Geely EX5 Max review

Geely EX5

Geely EX5 Max review.

****
£36,990
For – great all-rounder, high quality, well priced, and that interior.
Against – motorway minuses, no 4X4 option.
Competition – Skoda Enyaq, BYD Atto 3, Kia EV3, Renault Scenic E-Tech, Tesla Model Y, MG S5, Jaecoo J5, Hyundai Ioniq 5, etc

The Geely EX5 Max will grab your attention with its looks, high quality and eye-catching prices, and it needs to excel at all three to win sales in this sector, packed with impressive electric compact SUVs.

Prices range from around £32,000 to £37,000. The equivalent BMW, the iX3, starts at £45,000 to over £60,000. A close examination of the qualities of the two models might shock BMW buyers, although the EX5 motorway range was poor. This motorway range issue does seem to be a rare weakness in the overall Chinese EV offering and might give European manufacturers some hope. If your motoring requirements are never seriously long-range that won’t be a problem. 

The name Geely may be new to you but it’s one of China’s biggest automakers and it has been operating in Europe for some years disguised as the owner of Volvo, Polestar, Lotus, half of Smart, and London electric taxis. Geely owns about 10% of Mercedes. It has big ambitions in Europe and is about to unveil another new vehicle, the Starray EM-I, a plug-in hybrid SUV slightly cheaper than the EX5.

Fabulous white leather interior
The top-of-the-range Max immediately knocked me out with its fabulous white leather interior and impressive cabin. On the road, it inspired confidence with its terrific steering and firm suspension, even in “comfort” mode. Would a BMW be any better than this? Like many modern, highly-computerized vehicles, the occasional unwanted braking attempts can be off-putting, but when it mattered, the EX5 came up trumps when a sudden traffic concertina as the A27 joined the A23 required every last ounce of braking power. Thanks, Geely. Needless to say in this sector, acceleration and performance was all you’d ever want.

The Max has every known gizmo and includes my favourite, the Head Up Display. I was trying and failing to open the huge sun-roof and clicked on the voice control. “Can you show me how to open the the sun-roof please,” said I, and the roof started to slide back even before I’d finished my sentence. There’s no starter button. The car is activated by sitting in the driver’s seat. That’s an unnecessary change, in my opinion. 

A 17-mile uphill trip removed 28 miles of range
Regenerative braking kept the available range nicely under control. It didn’t like hills too much – a 17-mile ride to my golf club on top of the South Downs removed 28 miles of range. You might expect the return journey and regenerative braking to have restored the shortfall on the return journey with maybe a small bonus, but alas, 20 miles of range were used up during the 17-mile return. 

And then there’s the motorway. Chinese EVs seem to loathe high-speed cruising (see WintonsWorld EV Tests December 2025). Driving at legal fast-lane speeds slashed claimed range by more than 50%. ChatGPT’s calculations suggest a slightly better outcome of minus 40%, but my test runs were in high wind and rain. This won’t be a problem for most people’s motoring, although long-distance travel across Europe won’t be any fun.

Prices start at £31,990 for the SE, then there’s the Pro, and the Max at the top of the range is £36,990. The Max has heated and massaging front seats, a panoramic sunroof, a powered tailgate, 16-speakers, 1,000W premium audio system and HUD. That strikes me as astonishing value. For a compact SUV it seems much bigger than the competition too. A pity there’s no four-wheel drive option.

To show its commitment to a U.K. presence, Geely said 25 franchised dealer showrooms will be operational from launch, with another 25 planned before the end of the year.

What to buy?
Any new market entrant will have problems with its dealer network. My experience with BYD reminds me of my advice to buyers. Given that modern vehicles never breakdown, having a dealership just around the corner might seem unnecessary. But modern EVs have such powerful and complicated computer systems, it’s best to have a good and proximate relationship with your dealer to explain stuff. So you can just pop in to demystify various important systems. I’ve driven many of the EVs in the EX5’s price sector, and it stands clear in terms of quality and the options offered as standard. In particular, I await a drive of the amazing-looking Jaecoo 7, which is also priced to go, and the new Tesla Model Y. My next purchase though when I replace my BYD Dolphin will probably be a Plug-in hybrid.   

Geely EX5