MG S5 EV Review 2025

On paper, the MGS5 EV is an impressive package — but there's more to it than just the headline stats of long range, high equipment levels and competitive pricing wrapped in an electric SUV body. Because this is one of the best electric SUVs on the market right now. With a genuine feeling of quality running throughout, from the controls in the cabin, to the smooth performance and the impressive ride quality, the MGS5 EV is up there with the Kia Niro Electric — what we regard as the best car of this kind. Why? Read our MGS5 EV review to find out more.

Over the past five years, only Tesla has sold more EVs to retail buyers in the UK than MG. If you need proof that the second coming of the famous British marque — albeit in the hands of Chinese giant SAIC Motor for the past couple of decades — is a success, look no further. 

A big part of that has been down to the MG ZS EV. And it's this car that the MGS5 EV — yes, we also think the name is confusing — effectively replaces in the line-up. So, while you can still get petrol-only and hybrid versions of the latest MG ZS, if you want an electric MG SUV, the MGS5 EV is it.

It's available with two battery sizes — there's the MGS5 EV Standard Range which has a 49kWh battery and can cover a claimed 211 miles or the the Long Range with a 64kWh battery and a 298 mile range. The latter in SE trim is the one we'd recommend.

Prices start at £28,495 for the SE Standard Range with the SE Long Range at £30,995. The top of the pops Trophy Long Range is £33,495. On a 0% PCP with MG you're looking at a monthly cost of around £300 to £350.

It uses the same platform as the big-selling MG4 and sets out on a similar path. That being competitive prices, a long range and high levels of standard equipment. But what we can also safely say is that the MGS5 EV is a real step up in terms of quality for MG.

Compared with the original MG ZS EV and the difference is like day and night. There's a feeling of genuine quality that runs throughout, from the action of the interior controls to the smooth performance and the impressive ride.

We've been impressed enough from our tests to rank this on par with the excellent Kia Niro Electric — our favourite compact battery-powered SUV. Like the MG4, the MGS5 EV is — dare we say it — fun to drive. That's quite a rarity these days, especially so when it comes to family SUVs of this ilk.

It does the everyday well of course, being easy and stress free to drive around town. It's packed with the usual tech, some of it useful and some of it not. Handily, it's now much easier to turn off those annoying safety systems that are simply distracting.

We like the easy to use infotainment system and there's lots of space, too. True the boot isn't the biggest around but the MGS5 EV makes up for it with rear legroom that would put many larger SUVs to shame. It means plenty of space for child car seats or fast-growing teenagers.

There really is very little compromised with the MGS5 EV and it's a car with few faults. Feedback has clearly taken from owners of the MG4 and larger MG HS to produced an excellent electric SUV that we can easily recommend.

MGS5 EV: Range

The MGS5 EV is certainly a significant improvement on the MG ZS EV it effectively replaces. Gone is the bouncy ride and slow steering — replaced by a set-up that's as good as the competition. The significant change here is that unlike the MG ZS EV, the MGS5 EV is designed from the outset as an EV, not a petrol car adapted to electric power. 

The handling is clearly an area MG has worked on and it shows. It's based on the same underpinnings as the impressive MG4, with a lightweight chassis and an ultra-thin battery that creates a low centre of gravity.

In fact we were very impressed with the MGS5 EV. True it's not a car you're going to throw into corners and like most EVs of this ilk, it's happier in everyday driving, but it certainly feels more enjoyable to drive than the old MG ZS EV.

Yes the steering still feels artificial — but then so do many cars — at least it has a decent weight to it and it's far more responsive. The fact it doesn't bounce all over the shop when faced with a bump in the road is a welcome change. Indeed, the MGS5 EV rides incredibly well and is one of the most comfortable EVs of this size we've tested.

Get it on a motorway and it feels quiet and composed, with good stability under heavy braking. While around town it's a doddle to drive thanks to light steering at low speeds and good all round visibility. Of course, it comes with parking sensors and a rear camera so parking is easy. Go for a Trophy model and you get one of those rather confusing 360-degree camera systems.

