Geely EX5 mid-size SUV: Volvo and Polestar owner finally debuts its own brand in Australia

Wanting to sell more than just its sub brands such as Volvo, Polestar and Zeekr, huge Chinese company Geely has finally released its own product in Australia. Indeed, while there are tens of thousands of cars on our roads using Geely technology – mostly Volvos and also the second coming of the Smart brand – the brand itself was only very briefly sold in Western Australia in 2010, and is otherwise largely unfamiliar to us.

Its first proper Australian effort is spearheaded by the EX5 electric mid-size SUV. Competing against established models such as the Tesla Model Y, the EX5 is priced from just $40,990 plus on-road costs, clearly prioritising value as its unique selling point. But is the Geely EX5 more than just a value proposition?

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Price and equipment:

For now, Geely is keeping it simple with the EX5 and there are just two models available locally:
entry-level Complete and upper-spec Inspire. Both use the same mechanicals so it’s really just
standard equipment that warrants spending the extra $4000 to get to the Inspire – but regardless,
the EX5 is priced well under its main rivals.

2025 Geely EX5 pricing (plus on-road costs):

Geely EX5 Complete standard features:

• 18-inch alloy wheels with a tyre repair kit
• Dusk-sensing automatic LED exterior lighting
• LED front and rear daytime running lights (DRL)
• Rain-sensing automatic wipers
• Roof rails
• Heated and power-folding mirrors
• Rear privacy glass
• Keyless entry and push button start
• Leather steering wheel with
• Synthetic leather upholstery
• 6-way driver/4-way passenger electric front seat adjustment
• Heated front seats
• Automatic climate control with rear air vents
• Heat pump
• Vehicle-to-load (V2L) capability
• 10.2-inch digital driver’s display
• 15.4-inch touchscreen with inbuilt connected services
• Six-speaker sound system
• 15W wireless phone charger
• FM/DAB+ digital radio
• Satellite navigation with live traffic
• 4x USB ports

EX5 Complete safety equipment:

• Seven airbags (including a front central unit)
• Autonomous emergency braking (AEB)
• Lane keeping assistance with lane departure warning
• Auto high beam
• Traffic sign recognition
• Blind-spot monitoring
• Front and rear cross-traffic alert (rear with braking)
• Evasive manoeuvre assist
• Driver attention monitoring
• Adaptive cruise control
• Low-speed front and rear auto braking
• Door open warning
• Rear parking sensors
• 360-degree camera

The EX5 range earned a five-star ANCAP safety rating with scores of 87 per cent in adult
protection, 83 per cent in child protection, 68 per cent in road user protection and 85 per cent for
safety assistance.

EX5 Inspire model adds:

• Larger 19-inch alloy wheels
• Panoramic sunroof
• Ventilated and massaging front seats with driver’s memory and a front passenger electric foot
  rest
• Electric tailgate
• Front parking sensors
• Illuminated front vanity mirrors
• 256-colour ambient lighting
• 13.4-inch head-up display
• 1000-watt 16-speaker Flyme sound system

Interior comfort, practicality and bootspace

While we could wax lyrical about the design, put simply the interior of the Geely EX5 Inspire feels like it should cost significantly more than its $44,990 +ORC asking price. While the materials are generally solid quality and there’s a richness in its trims such as the wood-like trim on the centre console (which, thankfully, isn’t the sea of piano black that so many other cars use) the general ambience is one that feels like it should cost a lot more than it does. It makes the Kia EV5’s cabin feel austere by comparison.

The EX5’s cabin is nothing if not practical, with plenty of storage space – a huge rubberised under-centre console tray, a big bin underneath the central armrest, a tray with a wireless charger and big cup holders on the centre console.

Centre of the EX5’s cabin – and the controller of pretty much every one of its every functions – is a huge 15.4-inch touchscreen with features such as sat-nav and digital radio, as well as an inbuilt SIM card for live services such as app downloads and useage, as well as access to a smartphone app. The screen quality is crisp, as is sound quality from the 1000-watt 16-speaker Flyme audio system, but Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone mirroring aren’t yet available – they’re coming via an over-the-air update later in 2025.

As we’ve seen with a lot of other modern cars, there’s just too much functionality reliant on the touchscreen. While the menu structure is easy to understand and there’s a smattering of physical buttons for the HVAC system, many functions – such as operating the sunroof – are controlled through the screen. Add in some undersized icons on the screen and it can be a difficult system to use while driving.

One curious feature of the EX5 is the physical volume knob, which can also be pressed to control functions such as the temperature and even, oddly, switching the background on the touchscreen. But where’s the hazard lights button? In the roof, which is where the sunroof control should be.

