Hyundai KONA Electric vs MG S5 EV

The Hyundai KONA Electric costs £3,505 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 38 kW faster peak rapid charging and a 1.5s quicker 0-62mph time. On EVcarsguide's combined category scores, the Hyundai KONA Electric comes out ahead overall.

The MG S5 EV is £3,505 cheaper to buy. The Hyundai KONA Electric is cheaper to charge, roughly £136 a year versus £168 for the MG S5 EV, at 8,000 miles on an off-peak home tariff. Add 5 years of charging and the MG S5 EV comes out roughly £3,345 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 266 miles for the Hyundai KONA Electric 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 Hyundai KONA Electric goes roughly 58 miles further between charging stops. A rapid charge to 80% takes around 41 minutes in the Hyundai KONA Electric and 28 in the MG S5 EV, so the MG S5 EV loses less time at each stop. So the Hyundai KONA Electric stops less often while the MG S5 EV stops for less time - pick on which you would rather do.

The two are within 24 mm on width, so neither is meaningfully easier to thread into a tight space. In a standard 2,400 mm bay that leaves about 575 mm of total clearance for the Hyundai KONA Electric and about 551 mm of total clearance for the MG S5 EV.

Over a 8-year ownership window EVcarsguide's degradation model projects roughly 86% battery health for the Hyundai KONA Electric and 84% for the MG S5 EV. That gives the Hyundai KONA Electric 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.