Long motorway round trip in MG S5EV – practical charging strategy & costs

[blohot]

Sharing my approach to planning a long motorway journey in an my MGS5 Trophy, (Newcastle to Southampton and back), in case it helps others thinking about similar trips.

Key assumption (important):
Based on real use, I’m seeing about 160 miles at 80%, which means a realistic ~200 miles at 100% in winter motorway driving. I planned everything around this figure, not WLTP.

Charging approach:

• Start from home at 100%
• Use 1–2 well-placed ultra-rapid stops (IONITY) rather than lots of short charges
• Time charging with natural breaks (coffee / lunch)
• working on the assumption there is no charging facility at my destination.

Example structure:

• First stop after ~130–150 miles (arrive ~20–25%)
• Short top-up (IONITY, Sheffield)
• Second stop later for the main charge (to ~80–90%) (IONITY, Fleet)
• Arrive destination with ~70–80% and park

Return trip is the same logic in reverse.

IONITY subscriptions (worth knowing):

• Motion: £5.49/month, 53p/kWh.
• Power: £10.50/month, 43p/kWh

For a long trip with ~180–200 kWh of public charging, Power works out cheaper overall, despite the higher monthly fee. Motion only really suits light, occasional use. I signed up for the monthly Power plan and I can cancel once I return.

Rough costs:

• Public charging: ~£95–110 total for ~700 miles
• Home charging: minimal
  Overall, very reasonable compared to ICE.

Happy to compare notes with others doing similar distances. If you guys think there are other better options, I will be happy to consider them.

 

[Hugo A Go Go]

Funnily enough, I am in Newcastle just now, having travelled here from Dundee yesterday.

I left on 100%, and added 30.32kWh on the way when we stopped to eat, arriving in Newcastle on 59%. I probably could have made it without charging on the way - it was more an opportunistic charge since the restaurant we stopped at had a charger.

I reckon 200 miles range is about right in current temperatures.

If you have an Electroverse card, and you can find handy Arnold Clark chargers on your route, then there is an £8.99 subscription which brings the price to 39p/kWh. The PAYG prices are only 55p as well, and I’ve used them in a couple of locations and they are good. You can also use their toilet and get a free coffee.

 

[nem]

On the few long trips I've taken I have just used ABRP and set it to arrive with 20-50% charge (depending on destination, 50% was for a mountain trip where closest charger was a ways away, but downhill). I have also set some preferences regarding charge stops and it's been working good for me. I do subscribe to it for the premium feature of getting SOC via android auto.

As for the economic I'm not gonna elaborate too much as this probably isn't comparable between countries and I don't think we have subscriptions here, at least not that I've seen. Average price is around 5-6kr/kWh (tesla/eviny etc). As long as you don't charge during congestion and you don't stay after 100% the price would be the same regardless of how many charge stops you make (assuming the price per kwh is the same of course).

 

[Rei]

Coming from back in the day with the 24kWh Leaf, which was really inefficient on the motorway, now I just look at where the cheap Tesla chargers are along the route and go.

 

[stevedee]

Sharing my approach to planning a long motorway journey in an my MGS5 Trophy, (Newcastle to Southampton and back), in case it helps others thinking about similar trips.

Thanks, this is both interesting & helpful to me, as I still haven't entered the world of 'public charging'.

Our longest round trip so far was about 190 miles, and having started with 99% & achieved 4.1m/kWh, we easily got back home with about 36% still 'in the tank'.

However, our first long journey will be just after Christmas; Bognor to [almost] Liverpool, about 250 miles each way.

We don't currently have any network payment cards, and hope to be able to use regular credit cards to top up somewhere around mid-way, & then again on the way back.

Is this realistic? I've read somewhere that only 20% of chargers in UK accept credit cards.

 

[Hugo A Go Go]

Thanks, this is both interesting & helpful to me, as I still haven't entered the world of 'public charging'.

Our longest round trip so far was about 190 miles, and having started with 99% & achieved 4.1m/kWh, we easily got back home with about 36% still 'in the tank'.

However, our first long journey will be just after Christmas; Bognor to [almost] Liverpool, about 250 miles each way.

We don't currently have any network payment cards, and hope to be able to use regular credit cards to top up somewhere around mid-way, & then again on the way back.

Is this realistic? I've read somewhere that only 20% of chargers in UK accept credit cards.

I would advise you to get an Octopus Electroverse card. It’s free, even if you’re not an Octopus customer. And if you are on an Octopus EV tarriff you get a small discount on charging.

It works with just about every major charging network with the notable exceptions of Tesla and Gridserve (rumoured to be coming soon).

It saves faffing about with multiple apps and having to find places that accept contactless.

Honestly, it’s pretty much all I ever use, and im going on a long journey about once a month at the moment.

 

[peterseddon]

I've had an EV (ZS, S5) for nearly 4 years and been up to Scotland and down to Devon and Cornwall and have never planed any charge stops for the journey. We've always had to stop well before the car has needed to charge due to wanting to eat drink or use the loo. Just used the rapids when we stopped and got enough charge to get to the next loo break. I don't usually let the charge get below 20% so always have enough to get to the next charger if needed. The S5 will be even better due to the higher charge rate 180kW, the best I got out of the ZS was 70kW but usually 50kW.

 

[blohot]

Thanks, this is both interesting & helpful to me, as I still haven't entered the world of 'public charging'.

Our longest round trip so far was about 190 miles, and having started with 99% & achieved 4.1m/kWh, we easily got back home with about 36% still 'in the tank'.

However, our first long journey will be just after Christmas; Bognor to [almost] Liverpool, about 250 miles each way.

