MG S5 EV Review

The MG S5 EV effectively replaces the old MG ZS EV as the brand’s mainstream electric family SUV, although the relationship between the two is largely one of positioning rather than engineering. While the ZS EV started life as a petrol SUV adapted for electric power, the MG S5 EV uses MG’s dedicated Modular Scalable Platform, the same basic electric car architecture that underpins the MG4.

That makes a significant difference. The battery sits low in the floor, helping to create a spacious cabin and a low centre of gravity, while the rear wheel drive layout gives the MG S5 EV more natural handling than you might expect from a sensibly priced family SUV.

There are two battery sizes. The entry level Standard Range uses a 49kWh battery and has an official WLTP range of 211 miles. The 64kWh Long Range battery increases that significantly, with the MG S5 EV SE Long Range capable of up to 298 miles. The better equipped Trophy Long Range drops slightly to 288 miles, largely because of its larger 18-inch wheels and additional equipment.

The motors differ as well. Standard Range cars produce 170PS and take 8.0 seconds to reach 62mph. Long Range models are substantially more powerful, with 231PS and 350Nm of torque cutting the 0 to 62mph time to 6.3 seconds. That is unusually brisk for this type of family EV.

What impresses most, however, is not any single specification. It is how complete the MG S5 EV feels. The ride is comfortable, motorway refinement is good and the steering is much more responsive than the old ZS EV. Around town it is light and easy to drive, while there is enough composure on faster roads to make it more enjoyable than many family electric SUVs.

The cabin represents another sizeable step forward for MG. Materials are generally convincing, the controls have a satisfyingly substantial action and the infotainment system is straightforward to use. Passenger space is excellent, particularly in the rear, although the 453-litre boot is beaten by some rivals.

Prices start at £28,995, which keeps the MG S5 EV firmly towards the affordable end of the family EV market. Combine that with MG’s seven year warranty and the Long Range model in particular makes a compelling case.

The MG S5 EV SE Long Range is the version we would choose.

The Standard Range is tempting if most journeys are local. Its 211-mile official range should be enough for typical commuting and school run duties, and at £28,995 it provides an inexpensive route into a spacious new electric SUV.

The problem is that moving to the SE Long Range transforms the car’s usability. Its 64kWh battery increases official range to 298 miles, while its more powerful 231PS motor cuts the 0 to 62mph time from 8.0 to 6.3 seconds.

That extra range matters more than the performance. A near 300-mile official figure gives you considerably more flexibility on motorway journeys and means fewer charging stops during normal weekly use. It also makes the MG S5 EV easier to recommend as a household’s only car.

SE specification already includes the equipment most buyers need, so you do not have to move up to Trophy to get a well equipped car.

Trophy adds worthwhile luxuries including heated front seats, a heated steering wheel, powered driver’s seat, 360-degree cameras, wireless phone charging and an electric tailgate. However, its 18-inch wheels also reduce official range to 288 miles.

Unless those extras particularly appeal, the SE Long Range provides the strongest balance of price, range and equipment.

The MG S5 EV starts at £28,995 for the SE Standard Range. Moving to the SE Long Range increases the list price to £31,495, while the Trophy Long Range tops the range at £33,995.

That places the MG in an interesting position. It is no longer simply competing on being the cheapest electric SUV available, because alternatives such as the Vauxhall Frontera Electric can undercut it. Instead, the MG S5 EV makes its case by combining its price with strong equipment, generous passenger space and useful range.

The SE Long Range is particularly competitive. A near 300-mile official range for a little over £31,000 is attractive, particularly when the basic specification already includes the large infotainment screen, navigation, wireless smartphone connectivity and a comprehensive suite of driver assistance systems.

Manufacturer incentives and dealer discounts can alter what you actually pay, so compare the underlying specification as well as any headline offer.

The Skoda Elroq is one of the most obvious alternatives. It costs more in comparable versions but has a larger 470-litre boot, a polished interior and a choice of battery sizes with strong range. It is the better option if luggage space and Volkswagen Group familiarity matter more than getting the lowest purchase price.

