Hi Richard. . The brilliant Tesla that I purchased from you May last year convinced me that electric really is the way to go. . I bought an MG5 new in January this year for my business and it's a fantastic car. . Got it to do 242 miles on a charge last week. . It's the second best car I've ever owned. The first being the S 😁😁
I recently purchased one and really do love it. It's no luxury car, but super practical and dynamically very nice to drive. I replaced a Kia Niro PHEV with it and although it lacks the lane keeping and adaptive cruise control and prefer driving it and wouldn't swap it for e-niro. It cost me 2k less than niro PHEV as well. Cons? Well the entertainment system is dreadful and while my wife's phone works fine with Android Auto mine doesn't, weird. I reckon there's a market for a upgrade here. Try one, you'll be surprised and you'll love the price.
Another great review. Do you think some of the upgrades in the MG5 are also possible for the existing MG ZS EV? For instance, the new display of battery percentage SOC, better regen braking levels, improved auto hold, etc? If such software upgrades are possible for the MG ZS EV, then I would still go for the MG ZS EV with it's power sunroof, blindspot indicators (etc) and overall niftiness. Thoughts?
I’ve had one for 2 months and it’s a really great car. Good value, lots of space, comfortable and a decent range. Why pay 3 times more for one of the premium brands. A good common sense car for the working man / woman. I got the cheaper model, I don’t want hot / cold seats I’ll stick to the cloth ones. It’s has most of the spec that I want.
A great review thanks! I am collecting mine at the end of this week and with your review, it gives me confidence that I have made the right choice and will enjoy the car. I will also be honest, my biggest hesitation purchasing this car earlier was the way the car looks, as I do find it not very appealing, however I eventually outweighed this from the fantastic value for money! Looking forward to driving my first electric car! Thanks again!
@@stuartswanuk getting on really well to be honest! I have not had any major problem at all and i have been doing some long distances and has been fairly comfortable! I did have however one issue, where a warning light kept appearing on the dashboard, but I got it into MG and they fixed it (took a while - due to part) but they were in regular communication, so the after sales is great!
@@stuartswanuk No regrets. There are better options coming out constantly and my current choice would be the MG4 long range. Be interested to see what comes out in the next 2 years, but until then the MG5 is a great car for the money.
Hi looked into changing my car for this as I currently have a 207 sw , I found that it is a lot smaller on space as an estate also when I asked about the possibility of a tow bar for my cycle carrier I was told by the sales person that as it is not an MG accessory made or supplied by MG if one is adapted to fit it would void the warranty. So if they improve the space with better folding seats and a bigger boot entry with added towing capabilities I might consider changing to this car 🚙
It looks a practical car with a reasonable range. I would want the estate for a work vehicle, however the rear seats do not fold near to flat, making this vehicle unsuitable for me. That’s real shame.
Hi Andrew, for up to date pricing on new we would advise checking the MG website. If you are looking to lease one please do feel free to contact our team and we would be happy to quote you. From a used perspective the MG5 is still really quite new so we haven’t yet been able to obtain used stock. Pricing is always a tricky one as it can change over time, so while we will sometimes use indicative pricing, we try to avoid pricing at the time of recording as it can change and we end up misleading people who watch the video a little later.
@@DriveGreen It rides on the same platform as the alleged electric sports car that's arriving soon, so my guess it'll be built in RHD once that is also launched.
Aha. That's why it's not confirmed for UK yet. Just out of curiosity. Have it ever been talking about changing the driving position in the UK? I guess it would cost a lot to change everything but in the long term I guess it would work for the UK's benefit?
SAIC who owns and builds MG's has been VW's native partner in China for the last 40 years. Basically if you bought a Golf or Passat in China and some other eastern markets, SAIC has been producing those cars on behalf of VW. They really know what they're doing after such a long partnership with the Germans.
@@UpsideDownFork that's interesting thanks! I've had a Zoe and now have a Kia Soul ev, so I've covered Korea and France. I wrote my comment three years ago. I'm 76 so I don't think I'll have time for a Chinese but I probably would .....
@@UpsideDownFork I love it and it seems well bolted together. Doors clunky shut where the Zoe was tinny crash. Also the Kia is incredibly easy to drive economically. I regularly get 5 miles to the kWh . I bought both cars at 2 years old and coming off a lease.
