Hyundai Ioniq 5 vs Ford Mustang Mach-E vs Volkswagen ID.4: range and charging

All the cars tested here are built on platforms developed exclusively for electric models, so there are a few similarities – all cars offer multiple battery sizes and the choice of rear- or four-wheel drive. The Ioniq 5 is the only dual-motor car in our test; it has two motors for four-wheel drive, plus a 77kWh battery for a claimed 282-mile range – more than the Mach-E’s 273 miles, but less than the ID.4's 328. That said, we noticed during our testing that simply turning on the air-conditioning seemed to knock 27 miles off the ID.4’s range.

However, while the Mach-E has the shortest range of this trio (we tested the 75kWh battery Standard Range version), it proved to be the most efficient during our testing, returning 3.5 miles per kWh, compared to the others’ 3.4miles. In reality, they’re all so close that your driving style is what will have the greatest influence over efficiency. That still means the Ford’s real-world range is about 238 miles, the Hyundai's about 247 and the ID.4's about 262.

It’s also worth noting that the ID.4’s 328-mile official range only applies to higher-spec models with the 77kWh battery, like the one we tested here. The other option is a 52kWh unit, which has an official range of 223 miles. There's also a shorter-range version of the Hyundai: an Ioniq 5 with the smaller 58kWh battery has an official range of 238 miles, while the rear-drive 77kWh variant has a range of 315 miles.

Similarly, the Mach-E has two battery options and a choice of rear or four-wheel-drive layouts, with a maximum range of 379 miles if you go for the Extended Range variants with the much larger 98kWh battery.

Charging

One of the Ioniq 5’s many impressive features is its charging technology. It uses an 800-volt system that allows you to charge at up to 220kW if you can find a fast enough public ultra-rapid charger. That means going from 10% to 80% battery capacity in less than 20 minutes. We hooked the Ioniq 5 up to a new 350kW-capable point, and managed to top up a nearly empty battery to over half full in less than 10 minutes. The Ioniq 5 is essentially futureproof in this respect, because while there are a limited number of ultra-rapid chargers in the UK, when more appear, longer journeys will be a cinch. At a more common 50kW point, it takes about an hour to add the same amount of range.

While both the ID.4 and Mach-E also have rapid-charging capability, neither can reach the same speeds as the Ioniq 5. The Volkswagen is the second fastest, with a maximum charging rate of 135kW. At that speed, you can charge it from near-flat to 80% in 35 minutes. The maximum rate for the entry-level Mach-E model we drove is 115kW, allowing you to recharge from 10-80% in 38 minutes. Extended Range models offer 150kW charging, but the larger battery means that it’ll take longer (45 minutes) for an 80% top-up.

However, we expect the majority of charging will take place at home, most likely using a 7.4kW home wallbox charger. At those speeds, it'll take around 11 hours to fully top up the Standard Range Mach-E, or over 12 hours to do the same with the 77kWh version of the ID.4’s. Fully recharging the 73kWh battery in our top-spec model of the Ioniq 5 takes just under 12 hours.