The front seats in the EX5 are comfortable, especially with the multi-stage massaging in the Inspire, though both under thigh and lumbar aren’t adjustable which reduces comfort and adjustability in the driving position. Visibility in the EX5, however, is excellent and it’s very quiet for road noise as well.

The rear seat of the EX5 is spacious thanks to ample space in all directions for taller adults, as well as a completely flat floor so that three adults will be able to fit. There are also some amenities such as door and map pockets, two USB charging ports, air vents and a central armrest with cup holders.

The boot of the EX5 measures a small 302 litres with the seats up, but it seems larger than that in real life. Practical touches include a dual-level floor, some hooks to hang bags and some side storage, plus a massive under-floor storage box that increases overall capacity to 410 litres, which is still behind the best but more than enough for everyday life. Fold the seats down an there’s a very healthy 1877 litres on offer – 163L more than a Kia EV5. Like a lot of EVs though, there’s no spare wheel in either EX5 model, nor is there a front boot.

Performance and range

Using Geely’s ‘GEA’ platform – that’s Geely Global Intelligent Electric Architecture – which is a cheaper version of the ‘SEA’ platform used in its sub brands, the EX5 features a 60.2kWh lithium ion phosphate (LFP) battery for up to 410km of claimed range (WLTP). A smaller 49.5kWh battery is also available in some markets with a range of around 300km, though no longer-range model exists yet.

Using a 400V architecture, the EX5 can be AC charged at up to 11kW and DC fast charged at up to 100kW for a 30 to 80 per cent charge in as little as 20 minutes. Geely claims energy consumption of 16.6kWh/100km for the heavier Inspire model, though we bettered that with a 14.9kWh/100km result.

On the road

Before the EX5 was launched in Australia, its maker boasted about its 12-month pre-launch local tuning program to ensure that it handles the worst that our roads can throw at it. While we aren’t able to drive a Chinese-spec EX5 – or Galaxy 5 as it’s called there – the EX5 handles our atrocious roads well and is quite smooth and comfortable, even over bigger bumps.

Sometimes, however, the suspension is too soft and takes too long to settle after some bumps. A quick succession of bigger bumps has the EX5 struggling to settle and its occupants feeling a bit off from motion sickness. Firmer dampers would improve the EX5’s driving experience markedly. It’s the same story with the handling.

While the EX5 is no sports car, nor is it marketed that way, it’s not really a fun car to drive. It’s surprisingly punchy, with a claimed 0-100km/h time of 7.1 seconds for the Inspire, and is more than quick enough for most buyers. But drive it remotely hard and it really doesn’t like it, nor is there much feedback from the steering as to what the front wheels are doing.

The local tuning of the EX5 also extends to the active safety systems, where the company underwent a 12-month program to ensure that its features are there to help and not hinder the driving experience, like so many cars do. In reality, aside from the hyperactive driver monitoring camera, they’re all appreciably more refined than a lot of other systems from car makers – the lane keeping assistance is relaxed compared to the Deepal S07, for example.

What would make the systems easier to use would be properly marked buttons on the steering wheel. For example, the cruise control buttons on the steering wheel have no markings to indicate their function so they’re difficult to understand. But importantly, because they’re not as intrusive as a lot of rivals, most people won’t need them to be switched off.

Service and warranty

The EX5 is covered by a seven-year/unlimited km warranty with 12 months of roadside assistance that is service-activated up to seven years in total. The battery is covered for eight years with no distance limit.

The EX5 features 12-month/20,000km service intervals and five years/100,000km of servicing costs a reasonable $1487 ($298 per year), though buyers can pre-pay for servicing at the time of purchase with a five-year plan costing a cheap $1190 ($238 per year).

Verdict: Should I buy a Geely EX5?

There’s no doubting that the Geely EX5 has a lot going for it and in some departments, is worthy of consideration over rivals. The price is an absolute knockout and its obvious unique selling point in the market. We thought the entry-level Kia EV5 Air was good value at $56,770 drive away, but here is a rival that’s better finished inside and offers comparable range and charging speed for more than $10,000 less.

However, there is also a lot to improve with the EX5: its suspension is too soft and its central touchscreen has far too much functionality, yet no smartphone mirroring for now. Plus, rivals like the aforementioned EV5 offer longer-range models higher up their model range, which we’d like to see Geely offer too. But with such sharp value, many brands will have been put on notice by the Geely EX5’s local arrival, one that we expect to create even more waves in the ever-changing EV market.

EX5 rivals

Kia EV5

Leapmotor C10

Tesla Model Y

Specifications