You may not have heard of Geely, yet! However, those with some interest in things automotive will know that the Chinese brand already owns, Volvo, Polestar and Lotus. Now it wants to bring its own offerings to the UK, and its first model is the EX5, the subject of
this test.

EX5 joins the already crowded fully electric C-segment SUV market and will need to be good to make an impression. Looks wise, it’s a neat looking thing. Clean lines, nothing too fussy but take the badge off and most would be clueless as to its moniker. Understated, a friend kindly offered, and he may well be right.

There are three trim levels to choose from – SE, Pro and Max, the latter was the model which graced my driveway for a week. Just one 60.2kWh battery is offered at present, good enough for up to 267 miles they say. Fully charged, in relatively mild conditions, my car showed a range of 225 miles. There’s a heat pump fitted to all models which should help in colder conditions.

Feeling the cold as I now do, I was grateful for the heated seats and steering wheel and noted that using the heater, did reduce the predicted range by a significant amount. Though I had no need to use public charging during the test period, the media pack informs me that a 30 to 80% charge should take around 20 minutes. The charging speed of 160kW is perfectly good and home charging on a 7kW unit should take between six and seven hours.

At the time of writing, EX5 customers can buy a smart Andersen A3 Wall Box Charger for just £499, a saving of £1,000. Alternatively, a £500 Octopus Electroverse charging credit can be had.

With no long-distance travel required during my time with Geely’s newcomer, most of my driving was on fast local A and B roads.

There’s no shortage of power, the car feeling as brisk as its stated 0-62mph sprint time of a tad over seven seconds. Wheelspin from rest in the wet, easily done, at least with my heavy right foot.

The EX5 rides well, soaking up road imperfections with aplomb. It’s no sports car, granted, but the steering is light and accurate, and it goes where you point it. Fun, well no. But safe and secure if a tad unmemorable.

All the expected safety gear is fitted – lane-keeping assist, adaptive cruise control, blind-spot warnings. You get the idea. As is now the way, it takes some screen prodding to turn some of the more annoying systems off and that you must do, especially if you drive on narrow country lanes and don’t want the steering fighting with you.

And that brings me on to the touchscreen, which is less intuitive than some to use. And use it you will as it controls almost all the car’s functions. It took me quite some time to find out how to open the sun blind and sunroof, fitted to my top spec car. The function was buried in a menu, when a simple roof-mounted switch would be so much easier.

However, the EX5 does impress with the quality of materials used on the interior. Seats are comfortable and leg and headroom is plentiful in the back. Four or five should travel in a good degree of comfort.

Prices are a pleasant surprise and might just swing the deal. £31,990 gets you the SE, and the top Max variant is only £5,000 more. Retail customers will also benefit from a manufacturer support contribution of £2,300 (SE), £3,200 (Pro) and £3,750 (Max). Buyers will also benefit from 4 years roadside assistance and 2 years of standard maintenance. There’s also an impressive 8-year/125,000 miles base warranty should things go awry.

So, should an EX5 be on your test drive list? It’s an honest, comfortable car and one which should prove to be undemanding to own, once you’ve mastered the touchscreen. It feels well made and undercuts much of the competition on price. That may be just enough to swing the deal.