The Kia EV3 is particularly strong if maximum range is important. Its larger battery versions can travel substantially further than the MG on the official test, while the interior makes excellent use of its dedicated electric platform. Kia also provides a seven year warranty.

The Kia Niro EV remains another easy going family choice. It is comfortable, efficient and well established, although the MG S5 EV feels newer and offers particularly strong value.

At the other end of the price scale, the Vauxhall Frontera Electric is worth considering if keeping the initial cost down matters most. It is practical and straightforward, but the MG feels more sophisticated inside and is available with considerably more electric range.

The MG S5 EV therefore occupies a useful middle ground. It is not the cheapest, longest range or most spacious electric SUV individually, but it combines those attributes unusually well for the money.

Passenger space is one of the MG S5 EV’s biggest strengths. There is plenty of room in the front and the driver gets a useful amount of steering wheel adjustment, so most people should be able to find a comfortable position. The seats are supportive without feeling excessively firm, although lumbar adjustment is reserved for Trophy models.

Rear accommodation is more impressive. Even with a driver around 6ft 2in tall in the front, another similarly tall adult can sit behind without struggling for knee room. That is unusually generous for an electric SUV of this size.

There is good headroom as well, helped by the MG S5 EV’s relatively conventional roofline. The floor is also fairly unobtrusive, so passengers do not feel as though their knees are being pushed upwards by a large battery beneath the cabin.

This is particularly useful for families using bulky rear facing child seats. There is enough space to install one without forcing the front passenger seat excessively far forwards, while two Isofix mounting points are provided on the outer rear seats.

Storage around the cabin is sensible rather than gimmicky. There are two cupholders in the centre console along with a second tier of storage underneath. Trophy models add a wireless charging pad, although the one in our test car was occasionally temperamental.

Boot capacity is 453 litres with the rear seats upright. That is enough for a typical weekly shop, pushchair or family holiday luggage, but it falls short of the 470 litres offered by a Skoda Elroq and some other family focused alternatives.

A two level boot floor provides useful storage underneath and makes it easier to create a flatter loading area when the rear seats are folded. The 60:40 split rear bench folds almost flat, expanding maximum luggage capacity to 1,441 litres.

The opening itself is wide and relatively easy to load through, while Trophy models gain a hands free electrically operated tailgate.

There is no front luggage compartment, so charging cables will have to live in the boot. Even so, the excellent passenger accommodation means the MG S5 EV works particularly well for families who prioritise people space over outright luggage capacity.

The MG S5 EV measures 4,476mm x 1,849mm x 1,621mm in length, width and height. Width increases to approximately 2,094mm when the door mirrors are included, while the wheelbase measures 2,730mm.

That makes it very similar in length to a Skoda Elroq, which helps explain why rear passenger space is so generous. It is still compact enough to be manageable on typical UK roads and in supermarket car parks, while its relatively upright proportions make good use of the available footprint.

The turning circle is around 10.5 metres, which contributes to the MG S5 EV’s easy going nature around town.

The centrepiece of the MG S5 EV dashboard is a 12.8-inch HD touchscreen, the largest central display MG had fitted to one of its mainstream models when the car arrived.

Size alone does not make a good infotainment system, but fortunately the underlying interface is one of MG’s better efforts. The graphics are clear, responses are quick and the basic menu structure is logical enough that you do not need a lengthy tutorial before setting off.

A row of permanent shortcuts along the bottom of the display makes frequently used functions easier to reach. That sounds like a minor detail, but it matters when so many modern cars bury simple settings several menus deep.

Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard, which makes it straightforward to use your preferred navigation, messaging and audio apps without plugging in your phone.

Directly in front of the driver is a separate 10.25-inch digital display. It replaces conventional instruments and shows the essentials including speed, battery charge, range and energy use. Crucially, MG has resisted the temptation to cram every possible piece of information into it, so it remains easy to read at a glance.