As with almost every modern car, the MGS5 EV is fitted with a whole plethora of safety systems — some of which are useful but the majority of which are just a pain. We're yet to find a car where the speed warning actually works properly.

Taking on feedback from the MG HS, the MGS5 EV comes with what its maker calls MG Pilot Custom. So rather than going through various sub menus to switch things off, you can create your own set-up of the safety features and pressing this button automatically activate it. It will soon become the first button you press when you set off.

Performance is strong as you'd expect in the MGS5 EV with 0-62mph taking just 6.3 seconds if you stick it in Sport mode. Maximum power is 170PS with a healthy 350Nm of torque, so it pulls well, as with any electric car.

If you're coming from another EV, you'll find the accelerator pedal isn't as responsive as you're used to, which does at least mean you always pull away smoothly. Again, you can put it in Sport for maximum response, but for the majority of our time testing, we were happy to just leave it in the standard settings.

If you've never driven an EV before, you'll like the simplicity. There's one gear, you plonk it in Drive and away you go. It's smooth, quiet and simple. 

It comes with one pedal driving, the norm for the vast majority of EV these days, which you can alter to vary the amount of braking effect when lifting off the accelerator. If you've never experienced this before, it can be a bit unsettling with the car braking quite aggressively when you take your foot off. 

You can soon get used to it. Or you can turn it off completely if, like us, you prefer a more traditional driving feel.

The MGS5 EV hasn't been stuffed with dummies and driven at a wall yet by the lab-coated people who hang around Euro NCAP, but MG says it's expecting the maximum five-star rating.

It comes with the usual annoying safety systems that everyone turns off but of more interest are the standard-fit seven airbags, including the full-length curtain types which cover the side windows.

There're two standard Isofix mounts on the outer rear seats that include top tether lashing points but no Isofix in the front passenger seat. 

The maximum towing weight for the MGS5 EV is 750kg, whether that's a braked or unbraked trailer. 

The cabin of the MGS5 EV is spacious and family friendly. There's plenty of room and even with a 6ft 2in driver up front, a similarly gangly passenger can sit behind with more than enough legroom. For a car of this size, that's rare — there are bigger SUVs that don't feel as generous with interior space.

That roominess is very useful if you're fitting car seats, especially rear-facing ones or any that have a supporting leg. It means you can still have a useable front seat with a car seat fitted behind. There's also good headroom in the back and overall it's a very comfortable car to be driven in. If you've got growing teenagers, you're unlikely to hear any complaints from them — at least about the car.

The seats themselves are comfortable and supportive, although you only get driver's lumbar support in the Trophy versions which also get electric rather than manually adjusting front seats. There's lots of height and reach adjustment in the steering so it's easy to find a good driving position. Trophy models even come with a heated steering wheel — a real treat on cold winter mornings.

There's decent storage in the front with two cupholders and a two-tier centre console with extra storage underneath. There's a wireless charging pad on Trophy models, although we found it a little temperamental during our test. 

The boot is a decent size at 453 litres, that's not quite as big as the Kia Niro Electric but it does have a false floor, so you can store stuff underneath. There are the usual anchor points and mesh pockets while MG assures us that there are in fact 33 storage and practical features, although we didn't count them.

The rear seats split 60:40 and fold forward, almost flat, but the boot space is at least wide and easy to load.

The quality of the the MGS5 EV's interior feels a step up from what we've seen so far from the company — and we'd been impressed by the improvements we saw with the launch of the MG4 and MG HS in recent years.

There are no scratchy plastics or flimsy switches here — everything has a genuine feel of quality about it. All the dash and door surfaces come finished in a softly padded faux leather material while there's a suede-like fabric around the drive selector, the kind you usually find on the steering wheels of high performance cars.

All models have a fake leather steering wheel and while SE models come with standard fabric seats, going up to a Trophy will get you faux hide inserts on them. It may not be real leather, but it feels good nonetheless — most people won't be able to tell the difference. Look closely at it and you'll also see a neat MG pattern in the fabric.

