2026 Geely EX2 Review: Australia’s second-cheapest EV has big small-car aspirations
Australia’s cheap EV race has a new contender in the Geely EX2 – and it has landed with form, at least on the sales front.
The EX2 was the best-selling vehicle (EV or otherwise) in China in 2025, with more than 465,000 finding homes in its domestic market.
Now it’s arrived Down Under with sharp pricing (from $26,490 plus on-road costs), making it the second most affordable EV on sale in Australia, behind the BYD Atto 1.
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The EX2 is a modestly powered rear-wheel drive hatch on a dedicated EV architecture – and one with big aspirations (check the marketing!) of shaking up the small car segment.
The EX2 undercuts plenty of petrol-powered light cars, which tells you Geely isn’t just chasing EV buyers.
It’s also aiming squarely at the people still topping up at servos.
In essence, it’s a cheap car that’s planning to go to plenty of places.
2026 Geely EX2 price and equipment
The Geely EX2 range opens at $26,490 plus on-road costs for the Complete and tops out at $30,990 plus ORCs for the Inspire.
Only the BYD Atto 1 sits below it, at $23,990 before on-roads.
The MG4, GWM Ora and GAC Aion UT sit just above it, although later in the year GAC will launch a more affordable version of the UT with a smaller battery and less range.
A launch offer running until the end of August 2026 sweetens the EX2 deal for early buyers.
Order and take delivery within that window and Geely throws in a 7kW home charger (you’re paying for installation) plus a free premium paint upgrade.
Standard kit on the Complete is solid for the money.
There’s a 14.6-inch central touchscreen with built-in satellite navigation, smart key entry, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, an 8.8-inch digital instrument cluster, rear parking sensors, a reversing camera and power adjustable front seats.
There’s some penny pinching with the wheels, which are steel units with plastic covers.
Safety is taken care of with seven airbags, including a front-centre bag.
The driver assistance suite includes autonomous emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, forward and rear collision warning, front and rear cross-traffic alert with auto braking, blind-spot monitoring, lane-keeping and emergency lane-keeping assist and driver fatigue alert.
ANCAP hasn’t tested the EX2 yet, so there’s no safety rating, but Geely says the car has been engineered to achieve five stars.
The Complete gets a 35.3kWh battery good for 252km of EV range.
The single electric motor makes just 60kW and 150Nm.
Stepping up to the $30,990 Inspire buys more than gear.
It brings the larger 47.1kWh battery and extracts 85kW from the same motor, lifting claimed range from 252km to 345km and DC charging from 60kW to 80kW.
Equipment additions include 16-inch alloys, a contrasting black roof, powered tailgate, wireless phone charger, six-speaker audio (versus four in the Complete), heated front seats and steering wheel, auto wipers, illuminated vanity mirrors, 256-colour ambient lighting and a 360-degree camera with transparent view.
White is the only no-cost paint. Silver, grey, beige, green and pink each add $600.
Grey leather-look trim is standard, with a no-cost white interior available only on the Inspire.
Geely Connected Services switches on from August with 24 months of access included, allowing remote locking and air-conditioning activation.
You can also schedule charging through the Geely app.
Emergency call functionality arrives in the fourth quarter via an over-the-air software update; it can send information to emergency services, let them know how many people are in the car, where the crash occurred and if the airbags were activated..
The EX2 is covered by a seven-year, unlimited kilometre warranty on the vehicle with coverage of eight years/unlimited kilometres on the high-voltage battery.
In each case the warranty reverts to 150,000km if the vehicle is used for commercial purposes, including ride share driving.
2026 Geely EX2: What we think
The Geely EX2 may be a cheap small car but it doesn’t immediately behave like one.
Sure, some of the plastics aren’t as tactile and plush as more expensive models, but in other areas it exceeds.
The most immediately likeable thing about Geely’s baby EV is how refined it is.
It’s genuinely quiet by city hatchback standards, and it feels a step more polished than the price tag suggests.
