IM6 Premium vs IONIQ 5 MY27 84 kWh RWD: parking and charging compared

I would try the base MY27 IONIQ 5 first if your family needs an electric SUV that must fit a tight garage and make regular motorway charging stops. Its current Australian specification combines a shorter exterior with an 84 kWh battery and explicit 400/800 V charger compatibility. Check the actual parking space, seating and charging route before paying more for that combination.

IM6 Premium deserves the first appointment if its larger cabin layout suits the family, its standard four-wheel steering makes your actual access manoeuvre easier, and the complete local offer is worthwhile. Choose it for the Premium's own 75 kWh, 400 V specification. The range's 800 V and 396 kW headlines do not describe this grade.

The choice turns on parking, loading and charging opportunities rather than the largest screen or a headline price subtraction. The observed MG offer uses NSW private registration; the Hyundai dealer is in Geelong, Victoria. We have not obtained two same-state personal driveaway proposals.

The MG configurator observed for NSW private registration shows Premium at A$60,990 before the A$57,990 cashback offer. The A$3,000 is already deducted in that lower figure. The October programme requires eligible sale and delivery from 1 to 31 October 2026 through participating dealers, while stocks last, with fleet, government and rental exclusions. Check the exact unit and any demonstrator qualification before relying on it.

MG also describes a conditional A$500 EV accessories benefit that may instead reduce the vehicle price and can combine with the applicable IM cashback. It is a separate election and eligibility question; we do not silently deduct it again from the displayed headline. Paint, accessories and the actual registration proposal still need to be settled.

Blood Hyundai's dated D condition names A$70,990 driveaway for base 168 kW 84 kWh RWD new stock with no added options, purchased and delivered between 1 October and 31 December 2026. It excludes fleet, government and rental buyers and combination offers. The dealer is in Victoria, whereas the MG observation is NSW private registration. Their difference is not an established saving for one household.

Obtain both complete quotations for the same postcode, registration and purchase type, with paint, delivery, CTP, registration and stamp duty itemised. Confirm the actual build, handover deadline and warranty start. A finance weekly payment with a final balance requires a separate full-contract comparison; it does not replace the cash proposals.

For a family that can charge while parked overnight, both cars may replenish the normal commute without a special public-charger trip. Ask an installer what the existing supply can deliver, what permissions are needed and the full installation cost. A car's three-phase AC capability does not create that supply at a single-phase property.

Hyundai lists a battery-conditioning function in the current base specification. Demonstrate how the actual car prepares for a planned stop and what the driver must do. Obtain the corresponding Premium instructions rather than assuming that a battery chemistry or a range-level feature description guarantees a warm battery at the charger.

If you rely mainly on public charging, map a normal week with location, dwell time, tariff and an alternative station. The easiest charger to use while already shopping or working can matter more than a peak figure available only at a different site. Choose the arrangement you can maintain throughout the year.

IM6's declared body is 4,904 mm long and 1,988 mm wide; IONIQ 5's is 4,655 by 1,890 mm. Subtracting these declarations gives 249 mm more length and 98 mm more width for the IM6. Those are body dimensions, not mirror clearance or room to open a door. Measure the actual bay, approach and overhead tailgate space.

IM6 Premium lists intelligent four-wheel steering, including its crab-mode function. Ask for a safe demonstration in a representative manoeuvre. It does not make the body narrower or guarantee that a large car can use a constrained driveway. Do not compare a marketing turning-radius claim with Hyundai's kerb-to-kerb diameter as though they were the same measurement.

The IM6's 665-litre rear storage declaration is not established to the same method as Hyundai's 520-litre VDA rear and 57-litre VDA front compartments. Try the same pushchair, luggage and child restraints in the cars with all needed seats upright. Hyundai's 3,000 mm wheelbase versus IM6's 2,950 mm also cannot prove rear comfort by itself. The useful result is the actual family fit, not a sum of catalogue litres.

The IM6 brochure marks four-wheel steering for Premium and lists its heated and ventilated seating equipment. Its range photography also discusses air suspension that does not define a standard Premium order. Have the retailer distinguish what is fitted to your car from optional or upper-grade demonstrations.

The selected Hyundai is the base MY27 car, not Elite or Premium N Line. Check the exact equipment column and the proposal before assuming upper-grade seating, camera or convenience features. Demonstrate phone connection, climate adjustments, charging settings and the parking view you will use; a longer display does not settle ease of use.

Take comparable drives with the same occupants before judging ride and noise. Assistance features are not autonomous driving or a shared crash assessment. Obtain current applicable vehicle/battery warranty, service requirements and the workshop arrangements for each exact vehicle. This research has no matched repair-delay or reliability sample to rank after-sales certainty.

Choose IM6 Premium when its actual space, equipment and four-wheel steering help the family task, it passes the driveway test and the completed same-state proposal is worthwhile. Use the Premium specification throughout that decision; the higher-grade charging headline is not part of its value.

Choose base MY27 IONIQ 5 when the shorter body, actual family fit and current charging specification better suit the journeys you make, and the full proposal justifies the expenditure. If neither passes, explore the Australian guides for another body size or charging arrangement. Resolve the actual car and delivery terms before a deposit.

This is documentary research using Australian manufacturer and authorised dealer material read on 19 October 2026 UTC. The Premium grade and current MY27 technical columns were inspected. Historical Australian review material establishes that IONIQ 5 belongs in an IM6 shortlist; its Performance test does not establish Premium's current specification or a new twin test.

The 249 mm length and 98 mm width differences are editorial subtraction of declared body dimensions. Source model years, dated commercial windows, different state observations and unmatched luggage methods remain explicit. No CathayEV road, driveway, packing, charging, winter-range, reliability or individual-stock inspection was performed. Personal quotations, installation and vehicle allocation remain to be confirmed.