MG’s range seems to be growing as spectacularly as its sales figures, and the company’s burgeoning lineup is expanding yet again with the new MG S5 EV. 

A compact electric SUV to rival the BYD Atto 3 and new Kia EV3, it’s essentially a replacement for the old ZS EV, which has been a value-orientated success story for the brand.

But the new model has to be more than just a competent, cheap mode of transport if it wants to emulate or even build on that success. 

Improvements in range, cabin quality and driving dynamics will all be crucial to the new model’s appeal, and MG claims to have delivered that by basing the S5 EV on the same underpinnings as the critically acclaimed MG 4 electric hatch.

It’s a promising proposition, but the S5 EV is going to have to fulfil its potential if it wants to sell anything like as well as the smaller MG 4.

To find out whether it can do that, we were among the first journalists to drive the new S5 EV in Europe, taking to the roads of the English midlands to put the new model through its paces before it arrives in Australia in the coming months.

How much does the MG S5 EV cost?

MG hasn’t yet confirmed pricing for Australia, but over in Europe, the MG S5 EV is showing signs of outgrowing the brand’s budget image. In the UK, prices start at £28,495 (A$58,462) for the cheapest 49kWh model and rise to £33,495 (A$68,721) for the most expensive 64kWh version. 

Australian pricing should be closer to rivals such as the Kia EV3 (from $47,600 before on-road costs), and though MG argues its cars offer more equipment for the money, it’s clear the focus on bargain pricing is not what it once was. For reference, the outgoing MG ZS EV is currently priced from $39,990, making it one of Australia’s cheapest EVs.

What is the MG S5 EV like on the inside?

Fortunately, the issue of the slightly less remarkable price tag is ameliorated by the MG S5’s impressive interior. MG’s cabins have improved noticeably over the years, but the S5 is the best so far, with a much more upmarket feel that’s easily a match for the likes of Kia and Renault.

It isn’t perfect – there are some switches that feel a bit cheap and plasticky – but it’s much more solid than that of any other car in MG’s range. And some of the materials on the dashboard are really up to the standards of those found in mainstream rivals from Ford and Volkswagen.

And the style is modern, too, with a new, larger infotainment touchscreen that, at 12.8 inches across, is bigger than any fitted to an MG before. 

And it comes with a faster processor in an attempt to tackle the lag that blights the touchscreen in the MG 4 and allow it to cope with all the modern conveniences. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity is standard across the range, along with a reversing camera and navigation.

Yet for all that, MG has listened to customer feedback with the MG S5 EV’s design, fitting the car with physical heating and ventilation controls where the MG 4 hides them in the touchscreen. Admittedly, the buttons are a bit confusing for the uninitiated, but they’re there, and MG should be lauded for that.

But the confusing layout is something of a theme. The S5 essentially has the same steering wheel as the MG 4, and the buttons on there can get a little perplexing at times. As can some of the touchscreen menus. 

But the faster processor means mistakes are short-lived, and though the graphics aren’t brilliant, they are at least fairly clear, and the system works well with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, which we expect most owners will use.

They will also make use of the sheer space that’s available in the S5’s cabin. There’s a massive amount of rear head and leg room, so there’s more than enough space for four adults to sit in perfect comfort. 

And unlike some Chinese-owned brands, which trade cargo space for legroom, the S5’s luggage space is pretty commodious, at 453 litres. That’s almost exactly the same amount as you get in a Kia EV3.

What’s under the bonnet?

The MG S5 EV is, as the name suggests, available only in electric form, but there are a few choices to be made. 

At launch, there are three battery options, with the basic 49kWh ‘Standard Range’ model joined by the bigger 62kWh and 64kWh options. The smaller batteries power a 125kW electric motor mounted on the rear axle, while the largest sends power to a 170kW motor instead.

Not only do the three battery options vary in size, but also in chemical composition. While the two smaller ones use the cheaper, less energy-dense lithium-iron phosphate (LFP) technology, the largest battery is a nickel-manganese-cobalt (NMC) combination that helps to offer greater range. 

As a result, the 49kWh battery will take you up to 340km on a single charge, whereas the 64kWh battery offers up to 480km of range on the WLTP economy test.

How does the MG S5 EV drive?

When it was launched, one of the biggest surprises about the MG 4 was the fact it drove so well, and the MG S5 EV promises to be similarly capable.

For a start, it has much the same basic underpinnings, which means the power goes to the rear wheels and it has an almost even weight distribution between the front and rear of the car. 

