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The Geely EX5 is the first car to be sold by Geely in the UK. It’s a mid-sized electric SUV, with the dimensions of a large SUV but the price tag of a small one - and tons of equipment. It looks like great value, but it won’t suit long-distance drivers as there’s no long-range option.

You might not be familiar with Geely as a brand, but you’ve definitely seen some of its cars. The Geely Holding Group owns or has controlling stakes in Volvo, Polestar, Smart, Lotus and even LEVC, the company that builds London taxis - so it’s already well-established in the UK market, and Geely Auto is one of the largest manufacturers in the world.

The Geely EX5 is its first car sold in Europe, and like so many new Chinese brands it’s starting with an electric SUV. In size terms, the EX5 is similar to large SUVs such as the VW ID4, Kia EV6 or Nissan Ariya - but it only costs about the same as smaller models such as the Kia EV3, Skoda Elroq or MG S5 EV.

It’s also really luxurious inside with tons of equipment, especially on the top-spec models which get things like massaging seats and a 1,000W sound system. With the EX5’s unassuming, inoffensive styling, it’s a bit like finding a two-bed semi that just happens to have a pool, sauna and fitness complex in the basement.

Geely EX5: electric range, battery and charging data

Range: 267 miles
Efficiency: 3.9 miles per kWh
Battery size: 60.2kWh
Max charge speed: 160kW
Charge time AC: 6hrs 6 minutes, 10-100%, 7kW
Charge time DC: 20 mins, 30-80%, 160kW
Charge port location: Front right
Power outputs: 218hp

The EX5 isn’t ugly, but it’s certainly not going to win any beauty contests. It’s a very generic SUV shape, with smooth curves and a pretty featureless front end. Inside, it’s rather nicer - you get interesting patterns on the seats and the centre console, and considering the starting price of just under £32,000 the materials used feel incredibly luxurious.

A bit like the Leapmotor C10, the Geely EX5’s interior trades boot space for rear legroom. So while there’s only 410 litres of luggage space - way less than the VW ID4 or Kia EV6 - rear legroom is positively palatial, with space for a six-footer to stretch out in impressive comfort.

Up front, nearly everything is controlled by the EX5’s touchscreen - which is good and bad. Good, because it’s huge (15.4 inches), bright, and pin-sharp in resolution - but bad because there are far too many menus to scroll through, with key functions several virtual button-presses away. And while iPhone users are catered for with Apple CarPlay, everyone else will have to wait for an over-the-air update before Android Auto is available.

To drive, the Geely EX5 is okay. Unlike a great many of the latest Chinese cars, the suspension isn’t so soft that you feel like you’re a ship at sea being tossed about over every bump. However, it’s gone a little too far the other way, being quite firm and fidgety over imperfections in the road.

Performance is modest - there’s no ridiculously overpowered motor option, which is fine - but it’s a pity that there’s also no big-battery version either. The best range the EX5 can muster is 267 miles on a charge, which is in line with entry-level versions of the Kia EV3 or Skoda Elroq - but both of those cars offer variants capable of more than 350 miles in one go, which the Geely can’t match.

If you don’t do too many long trips, though, and you value the EX5’s combination of a plush interior with loads of standard equipment, then this bargain-priced EV might be a good choice.

You can find great Geely EX5 deals through Á«»¨Ö±²¥, and check out our best electric SUVs for fantastic offers on this car’s alternatives. Remember that Á«»¨Ö±²¥ can also help you to sell your old car when the time comes for car-changing.

The EX5’s price is extremely competitive, starting at less than £32,000 for the entry-level SE and rising to £36,990 for the range-topping Max model. There’s a ‘Pro’ in between, but as this only gains posher alloy wheels over the entry-level car it’s largely pointless.

Geely is also offering a whole host of discounts at launch - up to £3,750 off the top model, with a guaranteed trade-in value for your old car as well as either a discounted home charger or £500 in charging credits. Factoring that in, you only really pay just over £32,000 for the top-spec Max model - slightly more than a Jaecoo E5, but seriously undercutting all the European competition.

The EX5’s list of standard equipment is insane for the money. All cars get adaptive cruise control, wireless phone charging, a 15.4-inch infotainment screen, a heated steering wheel and a 360-degree camera system.

