Hyundai IONIQ 5 vs Mercedes-Benz EQA

The Mercedes-Benz EQA costs £2,800 more than the Hyundai IONIQ 5. On the headline specs that premium buys little measurable advantage - the two are closely matched on range, charging and space. The Hyundai IONIQ 5 is not just cheaper - it also offers 160 kW faster peak rapid charging and 180 litres more boot space. On EVcarsguide's combined category scores, the Hyundai IONIQ 5 comes out ahead overall.

The Hyundai IONIQ 5 is £2,800 cheaper to buy. Running costs are almost identical - about £160 a year either way, at 8,000 miles on an off-peak home tariff. Add 5 years of charging and the Hyundai IONIQ 5 comes out roughly £2,880 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 228 miles for the Hyundai IONIQ 5 and 219 miles for the Mercedes-Benz EQA - effectively matched, and both well below their WLTP figures because sustained high speed is the hardest case for an EV. A rapid charge to 80% takes around 18 minutes in the Hyundai IONIQ 5 and 30 in the Mercedes-Benz EQA, so the Hyundai IONIQ 5 loses less time at each stop.

The Mercedes-Benz EQA is the easier car for tight UK car parks: it is 56 mm narrower than the Hyundai IONIQ 5. In a standard 2,400 mm bay that leaves about 566 mm of total clearance for the Mercedes-Benz EQA and about 510 mm of total clearance for the Hyundai IONIQ 5. The Mercedes-Benz EQA also turns in a 0.6 m tighter circle, which helps with U-turns and multi-storey ramps.

Over a 8-year ownership window EVcarsguide's degradation model projects roughly 89% battery health for the Hyundai IONIQ 5 and 84% for the Mercedes-Benz EQA. 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.