DS N°4 vs MG S5 EV

The DS N°4 costs £5,500 more than the MG S5 EV. On the headline specs that premium buys little measurable advantage - the two are closely matched on range, charging and space. The MG S5 EV is not just cheaper - it also offers 63 litres more boot space and a 1.1s quicker 0-62mph time. On EVcarsguide's combined category scores, the MG S5 EV comes out ahead overall.

The MG S5 EV is £5,500 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 MG S5 EV comes out roughly £5,420 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 232 miles for the DS N°4 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 DS N°4 goes roughly 25 miles further between charging stops. Both rapid-charge to 80% in a similar time, around 28-29 minutes.

The two are within 19 mm on width, so neither is meaningfully easier to thread into a tight space. In a standard 2,400 mm bay that leaves about 570 mm of total clearance for the DS N°4 and about 551 mm of total clearance for the MG S5 EV.

Over a 8-year ownership window EVcarsguide's degradation model projects roughly 84% battery health for the DS N°4 and 84% for the MG S5 EV. 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.