SE models get a four speaker audio system, while Trophy upgrades this to six speakers. Trophy also adds MG’s enhanced connected services, with additional online functionality including live traffic and entertainment apps.

The system is generally straightforward to use, but not every piece of technology is welcome. Like most modern cars, the MG S5 EV comes with an extensive suite of audible driver assistance warnings.

MG deserves credit for making those systems easier to manage. The MG Pilot Custom function lets you configure your preferred assistance settings and recall them quickly rather than diving through several separate menus every time you start the car.

Interior quality is one of the clearest signs that the MG S5 EV represents a step forward from earlier MG electric cars.

Large areas of the dashboard and door trims are covered in softly padded synthetic material, while a suede like finish around the drive selector adds visual interest. The switches that remain have a substantial action and details such as the metal effect window controls make the cabin feel more expensive than its price might suggest.

SE cars use two tone grey fabric upholstery. It looks relatively simple but does not make the entry level car feel stripped out.

Trophy moves to a combination of leather style material and cloth inserts, with a subtle MG pattern worked into the finish. It also gets an electrically adjustable driver’s seat with lumbar support.

The steering wheel is finished in synthetic leather across the range.

There are still harder plastics if you go looking lower down in the cabin, but the areas you regularly see and touch are generally convincing. More importantly, the controls and fittings feel robustly put together.

For a sub £35,000 electric family SUV, it is a notably pleasant place to spend time.

There are two powertrain configurations available, determined by which battery you choose.

The MG S5 EV Standard Range uses a 49kWh battery and a rear mounted electric motor producing 170PS. With 250Nm of torque, it accelerates from 0 to 62mph in 8.0 seconds and has an official WLTP range of 211 miles.

Long Range cars get a 64kWh battery and a considerably more powerful 231PS motor producing 350Nm. The result is a 0 to 62mph time of just 6.3 seconds.

Both SE and Trophy Long Range cars use the same drivetrain, but their official ranges differ because of specification and wheel size. The SE Long Range reaches up to 298 miles, while the Trophy Long Range manages 288 miles.

For most buyers, the Long Range drivetrain is the more appealing of the two. Its additional performance is useful when joining a motorway or overtaking, but it is the near 300-mile range that makes the bigger difference to everyday usability.

The Standard Range should not be dismissed, though. If you have reliable home charging and rarely make long journeys, 211 miles may be plenty.

The accelerator calibration is relatively gentle in the normal driving mode. Compared with some EVs, there is less of an initial lurch when you press the pedal, which makes it easier to drive smoothly.

Sport mode sharpens the response if you want the full performance, although Normal suits the character of the car better in everyday use.

There are also several levels of regenerative braking, including a one pedal mode that can slow the car strongly when you lift off the accelerator. Drivers new to EVs may need time to acclimatise, while anyone who prefers a more conventional feel can reduce the regeneration instead.

The old MG ZS EV was affordable and practical, but its driving manners were never its strongest point. The MG S5 EV is a significant improvement.

Its dedicated electric platform helps. The battery is mounted low in the chassis and is just 110mm thick, contributing to a lower centre of gravity than you might expect from a family SUV.

MG has also given the car sophisticated five link rear suspension, with UK engineers involved in tuning the chassis for local roads.

The result is a car that rides extremely well. Broken surfaces and larger bumps are dealt with calmly and there is none of the slightly bouncy, under damped character that affected the old ZS EV.

This is still a comfort focused SUV rather than something designed for Sunday morning blasts, but the composure continues when the road becomes more interesting.

Body roll is controlled neatly and the steering responds quickly enough to make the car easy to place. There is a slightly artificial quality to the assistance and you do not receive much meaningful feedback through the wheel, but there is enough weight to make the car feel reassuring at higher speeds.

The rear wheel drive layout helps the MG S5 EV feel more balanced than many front wheel drive electric SUVs, although normal road driving is unlikely to reveal anything particularly dramatic about which axle is doing the work.

