2025 Geely EX5 Inspire review

There has been an influx of Chinese-made electric SUVs over the last few months and the latest one is from Geely’s namesake brand.

Many vehicles from Geely-owned brands like Volvo, Polestar, Smart and Zeekr are already on sale in Australia, but the EX5 is the first vehicle from the Geely Auto brand since the small MK sedan was distributed by an independent importer over a decade ago in Western Australia.

The Geely EX5, known as the Geely Galaxy E5 or Proton eMas7 in other markets, is now far from the only Chinese competitor in the local mid-sized electric SUV segment. In fact, it’s almost late to the party! Rivals include the BYD Atto 3 and the Sealion 7, Kia EV5, Leapmotor C10, and Xpeng G6, as well as the top-selling Tesla Model Y, which among others is also made in China.

Unlike the smaller Volvo EX30, Smart #1 and Zeekr X, which are all based on Geely’s SEA architecture and are rear-wheel drive, the EX5 is underpinned by a different platform called GEA and is front-wheel drive.

At launch there will be two variants on offer – the EX5 Complete and Inspire. Both are powered by a single, front-mounted electric motor that produces 160kW of power and 320Nm of torque, and is fed by a 60.2kWh lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery pack.

Ahead of customer deliveries commencing in early March, we got the chance to drive an early production version of the flagship EX5 Inspire as part of a media launch program in Bowral, New South Wales.

How much does the Geely EX5 cost?

We still don’t know!

Geely Auto Australia will announce local pricing at an upcoming brand launch day, but it has already indicated the starting price will be under $50,000.

However, leaked pricing courtesy of industry price guide Redbook, indicates the range will start at $43,490 before on-road, and extend to $47,490 before on-roads.

If this is correct, it will significantly undercut the Tesla Model Y ($63,400 before on-roads) and even the Leapmotor C10 ($45,888 before on-roads).

To see how the Geely EX5 lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool

What is the Geely EX5 like on the inside?

Like many lifted crossovers, this mid-sized electric SUV is easy to hop into. It’s clear to see why so many people, especially those with limited mobility, like these types of cars because you don’t need to climb up or down into the cabin.

Once you’re in, there are seats finished in plush faux leather trim referred to as ‘GeeLuxe’. In the top-spec Inspire trim, as tested here, it’s available in either Midnight (black) or Cloud (white). The front seats have plenty of cushioning, but like a number of Chinese cars, the support is a little on the flatter side.

The driver’s seat has six ways of electric adjustment, though it lacks thigh and lumbar adjustment, which is a common trait with some Chinese vehicles. Thankfully this wasn’t too much of an issue for me as I could find a comfortable driving position easily.

While the driver’s seat is typically the best place to sit in most cars, in the EX5 it’s arguably the front passenger seat. It features a power extendable leg rest, which is cool to use on longer trips to kick back and relax.

Both the front seats are heated, ventilated and offer a massage function with six programs. The latter is one of the best I’ve ever experienced in a car as it feels so much better and stronger than lumbar support-based massage functions.

Ahead of the driver is a strangely shaped steering wheel with a flat top and bottom. After a while though you do get used to the shape. Like the seats, it’s wrapped in faux leather, plus it has an anti-bacterial finish, which is great given you and perhaps others grapple with the steering wheel to drive the car.

The buttons on the steering wheel are confusing at first and it takes a while to understand what each one does. You need to try them to see what they do, and it doesn’t help that a lot of them aren’t clearly labelled.

For example, there is a circular button pod on each side of the steering wheel. The left one operates cruise control-related functions, while the right one handles media controls. You won’t know this unless you’re told or try it out for yourself.

Behind the steering wheel is a clear and high-resolution 10.2-inch digital instrument cluster. This is a welcome point of difference from the Tesla Model Y’s central screen as you can easily see your current speed without having to move your eyes too far from the road ahead.

While the digital instrument cluster is clean, its layout verges on being bland. There’s also minimal customisation available. You can only cycle through a few informative pages.

But there’s also a large 13.4-inch head-up display which is clean, bright and easy to read. It shows all the critical information that you’ll need at a glance.

Moving across there’s a big central tablet-style 15.4-inch touchscreen infotainment system that’s the centrepiece of the cabin. It runs a Geely-developed infotainment software called Flyme OS. It’s easy enough to use and hard to get lost in, though if you do thankfully there are permanent shortcut buttons at the bottom of the touchscreen.

