MGS5 EV review

The MGS5 EV is a worthwhile improvement on the MG ZS EV it replaces, with improvements in refinement and performance. It has a hint of the smaller MG4’s well-balanced ride and handling, so it’s unexpectedly good to drive too and takes UK road surfaces in its stride, but it doesn’t come out swinging like the MG4 did: the MGS5 EV’s price, range, and efficiency are all only average rather than class-leading. And while it’s not an eyesore, the styling doesn’t have the cohesion or attractiveness of some rivals’ either, so purely on showroom appeal – an increasingly important factor as the abilities of cars in this class coalesce – it’s got some work to do.

Details, specs and alternatives

The ZS EV is dead, long live the MGS5 EV. This is an important car for MG, replacing its popular predecessor and joining an increasingly competitive class.

MG offers 49kWh and 64kWh battery packs, with 168bhp and 228bhp rear-mounted electric motors respectively, the longer range and more powerful version getting ‘Long Range’ billing in the brochure. 

Meanwhile, there are two trim levels, SE (available with both batteries) and Trophy (only available in Long Range format), the seemingly sportier of the pair getting no better performance or range than the SE. Instead, Trophy swaps four-speaker audio for six speakers, gets wireless phone charging, a 360-degree parking camera, 18-inch (rather than 17in) alloy wheels, rear privacy glass, and a power folding function for the heated door mirrors.

Prices start at £28,495 in SE trim, with the Long Range SE being another £2,500, and the Long Range Trophy coming in at £33,495. So the MGS5 does undercut basic versions of the Skoda Elroq and Kia EV3, but both those offer versions with longer range when you spend a little more.

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The MGS5 comes in standard and Long Range formats, the latter available in both SE and Trophy trim. Standard models get a 49kWh battery pack which allows for an official 211-mile WLTP range. This can be replenished in around nine hours from a home wallbox and in less than half an hour if you find a rapid charger capable of delivering a sustained 150kW, the car’s maximum charging speed.

Trophy spec trims the range of the 64kWh Long Range battery by 10 miles, but otherwise offers the same basic stats: 28-minute rapid charging, or about 11.5 hours from 10-100% at home. Most efficient overall is the Long Range SE, for which MG claims 4mi/kWh – although winter driving will have more impact than with some of the MGS5’s rivals because it has no heat pump.

From April 2025 you’ll pay a little more to tax an EV than before, with a £10 first-year rate and £195 per year thereafter. Benefit-in-Kind taxation is still very favourable for EVs though, the MGS5 EV falling into the minimum 3% band for 2025/2026. Neither insurance group nor depreciation data is yet available, although the MG’s relatively low purchase price should insulate it from the steepest depreciation.

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As well as getting a larger battery pack, Long Range models get a more powerful 228bhp rear motor than the 168bhp of the standard-range cars. So while weight climbs from the SE’s 1,635kg to 1,680kg for the SE Long Range and 1,725kg for the Trophy Long Range, acceleration improves, the quickest models dispatching 0-62mph in 6.3 seconds. Top speed is 101mph for all models.

It certainly feels brisk and is responsive in Sport mode, making it easy to meter out as much or little power as you need. The performance is balanced by fluent handling, and while it isn’t as sporty as the smaller MG4, it’s natural and easy to drive. The ride can be a little firm, especially on the motorway, but it’s no worse than many in the class, and when you find yourself in town, the rear-mounted motor frees up space at the front wheels for a usefully tight turning circle. Combined with good visibility, the MGS5’s a bit of a natural in city driving.

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This is one of the best MG cabins yet, taking a step up in both style and quality from older MG models. It’s a simple, smart design, but doesn’t feel too bare, while the faux-leather trim (and artificial suede in the Trophy) add texture and give the MGS5 a quality feel. It would be even better if this sense of quality wasn’t offset by the presence of hard plastics and faux carbonfibre.

The screens are a better effort: the 10.25-inch driver display is clear and easy to read, while the central 12.8-inch touchscreen is quick-witted. Some of the heating controls are buried within the screen, but you still get a few physical switches below for fan speed and direction, and demisting, as well as audio volume and a home switch for the screen. Better still, the switches actually feel pretty good to use.

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You get a high seating position in the MGS5, in part thanks to the battery pack slung underneath the floor. Better still, the high floor doesn’t force rear-seat occupants’ knees around their ears, as happens in some rivals. Space is pretty good in both the front and rear seats, but driver and front passenger might find the seats a little shapeless and flat – so support in quicker cornering and long-distance comfort aren’t up there with the best.

A 458-litre boot is about par for the MGS5’s class – a Kia EV3 gives you 460 litres and a Skoda Elroq gets 470. There’s the usual underfloor storage area for cables and other knick-knacks, and flipping the rear seats flat expands the space to a competitive 1,440 litres. There’s no under-bonnet storage ‘frunk’ though.

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The MGS5 is too new for Euro NCAP to have sent it headlong into a deformable barrier, but other recent MGs haven’t done too badly – the MG HS scored five stars in 2024, the ZS hybrid got a decent four-star rating the same year, and the MG4 was granted five stars in 2022. 

‘MG Pilot’, a collective term for collision avoidance, lane safety, cruise control, active emergency braking, and blind spot detection, is standard across the range. MG makes it relatively easy to switch off unwanted functions, too, which is just as well because some are a little over-eager.

How the MGS5 will fare for owner satisfaction and reliability is less certain: the brand came dead last in the 2024 Driver Power customer satisfaction survey. MG’s seven-year, 80,000-mile warranty is pretty generous, so at least if the car goes wrong, the first few owners should be covered.