Motor Verso editor and MGMW member Paul Hadley was invited to the UK launch of the Geely Auto EX5.
A Name Worth Knowing
You might not have heard of Geely before, but you will have heard of the brands they own. Volvo, Polestar, Smart, Lotus and a sizeable stake in Aston Martin all sit under the Geely umbrella, making this one of the biggest automotive groups on the planet. Now, for the first time, Geely is bringing its own mainline car brand, Geely Auto, directly to UK buyers, and it is starting with the all-new EX5 electric SUV.
I was invited along to the UK launch event to get my first proper look at the car, and I came away with a far stronger impression than I was expecting.
Solid Stuff On Paper
The EX5 sits in the family compact SUV segment, though in person it feels a touch larger than most of its rivals. Power comes from a single electric motor producing 215bhp and 320Nm of torque, enough to cover 0 to 62mph in under seven seconds. It is not a performance car, but it is not trying to be. What it is trying to be is a sensible, well-rounded family car with a genuinely competitive price tag, and on that front it makes a strong case for itself.
Range is rated at 267 miles on the WLTP combined cycle, which is a solid figure for a car at this price point. DC fast charging tops out at 160kW, meaning a 30 to 80 per cent top-up takes around 20 minutes. An 8-year, 125,000-mile battery warranty backs it all up.
Tech That Punches Well Above Its Price
Step inside and the EX5 makes an immediate impression. A 15.4-inch infotainment screen in 2.5k resolution dominates the dashboard, paired with a 10.2-inch digital instrument cluster and a head-up display. Ventilated and heated massage seats in the front, a 16-speaker sound system and clever storage throughout the cabin all point to a brand that has clearly learned a great deal from its partnerships with Volvo and Polestar.
The Price Makes It Very Interesting
Pricing starts at £31,990 for the entry-level SE, though Geely’s launch incentives bring that down further still, with grants of between £2,300 and £3,750 depending on the trim you choose. The deal is sweetened further by an offer of either a discounted Andersen EV home wall charger or £500 of credit with Octopus Electroverse, covering over a million charge points across the UK and Europe.
Geely already has 25 UK dealerships open and plans to reach 100 by the end of 2026, which is an ambitious rollout by any measure. Based on what I saw at the launch, Geely has arrived with something genuinely worth paying attention to.
