2025 Geely EX5 Inspire Review: We’ve just spent a week with this new electric SUV, it’s got a lot more going for it than sharp pricing alone

June 28, 2025June 27, 2025 Toby Hagon 24515 Views ex5, geely

It’s a new brand to Australia but Geely is a heavy hitter in its homeland of China.

It owns the likes of Volvo, Polestar, Zeekr and Lotus and has recently arrived in Australia with its own brand to take on mainstream players in the electrified vehicle space.

Geely’s first car is the EX5 tested here. It’s a mid-sized SUV with five doors and sharp pricing and has the BYD Atto 3 and Sealion 7 it’s closer in size to, MG S5, Leapmotor C10, XPeng G6 and Kia EV3 and EV5 in its crosshairs.

As with key rivals such as MG, Chery and BYD, Geely has value at its heart.

This is our second sampling of the EX5. We’ve previously had a drive at the national launch, but this time around we’ve been exposed to it for a week, which gives us a chance to see if our initial impressions are validated or modified.

Read on!

2025 Geely EX5 price and equipment

The Geely EX5 is available in two models: Complete and Inspire.

The Complete is priced from $40,990 plus on-road costs and gets 18-inch alloy wheels, smart key entry with pop-out door handles, faux leather trim, power adjustable and heated front seats, wireless phone charging, rear parking sensors, 360-degree camera, 10.2-inch digital instrument cluster and a 15.4-inch central infotainment screen.

Safety systems include seven airbags, autonomous emergency braking, lane keep assist, blind spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert with auto braking and driver monitoring.

There’s also over-the-air software functionality that gives remote access to the car – to activate the locks and ventilation, for example – and update functionality.

There is one thing missing: Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity. Geely says it’ll arrive within weeks as part of a software update, something that happened with sister brand Polestar early in its existence.

The Inspire being tested here costs another $4000 ($44,990 plus on-road costs) and adds 19-inch wheels, a powered tailgate, panoramic sunroof, ventilated and massaging front seats, adjustable ambient lighting, head-up display and the option of a light interior (called Cloud) versus the darker hue. There’s also a 16-speaker Flyme sound system to replace the six-speaker unit in the base car.

The EX5 is covered by a seven-year, unlimited kilometre warranty, although if you use the car for commercial purposes (Uber, for example) there’s a 150,000km limit. The LFP battery is covered by a separate eight-year, unlimited kilometre warranty. Again, commercial use places a kilometre limit on its coverage.

Servicing is required every 12 months or 20,000km and Geely has pre-paid plans. A three-year/60,000km service pack is $517 and a seven-year/140,000km pack is $1642.

Both get a single electric motor driving the front wheels powered by a 60.22kWh lithium ferrous phosphate (LFP) battery.

Claimed range according to the WLTP cycle is 430km for the Complete and 410km for the Inspire.

2025 Geely EX5: What we think

If it’s EV value you’re chasing then the Geely X5 delivers. Better than that, it delivers on value whatever it’s competing with, whether it’s ICE or hybrid.

There’s not only loads of gear but everything is well put together and nicely presented.

There’s a generic EV flavour to it all, from the jellybean exterior styling to the crisp, clean interior with an emphasis on tech.

It’s inoffensive but doesn’t really stand out.

And, of course, Geely has one big issue: brand recognition. The company may be a giant in China but it’s little known Down Under.

That could change quickly, but for now some will be hesitant given the lack of recognition.

There are also quirks. While that vibrant touchscreen is bright and clear with excellent cameras it pays to know your way around it.

You can tailor some icons down the bottom and swipe to access more menus.

It’s great there’s a giant volume dial for the audio (the Flyme system is decent without being spectacular) but adjusting the temperature for the ventilation is something that requires screen work.

A programmable favourites button on the steering allows you to at least shortcut to something you commonly use.

Delve deeper and there’s substance to the EX5.

The cabin is surprisingly spacious with loads of room up front and some great storage options.

The phone pads work nicely and there’s a sizeable binnacle below the floating centre console.

The massaging seats are a winner and the ambient lighting emits a futuristic glow around the cabin.

Those in the rear are well catered for with loads of head and knee space.

The boot is also usefully broad and benefits from 60/40 split-folding seats.

But there’s no luggage cover, leaving whatever you’re carrying exposed. Don’t go searching for a frunk under the bonnet, either, because it’s all driving hardware taking up the space.

The EX5 is built for comfort, too, something that impacts how it drives.

Its suspension is towards the softer side, which works OK for smothering bumps.

But it likes a lean in bends and doesn’t have the body control of better sorted SUVs.

Steering is light and user friendly, but there’s not much dynamism or driver feedback.

Throttle response is a tad lethargic by EV standards, but it pulls strongly. Having 160kW and 320Nm to play with means you’re rarely left wanting, especially in the suburbs.

There’s less power when you’re turning tight bends, presumably to reduce the chances of spinning the inside wheel (which has less weight on it).

Even so, you can occasionally trigger the traction control, especially on a wet road.

When it comes time to charging the EX5 can accept up to 11kW of AC home charging or 100kW of DC charge.

That means a 30 to 80 percent charge in as little as 30 minutes at a high-powered charger.

At home you can top up the battery in around seven hours with three-phase power or more like 10 hours from a more common 7.4kW wallbox.

2025 Geely EX5: Verdict

So after a longer period spent with the Geely EX5 Inspire in which we got to know it a lot better, our opinion’s a bit more positive this time round.

The EX5 brings impressive value to the EV market.

What it lacks in driving polish and X factor it makes up with a long list of standard gear and a spacious body.

While it doesn’t reset the electric car benchmark, it adds depth to a market segment currently luring plenty of buyers.

Score: 4/5

2025 Geely EX5 Inspire price and specifications

Price: $44,990 plus on-road costs
Basics: EV, 5 seats, 5 doors, SUV, FWD
Range: 410km
Battery capacity: 60.22kWh
Battery warranty: 8 years/150,000km
Energy consumption: 16.6kWh/100km
Motors: 1 front, 160kW/320Nm
AC charging: 11kW, Type 2 plug
DC charging: 100kW, CCS combo plug
0-100km/h: 7.1 seconds

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