Around town, steering effort drops and visibility is good, making the MG straightforward to manoeuvre. Rear parking sensors and a reversing camera are standard, while Trophy adds front sensors and a 360-degree camera.

On the motorway the MG S5 EV settles down nicely. Wind and motor noise are well suppressed and the suspension remains controlled over longer undulations. Stability under braking is also reassuring.

The Long Range’s 231PS gives the car more performance than it strictly needs. A 6.3-second 0 to 62mph time would once have been hot hatch territory, but acceleration is delivered progressively enough that the car never feels unruly.

There are five driving modes including Normal, Sport, Comfort, Snow and Custom, although there is little need to keep switching between them. Normal works well for most journeys.

Overall, the MG S5 EV manages the useful trick of being comfortable enough for family duties without becoming dull or ponderous.

The MG S5 EV has achieved a full five star Euro NCAP safety rating. Its strong result covers adult occupant protection, child occupant protection, vulnerable road users and safety assistance, while the passenger compartment remained stable during Euro NCAP’s frontal offset crash assessment.

Standard equipment includes seven airbags, autonomous emergency braking, lane keeping assistance, blind spot monitoring, driver attention monitoring and other functions grouped under MG Pilot.

Two Isofix mounting points are fitted to the outer rear seats, together with top tether anchorages.

MG Pilot Custom is particularly useful because it lets drivers create a preferred configuration for some of the assistance systems and recall it quickly. That does not change the underlying safety equipment, but it makes the technology much less irritating to live with.

Charging performance varies according to battery size.

The 49kWh Standard Range can accept DC rapid charging at up to 120kW. MG quotes 24 minutes to take the battery from 10 to 80% under suitable conditions.

The 64kWh Long Range increases maximum DC charging power to 139kW, with a 10 to 80% charge taking approximately 28 minutes.

Using a typical 7kW home wallbox, expect the Standard Range to need roughly eight to nine hours for a substantial overnight recharge, while the Long Range needs around 11 hours.

At a domestic electricity rate of around 26p per kWh, putting 49kWh of electricity into the car would cost roughly £13 before charging losses, while 64kWh would cost about £17. A dedicated overnight EV tariff can reduce those figures substantially.

Public rapid charging is much more expensive, so owners who can regularly plug in at home will get the strongest financial benefit from running the MG.

One weakness is the lack of a heat pump. That means cabin heating can draw more heavily on the battery in cold weather than in rivals fitted with more energy efficient heat pump systems.

The MG S5 EV is covered by MG’s seven year or 80,000-mile manufacturer warranty, whichever comes first. That is considerably longer than the three year cover provided by many mainstream brands and remains one of MG’s strongest ownership arguments. The high voltage battery is also covered within MG’s EV warranty terms.

The MG S5 EV has an annual servicing schedule of 12 months or 15,000 miles, whichever comes first. A seven year warranty is particularly reassuring if you intend to keep the car beyond a typical three or four year finance term, although the mileage limit means high mileage drivers may use up the cover considerably sooner.

The MG S5 EV SE Standard Range sits in insurance group 29, while the Long Range versions are in group 34.

Those ratings are reasonable rather than exceptionally low for an electric SUV. The jump for the Long Range models reflects their considerably higher 231PS output as well as their greater value.

Insurance costs vary much more than the group number alone suggests, particularly with electric cars, so it is worth getting an individual quote before deciding whether the additional range and performance of the 64kWh model makes sense for you.

For many buyers, the extra usefulness of the SE Long Range will justify its higher insurance classification.

The MG S5 EV costs £200 a year to tax at the current standard Vehicle Excise Duty rate. Electric cars are no longer exempt from VED, so the MG pays the standard annual rate.

The Expensive Car Supplement applies to electric vehicles with an original list price of more than £50,000. With even the range topping MG S5 EV Trophy Long Range priced comfortably below £35,000, no current version is affected by the additional premium car charge.