A very good, sensible review - but I'm a little bemused that you think it's such good value - £25,000 - a Focus Estate starts at £22,000, an Astra starts at £19,500. The MG may not be as ridiculously overpriced as other EV's - but it's still far too expensive for what it offers. As far as describing a car that requires a half-hour stop every 70 miles as an "ideal holiday car" - seriously? Each to their own I suppose. BW!
@@mrjeff6257 Jeff - yes the reviewer claims a range of 180 - 200 miles - I was commenting on his remark that a half-hour stop would allow for a 70 mile charge - which he seems to think makes it "an ideal holiday car". I disagree. As far as that max range goes, bear in mind that all EV manufacturers recommend charging from 20 to 80% - to prolong battery life, and to avoid the slow charging rate in going beyond 80% - that means in practice your range isn't really 200 miles at all - in practice it's about 60% of that - 120 miles. The high purchase price, and that fatal combination of a limited range and lengthy charging time, are the reasons why I wouldn't buy one - I'm not wealthy, and I have better things to do with my time than sit around staring at a charging meter. BW.
@@mikebreen2890 Mike - No offence, but try telling the thousands who drive daily between (eg) Glasgow and Edinburgh that a "vast majority" drive under 20 miles a day, and see what reaction you get! As far as a 700 mile round trip - how much pre-planning did that take to ensure a charger was available? - and how long was your wife sitting around waiting until she could continue? - she would have needed to stop at least 3 times (optimistically). Most people would find these drawbacks unacceptable - convenience is one of the great advantages of car ownership. Until that combination of a limited range and lengthy charging time is solved, EV's will remain the preserve of wealthy people who never venture far from home.. I'm glad that you are happy with your EV - but not for me. BW.
@@jimmacgregor4122 I'll tell them that the vast majority of journeys are under 20 miles, the fact that some do more makes no difference to that. Glasgow to Edinburgh as a round trip is easily within the range of all (I think) new EV's, most would do it twice on one charge. Washington to Poole. The 700 mile round trip was spit in two, so say one journey of 350 miles and 6 hours at least, probably nearer 7 with good old UK traffic. "A Better Route Planner" gives two stops, one of 17 minutes and one of 29 minutes or probably less time than you would normally take to get lunch, coffee and stretch your legs on a six hour journey any way. There was zero time spent waiting for chargers, always try and plan a stop where there are multiple chargers and you can see if it is busy at any location simply by looking at the app for those chargers before you get to them. You DO have to learn how to use the charging network. Most of the drawbacks many people perceive with an EV (especially when they have already made up their mind and are determined to defend their stance) really do not exist or are not nearly as much of a problem as they would like to think they are. Even then, the slight issue of charging when out and about is massively offset by the huge advantages to be found with the 99 percent of other journeys, less than 20 miles. The issue with public rapid chargers isn't charging time for most people because charging time is usually less then you would take for breaks anyway, it's a totally ridiculous and dizzying array of apps, accounts, RFID cards, the fact you need a smart phone and a credit card...... This is already improving rapidly as the government is demanding drivers should be able to just swipe a card and charge, and it's happening.
Why do all these reviews feature the top of the range (in this case MG Exclusive) model? A lot of us can't justify the extra expense and would like to see a cheaper model shown from time to time.
In this case, this car was supplied to us by MG to evaluate so we can not really be picky. Also it is better for us to do such a review on a car with as much spec as possible so we can show you what is available and advise what you don’t get with other models. If we do it the other way, we are unable to show/demonstrate some of the other available features if someone were to want to pay the extra.
I have this on a radar based on its value for money. It does need a much better set of alloy wheels and maybe a slight suspension drop as it does look a bit like it's on stilts. Both if these changes I think would really lift the car up. A lot of the internal switch gear, steering wheel etc are straight from VAG parts bin. MG must be using the same parts source in China.
SAIC who owns and builds MG's has been VW's native partner in China for the last 40 years. Basically if you bought a Golf of Passat in China and some other eastern market, SAIC has been producing those cars on behalf of VW. They really know what they're doing after such a long partnership with the Germans.
If you are wanting pricing, you are better off looking at the manufacturer’s website. Pricing varies in different markets and is always subject to change over time.
