Geely launched their first UK model in 2025, the all-electric EX5 SUV. As parent company of Volvo & Polestar there’s definitely some symmetry there & when an EX5 made its way to us in early 2026 this became clearer.
Model choice, battery & rangeThree versions, SE, Pro & Max, all fitted with one 60.22kWh battery (useable capacity) enabling a range of up to 267 miles (WLTP),
PerformanceModel Power 0-62mph Top speed
Geely EX5 SE/Pro 215bhp 6.9 seconds 109mph
Geely EX5 Max 215bhp 7.1 seconds 109mph
Geely EX5 SE/Pro 215bhp 6.9 seconds 109mph
Geely EX5 Max 215bhp 7.1 seconds 109mph
PricesGeely EX5 SE – £29,690
Geely EX5 Pro – £30,790
Geely EX5 Max – £33,240
Driving range
When we fully charged our Max model in a cold February the cars range indicated 232 miles. Officially ranges are;
Geely EX5 SE 267 miles
Geely EX5 Pro 258 miles
Geely EX5 Max 255 miles
Geely EX5 Max 255 miles
OutsideThe EX5 is a good looking C-SUV with look’s that tip their hat to the Porsche Macan & Mazda CX-5. It’s clearly an SUV, but features smooth lines rather than angles. There’s no front grille, you get a side profile with a clever door indent & a large rear window with small roof spoiler & car-width light band finish off the hatchback.
InsideAs we were testing the range topping Max spec this was nicely realised. The colour way was cream for the seats, dash bottoms, door panels & steering wheel, with dark grey & chrome elsewhere. The general build quality is very good with just a concern over the window switches & outside mirror controls which appeared flimsy. Almost everything is controlled via the touchscreen including the sunroof blind. You do get a cylindrical volume control in the centre section – more about this later- & steering wheel controls which aren’t labelled – very Volvo – to access cruise control & media volume & type. When the large glass roof is exposed it brightens things up nicely.
Infotainment & displaysThe 15.4-inch landscape display is standard across the range & comes with fast responses & crystal clear displays. However because most functions go through it, learning the menus to adjust the seats – heated, ventilated & with six massage functions – the cars driver safety, the climate, the driving modes, the sunblind & even how wide the rear hatch opens is time consuming.
On further investigation it turns out the cylindrical volume control can also be programmed to work the cars temperature, fan speed & wallpaper settings, which themselves are slightly annoying as this comes on every time you indicate, blanking out your SatNav screen.You also get on Max models a 13.8-inch head-up display alongside the standard 10.2-inch HD driver display which illustrates your speed, range, revs, driving mode & charge. This looks good, but there’s a lot of info packed into a small space & the lettering is quite small, so if you use reading glasses you may struggle to see it clearly.
Connectivity & soundApple CarPlay, Android Auto & DAB are a given with a good sized wireless charging pad also offered. Geely has built its own Flyme 16-speaker system which is only offered on Max trim which we tested & this features a 1000W amplifier subwoofers & headrest speakers which were once the privilege of premium cars & often an extra. It sounds excellent.
Cabin practicalityGeely have thought outside ether box here as even the front seats fold flat once you’ve taken the headrests off. Both seats on SE & Pro, driver only in Max trim. And you get a powered leg rest for the front passenger seat.
Factor in 33 storage spaces as well, including a 14 litre under-seat rear drawer, good sized glove box, under armrest space, a hidden floating area in the centre & decent sized door pockets. Passengers get excellent head & legroom & there’s easily space for five adults on board. Add in the Max’s comfortable massage seats, good electric seat adjustment & loads of glass with a great view of the road & it’s a perfect family motor.
Boot space410-1,877 litres with the seats folded down. Under the boot floor is large 51 litre storage area perfect for the charging cable & the boot width & height, which can be adjusted via the touchscreen make loading very easy. The boot floor finish is bit a cheap & flimsy though so you’ll need to take care with heavier items.
ChargingA charging speed of 160kW means a 30 to 80% top-up will take 20 – 30 mins on a fast charger or from 10-100% will take around 6.5 hours on a home charger, thanks to an 11kW on-board charger.. https://www.rolecserv.com/ev-products/evo
The EX5 also has the ability to provide a 3.3kW vehicle-to-load or 6kW vehicle-to-vehicle charge, useful if you’re an outdoorsy type we’d imagine.
Warranty6+2 year/125,000 mile vehicle & 8 year/125,000 battery.
DrivingWhilst the EX5 is quite a heavy lump at 1765kg, thanks to its clever construction where the battery is properly integrated into the chassis, the EX5 feels quick, especially at lower speeds, with some front wheel spin in evidence thanks to the 320Nm of torque on offer.
You can select from one of three drive modes, Eco, Normal or Sport doing what it says on the tin & can adjust the cars regenerative braking in the touchscreen menus too. None are one-pedal though.
The brakes work but are a bit spongy so you’ll get used to pushing harder to stop than perhaps you’d want to. Better is the steering which can adjusted in the screen menus where we favoured Sport, but all of this levels highlight how incredibly light the steering is making it an absolute cinch to driver in an urban environment, reverse park & manoeuvre.
The suspension is soft, so speed bumps & terrible tarmac prove no major issue as the EX5 floats around. It’s all reassuringly quiet as you make progress.On the open road the car doesn’t wallow like many other electric SUV’s & handles shifting road situations nicely; winding country roads feel smooth, whilst up’s & downs prove no issue either. Perhaps like most similar cars it shines brightest on the motorway proving to be incredibly comfortable as well as easy to drive thanks to adaptive cruise control & the well insulated cabin. At higher speeds the steering stiffens up but it doesn’t display enough control for us so don’t move it sharply as you will induce the wobbles.
SafetyWhilst the EX5 features these in abundance; adaptive cruise control, automatic emergency braking, lane keeping & emergency lane assist, emergency manoeuvre assist, blind-spot detection, rear cross-traffic alert, door-open warning & a 360-degree camera system. It’s also the cars weakest hand. Forward collision is far too sensitive, as is the lane departure set-up, driver attention warning & lane-keep assist which pulls too much. Best we’d say to turn these off before every journey which is a bit of pain but is relatively easy within the touchscreen menus.
We likeCabin quality, standard specs, exterior looks, comfortable ride, 3% BIK & competitive price
We don’t like
The sensitive safety fitted, over reliance on the touchscreen, spongy brakes, average driving range.
VerdictGeelys first UK car is a much better first effort than most Chinese manufacturers have launched with & we’ve a sneaking suspicion larger battery version is on its way too so it will soon go further.
What became clear when we drove it is though, is the EX5 benefits from plenty of sister brands Volvo’s good things, such as excellent build quality, a compliant ride & tidy looks, alongside some of the bad, namely the over reliance on the touchscreen & over zealous safety warnings. At it’s competitive price though, much of this can be forgiven & with a little time & patience, plus some Geely software updates, customers will cope.
A China on my mind 3.5/5