We don't currently have any network payment cards, and hope to be able to use regular credit cards to top up somewhere around mid-way, & then again on the way back.

Is this realistic? I've read somewhere that only 20% of chargers in UK accept credit cards.

This will be my first long distance road trip as well and my understanding is that many public chargers don't accept contactless payments. Hopefully, my IONITY app will work as it is supposed to. Will post my experience once I return

 

[stevedee]

I would advise you to get an Octopus Electroverse card. It’s free, even if you’re not an Octopus customer...

Now that's interesting as I didn't think I'd get the card until there'd fitted my smart meter (due 18th Dec) & switched my tariff. I'll get right onto it!

 

[peterseddon]

Now that's interesting as I didn't think I'd get the card until there'd fitted my smart meter (due 18th Dec) & switched my tariff. I'll get right onto it!

You don't even need to be an Octopus customer to get the card, once you get it just set up a payment method and you're good to go. you don't get the customer discount though.

 

[Ian Key]

You don't even need to be an Octopus customer to get the card, once you get it just set up a payment method and you're good to go. you don't get the customer discount though.

That's true but you don't get the pre-payment authorisation charge with the Octopus card which a lot of suppliers charge.

 

[mcderd]

Sharing my approach to planning a long motorway journey in an my MGS5 Trophy, (Newcastle to Southampton and back), in case it helps others thinking about similar trips.

Key assumption (important):
Based on real use, I’m seeing about 160 miles at 80%, which means a realistic ~200 miles at 100% in winter motorway driving. I planned everything around this figure, not WLTP.

Charging approach:

• Start from home at 100%
• Use 1–2 well-placed ultra-rapid stops (IONITY) rather than lots of short charges
• Time charging with natural breaks (coffee / lunch)
• working on the assumption there is no charging facility at my destination.

Example structure:

• First stop after ~130–150 miles (arrive ~20–25%)
• Short top-up (IONITY, Sheffield)
• Second stop later for the main charge (to ~80–90%) (IONITY, Fleet)
• Arrive destination with ~70–80% and park

Return trip is the same logic in reverse.

IONITY subscriptions (worth knowing):

• Motion: £5.49/month, 53p/kWh.
• Power: £10.50/month, 43p/kWh

For a long trip with ~180–200 kWh of public charging, Power works out cheaper overall, despite the higher monthly fee. Motion only really suits light, occasional use. I signed up for the monthly Power plan and I can cancel once I return.

Rough costs:

• Public charging: ~£95–110 total for ~700 miles
• Home charging: minimal
  Overall, very reasonable compared to ICE.

Happy to compare notes with others doing similar distances. If you guys think there are other better options, I will be happy to consider them.

I just saw the monthly subscriptions today, did a 300 mile trip yesterday, use an ionity and a Gridserve. I was thinking about signing up for monthly, and then cancelling, however it says you have to give them a month's notice to cancel, so in effect you would end up paying for 2 months, I only do long trips about 4 times a year, normally I will just be able to use 7kw charger.

I also charged this morning at MFG, I now have 3 pre auth payments on my card for £40 Ionity, £10 Gridserve, £45 MFG. So £95 in pre auths, when I filled my petrol car I would get £100 pre auth that was cleared once I filled up and then replaced by the actual cost. How long do these companies take to sort out the cost and remove the pre auths?

 

[emmrecs]

How long do these companies take to sort out the cost and remove the pre auths?

I think it is rather more that your bank will remove the pre-authorisation amounts when they realise that the owner(s) of the rapid charger(s) are not proceeding with the debit.

That has certainly been my experience anyway!

 

[mcderd]

I think it is rather more that your bank will remove the pre-authorisation amounts when they realise that the owner(s) of the rapid charger(s) are not proceeding with the debit.

That has certainly been my experience anyway!

Thanks, that sort of implies I won't be charged? Unless I have misunderstood? Especially as it's three different companies.

 

[emmrecs]

Yes, in my experience you won't be charged! Although the amounts may be listed as "pending" for some days they will, eventually, disappear.

 

[gus]

Mfg don’t cancel the pre auth so you have the pre auth for a week and the actual cost, that’s why I use Electroverse all the time now as no pre auth. I am not a octopus customer just to confirm open to all.

 

[mcderd]

Yes, in my experience you won't be charged! Although the amounts may be listed as "pending" for some days they will, eventually, disappear.

Thanks, Well, I will wait and see

 

[Hugo A Go Go]

I just saw the monthly subscriptions today, did a 300 mile trip yesterday, use an ionity and a Gridserve. I was thinking about signing up for monthly, and then cancelling, however it says you have to give them a month's notice to cancel, so in effect you would end up paying for 2 months, I only do long trips about 4 times a year, normally I will just be able to use 7kw charger.

Certainly when you do the Ionity subscription through Electroverse, it seems you can sign up then cancel within the first month. Isn’t it the same if you do it directly via Ionity?

I’ve just signed up for this, and it seems I can cancel before the 13th if January to not be charged for another month.

I think if you do a reasonably sized charge, as I plan to do tonight, it pays for itself after one charge.

I will also do a couple of charges at Ionity at the start of January, so it’s definitely worth it for me.

 

[tsedge]

Just to note that if you use Apple Pay (and Samsung/Google Pay too for all I know?), then you can see all your pre-authorisations on the phone, so you know where you stand.

 

[mcderd]

Just to note that if you use Apple Pay (and Samsung/Google Pay too for all I know?), then you can see all your pre-authorisations on the phone, so you know where you stand.

I normally use Google Pay, but decided to use an actual card the first few times to keep it simple