MG also describes the chassis as “lightweight” and there’s five-link suspension at the back. It all sounds good, even if it isn’t actually all that groundbreaking. And the same goes for the five driving modes to help you tailor the car for the conditions or the way in which you want to drive.

Most will just leave the car in Normal mode, and that’s absolutely fine by us, because the S5 EV drives very smartly, if not quite as remarkably as the MG 4. The steering feels a bit light in Normal mode, but that’s easily solved by flipping it to the Sport setting, which leaves it a little heavier and more reassuring.

And whichever mode it’s in, the wheel offers just enough feedback to let you know what’s going on without giving you so much feedback that it’s constantly twitching. Combine that with a linear and predictable response from the front wheels and the steering falls firmly into the ‘decent’ category, without ever troubling the spectacular.

The same goes for the car’s body control and balance, which are both commendable without being especially stunning. The car does lean away from corners a little, despite that low-slung, ultra-thin battery, but it does so in a progressive and controlled way that won’t serve up any surprises. 

And with the fairly even weight distribution, the car feels quite poised in the bends, even though it isn’t exactly sporty.

In that, it’s pretty much perfect for its target market, and the suspension won’t damage that appeal too much. Yes, there’s a slightly unsophisticated feel to the ride, and the lower MG 4 is a more comfortable car, but the MGS5 EV still rides perfectly acceptably. 

At low speeds, it rounds out the bumps pretty well, and it only really feels troubled by the sharpest imperfections. Sure, it thumps a bit when you hit a pothole at high speed, and it can jiggle a bit over surfaces that seem quite smooth, but none of that is a disaster, and overall it’s far better than some of MG’s other SUVs in recent years.

At present, there’s no all-wheel drive option, and that might put some buyers off, but the S5 still has plenty of ground clearance, and adding another motor to drive the front wheels would leave it with absurd performance. It already gets from 0-100km/h in just 6.3 seconds, and it doesn’t need to go any faster.

Adding another motor would also damage the range. Road testing is not, by its very nature, especially kind to battery levels, but we still managed around 17kWh/100km on our test – about enough for around 400km of real-world driving. And we could have done more with a little more eco-consciousness.

What do you get?

MG Motor Australia has not yet confirmed pricing or specifications for the new S5 EV, but in Europe, two trim levels will be offered. There, the SE will be fairly generously equipped, with all the usual features you expect, but the more upmarket Trophy variant will get pretty much everything customers could ask for.

2025 MG S5 EV equipment highlights:

• 12.8-inch touchscreen infotainment system
• 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster
• Satellite navigation
• Driving modes
• Reversing camera
• Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
• Air-conditioning
• Keyless entry

Is the MG S5 EV safe?

The new MGS 5 EV is so new that it hasn’t been tested by Euro NCAP or ANCAP as yet, but MG says it’s confident in the car’s ability to score well. 

Not only did the closely related MG 4 manage a five-star rating when it was put to the test by ANCAP in 2022, but the company has swamped the new S5 EV with a mass of driver assistance systems designed to help the driver avoid crashes in the first place.

Lane departure warning, autonomous emergency braking and speed limit warning technology are all in the offing, along with driver attention monitoring and blind-spot monitoring. And if any of those systems annoy you, the MG has a handy customisation feature that allows you to choose your preferences and access them quickly and easily.

Safety equipment includes:

• Autonomous emergency braking
• Lane-keeping assistance
• Driver attention alert
• Rear parking sensors
• Adaptive cruise control
• Rear cross-traffic alert
• Door opening warning

How much does the MG S5 EV cost to run?

With such plentiful range, the MG S5 EV should be pretty cheap to fuel, especially if you can charge at home. While public charging tends to be more expensive, it’s still no worse than fossil fuel, and the MG’s range means you probably won’t have to charge all that often, even on a longer drive.

The reliability of the electric powertrain ought to be pretty good, too. This technology is tried and tested now, and the motor itself has just one moving part, so maintenance shouldn’t be ruinous. And if anything does go wrong, you can always rely on MG’s 10-year/250,000km warranty, which is offered on all new MGs.

CarExpert’s Take on the MG S5 EV

As expected, MG is really coming of age, graduating from a company that built dull and just-about-competent cars and sold them for peanuts, into a proper mainstream challenger. 

The S5 is the first MG that doesn’t feel cheap, and though it isn’t perfect, it’s much closer to its rivals than ever before, with impressive range, plenty of equipment and a solid, spacious cabin.

And while it’s true the copious capability is reflected in the price, which – in Europe at least – isn’t quite as low as you might expect, the S5 can justify it.

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