Tesla Model Y vs Kia EV5: Price, Range and Cost per Mile Compared

The Tesla Model Y is the more efficient car with the bigger boot and better motorway charging; the Kia EV5 is the better value. The EV5 Air costs £5,645 less than the entry Model Y and goes further on a charge, while the Model Y’s efficiency saves only about £127 a year on typical UK driving.

The Model Y and EV5 are both five-seat electric family SUVs priced either side of £45,000, and both are aimed at buyers who want space before speed. They get there in different ways. The Tesla is lighter on energy and leans on the Supercharger network; the Kia carries a bigger battery, a longer warranty and a lower price. Here is how they compare on the numbers that matter.

How much do the Model Y and Kia EV5 cost?

The Kia EV5 starts at £39,345 for the Air and the Tesla Model Y at £44,990 for the Rear-Wheel Drive, both list prices in November 2026. Kia’s prices come from Kia UK; the Tesla prices come from EV Industry News and Carwow, and our page on Tesla Model Y and Model 3 UK prices has the full list.

	Tesla Model Y RWD	Tesla Model Y Premium LR RWD	Kia EV5 Air	Kia EV5 GT-Line
List price (Nov 2026)	£44,990	£49,990	£39,345	£42,645
WLTP range	314 miles	387 miles	329 miles	313 miles
Usable battery	60 kWh	n/a	78 kWh	78 kWh
Real-world efficiency	255 Wh/mile	260 Wh/mile	312 Wh/mile	312 Wh/mile
Peak DC charging	175 kW	250 kW	150 kW	150 kW
Boot (seats up)	854 litres	854 litres	566 litres	566 litres
Cost per mile, home 8p/kWh	2.0p	2.1p	2.5p	2.5p
BIK, 40% taxpayer	£60 a month	£67 a month	£52 a month	£57 a month

Efficiency and usable battery figures are EV Database real-world estimates (Model Y RWD, EV5). The EV5 GT-Line efficiency assumes the same figure as the Air, which EV Database lists as one model.

Above the GT-Line, the EV5 Storm costs £43,145, the GT-Line S £47,145 and the all-wheel-drive GT £54,295. Neither car qualifies for the Electric Car Grant, which only covers cars priced up to £37,000 (BBC).

Which is cheaper to run per mile?

The Model Y is cheaper to run at every charging price, because it uses about 18% less electricity per mile than the EV5. That gap is real but small in pounds when you charge at home.

Method: EV Database real-world Wh per mile ÷ 1,000 × price per kWh = pence per mile; × 10,000 for a year of driving.

Charging	Model Y RWD (255 Wh/mile)	Kia EV5 (312 Wh/mile)	Extra cost of the EV5 per 10,000 miles
Home off-peak, 8p/kWh	2.0p a mile, £204	2.5p a mile, £250	£46
Home at the price cap, 26.32p/kWh	6.7p a mile, £671	8.2p a mile, £821	£150
Public rapid, 79p/kWh	20.1p a mile, £2,015	24.6p a mile, £2,465	£450
80% home off-peak, 20% public rapid	5.7p a mile, £566	6.9p a mile, £693	£127

The home rate is Intelligent Octopus Go at 8p/kWh, the cap rate is the October to December 2026 unit price of 26.32p/kWh, and the rapid rate is Zapmap’s September 2026 average of 79p/kWh.

On the mixed pattern, the Model Y saves £127 a year over 10,000 miles. The EV5 Air is £5,645 cheaper to buy, so at that rate the Tesla would need more than 40 years to make back the difference through electricity alone. Even a driver who only ever rapid charged would take over 12 years. For a breakdown of every Tesla trim, see how much it costs to charge a Tesla.

The Supercharger tilts the sums further towards Tesla owners on long trips. Zapmap puts the average Supercharger price at 48p/kWh for Tesla drivers, against 69p/kWh for non-Tesla drivers at sites open to all. At those prices the Model Y costs 12.2p a mile and the EV5 21.5p a mile, so 1,000 miles of Supercharging costs £122 in the Tesla and £215 in the Kia. Our guide to using a Tesla Supercharger in a non-Tesla explains how it works.

Which has more range?

The EV5 Air goes further than the entry Model Y, with 329 miles WLTP against 314 miles. The Model Y Premium Long Range RWD reaches 387 miles according to Carwow, but at £49,990 it costs £10,645 more than the EV5 Air.

EV Database’s real-world estimates widen the EV5’s lead over the entry Tesla: 250 miles against 235 miles. The Kia’s bigger 78 kWh usable battery more than makes up for its higher consumption. Auto Express recorded 3.8 miles per kWh in summer and 3.1 miles per kWh in winter at 8 to 11°C, which works out at about 309 and 252 miles. Most EV5 trims go without a heat pump, which matters in a British winter.

The GT-Line, on larger 19-inch wheels, drops to 313 miles, and the all-wheel-drive version to 305 miles.

Which charges faster?

The Model Y charges faster. The entry car peaks at 175 kW and the Premium Long Range at 250 kW, while the EV5 peaks at 150 kW and takes about 30 minutes for 10 to 80 per cent, according to Kia.

Because the Model Y also uses less energy per mile, it adds miles more quickly than its peak figure suggests. The bigger advantage on a long run is the Supercharger network itself: Tesla’s navigation plans stops and preconditions the battery automatically, and the Model Y gets the lower Tesla-driver price. The EV5 uses CCS and Plug and Charge, so it works on every major public network, including open Supercharger sites.

Which has more space?

The Model Y has the bigger boot: 854 litres with the rear seats up and 2,118 litres folded, against 566 and 1,650 litres in the EV5. Carwow notes that Tesla’s 854-litre figure is measured to the roof, so the usable space under the parcel shelf is closer than the numbers suggest. The EV5 adds a 44-litre front boot and a floor that moves up or down by 100mm.

Auto Express praises the EV5’s rear seat for its headroom, legroom and flat floor, which makes the middle seat usable. The EV5 also keeps more physical controls than the Model Y, which runs almost everything through its central touchscreen.

Which is cheaper as a company car?

The EV5 is cheaper as a company car because its list price is lower and both pay 4% benefit-in-kind in 2026/27. A 40% taxpayer pays about £52 a month for an EV5 Air (£39,345 × 4% × 40% ÷ 12) and £60 a month for an entry Model Y. A 20% taxpayer pays about £26 and £30 a month.

Road tax is the same for both at £10 in the first year and £200 a year after that, according to gov.uk. The £440 expensive car supplement only applies above £50,000, which catches the EV5 GT at £54,295 and the Model Y Premium Long Range AWD at £52,990, but none of the versions in our table. Our Tesla company car tax guide covers every trim.

What about warranty?

The Kia comes with a seven-year or 100,000-mile warranty, which Auto Express confirms covers the EV5. That is one of the longest in the class and a point in the Kia’s favour for buyers who keep cars beyond a typical three or four year finance deal.

Which should you buy?

Choose the Model Y if you do regular long motorway trips, need the biggest boot, or want the Supercharger experience and Tesla-driver pricing. The Premium Long Range RWD is the version to pick for range, at 387 miles.

Choose the Kia EV5 if you charge mostly at home and want the most car for the money. The EV5 Air is £5,645 cheaper than the entry Model Y, travels further on a charge, has a longer warranty and costs just £46 more per 10,000 miles to charge on an 8p/kWh tariff.

If you are weighing the Model Y against other rivals, our Tesla Model Y vs Skoda Enyaq comparison covers another strong alternative, and our guide to the Kia EV5 GT’s UK price covers the fastest EV5.