MG IM6 vs Volvo EX40

The MG IM6 costs £8,385 more than the Volvo EX40. For that premium it adds 33 miles more WLTP range, 196 kW faster peak rapid charging and 255 litres more boot space. The Volvo EX40 is not just cheaper - it also offers lower energy use, 167 versus 182 Wh/km. On EVcarsguide's combined category scores, the Volvo EX40 comes out ahead overall.

The Volvo EX40 is £8,385 cheaper to buy. Running costs are almost identical - about £184 a year either way, at 8,000 miles on an off-peak home tariff. Add 5 years of charging and the Volvo EX40 comes out roughly £8,465 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 275 miles for the MG IM6 and 242 miles for the Volvo EX40 - both below their WLTP figures, because sustained high speed is the hardest case for an EV. The MG IM6 goes roughly 33 miles further between charging stops. A rapid charge to 80% takes around 17 minutes in the MG IM6 and 28 in the Volvo EX40, so the MG IM6 loses less time at each stop. That makes the MG IM6 the stronger long-distance car.

The Volvo EX40 is the easier car for tight UK car parks: it is 115 mm narrower than the MG IM6. In a standard 2,400 mm bay that leaves about 527 mm of total clearance for the Volvo EX40 and about 412 mm of total clearance for the MG IM6. The MG IM6 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 84% battery health for the MG IM6 and 84% for the Volvo EX40. 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.