That matters in a segment where there are always compromises – and one of the most common is to refinement and noise levels.
Less impressive is the steering, which is wooden and short on feel.
Thankfully the rear-drive layout delivers on its promise and teams with well sorted multi-link rear suspension for an otherwise well sorted driving experience.
The ride, too, is compliant enough for everyday duties, with the ledger edging towards the comfort side.
Performance is better than the (very modest) numbers imply.
We only got to play around with the Inspire, which musters 85kW from that rear motor (the Complete gets just 60kW, making it the least powerful new car on the market (just – to the 61kW Suzuki Swift).
The EX2 also has just 150Nm to play with, which isn’t much, but it’s immediately and easily accessible in the way electric drive does so well.
Around town it feels vaguely zippy.
The claimed 11.5-second 0-100km/h time is nothing special on paper (although it’s better than the leisurely 14.2 seconds for the Complete), but the reality is not bad given how easily accessible the torque is.
Keep in mind, though, that between the relatively short driving ranges – 345km in Inspire guise – and low DC peak charge rates the EX2 is not the sort of car you want to take on big road trips.
Absolutely fine for keeping contained to the suburbs or maybe 100km out of town, but a Sydney-to-Melbourne run would take some planning (and time).
The 14.6-inch screen is crisp and clear and packs plenty in; best to get accustomed to how to access the main menus, but at least there’s a physical button to recirculate the air-conditioning (many rivals bury it in the screen).
There’s the occasional software gripe.
Every time you select Park the regenerative braking goes back to Auto, ignoring your preference for Low, Medium or High.
And disabling the various driver assistance systems (ADAS) via a favourites button – accessed from swiping down from the top of the screen and selecting Drive Setup – is handy, but it also reset every time you select Park.
Inside, the EX2 is compact, especially when it comes with cabin width.
Three across the rear wouldn’t be much fun.
Up front there’s respectable space and even back seat legroom isn’t too bad given those compact dimensions.
However, up front the passenger seat doesn’t adjust for height, so taller folk may find themselves a bit higher than feels natural.
Storage is a genuine strength.
The floating centre console leaves a deep, usable void underneath, with a wireless phone charger, two cupholders and a smaller cubby up top.
The glovebox is a bit different, but usefully so, sliding out towards you like a drawer; clever, easy to access, and only occasionally an obstacle for a front passenger’s knees.
The boot is modest but reasonable for the size of the car, with a 60/40 split-fold rear seat. The 70-litre frunk is a legitimate point of difference at this money.
Odder is the parcel shelf in the boot, which has no strings tethering it to the tailgate, so it stays put when you open the boot.
Geely EX2: Verdict
The Geely EX2 makes a strong case for itself before you’ve even turned a wheel.
Second-cheapest EV in Australia with a decent smattering of gear in a practical five-door hatch body.
That it also happens to be quiet and refined is the pleasant surprise.
But the driving experience isn’t all good news, with the steering letting the side down.
Still, it’s a city car that doesn’t pretend to be anything else – and it adds genuine depth to the entry-level of the new-car market.
Score: 4/5
2026 Geely EX2 price and specifications
Price: $26,490 (Complete), $30,990 (Inspire), plus on-road costs
Basics: EV, 5 seats, 5 doors, hatch, RWD
Range: 252km (Complete), 345km (Inspire) (WLTP)
Battery capacity: 35.3kWh (Complete), 47.1kWh (Inspire), LFP
Battery warranty: 8 years/unlimited km (150,000km for commercial use)
Energy consumption: 15.9kWh/100km (Complete), 15.5kWh/100km (Inspire)
Motors: 1 rear 60kW/150Nm (Complete), 85kW/150Nm (Inspire)
AC charging: 6kW, Type 2 plug CHECK – ALSO LISTED AS 6kW
DC charging: 60kW (Complete), 80kW (Inspire), CCS combo plug
0-100km/h: 14.2 seconds (Complete), 11.5 seconds (Inspire)
