The MG5 is a no-nonsense family product that offers good practicality with the efficient benefits of an all-electric powertrain. It won’t suit buyers looking for any sparkle and shine in their driveway, as the MG5 doesn’t have any extravagant premium or ostentatious features.
Instead, it offers what matters most: plenty of space, good levels of standard equipment, usable range, and low running costs. The MG5 won’t set your clocks up, but if you can get past the humdrum image, you’ll find a car that gets the job done – at a price that’s hard to resist.
About MG5 EV
Electric cars are often criticized for being too expensive to buy. Featuring stylish city runs, such as Fiat 500 cost more than 20,000 pounds and super products like Electric MINI and Honda e for £30,000 or more, buyers with a view of practicality and value for money can stop switching to a new EV
Enter the all-electric MG5. With functional estate styling, an impressive list of accessories and prices starting at around £28,000 (later PiCG Government Subsidies), it offers a no-frills approach to challenging the latest models in the burgeoning electric vehicle market.
Evergreen’s electric competitors like Nissan Leaf and Renault Zoe can’t compete on price and don’t come close in terms of interior space, while the MG5’s significantly lower running costs may convince buyers to forego the more typical options of the MG5. Ford Focus real estate and Volkswagen Golf Course asset.
At launch, the MG5 featured a 52.5kWh battery, giving it a claimed range of 214 miles, with a single 154bhp engine driving the front wheels. With 50kW onboard charging, it will take just 50 minutes to charge the battery from 0-80%, while a full charge (up to 100%) from a 7kW home charger requires around 8.5 hours.
MG no longer offers the 52.5kWh battery model on the price list. Instead, you’ll find an upgraded MG5 Long Range version with a larger 61.1kWh battery. The revised model will get you up to 250 miles on a single charge, although a 0-80 percent recharge will naturally take a small amount, increasing to 61 minutes when using a 50kW charger. However, the MG5 is now compatible with 100kW charging as well, so time can be reduced to around 40 minutes if you have access to a properly equipped charging point.
MG has also added a sweetener in the form of the MG Pilot’s driver assistance package, which includes Active Emergency Braking, Lane keeping assist with Lane Departure Warning, Traffic Jam Assist and Intelligent Speed Limit Assist.
There are currently only two trim specifications for the MG5: Excite and Exclusive. The former includes enough kit for most, with manual air conditioning, sat-nav, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, DAB radio and Bluetooth, while the second adds luxury amenities like heated seats, leather upholstery, automatic climate control, keyless entry and additional USB ports.
The MG5 is more than fast enough for a family estate, but the ride isn’t perfect
Like most single-engine electric cars, the MG5 uses a single-speed fixed-speed transmission to drive the front wheels. However, the car’s soft suspension setup doesn’t translate into a perfectly smooth ride, with the typical rough roads around town all too easily felt through the cabin. Things improve when on the highway, though the squishy steering could be better, with input not feeling particularly accurate.
The MG5 probably won’t be suitable for keen drivers as despite its decent straight-line turn speeds, the car’s dynamic shortcomings are once again highlighted with lots of swings. rotate the bodywork through the corners. There are three levels of brake recovery on offer, but none are effective enough to allow ‘single pedal’ driving – a function that makes it easier to drive when stopping/starting traffic in town .
Three individual driving modes are also available: Eco-priority range, which still allows for decent speed turns, but takes a little longer to catch up to highway speeds. In Normal mode you benefit from full power, while Sport mode tweaks throttle response to unleash a somewhat surprising level of performance – although the trade-off is you’ll drain the battery faster .
Engine, 0-60 acceleration and top speed
With 154bhp and 260Nm of torque, the front-wheel drive MG5 can send a 0-62mph benchmark in 7.3 seconds, but perhaps more relevant to buyers in terms of real-world driving will be timing. The nimble 0-30mph is 3.2. second. Meanwhile, the MINI Electric 181bhp hits a time of 3.9 seconds from 0-37mph, so the MG5 can certainly hold its own if you need to get off the line quickly.
Good range and charging will be appealing, although the MG5 is more expensive to warrant than you might think
The MG5 will be attractive to business users due to its claimed 250-mile maximum range and zero CO2 emissions that appeal to the lowest possible Benefits-in-Kind rate: 1 percent for 2021/22 and 2 percent for 2022/23. Competitive list prices, starting at around £28,000, will attract private buyers, while some determined bargainers will secure the right discount.
The onboard charging capacity of 100kW means you should be able to get a full charge from 0-80% in about 41 minutes with either battery type. MG claims an effective speed of 3.5 mph for the 5 EV, the same as the MINI Electric and second only to Honda e at 3.8m/kWh. In our tests of the Long Range model, we recorded 3.7 miles/kWh.
