In the endless stampede of new manufacturers coming to Oz, Geely are back with a fresh, new two-car lineup in the medium SUV market. If, like this reviewer, you don’t remember their first entry into the Australian market, that probably works in the brand’s favour.
Their lineup includes the fully electric EX5, tested here in top-spec Inspire trim, while there’s also a hybrid option, in the form of the Starray EM-i. The former is a 5-seat SUV running a 60.22kWh LFP battery and a 160kW/320Nm motor.
It offers a pretty respectable claimed WLTP range of 410km. As Geely look to re-educate us on their image, we described the exterior of the EX5 at launch as homogenous, which is hard to argue with.
It’s very inoffensive, with its own take and style, but it’s not shouting for attention, which depending on the buyer, may be something to consider against competitors like Zeekr (coincidentally owned by Geely) or Deepal.
The proportions of the EX5 look right though and the 19-inch wheels on the Inspire combine for a well-rounded package. The colour palette is similarly subtle, with our example coming in Arctic White, while shades of grey, green and black can also be had.
Inside is where things start to shine a bit more, even with our plain Midnight leather interior. We can only imagine how much classier the Cloud dark grey and white trim would look and feel.
There’s plenty of room for all five occupants too, with a fully flat floor, raised centre console and an abundance of screens, including a 13.8-inch head-up display, a 10.2-inch instrument cluster and a laptop-sized 15.4-inch infotainment system.
Like most new cars, navigating the latter will take some time to get used to, as will learning all the different swiping tricks. At the time of our review, Geely had added Apple CarPlay to the EX5, but not Android Auto, which will come in an over-the-air update.
It’s due in Q1 of this year. Regardless, you’ll find native maps for navigation for those without a smartphone. Bluetooth audio sounded glorious through the Flyme branded 1000W 16 speaker audio system.
The Chinese car maker has programmed more than 200 voice recognition commands, which can be set up by owners, and includes things like accessing menus and lowering windows. Beyond that, there’s an app that adds additional functionality.
The rest of the layout is interesting, if not a little quirky. The centre cupholders are in a bit of an odd configuration and struggled with larger bottles. There is room for two phones in the console area, with only the driver’s side pad offering wireless charging.
The roof features an electric blind and a huge sunroof for added airiness. These closing automatically when the car is locked. We need to talk about the EX5’s seats though. The entry-level Complete comes with nice leather and heating up front.
The Inspire adds ventilation, memory options for the driver, a power leg rest for the passenger and six massage settings for both front row occupants. These can also be fully reclined, offering a premium, business class experience.
The second row may miss out on some of these wow features but even for a smaller five-seater SUV, there is no loss of space. There’s also a handy storage drawer underneath the seat bench too.
We threw some passengers in the back and they were quite impressed with the legroom available, while those forward felt loved up by the relaxing massage and ventilation options.
When asked where they thought the EX5 Inspire was priced, we had guesses starting from $60,000 and up to $80,000. You can imagine their surprise then when we revealed it can be had from $48,538 drive away.
In the back, behind the electric tailgate, the EX5 offers 302 or 410-litres with an adjustable floor, or up to 1877-litres with the second row folded flat. There is no froot or frunk under the very heavy bonnet, but there is a deep storage bin under the boot floor.
There is much to like about the EX5 so far, but how it drives is just as important. While Geely have said they spent a lot of time fine tuning the EX5 for our roads, the setup we experienced was still rather floaty.
While not at all uncomfortable or lacking any feedback or confidence on our roads, it’s a setup that allows the EX5 to glide over less than perfect surfaces, but falls a little short on precision and enthusiasm.
The driver warnings, especially around speed limit detection were a little on the annoying side. Deactivating them each time you restart the car could become muscle memory but can’t be done until the vehicle is in Drive.
Our long-term solution, aside from covering the driver monitor with tape, was to reduce the volume of the warnings, which made driving the car more bearable. The speed limit detection calibration could do with some adjustment too.
It would often read the signs on motorway offramps, beep about the change in speed (and the fact you were apparently way over that speed limit) and then repeat when it would catch up and detect the proper speed limit once again.
Be careful too when yawning in front of the monitor as it will then alert the driver for being fatigued. Adaptive cruise control worked well, but the standard following distance seemed a bit far to the car in front and with no obvious way to alter it.
We’d add some decent wiper blades to enhance wet weather visibility as well. That said, we did get used to the car, and it to us, during our time together, and decided the asking price outweighed many of the shortcomings.
Its 410km claimed range is a little ambitious, and in real world driving we managed around 351km from a 96 per cent charge. On some very hot summer days, there’s a large variance in those figures.
On a local 75kW charger it took about an hour to get from 19 per cent to 96 per cent, which meant we good do a bit of a shop and grab some food. Our average power usage was 14-15kWh/100km.
We feel these numbers are fine for urban and city commutes but may be a bit more restrictive for longer road trips. The EX5 Inspire has a 5-star ANCAP safety rating. It’s backed by a 7-year unlimited kilometre warranty.
You also get an 8-year unlimited kilometre battery warranty, 7-years roadside assist and two years of connected car software updates. New buyers can pre-pay their servicing in three, five or 7-year packages to save money.
While not perfect, the EX5 presents excellent value and a compelling option for those looking to join the EV crowd. At around 50K drive away, fully optioned in the Inspire trim, it’s hard to go wrong.
The only unknown is, like many of the newcomers, is whether the brands are in it for the long haul, and how their product will hold up over the coming years. Regardless, if you’re looking for a value EV, the 2026 EX5 Inspire should be on your shortlist.
You can find out more on the Geely Australia website, or by talking to your local dealership. To get a low rate finance quote, talk to Australia’s best reviewed car finance broker; Credit One. To see a great range of vehicles for sale, check out OnlyCars.com.au.
Our test vehicle was provided by Geely Australia for independent review purposes. Exhaust Notes Australia has not been paid to review this vehicle.
