Say hello to…
…the Geely Starray is another entrant into the increasingly crowded mid-size SUV market. Chinese brand Geely is not only a brand in its own right, but is also one of the biggest car manufacturers in the world owning multiple other brands including more well-known names such as Volo, Polestar and Lotus. It also owns a 50% share of Smart. As such it’s no lightweight which means its UK arrival should be treated very seriously.
The Starray is available as a plug-in hybrid with a choice of either 18.4kWh or 29.8kWh batteries giving ranges of 51 or 84 miles respectively. The petrol engine used in both is a 1.5 and the total power is 262hp.
There are three trim level available:
- Pro
- Max
- Ultra
Standard kit on the Pro includes surround camera, 15.4-inch infotainment screen, satnav, keyless entry and go, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, privacy glass, headed and powered front seats and 19-inch alloys.
Max adds head up display, panoramic roof, powered boot lid, uprated stereo, wireless phone charger and ventilated & memory driver’s seat.
Ultra adds the larger, 29.8kWh, battery.
Is The Geely Starray Suitable For My Fleet
With a boot of 528 litres, excellent rear seat room and a comfy ride, plus decent fuel efficiency, the Starry makes a lot of sense for business drivers. While the larger battery version would improve things further, even the small battery version has a claimed EV range of more than 50 miles.
Leasing A Geely Starray
Gateway2lease is offering the Geely Starray in Max specification for £283 a month on a 3+36 contract with 10,000 miles a year. Maintenance is forecast at £39 a month, according to Gensen Reports. Class 1A NIC comes in at £42 a month.
Driving A Geely Starray
On the move, the Starray is generally refined and comfortable. Road and wind noise are reasonably well suppressed, while the suspension does a decent job of smoothing over poorer surfaces without becoming overly soft or floaty. There’s also plenty of space for rear passengers and a useful-sized boot, so it works well as a family-friendly cruiser.
However, the driving experience is undermined by a number of irritating usability issues. Chief among them is an infotainment system that demands far too many ‘button’ presses to disable the intrusive driver assistance systems every time you start the car. The lane-keeping assist, speed warning alerts and driver attention monitoring all quickly become tiresome, yet switching them off is buried deep within menus.
The Starry’s brakes are another weak point – not in terms of stopping power but in terms of feel. At low parking speeds they’re extremely difficult to modulate smoothly, making simple manoeuvres feel jerky and awkward. Unfortunately, none of the selectable drive modes appear to improve matters significantly, nor do they tame the occasionally erratic throttle response. Power mode is arguably the best of the lot, but frustratingly the car doesn’t remember your preferred setting after switching off, meaning another trip through the menus each time you get behind the wheel.
Technology integration also feels half-finished in places. Apple CarPlay connectivity on our test car proved patchy, while the otherwise useful blind-spot camera system introduces an odd distraction of its own. When indicating, the car switches entirely away from the Apple CarPlay display to show the camera feed, meaning your navigation map disappears completely rather than being overlaid neatly onto the screen.
However, one area where Geely has clearly invested some effort is the audio system. The Flyme-branded stereo delivers impressively punchy, clear sound and stands out as one of the better elements of the cabin experience.
FleetandLeasing.com Verdict On The Geely Starray
A few upgrades (namely to the brakes and infotainment system, both of which I suspect could be done over the air) and the Geely Starray would be a very tempting car.
Geely Starray
- Model: Starray EM-i Max
- Power: 262hp
- Torque: 262Nm
- Max speed: 105mph
- 0-62mph: 8.0s
- Official range: 51 miles
- Test range: circa 48 miles
- Official consumption: 118mpg
- Test consumption: 50.2mog
- CO2 emissions: 54g/km
- BIK tax band 2026/27: 10%
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