Say hello to…
…the MG 5 small family estate car; the only pure electric estate car on sale in the UK. The MG 5 uses a 156hp motor driving the front wheels and powered by battery pack with a useable capacity of 57.4kWh, enough for an official range of up to 250 miles.
The MG 5, originally released in 2020, has recently been overhauled and is now only offered in ‘long range’ form. As well as a facelifted front and rear bumper, most of the changes have been to the car’s interior and technology.
The MG 5 is available in two trim levels:
- SE
- Trophy
Standard equipment on the SE includes 16-inch alloys, MG Pilot (with lane assist, adaptive cruise and AEB), LED auto headlights, rear parking sensors, heated door mirrors, rear privacy glass, cloth interior, 60:40-split-fold rear seats, aircon, keyless entry, digital dashboard, drive modes, vehicle to load, 4x USB ports, 10.25-inch infotainment touchscreen, satnav, Android Auto, Apple CarPlay and Bluetooth.
Trophy adds 17-inch alloys, climate control, auto wipers, auto-dimming rear view mirror, 360-degree parking camera, power-fold door mirrors, leather-style upholstery, powered driver’s seat and heated front seats.
Is The MG 5 Suitable For My Fleet
The MG 5 ticks a lot of fleet boxes. It’s a practical small family estate car that’s an EV and is very competitively priced.
It may not have the largest boot for an estate in this sector at 479 litres, but that’s plenty large enough for most. While there is a dual-height boot floor, the upper setting still doesn’t provide lip-free loading. However there is a useful storage compartment under the boot floor that’s big enough for charging cables.
Rear seat passengers have good head and legroom and taller adults will fit behind taller drivers without an issue.
Where the MG is behind other EVs is on its maximum charge speed, which is just 87kW. Most modern EVs are now in the 100+ category which means faster charging if you’re doing higher miles and relying on the public charge network.
It is however relatively efficient. We saw an average of 3.2 miles per kWh which included a fair chunk of motorway miles. At this figure the range would be 186 miles for the Trophy version we tested against an official 235 miles.
It’s worth noting the SE, on smaller wheels, has an official range of 250 miles.
Leasing An MG 5
Intelligent Car Leasing is offering the MG 5 in Trophy specification for £427 a month on a 3+36 basis with 10,000 miles a year. As with all EVs, both Class 1A NIC and company car tax are low. Gensen Reports also shows the maintenance costs are competitive too at £52 a month.
Driving An MG 5
MG has set up the way the car drives to the way the car will be used almost very well. There are no pretences of being sporty, instead it’s a car that’s comfortable and copes well with British roads.
The steering isn’t exactly precise, but it’s perfectly acceptable and the car’s stable on the motorway.
Smaller alloys and higher profile tyres help make for good ride comfort. The suspension is relatively quiet too and the car doesn’t thud too much over potholes even though you can feel the car is set up to carry the weight of the batteries.
There are three drive modes in the MG5; eco, comfort and sport. All do exactly as you’d expect. Eco maximises the car’s range while dulling power, sport noticeably sharpens up the accelerator inputs and provides more instant power. And comfort sits neatly in the middle. Comfort and eco suit the car best as the uncommunicative steering doesn’t suit sport.
However, even in comfort, the car has that appealing EV shove of torque that makes it feel fast enough; as the 0-62 time of 7.7 seconds attests.
FleetandLeasing.com Verdict On The MG 5
Good practicality, great value and currently the only all-electric estate car.
MG 5
- Model: MG 5 Trophy
- Power: 156 hp
- Torque: 280Nm
- Max speed: 115mph
- 0-62mph: 7.7s
- Official range: 235 miles
- Test range: 186 miles
- CO2 emissions: 0g/km
- BIK tax band 2022/23: 2%
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