I didn't even notice the lack of a price listed, because I watched this after first checking the MG website (so I already knew). The lower trim version starts at £25,095 (after the £2,500 Plug-in Car Grant) in the UK at the moment. The higher trim and Long Range version (250 mile range claimed, on 61 kWh, as opposed to 214 miles with the standard 52 kWh battery) starts at £28,995 (again, after the grant; £31,495 without it). I say "starts at"; there aren't very many add-ons you can attach to it. Edit: to clarify, you have two trim levels (Excite/Exclusive), and two ranges (214/250 miles WLTP) available, so a total of four price points. I quoted the lowest and the highest (without any extra equipment, though as I say, there doesn't seem to be much of it anyway).
Great value BEV - crap estate car... Still waiting for an electric to replace my 13-year-old Saab 9-5 wagon, but by the time any of the manufacturers actually build something suitable, it will cost more than I can afford*...or I may have had to hand my licence in...or even died... *having always been a used-car buyer
Hi Richard. . The brilliant Tesla that I purchased from you May last year convinced me that electric really is the way to go. . I bought an MG5 new in January this year for my business and it's a fantastic car. . Got it to do 242 miles on a charge last week. . It's the second best car I've ever owned. The first being the S 😁😁
Great to hear from you! Glad you are enjoying them both and 242 miles?! That’s incredible! 🙂
I recently purchased one and really do love it. It's no luxury car, but super practical and dynamically very nice to drive.
I replaced a Kia Niro PHEV with it and although it lacks the lane keeping and adaptive cruise control and prefer driving it and wouldn't swap it for e-niro. It cost me 2k less than niro PHEV as well.
Cons? Well the entertainment system is dreadful and while my wife's phone works fine with Android Auto mine doesn't, weird. I reckon there's a market for a upgrade here.
Try one, you'll be surprised and you'll love the price.
Thanks for sharing your experience, nice to hear it has been positive and yes the infotainment is definitely the weak point of the car!
Another great review. Do you think some of the upgrades in the MG5 are also possible for the existing MG ZS EV? For instance, the new display of battery percentage SOC, better regen braking levels, improved auto hold, etc? If such software upgrades are possible for the MG ZS EV, then I would still go for the MG ZS EV with it's power sunroof, blindspot indicators (etc) and overall niftiness. Thoughts?
Nice value proposition for a change, who buys all those >£60k ev’s? The CCS is a nice upgrade
Absolutely, MG really have got it bang on with this!
I’ve had one for 2 months and it’s a really great car. Good value, lots of space, comfortable and a decent range. Why pay 3 times more for one of the premium brands. A good common sense car for the working man / woman. I got the cheaper model, I don’t want hot / cold seats I’ll stick to the cloth ones. It’s has most of the spec that I want.
Glad to hear you are enjoying it still 🙂
Thanks. Hope we get the MG5 or MGZS in South Africa sometime. Great value for money.
Thanks for watching and we hope you do! 🙂
A great review thanks! I am collecting mine at the end of this week and with your review, it gives me confidence that I have made the right choice and will enjoy the car. I will also be honest, my biggest hesitation purchasing this car earlier was the way the car looks, as I do find it not very appealing, however I eventually outweighed this from the fantastic value for money! Looking forward to driving my first electric car! Thanks again!
Ahh brilliant, I am certain you will be very pleased with it! It really does tick most of the boxes and is very impressive 🙂
How are you getting on with it after a year ?
@@stuartswanuk getting on really well to be honest! I have not had any major problem at all and i have been doing some long distances and has been fairly comfortable! I did have however one issue, where a warning light kept appearing on the dashboard, but I got it into MG and they fixed it (took a while - due to part) but they were in regular communication, so the after sales is great!
Had mine 6 weeks, no regrets.
Great to hear 🙂 Which mode fid you go for?
@@DriveGreen Excite in red. Wanted the cloth seats and didn't want roof rails. The only thing I miss is the folding wing mirrors.
Fair enough and great colour 🙂
Still no regrets?
@@stuartswanuk No regrets. There are better options coming out constantly and my current choice would be the MG4 long range. Be interested to see what comes out in the next 2 years, but until then the MG5 is a great car for the money.
Hi looked into changing my car for this as I currently have a 207 sw , I found that it is a lot smaller on space as an estate also when I asked about the possibility of a tow bar for my cycle carrier I was told by the sales person that as it is not an MG accessory made or supplied by MG if one is adapted to fit it would void the warranty. So if they improve the space with better folding seats and a bigger boot entry with added towing capabilities I might consider changing to this car 🚙
Some fair points indeed, we can’t wait to see what comes out on the facelift next year 👍🏻
Very pleasant style of reporting
NICE BUT NEEDS LANE KEEP ASSIT ETC.
