai IONIQ 5 comes out ahead overall.

The Citroën ë-C5 Aircross is £2,930 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 Citroën ë-C5 Aircross comes out roughly £2,850 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 224 miles for the Citroën ë-C5 Aircross and 199 miles for the Hyundai IONIQ 5 - both below their WLTP figures, because sustained high speed is the hardest case for an EV. The Citroën ë-C5 Aircross goes roughly 25 miles further between charging stops.

The Hyundai IONIQ 5 is the easier car for tight UK car parks: it is 46 mm narrower than the Citroën ë-C5 Aircross. In a standard 2,400 mm bay that leaves about 510 mm of total clearance for the Hyundai IONIQ 5 and about 464 mm of total clearance for the Citroën ë-C5 Aircross. The Citroën ë-C5 Aircross also turns in a 1.1 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 Citroën ë-C5 Aircross and 89% for the Hyundai IONIQ 5. That gives the Hyundai IONIQ 5 a modest edge in retained real-world range. 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.