BUY, LEASE OR FINANCE A MG5 EV FROM OSV: https://bit.ly/2QlBygt

MG continues to specialise in providing budget brand buyers access to full electrification at super-affordable prices. Here's the company's second zero emissions model, the MG5 EV, a compact estate that offers a 214 mile driving range and a spacious cabin seemingly little compromised by this model's advanced battery tech. All for a reasonably conventional price. Exciting? Possibly not. Clever? Definitely.

Background

Another fresh MG model - and it's not an SUV. The MG5 EV is electrified though - which is up to the minute, even if the genre of this car, a compact estate, is quite traditional. Basically, what's on offer here is an alternative to these compact SUV electric models that are now springing up, but at a much lower price and with more interior space.

This MG5 is basically a European-ised version of a model from MG's Chinese parent group SAIC, the Roewe Ei5. Over 63,000 examples of that car have been sold to Chinese folk since it was launched in back in March 2018. So MG hopes the auspices are good for the chances of this car establishing a little niche for itself in our market.

Driving Experience

It's a sign of the times that you can't have any sort of combustion engine in an MG5, not even a plug-in hybrid one. And it's a reflection of the needs of the European market that the single EV model we do get is quite a lot more powerful than the version offered to the Chinese. Output has been raised by 42PS to 156PS reflecting the fact that family folk here have been conditioned to expect their EVs to be quite quick; so this one gets to 62mph in just over 8 seconds, on the way to a rather un-EV-like top speed of 115mph.

Those family folk will be expecting a reasonably long driving range too, hence the installation of a gutsy 52.2kWh lithium-ion battery that's WLTP-rated at 214 miles. As usual in a full EV, the battery is mounted centrally under the floor in a manner that gives a low centre of gravity. This, to some extent, offsetting the inevitable downsides of the EV powertrain's extra weight. MG claims very similar handling characteristics to the conventionally-fuelled Chinese market model.

Design and Build

MG already sells the market's most affordable family-sized EV contender, the ZS EV. But while that model won't be quite big enough for some families, this contender might well be. It's 4.54m long, which, to give you some perspective, is about 100mm shorter than a Ford Focus Estate, though this MG's 2.6m wheelbase is only 43mm shorter than that Ford's. This MG5 is 1.82m wide and 1.54m tall too. The exterior styling is restrained and conservative, though not particular suggestive of a budget brand.

You'll want to know about boot space, which is rated at 578-litres with the rear seats in place. That's about 200-litres more room than you'd get from an EV hatch like the Volkswagen ID.3. Fold the rear bench flat in this MG5 and you can extend your storage space to 1456-litres. Up-front, the fit and finish is close to volume brand standards, without feeling especially plush. The top 'Exclusive'-spec variant that most will want enhances things with niceties like leather upholstery and a panoramic sunroof. On the rear seat, there's ample headroom and legroom, even for taller occupants.

Market and Model

There are two trim levels, base 'Excite' and 'Exclusive', with respective asking prices starting at around £24,500 for the 'Excite' variant - that's after the government's £3,000 Plug-in Car Grant has been deducted. 'Excite' trim gets you 16-inch 'Meteor' alloy wheels, remote entry with push-button start, air conditioning, four electric windows, electrically adjustable mirrors, smartphone compatibility, an eight-inch colour touchscreen and seven-inch driver information display, cruise control, a leather steering wheel, a rotary gear selector, speed-sensing locking, three driving modes, rear parking sensors and follow-me-home headlights, as well as a 7-year warranty.

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