Then you step up to the Max, which gets you luxury features like heated, ventilated and massaging front seats, an opening panoramic sunroof, a head-up display and a 1,000-watt premium sound system with speakers in the headrests.

The Geely EX5 drives better than most Chinese alternatives, but it’s a bit firm over bumps and performance is nothing to write home about

In town

Like all electric cars, the Geely EX5 is a doddle to drive at low speed with smooth, seamless power from a standstill and totally silent progress. The drive selector is a stalk on the steering column so it falls easily to hand, and you get decent visibility all round plus a 360-degree camera system that’s standard on all trim levels.

The suspension does feel quite firm, though - it thuds over bumps and fidgets on rough roads. While this is preferable to the soft and wobbly suspension you get on a Jaecoo E5, an MG S5 EV or Kia EV3 both feel more tied-down and comfortable. The EX5 has three levels of regenerative braking or a jerky-feeling adaptive setting, but you have to fiddle about in the touchscreen to change between them - and there’s no one-pedal mode that takes you down to a full stop.

On the motorway

With 210hp on tap the Geely EX5 isn’t as rabidly fast as it might be - especially when you consider other Geely-engineered cars such as the Volvo EX30 or Smart #1 have super-powerful dual-motor options available. There’s enough shunt to easily get up to speed, and once you’re there it feels quite refined. Again, the suspension is quite firm, but that’s actually an asset on a smoother motorway, where you don’t notice the bumps as much and it doesn’t feel as sickeningly floaty as something like a Leapmotor C10.

All models come with adaptive cruise control, lane-keep assist and even an automated lane change system - unheard of at this price point. Our rural test loop didn’t include enough motorway driving to really test these but we’ll give them a proper go once we get a car in for a longer loan.

On a twisty road

The Geely EX5 is one of the best Chinese SUVs to drive on a country road - even if that is a bit like saying Subway is the healthiest fast food. The other options are so dismal that it really is damning with faint praise.

Key to this is once again in the suspension. It’s firm and the body movement is well controlled, unlike in something like a Jaecoo or a Leapmotor where every corner has the body leaning over and mid-corner bumps really upset the steering.

It’s still not particularly engaging - an MG S5 EV actually manages to impart a modicum of fun into the experience, and a Skoda Elroq or Kia EV3 both feel significantly more solid and tied-down. The EX5’s steering feels totally remote, and even though there are Sport or Eco driving modes they don’t make the driving experience notably better or worse.

Tons of legroom in the back seats and some nicely thought-out storage makes up for a fairly small boot

There’s a good amount of adjustment in the Geely EX5’s driver seat, although like most Chinese cars there’s no adjustable lumbar support or extendable seat base for long-legged drivers. Annoyingly, every time you adjust the seat, there’s a pop-up on the screen asking if you want to save the position - which is a faff.

The front passenger seat adds to this with an adjustable legrest for lounging, though it’s not long enough for tall people to enjoy. This seat also feels as if it’s set very high up.

Storage for smaller items up front is a mixed bag - there’s a large cubby under the centre tunnel, a decent-sized under-armrest storage box and big door bins. But the cupholders and glovebox are both pretty puny. Phone charging is taken care of with a wireless charging pad and USB-A and -C ports.

Space in the back seats

The Geely EX5’s rear seats feel positively palatial for the size of car, easily beating out the Skoda Elroq, Kia EV3 or MG S5 EV - it’s comparable to the Leapmotor C10 in this regard. The rear floor is totally flat, so it’s easy to slide along, and the middle passenger doesn’t get too shafted either with a fairly flat seat base and enough width to just about squeeze three adults in.

The rear seat backs are slightly reclined, there’s a fold-down centre armrest and decent storage with big door bins and a small cubby in the centre. There's also a handy pull-out drawer under the seatbase. There are USB-A and USB-C ports for gadget charging, too.

Boot space

There’s 410 litres of space in the Geely EX5’s boot, which is smaller than all its key alternatives - the Kia EV3 has 460 litres, the Skoda Elroq 470 litres, the Jaecoo E5 480 litres and the MG S5 EV 453 litres. Worse yet, there’s actually only 302 litres if you have the boot in its default setting - the one which gets you a flat floor with the seats folded.

