by Pros ›› Stylish appearance, affordable price, efficiency, comfortable ride
Cons ›› Intrusive safety systems, small trunk, not very exciting driving dynamics
Electric Market in Motion
The electric SUV segment has changed incredibly fast in recent years, transforming from a niche curiosity into a main battleground for manufacturers. Particularly rapid growth has been observed over the last five years, largely thanks to a wave of ambitious newcomers from China.
If you are a regular reader of automotive news, you are undoubtedly aware of all the new and attractive electric vehicles coming out of China. For US residents, this is bad news, as none of them are available there, but in Europe, the Asia-Pacific region, and other countries, these electric cars have forced auto giants to raise the bar and lower prices, which is great news for consumers.
One of the key players in the country is the Geely Group, which continues to expand the presence of its core brand alongside a portfolio that includes Lotus, Volvo, Polestar, and Zeekr.
In markets like Australia, its most significant new electric vehicle is the Geely EX5, aimed directly at the Tesla Model Y and competing Chinese models such as the Xpeng G6 and BYD Sealion 7. It may not attract attention with its appearance or offer a particularly thrilling ride, but it meets a large number of requirements.
Quick Model Facts
*According to manufacturer data
What Do You Get for Your Money?
In Australia, two versions of the Geely EX5 are currently available – Complete and Inspire. We spent a week behind the wheel of the top Inspire version. Prices start from 41,990 Australian dollars (29,600 US dollars) for the Complete and rise to 45,990 Australian dollars (32,500 US dollars) for the Inspire, which, including on-road costs, amounts to approximately 50,061 Australian dollars (35,300 US dollars).
Neither version offers additional options. All buyers must choose one of six available body colors and two interior colors.
The EX5 is slightly smaller than the Tesla Model Y and BYD Sealion 7, but also significantly cheaper. The new Model Y Premium Rear-Wheel Drive starts from 58,900 Australian dollars (41,600 US dollars), which is 16,910 Australian dollars (12,000 US dollars) more expensive. The larger Sealion 7 starts from 54,990 Australian dollars (38,800 US dollars). The EX5 is also cheaper than the Xpeng G6 (from 54,800 Australian dollars) and the Leapmotor C10 (from 47,990 Australian dollars).
The EX5 is built on the Geely GEA architecture and equipped with a compact 60.2 kWh lithium iron phosphate battery with a single electric motor on the front axle. Both versions develop the same 160 kW (215 hp) and 320 Nm of torque.
Due to the small battery, the claimed range of 430 km for the Complete and 410 km for the Inspire is not impressive, but the EX5 promises to be quite economical with an average consumption from 15.8 kWh/100 km.
Stylish Interior
My week with the EX5 began right after I returned the keys from the new Geely Starray EM-i plug-in hybrid. From the driver’s seat, they look and feel almost identical, which, of course, is not a drawback.
The base instrument panel, steering wheel, door panels, and floating center console in the EX5 are practically identical to the Starray. While greater differentiation between models would be desirable, it’s hard to imagine EX5 buyers being dissatisfied with the interior build quality.
In the center of the panel is a 15.4-inch infotainment display with the Geely Flyme OS system. This is an excellent system with a fast processor and logical, understandable menus. I particularly liked the ability to customize which functions remain on the taskbar at the bottom of the screen, such as temperature adjustment, fan speed, and seat settings.
A large 10.2-inch digital instrument cluster is also used. As in the Starray EM-i, only the right part can be configured to display multimedia or trip data. The rest of the screen does not change.
Our test car had a black interior trim that felt more premium than one might expect at this price. There are some glossy black plastic elements, including on the steering wheel and parts of the door panels, but Geely didn’t overdo it. The floating console houses climate control quick keys and a configurable scroll wheel.
The Good and Not So Good
Sitting in the driver’s seat for the first time, I felt relieved that the artificial leather feels very real and pleasantly soft to the touch. However, I was disappointed that, as in the Starray, there is no lumbar support adjustment. This is a strange omission, especially considering that Geely installed ventilated, heated, and massaging front seats.
As for the massaging seats, they are excellent and surprisingly intense, unlike most other cars in this price category.
At the start of sales, the EX5 only had wireless Apple CarPlay but did not have Android Auto support. Fortunately, our test car received a software update that added wireless Android Auto, and it worked flawlessly. The Inspire version also comes standard with a panoramic sunroof and a quality 16-speaker audio system.
Externally, the EX5 looks quite compact, but to my surprise, there is enough space in the rear row for adults, including good legroom and headroom. However, it seems Geely sacrificed trunk volume to make the rear seats so spacious.
As a result, there are only 302 liters of luggage space in the back, although this increases to 410 liters if you count the spacious compartment under the floor. With the seats folded down, you get 1877 liters, which is about 200 liters less than in the Starray.
Smooth and Clear Ride
After spending any amount of time behind the wheel of the EX5, it becomes obvious that it feels just as polished as some more expensive competitors.
As befits such an electric vehicle, it is quiet on the highway, but has a particularly loud pedestrian warning sound when moving at low speeds. The figures of 160 kW and 320 Nm are standard for such a vehicle and, incidentally, identical to the recently introduced Hyundai Elexio.
The power is quite sufficient. If this were an internal combustion engine car, it might seem a bit weak, but since all the thrust is available immediately upon pressing the pedal, the EX5 accelerates surprisingly well. It can accelerate to 100 km/h in 6.9 seconds, which is very respectable. Geely also did a good job of eliminating any signs of torque steer under hard acceleration.
Efficiency is also top-notch. The average consumption during the test was 16.2 kWh/100 km, which is much better than I recently showed in the larger and heavier Hyundai Elexio.
The ride also feels polished and soft, and that’s not something you can say about many electric cars. Since such cars have heavy batteries in the floor, manufacturers often tune the suspension quite stiffly. That’s not the case here: the EX5 will smoothly and comfortably handle bumps. Similarly, the steering is light and precise with several different effort settings.
What Could Be Improved?
As in the Starray, most of the drawbacks in operating the EX5 are related to overly thorough safety systems, such as speed limit warnings and the driver monitoring system. In the more expensive Zeekr 7X, also from the Geely Group, these systems can be easily and quickly turned off by swiping down from the top of the central screen and pressing the large quick settings. Moreover, they remain off even after exiting the car.
In the EX5, it’s not that simple, as you need to delve into the menu, which can take 10-15 seconds. Every time I was about to drive, I had to turn them off. It would be nice if Geely invited some Zeekr UX engineers to consult on implementing similar quick toggles.
Is the EX5 particularly fun or exciting to drive? No, since it simply doesn’t have the performance or suspension tuning for thrills, but it handles well, largely thanks to its relatively low weight.
Shortly after we returned the keys from our 2025 model, Geely introduced the 2026 EX5
