Cupra Tavascan vs MG IM5

The Cupra Tavascan costs £7,890 more than the MG IM5. For that premium it adds 48 miles more WLTP range and 83 litres more boot space. On EVcarsguide's combined category scores, the Cupra Tavascan comes out ahead overall.

The MG IM5 is £7,890 cheaper to buy. The Cupra Tavascan is cheaper to charge, roughly £152 a year versus £192 for the MG IM5, at 8,000 miles on an off-peak home tariff. Add 5 years of charging and the MG IM5 comes out roughly £7,690 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 294 miles for the Cupra Tavascan and 217 miles for the MG IM5 - both below their WLTP figures, because sustained high speed is the hardest case for an EV. The Cupra Tavascan goes roughly 76 miles further between charging stops. A rapid charge to 80% takes around 28 minutes in the Cupra Tavascan and 65 in the MG IM5, so the Cupra Tavascan loses less time at each stop. That makes the Cupra Tavascan the stronger long-distance car.

The Cupra Tavascan is the easier car for tight UK car parks: it is 99 mm narrower than the MG IM5. In a standard 2,400 mm bay that leaves about 539 mm of total clearance for the Cupra Tavascan and about 440 mm of total clearance for the MG IM5. The MG IM5 also turns in a 0.9 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 Cupra Tavascan and 90% for the MG IM5. That gives the MG IM5 a modest edge in retained real-world range. The MG IM5's LFP-type pack tolerates daily 100% charging, while the Cupra Tavascan's NMC-type pack lasts longest kept to about 80% for everyday use. Both batteries carry a 8-year manufacturer warranty.