LAUNCHING a new car brand in the UK is never easy. Launching one in the middle of an increasingly crowded electric vehicle market is harder still.
Yet Geely arrives with a considerable advantage. While the name may be unfamiliar to some UK buyers, the company behind it is anything but. Geely already owns or has major stakes in Volvo, Polestar, Lotus, Zeekr, Smart and LEVC, making it one of the world’s largest automotive groups.
Its first UK model is the EX5, a family-focused electric SUV that aims to combine generous equipment, strong technology and competitive pricing with the sort of range and usability that can tempt buyers away from established rivals.
After spending a week with the range-topping EX5 Max, it’s clear Geely has got a lot right. The challenge is that one familiar weakness continues to hold it back from greatness.
Overview
The Geely EX5 is a compact electric SUV that enters one of the most fiercely contested segments in the market.
Priced from £31,990 OTR for the entry-level SE, it undercuts many established rivals while still offering a generous standard specification. Above that sit the Pro and Max trims, with the latter represented by the test car reviewed here.
My test vehicle was finished in Jade Green with a Cloud White interior and carried an on-the-road price of £36,990.
Power comes from a front-mounted electric motor producing 218PS and 320Nm of torque, driving the front wheels through a single-speed transmission. A 60.22kWh battery delivers an official WLTP range of 255 miles in Max trim, while 0-62mph takes 7.1 seconds.
Those figures won’t trouble a Tesla Model Y or Kia EV3, but Geely’s strategy is clearly built around value rather than outright headline numbers.
Design
The EX5 is one of those cars that becomes more appealing the longer you spend with it.
At first glance, it doesn’t shout for attention. There are no oversized grilles, unnecessary creases or styling gimmicks designed purely to generate social media engagement. Instead, Geely has opted for a clean, contemporary design that feels mature.
The flush door handles, slim lighting signatures and smooth body surfacing give it a modern appearance without appearing overly futuristic.
In Jade Green, the press car looked particularly smart. It’s a colour that suits the EX5’s understated character and helps it stand apart from the endless parade of grey and black SUVs currently filling Britain’s roads.
The overall impression is one of quiet confidence. It may not stop traffic, but it looks like a car designed by people who exercised restraint and the result is happy/fresh looking EV that won’t offend anyone.
Interior
Step inside and the EX5 immediately feels more expensive than its price tag suggests.
The Cloud White interior fitted to the test car creates a bright, airy atmosphere that – combined with the panoramic roof – helps the cabin feel genuinely spacious.
Material quality is impressive throughout. Soft-touch surfaces are plentiful, the faux leather dashboard adds a premium touch and the overall fit and finish feels reassuringly solid.
The seats are particularly comfortable, offering heating, ventilation and massage functions up front. Those are features typically associated with vehicles costing considerably more than £37,000.
However, while the lighter upholstery looks fantastic, I do wonder how it will cope with years of family use. Owners who regularly wear dark denim may find themselves becoming well acquainted with upholstery cleaning products before too long.
The overall ambience is excellent, though, helped by the 256-colour ambient lighting system and thoughtful use of materials. The cabin feels welcoming, modern and somewhere you’d happily spend several hours.
Rear Passenger Space and Practicality
The EX5 has clearly been designed with families in mind.
Thanks to Geely’s dedicated electric vehicle architecture, interior packaging is excellent. Rear passengers enjoy generous legroom and headroom, while the flat floor helps maximise usable space across the rear bench.
Storage is another strength. The EX5 boasts 33 storage compartments throughout the cabin, including a useful rear under-seat drawer and plenty of places to stash everyday items.
The boot offers 461 litres of luggage space with the rear seats in place, expanding to as much as 1,877 litres when folded.
That puts it firmly among the more practical options in this class and makes it well suited to family life, whether that’s school runs, shopping trips or longer holidays.
The powered tailgate and wide opening further enhance usability, as does the fact that the split-folding rear seats present only the slightest of ridges to slide longer items over. It’s all very well thought out.
Technology and Connectivity
Technology is an area where Chinese manufacturers continue to impress, and the EX5 is no exception.
The centrepiece is a 15.4-inch touchscreen running Geely’s Flyme Auto operating system, paired with a 10.2-inch digital instrument display and a 13.8-inch head-up display in Max trim.
The system is fast, responsive and generally intuitive to use. Menus are logically arranged, graphics are crisp and the hardware feels more powerful than some systems found in far more expensive vehicles.