Hi. Does it have an air source heat pump or resistive heating? Thanks.
The MG5 doesn’t feature a heat pump unfortunately, perhaps this might be something we see in the upcoming facelift?
Excellent
Thanks!
Is there a light to show alarm is set
Flashing led etc
We’ll double check when we get one in next!
Have they sorted the problems with the roof rails?... originally as much use as a chocolate fireguard!... just for show
It looks a practical car with a reasonable range. I would want the estate for a work vehicle, however the rear seats do not fold near to flat, making this vehicle unsuitable for me. That’s real shame.
Hopefully something they will consider for the next one!
All the talk about what great value the car is but you don't say how much it actually costs?!
Hi Andrew, for up to date pricing on new we would advise checking the MG website. If you are looking to lease one please do feel free to contact our team and we would be happy to quote you. From a used perspective the MG5 is still really quite new so we haven’t yet been able to obtain used stock.
Pricing is always a tricky one as it can change over time, so while we will sometimes use indicative pricing, we try to avoid pricing at the time of recording as it can change and we end up misleading people who watch the video a little later.
Looking forward for the MG Marvel review 👍
Not looking like it will be coming to the UK unfortunately 😞
@@DriveGreen It rides on the same platform as the alleged electric sports car that's arriving soon, so my guess it'll be built in RHD once that is also launched.
Fingers crossed 🤞🏻
Aha. That's why it's not confirmed for UK yet.
Just out of curiosity.
Have it ever been talking about changing the driving position in the UK?
I guess it would cost a lot to change everything but in the long term I guess it would work for the UK's benefit?
Excellent car
Agreed!!
I don't think I would want a Chinese car at this time. Who knows? Obviously fantastic value for money and it will sell like hot cakes.
It’s definitely going to sell very well indeed!
SAIC who owns and builds MG's has been VW's native partner in China for the last 40 years. Basically if you bought a Golf or Passat in China and some other eastern markets, SAIC has been producing those cars on behalf of VW. They really know what they're doing after such a long partnership with the Germans.
@@UpsideDownFork that's interesting thanks! I've had a Zoe and now have a Kia Soul ev, so I've covered Korea and France. I wrote my comment three years ago. I'm 76 so I don't think I'll have time for a Chinese but I probably would .....
@@johnfaulkner6776 good choice on the Kia Soul EV. One of my favourites!
@@UpsideDownFork I love it and it seems well bolted together. Doors clunky shut where the Zoe was tinny crash. Also the Kia is incredibly easy to drive economically. I regularly get 5 miles to the kWh . I bought both cars at 2 years old and coming off a lease.
I like bland looking cars. Never understood why anyone would want their car to stand out from the crowd.
I guess everyone is different but yes there is certainly many advantages to a car blending in 🙂
A very good, sensible review - but I'm a little bemused that you think it's such good value - £25,000 - a Focus Estate starts at £22,000, an Astra starts at £19,500. The MG may not be as ridiculously overpriced as other EV's - but it's still far too expensive for what it offers.
As far as describing a car that requires a half-hour stop every 70 miles as an "ideal holiday car" - seriously? Each to their own I suppose. BW!
Does it not do 200 miles+ on a charge
@@mrjeff6257 Jeff - yes the reviewer claims a range of 180 - 200 miles - I was commenting on his remark that a half-hour stop would allow for a 70 mile charge - which he seems to think makes it "an ideal holiday car". I disagree.
As far as that max range goes, bear in mind that all EV manufacturers recommend charging from 20 to 80% - to prolong battery life, and to avoid the slow charging rate in going beyond 80% - that means in practice your range isn't really 200 miles at all - in practice it's about 60% of that - 120 miles.
The high purchase price, and that fatal combination of a limited range and lengthy charging time, are the reasons why I wouldn't buy one - I'm not wealthy, and I have better things to do with my time than sit around staring at a charging meter. BW.
@@jimmacgregor4122 Vast majority of drivers drive under 20 miles a day. My wife just did a 700 mile round trip in our MG5, no big deal.
