MG 5 vs Volkswagen ID.3: range and charging

The MG 5 is due to be refreshed later this year, at which point the electric estate will be offered with a choice of two battery sizes. However, the Long Range variant will still use a 61.1kWh battery like the model we have here, and boast a range of 250 miles on the dot.

The VW ID.3, on the other hand, gets a choice of three battery sizes, as well as various power outputs for the car’s single electric motor. Our test car featured the mid-range 58kWh battery, which, according to Volkswagen, is enough to cover 260 miles on a charge.

If you want to go further between top-ups, when fitted with a 77kWh battery, the ID.3 boasts a range of 340 miles – more than any version of the Kia EV6 is capable of. Meanwhile, the cheapest ID.3s get a 45kWh unit for a range of just under 220 miles. However, at the time of writing, neither of these powertains is available to order due to the global semiconductor chip shortage.

But while these two cars are reasonably matched when it comes to claimed range, we found that the Volkswagen was the more efficient of the two by some margin in the real world. The ID.3 was able to return an impressive 4.4 miles per kWh during our time with both, which equates to a real-world range of 252 miles. The MG 5 achieved 3.8 miles per kWh, or 232 miles’ real-world range.

Charging

There’s little to separate these EVs when it comes to charging. With a maximum speed of 100kW for the ID.3, use a quick enough rapid point and a 10-80% top-up will take just over half an hour. The MG 5, on the other hand, can only reach 80kW, meaning the same top-up would take over 40 minutes.

Most of the time you’re likely to be charging at home from a wallbox, probably operating at closer to 7kW. That’ll take around nine hours to fully recharge the VW, while the MG, with its larger battery, can be recharged from 0-100% in just over 10 hours in this fashion.