Voice control is comprehensive, while wireless Apple CarPlay comes as standard. Android Auto is scheduled to arrive via an over-the-air update, which feels like an odd omission at launch but one that should be resolved quickly.
The standout feature, however, is the 16-speaker Flyme Sound audio system.
Complete with headrest speakers and 1,000 watts of power, it delivers impressive clarity and depth. Whether listening to podcasts, radio or music, it performs well above expectations for a vehicle at this price point.
Driving Impressions
This is where the EX5 delivers both its biggest strengths and its biggest weakness.
Let’s start with the positives. The electric powertrain is smooth, responsive and perfectly suited to family use. Performance is brisk rather than exciting, but the 218PS motor provides enough urgency to make overtaking straightforward and motorway joining effortless.
Refinement is good too. At motorway speeds, the EX5 settles into a relaxed cruising rhythm. Wind noise is well controlled, the powertrain is almost silent and the overall driving experience feels reassuringly mature if not exciting.
Range proved equally impressive during my time with the car. In an era where many manufacturers continue to overpromise and underdeliver, the EX5’s 255-mile WLTP figure felt refreshingly realistic. Real-world range closely matched expectations, giving confidence that longer journeys can be undertaken without constantly monitoring the battery percentage.
Unfortunately, once you leave smoother roads behind, the EX5 begins to reveal a characteristic that’s become familiar across a number of Chinese SUVs – The ride quality is simply too busy on typical British B-roads.
On undulating roads and uneven surfaces, the suspension struggles to settle itself properly. There is a persistent bounce and vertical movement that can become wearing over longer journeys. It isn’t uncomfortable in the traditional sense, but neither does it feel fully resolved.
To Geely’s credit, the company states that UK-specific suspension tuning was carried out with input from Lotus engineers. Yet despite those efforts, there remains room for improvement.
The damping needs another round of development before it can genuinely challenge the best European and Korean rivals. It’s not a deal-breaker, particularly given the value on offer, but it does prevent the EX5 from feeling quite as polished as it otherwise might.
Safety
The EX5 has achieved a five-star Euro NCAP rating and comes equipped with a comprehensive suite of driver assistance technologies as standard.
Features include adaptive cruise control, automatic emergency braking, blind spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, emergency lane keeping assist and a 360-degree camera system.
Most importantly, these systems generally behave themselves. They provide useful support without constantly nagging the driver, which isn’t something every modern vehicle can claim – and once you figure out how to switch off the more annoying bings and bongs (and realize you can allocate a shortcut button) then things become even more relaxed.
Range and Charging
The EX5’s 60.22kWh battery may not be particularly large by modern standards, but Geely has clearly focused on efficiency.
The Max version offers a WLTP range of up to 255 miles, while the more efficient SE can achieve up to 267 miles.
Charging performance is competitive. DC charging peaks at 160kW, allowing a 30-80% charge in around 20 minutes under ideal conditions. Home charging via an 11kW AC supply is equally respectable.
Vehicle-to-Load and Vehicle-to-Vehicle functionality also come as standard, allowing the EX5 to power everything from camping equipment to electric bikes. Again, impressive at this price point.
Rivals
Competition is fierce. The Kia EV3 remains one of the benchmarks in this segment, while the Volvo EX30 offers premium appeal and stronger brand recognition. The Skoda Elroq deserves consideration too, thanks to its practicality and driving dynamics.
Where the Geely fights back is value – few rivals offer this level of equipment, technology and refinement at under £37,000.
Verdict
For a first effort, the Geely EX5 is hugely impressive.
It looks good, feels well made, offers generous space and technology, and delivers the sort of real-world range that family buyers actually need. The interior is particularly strong, creating an impression of quality that comfortably exceeds its asking price.
The only notable weakness is the suspension tuning. While perfectly acceptable on smoother roads and motorways, it never quite settles on the sort of broken, undulating B-roads that make up so much of the British road network. The result is a bouncy, occasionally fidgety ride that prevents the EX5 from feeling fully polished.
Even so, it’s difficult to be too critical when you consider the value on offer.
At a Glance
- Make & Model: Geely EX5 Max
- Price (OTR): £36,990
- Powertrain: Single-motor front-wheel drive
- Power: 218 PS
- Torque: 320 Nm
- Battery: 60.22 kWh
- 0–62 mph: 7.1 seconds
- Top Speed: 109 mph
- WLTP Range: 255 miles
- Charging: 30–80% in 20 minutes (160 kW DC)
- Warranty: 6+2 years / 125,000 miles vehicle, 8 years / 125,000 miles battery
