Hyundai Ioniq 5 vs Mercedes-Benz EQB

The Ioniq 5 wins value. As of August 2026 it opens at $69,990 drive-away on a Hyundai NSW offer, against about $97,344 for the EQB, a gap near $27,000. It carries a seven-year warranty to the Mercedes' five and services only every 24 months or 30,000km, where the EQB needs a yearly visit. The EQB answers with five years of roadside assistance to the Hyundai's two, and a list price near $90,000 that slips under the luxury-car-tax threshold, which can unlock the electric-vehicle FBT exemption on a novated lease. So the Mercedes has a real tax angle for lease buyers, but on purchase price and running costs the Ioniq 5 is the cheaper to buy and keep.

The Ioniq 5 leads decisively. Its 800-volt architecture peaks at 240kW on DC and does 10 to 80 per cent in about 18 minutes, against the EQB's 100kW and roughly 35, so it spends far less time plugged in. Home AC charging is 10.5kW to the Mercedes' 7kW. On range the base rear-drive Ioniq 5 claims 570km WLTP from its 84kWh battery, ahead of the EQB's 535km. Note the grade split, though: the dual-motor Ioniq 5 N Line Premium falls to 495km, so a buyer set on all-wheel drive actually gives up range to the Mercedes. On the grades most people cross-shop the Ioniq 5 goes further, and every Ioniq 5 charges faster.

Yes. The current EQB 250+ carries a third row as standard, a five-plus-two in a compact footprint and one of very few electric SUVs under six figures able to seat six or seven. It is best understood as a 5+2 rather than a full seven-seater: the rearmost pair folds out of the boot floor and suits children or shorter adults on shorter trips. The Ioniq 5 has no answer, as it seats five only. If you need occasional extra seats without moving up to a larger, dearer car, the EQB is the pick here. If you never will, the Ioniq 5's five-seat cabin is roomier where it counts and adds a front boot the Mercedes lacks.

The Ioniq 5 has the clearer safety story because it carries a current rating. It holds a five-star ANCAP result from 2021, with 88 per cent for adult occupants, 87 for child occupants, 63 for vulnerable road users and 89 for safety assist. The EQB is currently ANCAP-unrated: its five-star rating, carried over from the petrol GLB tested in 2019, lapsed at the end of 2025. It still ships a full active-safety suite, autonomous emergency braking, lane keep assist, adaptive cruise and blind-spot monitoring, plus nine airbags including third-row head protection. Both are well equipped, but if a current independent star rating matters, only the Ioniq 5 has one.

The Ioniq 5, without much argument. On a long trip the time you lose is at the charger, and its 800-volt system halves it: about 18 minutes for 10 to 80 per cent against roughly 35 for the EQB, from a 240kW peak to 100kW. It also starts with more range, 570km WLTP on the base car to the EQB's 535, and a bigger 84kWh battery to lean on. The EQB is tuned for town and the suburbs, and Mercedes pitches it that way. If you mostly drive around town and charge at home, either is easy to live with, but if you regularly cover long distances between chargers, the Ioniq 5 is the far better tool.

This one is a genuine split. The EQB's trump is seats: a standard third row the Ioniq 5 cannot offer, plus the larger maximum load bay at 1,710 litres with both rear rows folded, against the Hyundai's 1,580. The Ioniq 5 hits back on everyday space. Its boot is bigger seats-up, 520 litres to the EQB's 495, it adds a 57-litre front boot the Mercedes lacks, and its 3,000mm wheelbase, 171mm longer, opens up generous rear legroom. So for maximum seats and folded cargo the EQB leads; for day-to-day five-seat space and that handy frunk the Ioniq 5 is roomier. Which matters more depends on whether the third row is a real need or a rare one.

The Ioniq 5 is cheaper to buy and, for most owners, to run. It undercuts the EQB by thousands drive-away, carries a seven-year warranty to the Mercedes' five, and services only every 24 months or 30,000km against the EQB's yearly visit. Both cover their high-voltage batteries for eight years or 160,000km. The EQB claws back some ground with five years of roadside assistance to the Hyundai's two, and a tax lever: its roughly $90,000 list price sits just under the luxury-car-tax threshold, which can make it eligible for the electric-vehicle FBT exemption on a novated lease. Paid for outright, the Ioniq 5 is cheaper to own; leased through salary packaging, the EQB's maths can close the gap.

For most buyers the Hyundai Ioniq 5 is the stronger electric SUV and the smarter money. It charges roughly twice as fast, carries a bigger battery, claims more range on the grades people cross-shop, holds a current five-star rating, and costs thousands less. The EQB earns its place for one clear reason and a couple of soft ones: it is a five-plus-two seven-seater in a compact body nothing else here offers, and it adds the three-pointed star, a polished cabin and a list price under the luxury-car-tax threshold for novated-lease buyers. Need the occasional third row, or want the badge and the FBT angle, and the EQB makes sense. Everyone else is better off in the Ioniq 5.