Like a number of Chinese-developed operating systems, you can tell Geely has been inspired by Tesla with the way elements like the home screen are widgets are laid out.

You need to use the touchscreen for basically every function the car offers, though thankfully there is a swipe-down control centre menu that provides a range of shortcut buttons for features that are buried in sub-menus.

Given the touchscreen reliance, it should come as no surprise the climate control system is adjusted by using it too. You can easily change the set temperature or fan speed using shortcut buttons at the bottom of the touchscreen, but if you want to adjust things further, you need to open the dedicated climate control menu.

It’s worth noting there are physical buttons for switching the climate control system on and off, as well as the automatic mode, air circulation mode, and rear window defogger under the touchscreen. I often forgot they were there though.

I’m also elated to report there are physical air-vent adjusters, unlike in some rivals like the Tesla Model Y and Leapmotor C10. It makes it so much easier to simply and quickly change where the air is being directed.

A big point of contention with some of these new Chinese electric SUVs is they don’t come with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, at least from launch. The Geely EX5 is no exception. Geely has said Apple CarPlay will come with an over-the-air software update in July, whereas Android Auto will be coming later this year.

For now, however, the EX5 has a built-in SIM you can use to download apps like Spotify and TuneIn directly to the infotainment system from an app store.

The car comes standard with satellite navigation, but you can’t get Google Maps. Hopefully this comes with a future update too.

Looking around the cabin, it looks decent and premium-leaning, with a surprising amount of soft-touch surfaces. There is a great deal of colour regardless of whether you opt for the black or white seats, so the cabin can look like a sea of greyscale tones, which is a little bland.

Having said that, I appreciate how Geely has avoided plastering the cabin with shiny piano black materials. Instead, it’s used large sections of padded soft-touch faux leather and woodgrain-effect panelling on the centre console. There’s also a panoramic glass sunroof that lets a lot of light into the cabin.

Up front there’s a generous amount of storage including two cupholders, two phone slots with one offering wireless charging, as well as a large open space under the centre tunnel for bag storage. There’s also a decently sized centre console box and glove box, plus door pockets large enough for water bottles.

Moving to the second row, it’s an excellent place to be. Like in many Chinese cars, the bench seat is almost lounge-like and there’s oodles of space for adults behind adults. At a leggy 182cm, I had heaps of leg, toe, shoulder, and head room, and thanks to the flat floor you could have three occupants abreast with not too many hassles.

As standard, the backrest is pitched back a fair way and you can recline it even further. It’s a great place to relax.

Second-row amenities include air vents on the back of the centre console, as well as a USB-A and USB-C port. There is also a range of storage spaces, including one hidden drawer under the middle seat, which is pretty handy.

Around the back there’s a power tailgate that opens quickly and quietly. Once it’s open there’s a fairly decent amount of space. Geely claims 302 litres of boot space with the rear seats upright, which doesn’t sound that great on paper, but in reality it’s more spacious than it sounds.

There’s also a deep underfloor section that increases the boot space to 410 litres.

Unsurprisingly, the EX5 doesn’t come with a spare wheel. Instead, there’s a tyre repair kit. This is something to keep in mind if you frequently travel on rural roads away from tyre repair shops.

To see how the Geely EX5 lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool

What’s under the bonnet?

Both variants of the Geely EX5 are powered by a single, front-mounted electric motor fed by a 60.22kWh lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery pack.

During the media launch drive program we saw the average energy consumption fluctuate from as low as 10.8kWh/100km in downhill sections, to well above 20kWh/100km in uphill sections.

To see how the Geely EX5 lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool

How does the Geely EX5 drive?

Like some EVs, the EX5 doesn’t have a start button. To get moving, all you need to do is sit in the seat and flick the column-mounted gear selector into either drive or reverse.

Setting off, the car makes an ice cream truck-like pedestrian warning sound. It stays on until the car travels over 25km/h or so. The sound is loud enough that it can be heard from inside the cabin, and every time it played it made me smile and want to dance. I can see it getting old and annoying after not very long though.

As standard, the electric motor produces 160kW and 320Nm, which sounds like a lot on paper. In reality, however, Geely has calibrated it in a way that makes the acceleration curve feel gradual and progressive.

It’ll move along and keep up traffic with no worries, and if you push the accelerator just that bit harder you get a slight shove into the seat. At no point though does it feel like this car’s acceleration will rip your face off like some EVs can. In all fairness though, this is a mainstream mid-sized SUV and not a performance car.