@@mikebreen2890 Mike - No offence, but try telling the thousands who drive daily between (eg) Glasgow and Edinburgh that a "vast majority" drive under 20 miles a day, and see what reaction you get! As far as a 700 mile round trip - how much pre-planning did that take to ensure a charger was available? - and how long was your wife sitting around waiting until she could continue? - she would have needed to stop at least 3 times (optimistically). Most people would find these drawbacks unacceptable - convenience is one of the great advantages of car ownership. Until that combination of a limited range and lengthy charging time is solved, EV's will remain the preserve of wealthy people who never venture far from home..
I'm glad that you are happy with your EV - but not for me. BW.
@@jimmacgregor4122 I'll tell them that the vast majority of journeys are under 20 miles, the fact that some do more makes no difference to that. Glasgow to Edinburgh as a round trip is easily within the range of all (I think) new EV's, most would do it twice on one charge.
Washington to Poole.
The 700 mile round trip was spit in two, so say one journey of 350 miles and 6 hours at least, probably nearer 7 with good old UK traffic.
"A Better Route Planner" gives two stops, one of 17 minutes and one of 29 minutes or probably less time than you would normally take to get lunch, coffee and stretch your legs on a six hour journey any way.
There was zero time spent waiting for chargers, always try and plan a stop where there are multiple chargers and you can see if it is busy at any location simply by looking at the app for those chargers before you get to them.
You DO have to learn how to use the charging network.
Most of the drawbacks many people perceive with an EV (especially when they have already made up their mind and are determined to defend their stance) really do not exist or are not nearly as much of a problem as they would like to think they are.
Even then, the slight issue of charging when out and about is massively offset by the huge advantages to be found with the 99 percent of other journeys, less than 20 miles.
The issue with public rapid chargers isn't charging time for most people because charging time is usually less then you would take for breaks anyway, it's a totally ridiculous and dizzying array of apps, accounts, RFID cards, the fact you need a smart phone and a credit card......
This is already improving rapidly as the government is demanding drivers should be able to just swipe a card and charge, and it's happening.
Why do all these reviews feature the top of the range (in this case MG Exclusive) model? A lot of us can't justify the extra expense and would like to see a cheaper model shown from time to time.
In this case, this car was supplied to us by MG to evaluate so we can not really be picky. Also it is better for us to do such a review on a car with as much spec as possible so we can show you what is available and advise what you don’t get with other models.
If we do it the other way, we are unable to show/demonstrate some of the other available features if someone were to want to pay the extra.
I have this on a radar based on its value for money. It does need a much better set of alloy wheels and maybe a slight suspension drop as it does look a bit like it's on stilts. Both if these changes I think would really lift the car up. A lot of the internal switch gear, steering wheel etc are straight from VAG parts bin. MG must be using the same parts source in China.
We certainly agree on the wheels! 🙂
SAIC who owns and builds MG's has been VW's native partner in China for the last 40 years. Basically if you bought a Golf of Passat in China and some other eastern market, SAIC has been producing those cars on behalf of VW. They really know what they're doing after such a long partnership with the Germans.
I stopped watching halfway frustrated. Despite talking 10 times about low price, you didn't care to mention the actual price.
If you are wanting pricing, you are better off looking at the manufacturer’s website. Pricing varies in different markets and is always subject to change over time.
I didn't even notice the lack of a price listed, because I watched this after first checking the MG website (so I already knew). The lower trim version starts at £25,095 (after the £2,500 Plug-in Car Grant) in the UK at the moment. The higher trim and Long Range version (250 mile range claimed, on 61 kWh, as opposed to 214 miles with the standard 52 kWh battery) starts at £28,995 (again, after the grant; £31,495 without it). I say "starts at"; there aren't very many add-ons you can attach to it.
Edit: to clarify, you have two trim levels (Excite/Exclusive), and two ranges (214/250 miles WLTP) available, so a total of four price points. I quoted the lowest and the highest (without any extra equipment, though as I say, there doesn't seem to be much of it anyway).
Massive lip on the boot. Hard to load, far from ideal for dog owners. MG have missed the point of an estate.
Yep, the high boot lip is more annoying to me than the infotainment lag. I don't even have a dog!
Great value BEV - crap estate car...
Still waiting for an electric to replace my 13-year-old Saab 9-5 wagon, but by the time any of the manufacturers actually build something suitable, it will cost more than I can afford*...or I may have had to hand my licence in...or even died...
*having always been a used-car buyer
NICE BUT NEEDS LANE KEEP ASSIT ETC.