Elsewhere, the controls for the infotainment system have a lovely substantial feel to them, again adding to the feeling of quality, as does the drive selector. There aren't many switches, but those that are fitted, such as for the electric windows, are made from metal.

For a car this size and at this price, it's one of the nicest interiors we'd seen with a real feeling of not only quality, but also durability.

Given everyone's obsession with infotainment screens, MG tells us that the S5 EV comes with a 12.8-inch screen in the middle of the dash — the biggest it has yet fitted. Does it need to be this big? Probably not, but it does at least look the part with a crisp display.

The system itself is certainly one of the better ones around with an intuitive layout, helped by a row of shortcut buttons at the bottom. We found it responsive and simple to use during our test. It also comes with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, which are — thank the Lord — wireless. Volvo take note here...

In front of the driver is another screen which replaces conventional dials. This shows you key information such as speed, range and how much power you're using. We find a lot of modern cars, especially EVs, overload these with too much information, making them distracting. This MG has one of the better examples, although we still think that for most people, current speed and range are all they really need to see at a glance.

At the time of its March 2025 launch the MGS5 EV SE Standard Range is priced at £28,495 but the it's the SE Long Range which we think is the best value at £30,995. The all singing and dancing MGS5 EV Trophy, which only comes in Long Range form, will set you back £33,495.

It's hardly a budget car but looking at the competition, those prices are certainly competitive. The cheapest Kia Niro Electric lists at £37,325 while the Honda e:Ny1 will set you back more than £40,000. 

There are cheaper rivals though. The Vauxhall Frontera Electric starts at just £23,495 and although it isn't as well equipped as the MGS5 EV and has a shorter range of 190 miles, it's still a significant difference.

How much the MGS5 EV will cost you to run depends on your energy tariff but as most EV owners have an EV specific tariff, it's going to be very cheap to run. If you're on Intelligent Octopus Go — one of the most popular choices with EV owners — you'll be paying just 7p/kWh. The standard MGS5 EV has a 49kWh battery while the Long Range is fitted with a 64kWh unit.

MGS5 EV: range and charging

There are two battery versions of the MGS5 EV, the standard range with 49kWh and the Long Range 64kWh. It's the latter which is the more popular of the two, thanks to its (claimed) range of 298 miles although the cheaper standard model has appeal if you don't cover big distances very often, with a range of 211 miles. Obviously both of those figures will drop over winter.

Rapid charging from 10% to 80% takes just 24 minutes for the standard 49kWh and 28 minutes for the Long Range 64kWh models.

There are two trim levels available for the MGS5 EV — SE and Trophy.

MGS5 EV SE Standard Range (49kWh) and MGS5 EV SE Long Range (64kWh) models come with:
• MG Pilot including MG Pilot Custom Function
• 17-inch Vector Style Alloy Wheels with aero wheel cover
• LED Headlights & DRL & Rear Lights
• Automatic Headlamps
• Silver Roof Rails
• Rear Parking Camera with sensor
• Two-tone Grey Fabric Upholstery
• 10.25-inch HD Driver Display
• 12.8-inch HD Colour Touchscreen
• Satellite Navigation
• Wireless Apple CarPlay & Android Auto
• iSmart
• Four-Speaker Audio System

MGS5 EV Trophy Long Range (64kWh) comes with:
• 18-inch Rotor Style Alloy Wheels with aero wheel cover
• Rear Privacy Glass
• Electrically Adjustable, Power Folding, Heated, Black Door Mirrors
• Two-tone Grey Leather Style with Cloth Inserts Upholstery
• Electric Driver's 6-way Adjustable Seat with Manual Lumbar Support
• Rear Centre Armrest
• Rain Sensing Wipers
• 360-degree cameras with front parking sensors
• Heated Steering Wheel and Front Seats
• Smart Tailgate (Hands Free)
• Online services (iSmart + additional services including Weather, Live
Traffic, Youtube, Spotify, TikTok)
• Six-speaker Audio System
• Wireless Phone Charger