There are three different drive modes to choose from including ‘Eco’, ‘Comfort’ and ‘Sport’. They all change the throttle calibration. My favourite was ‘Comfort’ as it felt the most measured and natural.

There are also three regenerative braking modes, as well as an automatic mode that ramps up intensity as you travel faster. It’s worth noting there isn’t a one-pedal driving mode, meaning you need to press the brake pedal to come to a complete stop.

Rounding out the modes, there are two different steering calibrations – ‘Comfort’ and ‘Sport’. The former is on the light side, which some people may enjoy as it makes navigating tight spots easier. The latter on the other hand feels more direct and natural thanks to the added weight.

Around town is where this car shines the most. Unlike some mid-sized SUVs, the EX5 feels right-sized for urban driving and doesn’t ever feel too big to park. Despite this, the car isn’t the most nimble or agile as the front-wheel drive architecture limits its dynamic potential.

Something Geely has put a lot of emphasis on is the fact this car has received a local suspension tune. A team from Geely HQ in China spent time with their Australian counterparts to evaluate the EX5 on roads Down Under, and this led to a revised tune of the SUV’s MacPherson strut front and multi-link rear suspension.

I appreciate how much effort Geely has put into this local suspension tune, but ultimately it still feels soft and comfort-oriented, like many Chinese cars do. It’s the complete opposite to some more European-like EVs that dial up the stiffness too much.

The result is the EX5 soaks up virtually every single bump you can throw at it and even takes speed bumps with no stress whatsoever and presents minimal body movements. However, if there are more frequent and continuous road imperfections it can feel like you’re surfing and bobbing from each bump to the next.

But further reinforcing how well this car feels at home around town and in the city, is its incredible efficiency at low speeds. During our testing at the launch, we saw an average as low as 10.8kWh/100km, which is better than what a Tesla Model Y can offer.

This car is capable of getting up to higher speeds with minimal fuss, though it you floor the accelerator it limits how much it gives. There’s a reason for this…

As I alluded to already, the EX5 isn’t the most dynamic vehicle ever and this is amplified at higher speeds on twisty roads. The car has lots of body roll and movement, plus if you accelerate just that bit harder out on a tight corner, it’ll spin the front wheels.

As a passenger, I started to feel a little carsick after driving in the twisties for a while. I experienced a similar thing in the Leapmotor C10 but for a different reason this time, because the EX5 feels too soft and not too hard. Reflecting on that sentence I feel like I’m starting to sound like Goldilocks.

Naturally, energy efficiency takes a hit when driven dynamically. On uphill sections, the average energy consumption went well above 20kWh/100km, which isn’t surprising given this isn’t a light car due to the heavy high-voltage battery pack.

Out on the highway, the EX5 becomes a comfortable tourer that wafts along with no major problems. It’s also incredibly quiet. I haven’t experienced a mainstream EV that is this quiet before. It feels eerie because there’s virtually no sound whatsoever, and even road noise on coarse-chip road surfaces is muted.

On the safety front, this car is fully loaded. The only safety-related piece of equipment that distinguishes the trim level is that the top-spec Inspire trim gets front parking sensors.

Geely also spent over 12 months locally testing the EX5’s advanced driver assistance technology, namely the lane-keep assist, driver attention monitoring, and traffic sign recognition systems.

You can tell because the systems work as they should and don’t intervene too violently or chime as incessantly as many of its rivals do. However, wearing sunglasses causes the driver attention monitor to display a poorly translated message on the digital instrument cluster. So close, but not quite.

The adaptive cruise control system loves to leave a generous gap between the car ahead. This means other cars can cut in front of you, and the car will then slam on the brakes.

The system also makes the car slow down considerably around corners where more steering input is required. This is a feature in many Chinese cars, but this version is by far the most aggressive I’ve experienced. To rectify the issue all you need to do is press the accelerator.

There’s also an intelligent cruise control system that combines adaptive cruise control and lane centring. It works well on clearly marked highways and freeways, though I have experienced better as it does like to take more control of the steering inputs.

While the majority of the safety systems are unintrusive and not annoying, the speed limit assist chime can get grating after a while. It goes off when you’re travelling over the posted speed limit, which it sometimes detects incorrectly as it reognises school zone speed limits even when they aren’t active.

To switch off these safety systems you need to dive into sub-menus on the touchscreen, which is frustrating to do on the move. You also need to do it every time you drive the car because it always defaults to on.

