ICE-Breaking MG5 Gives Over 200 Miles Real Range & 35 Minute Charging To 80%, For £24,495 – Reserve Yours Quick! (Videos)
Initial UK road tests of the MG5 EV show comfortably over 200 miles of real world range, and an impressive 35 minutes to recharge from 10 to 80%, for the stunning entry price of £24,495 (all-in, on-the-road price). The price point is on par with best selling ICE estate rivals like the VW Golf, Ford Focus and Toyota Corolla, but with very much lower running costs, higher long term reliability, and a longer 7 year warranty. This electric MG will also have much better value retention as the end of the ICE-age approaches. Reserve one quick!
Electric vehicle reviewers EV James and Kate recently conducted a real world test of the upcoming MG5 in the UK, in collaboration with Miles Roberts, the electric vehicle specialist of Chorley Group, a multi-brand auto dealership in the UK. Together, they found that a range of over 200 miles is easily achievable in the real world, close to the 214 mile official WLTP rating. Even on a mostly-highway drive, in cool temperatures, significant rain, and a wet road (with heater and demister on) they achieved a range of close to 200 miles from full. That’s around 3 hours of UK highway driving.
Last time we looked at the MG5, the MG Motor UK website was officially saying the MG5 “can charge to 80% in just 50 minutes from a 50 kW charging point.” However, whilst that may be true, the charging capability doesn’t stop there! We now have video evidence, courtesy of Miles Roberts, of the MG5 in the UK accepting much higher charging power via its CCS DC charging port.
We can see from the images below (that I verified and extracted from a video Miles kindly shared) that 80 to 81 kW of peak DC charging power is possible. The charging curve is also generous, thanks to the liquid cooled battery:
So in reality, we can see that DC charging from 10% to 80% is possible for the MG5 in as little as 35 minutes on appropriate chargers, which makes for very compelling rates of range recovery (miles per minute of charging) that have never been seen before at this accessible price point.
In practice all of this means that, after an initial 3 hours of steady highway driving, a roughly half hour comfort break can power the MG5 back up for a further 2 hours of onward journey (~140 miles at UK highway speeds). Then owners can rinse and repeat that 30 minute top up between 2 hour drives, as many times as wanted, thanks to the MG5’s liquid thermal management. With high power DC chargers now growing rapidly in the UK, this effectively means the MG5 can usefully tackle pretty much any journey that owners may want to throw at it.
On the WLTP urban cycle, the range is rated at a higher 276 miles, which in combination with the MG5’s very low running costs, also makes the vehicle a very compelling proposition for taxis, Ubers, and similar high use calls-of-duty.
The interior seating of the MG5 was reported by James as being very comfortable, with good seat support and bolstering. Here’s a look at the interior layout:
Note that the infotainment system comes with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay as standard, via the central 8 inch touch screen. There’s also a hybrid analogue-digital driver’s binnacle that can display a variety of information and animated graphics, depending on the mode and context:
The storage space is excellent, as you would expect in this form factor, with 464 litres in the boot below the retractable cover, expanding to 1456 litres with the rear seats folded (60:40 split is possible).
The MG comes standard with a 7 year or 80,000 mile warranty, which is fully transferable to the next owner. This, in combination with the decent sized (48.8 kWh usable, 52.5 kWh gross) thermally managed battery, means the residual values of the MG5 should hold up very well over time.
The low entry price and these additional value stabilizers really make the MG5 a worry-free choice for folks looking for an estate car and keen to make the switch to EV. This vehicle will make those costly fossil fuel bills a thing of the past!
It bears repeating the details and magnitude of the lifetime cost savings of this vehicle versus an ICE estate car. Assuming even a conservative 150,000 miles of lifetime use as a private vehicle, the lifetime fuel or energy costs of the MG5 versus ICE rivals like the VW Golf Estate, Ford Focus Estate, or Toyota Corolla Estate are vastly different. Let’s take the Golf Estate (from from £23,510) as the point of comparison.
Based on current fuel costs, the ICE Golf Estate will generate bills of £1,330 in fuel per 10,000 miles. Over a 150,000 mile life that’s ~£20,000 in fuel costs alone. To power those 150,000 miles on electricity, the MG5 on the other hand will cost under £4,000, and much less if charged on cheap overnight electricity. That’s a lifetime saving of at least £16,000 or well over £1,000 per year for a typical UK driver. Then add in to the mix the maintenance savings, where EVs generally have around only half the cost of equivalent ICE vehicles. Note that the Golf also only comes with a 3 year warranty in the UK, versus the 7 years of the MG5.
Then there are all the other advantages of EV powertrains over ICE rivals – the faster acceleration (0 to 62 mph in 7.7 seconds in the MG5 vs. 9.5 in the Golf Estate), instant throttle response without clunky gear changes, adjustable regen braking, and many more… all in comparative silence.
If you are based in the UK and considering a new car, and an estate car is what you yearn for, this MG5 really is a no brainer. It is not only a far superior vehicle to ICE-powered rivals, with a similar sticker price, but will save you many thousands of pounds in running costs over its lifespan. To find out more or to reserve one, get in touch with Miles at Chorley Group, or visit the MG UK website for more information.
Have a look at EV James and Kate’s youtube review below, and that of Miles below that, and subscribe to their channels to support their efforts:
Article images courtesy of Miles Roberts, EV James and Kate, and MG Motor UK
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