Insurrance
Both versions of the MG5 are in the 32nd group in terms of coverage, so the premium will be slightly more expensive than the typical internal combustion engine. Eg, Ford Focus the range is rated from group 10 to 23, with only the 276bhp ST stand-alone version in the higher group of 34. MINI Electric is in the 22-23 group, while the Honda e is in the 25-29 group.
Depreciation
The data shows that, after a typical three-year/36,000-mile ownership period, the MG5 will keep about 50% of its original list price, just above its ZS EV sibling by an average of 48%. MINI Electric retained about 55% of its value over the same period.
The MG5 won’t win any interior design awards, but the standard set is generous
The MG has been owned by Chinese manufacturer SAIC since 2007 and the 5 EV is a renamed version of the company’s Roewe Ei5 model. Over the past few years, SUVs have steadily taken away sales from more traditional models, but the MG 5 represents a basic, affordable approach to family mobility. – made even more attractive by the adoption of zero emissions, fully electric drive.
At first glance, the MG5’s drab styling probably won’t be as desirable as its more modern ZS EV stablemate, but it should appeal to buyers looking for a decent range and good value for money. Yes, most of the exposed plastic in the cabin is hard to the touch and looks pretty cheap, but the 5 EV isn’t too utilitarian and a piano black and chrome trim helps to soften things up.
The standard set includes 16-inch alloy wheels, automatic headlights, cruise control, rear parking sensors, air conditioning and a leather-wrapped steering wheel, while an upgrade to the exclusive version includes added silver roof rails, power-folding rearview mirrors, automatic rain-sensing wipers, seat heating and keyless entry.
Arctic White paint is available for free, although you’ll have to pay an extra £545 for one of the blue, black or silver metallic colors. The special three coat Dynamic Red paint is priced at £695.
Sat-nav, stereo and infotainment
All MG5 trims come with an 8-inch color touchscreen, as well as sat-nav, Bluetooth, DAB radio, and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity. Both the Excite and Exclusive variants are equipped with a six-speaker audio system, although the latter offers four USB ports, compared to two in the cheaper version.
With a good trunk and plenty of space for passengers, the MG5 is a practical family product
The MG5 offers more practicality and versatility than other similarly priced EVs. Ample space up front keeps the driver and front passenger comfortable, while the flat floor offers a bit more space in the rear.
With its pretty good 250-mile max range (rated on WLTP combined cycle), the MG5 Long Range can take longer journeys out of town without any worries about where you might stop and top up the battery. The generous standard set adds to the appeal, with cruise control, satellite navigation and a 7-inch digital driver information display that makes managing trips a little easier.
More premium amenities like leather upholstery and heated front seats are offered with the pricier Exclusive trim, while the driver benefits from six-way power seats, auto-dimming rearview mirrors and wipers. automatic.
Size
At 4,544mm long and 1,818mm wide, the MG5 is slightly smaller than the Ford Focus, although it’s 1,513mm tall compared to the Focus’ 1,494mm.
Legroom, headroom & passenger space
With its five-door body style, the MG5 offers plenty of space for rear occupants, though you’ll find more space to stretch out in the larger Focus. Headroom is good and taller passengers should be able to sit comfortably behind the two in front.
Start up
The MG5’s 464-litre trunk is large enough for most family needs, but there’s a fair amount to negotiate, so loading/unloading larger items will be more difficult. The rear seats are split in a 60:40 configuration and when folded provide 1,456 liters of room for your luggage.
The overall space pretty much eclipses many other EVs in this price range, but if you’re after top-of-the-line capacity then you should head for it. Skoda Octavia estate with its 600 liter boot.
A good safety kit and a reassuring seven-year warranty only add to the MG5’s appeal
The MG5 has yet to be crash tested by Euro NCAPbut buyers can rest assured by the full five-star rating it gets MG ZS EV sibling. All MG5 Long Range models are now equipped with the MG Pilot’s driver assistance package, which includes lane-keeping assist, adaptive cruise control, and traffic jam assist. All have front, side and curtain airbags, Emergency Braking Assist, ARP (Anti-rollover Protection) and Hill Start Assist, plus a rear parking camera and functional electric parking brake. automatic parking.
It is still too early to judge the reliability of the MG5, although the early signs are positive. MG will be disappointed with its performance in Driver source customer satisfaction survey, however. The manufacturer finished 29th (and last) in the Best Brands poll, while only the ZS model made it to the Best Cars to Own list – at No. 41 out of 75 cars. MG will be hoping the almighty electric talents of the MG 5 and MG ZS EV will propel them even higher on the list in 2022.
Guarantee
A seven-year/80,000-mile warranty is offered with all MG vehicles. This outperforms most other manufacturers, with Ford only offers three-year/60,000-mile coverage for the Focus, and the MINI offers the same period, but no mileage limit, for the Electric model.
Serve
MG offers a range of service plans to allow you to split the cost of scheduled maintenance evenly, instead of paying one-off.
If you’re looking to buy an MG5 EV, then why not visit our sister site buyacar.co.uk for the latest deals…
