2026 Geely EX5 Review

The 2026 Geely EX5 arrives in Australia at a time when the electric SUV market keeps getting louder, pricier and more crowded. Unlike some newcomers that chase headline figures or weird gimmicks, the EX5 takes a different path. It targets the everyday buyer who wants a proper family SUV with real range, a tech level that doesn’t feel apologetic, and pricing that makes you pause before comparing a petrol SUV.

The headline figures look good on paper. Around 430 kilometres of WLTP range and fast charging up to 100kW are solid for this category. It also packs a long list of equipment from the base model up. But real value is always found in how a car behaves day to day, so we spent time with the EX5 on mixed roads to understand where it genuinely excels and where it still needs work. Not because it is exciting or groundbreaking, but because it is aimed squarely at the buyer who wants to move into an EV without feeling like they are making a compromise, either on space, features or price.

This is not a halo product, nor is it trying to be one. The 2026 Geely EX5 exists to win on value, comfort and everyday usability, and in most respects, it succeeds.

2026 Geely EX5 Pricing

The 2026 Geely EX5 has arrived in Australia with an aggressive pricing strategy aimed at undercutting many mainstream EV competitors. The base EX5 Complete opens around $40,990 before on-road costs, while the better-equipped EX5 Inspire lands near $44,990. Early buyers can also benefit from launch incentives such as three years free servicing, a home wall-box charger and one year of public charging credits, sweetening the ownership deal for first-wave customers.

These prices compare favourably with rivals like BYD’s Atto 3 and sit well below premium EVs such as the Tesla Model Y or Kia EV5 which start from much more. At these price point, you start to see the philosophy of this car. It is not aspirational. It is sensible. It is designed to win buyers by making sense on price first and then reinforcing that with practical everyday performance.

2026 Geely EX5 Standard Equipment:

2025 Geely EX5 Complete equipment highlights:

• 18-inch alloy wheels with 225/55 Giti tyres
• Tyre pressure monitoring
• Tyre repair kit
• Automatic LED headlights
• Automatic high-beam
• Active grille shutter
• Privacy glass
• Heated, power-folding exterior mirrors
• Rain-sensing wipers
• Heat pump
• V2L functionality
• Keyless entry and start
• 10.2-inch digital instrument cluster
• 15.4-inch touchscreen infotainment system
• Satellite navigation
• Geely Connected Services
  • Voice assistant
  • 4G network connection
  • Over-the-air updates
  • Geely Application Store
  • Online media streaming
  • Remote vehicle functions
• 6-speaker sound system
• 15W wireless phone charger
• ‘GeeLuxe’ Midnight (black) upholstery
• 6-way power driver’s seat (fully reclining)
• 4-way power passenger seat (fully reclining)
• Heated front seats
• Seat position memory
• Tilt and telescopic steering wheel adjustment
• Flat-folding, reclining rear seats
• Customisable drive modes
• Second-row storage drawer

Geely EX5 Inspire adds:

• 19-inch alloy wheels with 235/50 Goodyear tyres
• Panoramic sunroof with power sunshade
• Power tailgate
• 13.4-inch head-up display
• ‘GeeLuxe’ Midnight (black) or Cloud (white) upholstery
• Ventilated front seats
• Front seat massage function
• Front passenger seat power leg rest
• 16-speaker 1000W sound system
• 256-colour ‘dynamic’ ambient lighting
• Front parking sensors

2026 Geely EX5 Safety Equipment:

• Adaptive cruise control
• Blind-spot monitoring
• Collision Mitigation Support Front & Rear
• Driver fatigue monitoring
• Evasive Manoeuvre Assist
• Lane-keep assist
• Emergency lane-keep assist
• Multi-collision braking
• Occupant detection alert
• Safe exit warning
• Rear parking sensors
• Surround-view camera with 3D view
• Traffic sign recognition
• Front, front-side, curtain and front-centre airbags

2026 Geely EX5 Colour Range:

The 2026 Geely EX5 is available in the following exterior colours in Australia:

• Arctic White
• Shadow Black
• Volcanic Grey
• Moonlit Silver
• Aquatic Green
  
  Arctic White is the standard paint, while the others are typically premium options.

