MG

MG5 EV

The MG5 EV is a fully electrified estate car that boasts a very reasonable price-tag and delivers an excellent driving range of up to 250 miles between charges. There is a choice of trim levels and the car has had a makeover for 2023.

The good

Price, range and comfort

The bad

Rearview visibility is poor and some technology is also hit and miss

Tech Specs

Price from

£30,995

Combined Fuel up to

Up to 250 miles range

0-62 from

7.7 seconds

max speed up to

115mph

co2 from

0g/km

Test Drive

MG5 EV Trophy Long Range (2023)

The MG5 is a fully electrified estate car that has just been given a facelift to feature a fresh new look and also introduce more advanced technology to the mix.

The five-door family car is powered by a 61kWh long-range battery and customers can choose from two trim levels with prices starting at £30,995 for the SE specification and £34,040 for the high-end Trophy model, as tested.

There’s no denying the strong road presence of the front-wheel drive MG5 which stretches 4.6 metres in length. The 2023 car boasts a new front end with slim headlight clusters, along with a redesigned rear featuring new-look lights and a brake light bar. The alloys have been restyled too and are 16-inches on the SE or 17-inches on the Trophy version.

Other eye-catching features include neat streamlining, roof rails, privacy glass, follow-me-home headlights and a choice of six paint shades.

Moving inside, the interior is clutter-free and feature-rich with leather-style perforated front seats that can both be heated. The driver’s seat is power-adjustable and, with ample steering wheel movement, it’s easy to find a comfortable driving position.

On-board technology includes a 10.25-inch infotainment screen (as seen in the stunning MG4) and this is the access point to much of the on-board technology. Creature comforts include full smartphone connectivity via Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a six speaker 3D DAB sound system, Bluetooth, sat nav and a clear seven-inch driver display panel that shows vital data such as the remaining range and charge levels, speed and driving mode.

Also new to the latest MG5 is an iSmart app allowing owners to use a smartphone to pre-heat or cool the car, along with pre-setting charging times and plenty more besides.

All the controls are easy to use on the fly, but I did notice a couple of issues. Firstly, the infotainment screen switched itself off twice during my week-long loan. This meant I was forced to pull the car over, power it down and start it up again to regain any connection. The second issue is the rearview visibility, which is virtually non-existent due to the trio of rear headrests. Thankfully, rear parking sensors and a 360-degree camera help when reversing.

And when it comes to performance, the MG5 is a delight to drive. The 61kWh battery delivers 156PS and 279Nm of torque and that translates into some interesting stats with a 0-62mph time of just 7.7 seconds and top speed of 115mph.

The vehicle is nicely balanced when pushed on through sweeping country lanes where the grip also impressed even in the wet. It’s also accomplished cruising at 70mph on motorways although the 235-mile range will drop much quicker at higher speeds.

And, despite its length, it was deceptively agile and easy to manoeuvre in busier town centres. There are three levels of regenerative braking and in its strongest setting, single-pedal driving is almost possible.

In addition, the driver can flick through drive modes called Eco, Normal and Sport that change the handling and performance considerably with Sport adding quite an edge to the dynamics.

When it comes to practicality, the MG5 has most bases covered with ease. It’s a spacious family car with plenty of room in the back for a trio of youngsters to sit comfortably. The boot can swallow 578 litres of luggage (to the roof) and this limit increases to 1,367 litres with the 60:40 split-folding rear seats dropped forward. There is also a smaller area beneath the boot floor which is ideal for storing charging cables.

Inside the cabin, are front and rear cup holders, a deep glovebox, a central cubby, door bins, seat back pockets, some trays and a large area up front between the front occupants. The only downside was the positioning of the front USB ports at the end of this storage area which is really difficult to access.

Charging the MG5 is a simple process and it can be boosted from 10 to 80 per cent in 35 minutes via a 150kW charger, in 61 minutes via a 50kW outlet or in 10 hours from 10 to 100 per cent if using a 7kW home wallbox.

Another plus-point on the new car is its Vehicle-to-Load technology. This means the battery can be used to power up external devices. So, if you are on a camping trip you could use the car to charge lights, a coffee machine or an electric pump to inflate a bed etc.

And when you factor in the wealth of safety kit, along with the company’s superb seven-year, 80,000-mile warranty package that is fully transferable if the vehicle is sold on, it seems MG’s presence in the EV sector is going from strength to strength.

Test Drive

MG5 EV Exclusive Long Range (2021)

The MG name takes us on a trip down memory lane with fond reflections of the sporty MGB GT and Midget models that graced our roads back in the 60s and 70s.

However these days, the company is far more modern in its approach and is tackling the electrification issues facing the industry head on.

And the perfect example of that is the MG5 – a fully electric car with estate body styling and a combined range of up to 250 miles between charges.

There is enough space inside for five adults to sit comfortably and a boot capacity to swallow bundles of luggage making the MG5 EV is a versatile model with plenty of appeal.

Our high-end Exclusive model, with Long Range offering a driving range of up to 250 miles between charges, was priced at £28,995 after the Government plug-in car grant had been deducted. It was powered by a 61.1kWh battery delivering 156PS and 192Nm of torque. There is an MG5 EV model powered by a smaller 52kWh battery with a lower range limit of 214 miles.

When it comes to performance, our test car was certainly fast out the starting blocks with instant torque and a 0-60mph sprint time of 7.3 seconds and a top speed of 115mph.

The five-door model looks impressive from any approach thanks to its stretched body, chrome window surrounds, sweeping light clusters, roof rails and smart 16-inch alloy wheels.

Moving inside, the interior is spacious with a powered driver’s seat, a flat-bottom leather steering wheel, heated seats, MG mats, lots of soft-touch surfaces and leather-type upholstery.

There is plenty of on-board technology to explore, including full smartphone connectivity via Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a six-speaker sound system, a DAB radio, air conditioning with filter, Bluetooth, an eight-inch touchscreen and seven-inch driver information display.

Acceleration through the single speed automatic transmission is nice and smooth and there are drive modes called Eco, Normal and Sport to alter the car’s responses. Energy is captured during braking and there are also three levels of regeneration braking to flick through – in level 3, single pedal driving is almost possible.

On motorways, the front-wheel drive MG5 EV cruises effortlessly at 70mph, and with good all-round visibility, a rearview camera plus fairly light steering, city centre driving is easy too.

Due to its complete silent running, outside sounds such as tyre rumble and wind noise become more noticeable at higher speeds, but generally the cabin remains refined. In addition, most bumps and dips are ironed out by the efficient suspension set-up too.

The plug-in charge port is located behind the MG badge on the front grille and the car’s battery can be boosted to 80 per cent in just 40 minutes via a rapid charger. It takes 61 minutes using a 50kW charge point or 9.5 hours for a full charge on a 7kW home wallbox.

A trio of back seat passengers can sit comfortably inside the MG5 EV and the boot can hold 464 litres of luggage – a limit that increases to 1,456 litres with the split-folding rears seats dropped flat. In addition, bits and pieces can be stored in the glovebox, door bins, seat back pockets, cubby box, trays and there are front and rear cup holders too.

As one would expect these days, the car features a wealth of safety kit, including a number of driver assistance aids such as active emergency braking with pedestrian and cycle detection, lane keep assist with lane departure warning system, intelligent speed limit assist, intelligent high beam assist and traffic jam assist.

When you also factor in the seven-year warranty, the MG5 EV is quite the complete package. Admittedly, there are more dynamic and better styled electric models out there, but for its competitive price-tag, this car is certainly worth exploring.