MG IM5 vs Polestar 2

The Polestar 2 costs £5,760 more than the MG IM5. For that premium it adds 40 miles more WLTP range, 27 kW faster peak rapid charging and lower energy use, 149 versus 175 Wh/km. The MG IM5 is not just cheaper - it also offers 50 litres more boot space. On EVcarsguide's combined category scores, the Polestar 2 comes out ahead overall.

The MG IM5 is £5,760 cheaper to buy. The Polestar 2 is cheaper to charge, roughly £160 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 £5,600 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 231 miles for the Polestar 2 - 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 65 minutes in the MG IM5 and 26 in the Polestar 2, so the Polestar 2 loses less time at each stop.

The Polestar 2 is the easier car for tight UK car parks: it is 101 mm narrower than the MG IM5. In a standard 2,400 mm bay that leaves about 541 mm of total clearance for the Polestar 2 and about 440 mm of total clearance for the MG IM5. The MG IM5 also turns in a 1.5 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 Polestar 2. 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.