Interior colours include:

• Cloud (white/cream) — available on higher spec Inspire trim

• Midnight (black) — standard

2026 Geely EX5 Interior, Practicality and Boot

Like most mid-size SUVs, the Geely EX5 is remarkably easy to get in and out of. The cabin sits at a convenient height, eliminating the need to climb up or step down, which immediately broadens its appeal, especially for buyers with limited mobility. This accessibility is one reason this body style has grown so popular, combining practicality with a sense of composure on the road.

Step inside, and the seats are trimmed in Geely’s ‘GeeLuxe’ faux leather, available in Midnight black or Cloud white in the top-spec Inspire model tested here. Cushioning is generous and comfortable, although support leans toward the flatter side, a characteristic common among many Chinese-built vehicles. The driver’s seat offers six-way electric adjustment, though it lacks thigh and lumbar support. Even so, finding a comfortable driving position is straightforward. The front passenger seat arguably surpasses the driver’s, thanks to a power extendable leg rest that genuinely improves comfort on longer trips.

Both front seats come heated, ventilated, and equipped with a six-program massage function. This system is one of the better examples I’ve experienced in this segment, delivering a noticeably stronger and more convincing effect than the typical lumbar-focused setups found elsewhere. It’s a small feature that significantly enhances the sense of comfort on extended journeys.

Ahead of the driver sits a flat-top, flat-bottom steering wheel. Its unusual design quickly becomes familiar, wrapped in faux leather and finished with an anti-bacterial coating, a practical touch given how often it’s handled. The buttons, however, are less intuitive. Many lack clear labelling, and each side features a circular control pod with cruise control on the left and media on the right, details that take some time to commit to memory.

Behind the wheel, a 10.2-inch digital instrument cluster presents a clean, if basic, display. It allows the driver to monitor speed and key information without diverting attention from the road, though customisation is limited and only a handful of information screens are available. This simplicity is complemented by a bright 13.4-inch head-up display, which provides all the key information at a glance and adds a touch of modern sophistication to the driving experience.

The centre of the cabin is dominated by a tablet-style 15.4-inch touchscreen running Geely’s Flyme OS. The interface is logical and easy to navigate, aided by permanent shortcut icons along the bottom of the screen. Tesla’s influence is evident, particularly in the home screen layout and widget design. Almost every vehicle function is controlled through this touchscreen, though a swipe-down control centre gives quick access to frequently used settings. Climate control is entirely screen-based; basic adjustments remain immediately accessible, while more detailed tweaks require menu diving. Physical buttons for core functions exist beneath the screen, though they are easy to overlook.

Fortunately, Geely has retained physical air vent adjusters. It’s a small detail, but it dramatically improves day-to-day usability compared with systems that force every adjustment through the touchscreen. Connectivity is another area where the EX5 is catching up. Like many Chinese electric SUVs, it launches without Apple CarPlay or Android Auto. Apple CarPlay is scheduled to arrive via an over-the-air update in July, with Android Auto following later in the year. Meanwhile, the built-in SIM enables apps like Spotify and TuneIn to be downloaded directly to the system. Satellite navigation comes standard, though Google Maps is not yet available.

Overall, the cabin presentation feels solid and leans toward premium, with plenty of soft-touch surfaces and a restrained, greyscale colour palette. While the interior can feel somewhat flat visually, the use of padded faux leather and woodgrain-style trim across the centre console helps add texture. The panoramic glass sunroof brightens the cabin, allowing natural light to lift the ambience and reduce any sense of visual monotony.

Storage is generous up front, with two cupholders, two phone trays including wireless charging, a large open area beneath the centre tunnel, and a centre console box. The glovebox and door pockets are spacious enough to hold bottles and other essentials comfortably. The second row is particularly impressive. Leg, head, and shoulder room are ample, even for taller adults, and the flat floor allows three passengers to sit across without significant compromise. The rear seatbacks are pre-reclined for comfort, with the option to lean them back further. Rear occupants also benefit from air vents, USB-A and USB-C ports, and multiple storage solutions, including a hidden drawer beneath the centre seat.

At the back, the power tailgate opens quickly and quietly. Boot space measures 302 litres with the rear seats upright, which proves more practical in everyday use than the raw number suggests. A deep underfloor compartment increases total capacity to 410 litres. As expected for an electric SUV, there’s no spare wheel, only a tyre repair kit, something to keep in mind for those who frequently travel to regional or remote areas.