To see how the Geely EX5 lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool

What do you get?

There are just two trim levels in the EX5 range.

2025 Geely EX5 Complete equipment highlights:

• 18-inch alloy wheels with 225/55 Giti tyres
• Tyre pressure monitoring
• Tyre repair kit
• Automatic LED headlights
• Automatic high-beam
• Active grille shutter
• Privacy glass
• Heated, power-folding exterior mirrors
• Rain-sensing wipers
• Heat pump
• V2L functionality
• Keyless entry and start
• 10.2-inch digital instrument cluster
• 15.4-inch touchscreen infotainment system
• Satellite navigation
• Geely Connected Services
  • Voice assistant
  • 4G network connection
  • Over-the-air updates
  • Geely Application Store
  • Online media streaming
  • Remote vehicle functions
• 6-speaker sound system
• 15W wireless phone charger
• ‘GeeLuxe’ Midnight (black) upholstery
• 6-way power driver’s seat (fully reclining)
• 4-way power passenger seat (fully reclining)
• Heated front seats
• Seat position memory
• Tilt and telescopic steering wheel adjustment
• Flat-folding, reclining rear seats
• Customisable drive modes
• Second-row storage drawer

Geely EX5 Inspire adds:

• 19-inch alloy wheels with 235/50 Goodyear tyres
• Panoramic sunroof with power sunshade
• Power tailgate
• 13.4-inch head-up display
• ‘GeeLuxe’ Midnight (black) or Cloud (white) upholstery
• Ventilated front seats
• Front seat massage function
• Driver’s seat and side mirror memory
• Front passenger seat power leg rest
• 16-speaker 1000W sound system
• 256-colour ‘dynamic’ ambient lighting
• Front parking sensors

To see how the Geely EX5 lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool

Is the Geely EX5 safe?

The incoming Geely EX5 is yet to be crash tested by ANCAP.

Standard safety equipment includes:

• Adaptive cruise control
• Blind-spot monitoring
• Collision Mitigation Support Front & Rear
• Driver fatigue monitoring
• Evasive Manoeuvre Assist
• Lane-keep assist
• Emergency lane-keep assist
• Multi-collision braking
• Occupant detection alert
• Safe exit warning
• Rear parking sensors
• Surround-view camera with 3D view
• Traffic sign recognition
• Front, front-side, curtain and front-centre airbags

The Inspire also includes front parking sensors.

To see how the Geely EX5 lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool

How much does the Geely EX5 cost to run?

Geely still hasn’t detailed how long its warranty period will be for the EX5.

It has said, however, that it’ll offer three years of free scheduled servicing, and a 12-month/1000kWh subscription to Evie’s public EV charging network, provided buyers place orders by February 28, 2025, and take delivery by April 30, 2025.

To see how the Geely EX5 lines up against the competition, check out our comparison tool

CarExpert’s Take on the Geely EX5

This car is all about perspective.

If you’re stepping into one from a combustion-powered vehicle, it’ll surprise you with its silence (the Mr Whippy-esque pedestrian warning sound aside), and its snappy low-speed acceleration. The packaging will also be refreshing to you because there’s no driveline to encroach on second-row space.

However, when compared to other rival EVs, there’s little that sets the Geely EX5 apart from the ever-growing crowd. The technology feels eerily reminiscent of a Tesla besides there being a digital instrument cluster and head-up display, there’s no Apple CarPlay and Android Auto available at launch, and the blobby looks and limited paint colour palette do it no favours.

I appreciate the amount of effort Geely has put into investing in local chassis tuning, which is a step in the right direction that several rival Chinese brands just haven’t taken yet.

But although the company claims it has made changes to the suspension, it still errs firmly on the comfort end of the spectrum, as many Chinese cars do. I’d be interested to experience what the Chinese-spec model is like on Australian roads just for comparison’s sake.

The fact this car is also front-wheel drive doesn’t help from a handling dynamics standpoint. Many rear-wheel drive rivals are considerably more rewarding to drive on twisty roads.

The front wheels on this car can get overwhelmed with the amount of power and torque they need to send to the road, and you can tell Geely has dialled back the initial throttle response to account for this.

Ultimately, the level of Australian interest in this car could well come down to its pricing. The leaked figures are extremely promising, but we’ll reserve judgement until we get confirmation of this.

Interested in buying a Geely EX5? Get in touch with one of CarExpert’s trusted dealers here

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