MG IM5 vs Omoda E5

The MG IM5 costs £6,385 more than the Omoda E5. For that premium it adds 37 miles more WLTP range, 77 litres more boot space and 62 kW more power. The Omoda E5 is not just cheaper - it also offers lower energy use, 160 versus 175 Wh/km. On EVcarsguide's combined category scores, the Omoda E5 comes out ahead overall.

The Omoda E5 is £6,385 cheaper to buy. Running costs are almost identical - about £176 a year either way, at 8,000 miles on an off-peak home tariff. Add 5 years of charging and the Omoda E5 comes out roughly £6,465 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 217 miles for the MG IM5 and 194 miles for the Omoda E5 - both below their WLTP figures, because sustained high speed is the hardest case for an EV. The MG IM5 goes roughly 23 miles further between charging stops. A rapid charge to 80% takes around 65 minutes in the MG IM5 and 28 in the Omoda E5, so the Omoda E5 loses less time at each stop. So the MG IM5 stops less often while the Omoda E5 stops for less time - pick on which you would rather do.

The Omoda E5 is the easier car for tight UK car parks: it is 130 mm narrower than the MG IM5. In a standard 2,400 mm bay that leaves about 570 mm of total clearance for the Omoda E5 and about 440 mm of total clearance for the MG IM5. The MG IM5 also turns in a 0.8 m tighter circle, which helps with U-turns and multi-storey ramps.

Over a 8-year ownership window EVcarsguide's degradation model projects roughly 90% battery health for the MG IM5 and 90% for the Omoda E5. That is close enough that capacity loss should not decide between them. Both use LFP-type cells, which are happy charged to 100% every day. Both batteries carry a 8-year manufacturer warranty.