2026 Geely EX5 Performance and Range

The EX5 uses a single front-mounted electric motor producing around 160kW and 320Nm, driving the front wheels through a single-speed transmission. That output gives the EX5 brisk acceleration from standstill and good responsiveness in town traffic. On open roads it never feels strained, and merging onto highways is effortless.

Real-world consumption varies with how you drive and the conditions. In mixed driving on country roads and freeways you will often see range closer to 350km. That is still enough for most daily use, but long highway stints require planning around charging stops.

2026 Geely EX5 Driving Experience

Like some EVs, the EX5 skips a traditional start button. Just sit down, flick the column-mounted selector into Drive or Reverse, and you’re off.

Geely has tuned the throttle to be smooth and progressive rather than punchy. It keeps up with traffic effortlessly and gives you a gentle shove if you lean into the accelerator, but it never feels aggressive or neck-snapping. That’s fine, as this is a family SUV, not a hot hatch.

There are three drive modes: Eco, Comfort and Sport, which mainly tweak throttle response. Comfort is the sweet spot, feeling the most natural day to day. Regenerative braking can be adjusted across three levels, plus an automatic mode that increases regen with speed. There’s no true one-pedal driving, so you’ll still need the brake to come to a stop.

Steering also gets Comfort and Sport settings. Comfort is very light and easy around town, while Sport adds weight and feels more natural at speed.

Urban driving is where the EX5 feels most at home. It’s easy to place, simple to park and never feels oversized. That said, it’s not particularly agile, with front-wheel drive limiting how much fun you can have when pushing on.

Geely has clearly invested time in local suspension tuning, working with Australian engineers to adapt the MacPherson strut front and multi-link rear setup for local roads. The end result is very comfort-focused. It soaks up bumps, shrugs off speed humps and keeps body movements well controlled over single hits. On rougher, uneven roads though, it can start to feel a little floaty, gently bobbing from one imperfection to the next.

Efficiency around town is excellent. During testing, we saw figures as low as 15kWh/100km, better than a Tesla Model Y in similar conditions.

Push harder on twisty roads and the EX5 shows its limits. There’s noticeable body roll and if you’re too enthusiastic with the throttle mid-corner, the front wheels will spin. Energy consumption also rises quickly, climbing past 20kWh/100km on uphill or spirited sections.

On the highway, it settles into a relaxed and refined cruiser. It’s impressively quiet, eerily so at times, with minimal wind or road noise, even on coarse-chip surfaces.

Safety tech is comprehensive across the range, with the only trim-specific difference being front parking sensors on the top-spec Inspire. Geely’s local testing of its driver assistance systems shows. Lane-keep assist, driver monitoring and traffic sign recognition are generally well judged and less intrusive than many rivals.

There are a few annoyances. The driver attention monitor doesn’t like sunglasses, the adaptive cruise control leaves an overly cautious gap, and it brakes aggressively when cars cut in. Speed assist can also chime incorrectly, particularly around inactive school zones, and disabling these systems requires digging through touchscreen menus every time you drive.

2026 Geely EX5 Service and Warranty

The 2026 Geely EX5 is covered by a 7-year unlimited-kilometre vehicle warranty, backed by an 8-year unlimited-kilometre high-voltage battery warranty that guarantees at least 70 per cent battery health over that period. Genuine parts are covered for 12 months, while genuine accessories fitted at delivery are covered for the full seven years, and roadside assistance is typically included for up to seven years depending on the offer at purchase.

Servicing is required every 12 months or 20,000km, whichever comes first, with assured price servicing through the dealer network and optional prepaid service plans available to help lock in costs, with some dealers also offering complimentary servicing promotions at launch. The first five services under this assured pricing scheme come to a total of $1,487 total, based on the $171 + $303 + $171 + $671 + $171 schedule.

Should I buy a 2026 Geely EX5?

The 2026 Geely EX5 is a car that does not need to impress in flashy metrics to be successful. It sets a tone of sensible capability and backs that up with a strong feature set and realistic performance. It is not the most engaging EV to drive, nor is it the most refined in every detail, but it ticks the boxes that matter for most buyers.

If you want a practical family EV with good real-world range, competitive pricing and a comfortable interior, the EX5 is easily one of the best options on the market right now. It is not perfect, but it is precisely the kind of car that makes electric vehicle ownership easy, rather than frustrating.