You do get a useful 51-litre underfloor storage compartment for cables, but there’s no frunk or additional storage. It should be adequate for a small family - with the boot floor lowered, there’s enough space for two or three large suitcases - but other alternatives do have much more room.

The Geely EX5’s interior is its highlight - well-built and with luxurious materials, it’s only let down by the fiddly touchscreen

If you sat inside the Geely EX5 with no context, you would never guess it’s the interior of a sub-£40,000 car. Far, far more expensive SUVs - even from posh brands, like the BMW X3 - could learn a thing or two from Geely about build quality and material choices. From the high-quality plastics on the dashboard to the soft artificial leather, it feels great inside.

It looks good too - Geely’s added patterns to some of the trim, and the asymmetric stitching on the seats is a nice touch. You can also get it in a light stone colour, which brightens the whole interior up a lot.

You do almost all your interacting with the car through the 15.4-inch touchscreen infotainment system. This is super-sharp, bright and responsive, but unfortunately it’s a bit of a pain to use. Key functions are buried - you have to go through two separate menus just to turn on the heated seats, for example - and not every function is positioned right where you’d expect it.

There is a multifunction dial, like you get in the VW Tiguan - but it can only do one of its functions at a time. Instead of scrolling through the available ones with a button press, you have to fiddle about with the screen again, making it a bit pointless. At least the steering wheel has physical buttons rather than touch-sensitive ones, though they’re not especially obvious in function.

Wireless Apple CarPlay comes as standard, but Android users are out of luck - Android Auto will be added in an over-the-air update, but it’s not available from launch.

The key appeal is the sheer level of equipment on offer, though. Even base cars get a heated steering wheel, wireless charging privacy glass and synthetic leather - but if you go for the Max car you get a head-up display, panoramic sunroof, powered tailgate and ambient lighting. The front seats also become electrically-adjustable, heated, ventilated, and even massaging.

Max cars also get a 1,000W ‘FlyMe’ stereo, which sounds excellent and includes speakers in the driver’s headrest useful for discreet navigation instructions or clearer phone calls.

There’s just one version of the Geely EX5 available, which uses a smallish 60.2kWh battery. Maximum range therefore stands at a fairly middling 267 miles, dropping to 254 miles for the heavier top-spec car - according to the official WLTP test.

During our time with the car we did manage to come very close to Geely’s claimed efficiency figure, which suggests that this 267-mile figure is at least quite realistic, but we’ll put that more to the test when we get a car in for a longer period.

Anyway, this range figure is in line with similarly-priced alternatives - the Jaecoo E5 can do 248 miles, the Skoda Elroq 60 can do 266, and the Kia EV3 Air can do 270. However, the Skoda and the Kia particularly offer larger-battery options for not much more money, which push their range up to 360 and 375 miles respectively - the EX5 can’t match this, so it’s not much good for long-distance drivers.

At least the small battery means reasonable charge times - Geely quotes 28 minutes for the benchmark 10-80% top-up, which is in line with alternatives.

As an electric car the Geely EX5 pays the lowest rates of road tax and company car Benefit-in-Kind.

Euro NCAP tested the Geely EX5 in 2025 and awarded it a full five-star rating. With scores in the individual categories between 83% and 87%, it had good ratings across the board, with its highest individual rating in the child occupant safety category.

All models get a huge amount of safety equipment - there’s blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, lane-change assist, adaptive cruise control, everything you’d expect as standard and more. However, we found the lane-keeping assist and speed limit warning bongs to be particularly irritating - and there’s no quick way to turn them off, requiring a lot of fiddling about in the touchscreen menus.

Geely is a new brand in the UK, but it’s also not - Geely tech has been on the road in Volvo, Polestar, Lotus, Smart and LEVC vehicles for ages. As one of the largest producers of EVs in the world, Geely’s well-placed to build a reliable car - though it’s obviously too early to say for sure.

Signs are good though, with an eight-year, 125,000-mile warranty on both the car and its battery - that’s among the longest in the business. You also get four years of roadside assistance and two years of free servicing.