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The all-electric MG5 EV Estate has been updated for 2023, including new frontal styling, larger wheels and a new interior – and it still offers good value for money.
We liked the previous MG5 model. It was – and still is – the only all-electric Estate on sale, it was good to drive, and it offered value for money. There’s now a new MG5 model for 2023; there are some changes, but many things remain unchanged. So has MG tinkered with the right things?
The previous MG5 model had a large grille which made it look like a dated petrol car. One of the main changes with the new model is a completely redesigned front end, which has resulted in a big visual improvement. MG also says that the rear end has been redesigned, but the changes, primarily slightly different rear light clusters, are very minor.
The last model also had 16-inch wheels whereas the new car has larger wheels – 17-inch for Trophy trim – and it looks much better for it.
The interior has also been updated, with new technology, including a 10.25-inch widescreen infotainment system with upgraded software, a 7-inch Driver Display, and MG iSMART connected car features.
Under the skin, the 61kWh battery (57.4 kWh usable capacity), 156 PS motor and the front-wheel drive layout remains.
Of course the MG5 is an estate – at the moment the only all-electric estate that you can buy – so it has a practical boot that can hold 479 litres up to the luggage cover, 578 litres up to the roof, and 1,367 litres with the rear seats folded (on the subject of the rear seats, you feel very high when sitting on them). There’s also extra space under the boot floor.
The previous MG5 model had roof rails but, strangely, MG said that these were for decorative purposes only and you couldn’t fit roof bars. This looks like it has changed with the new model as the data sheet says that the roof can take a load of 75kg. The MG5 also has a towing capacity of 500kg.
The MG5 delivers an excellent driving experience. All the qualities of an electric car are there: it’s quiet, refined, easy to drive, and offers responsive acceleration. Because it’s an estate, it sits closer to the road than an SUV, and so the handling is better. The MG5 also has good ride quality. And with a kerb weight of 1,560 kg, it’s also lighter than many other EVs, which helps to make it feel agile.
MG hasn’t said anything about any changes to the driving experience in the new model, but we’d say it feels better to drive than the last one, with improved steering feel through corners.
The gear selector is a rotary dial in the centre console. In front of this are two switches. One offers three driving modes: Eco, Normal and Sport. The other switch, labelled ‘KERS’, offers three levels of regenerative braking.
Unlike the new MG4, which has moved to rear-wheel drive, the MG5 retains its front-wheel drive layout, so wheelspin under acceleration is possible, especially on cold and wet winter roads.
The feeling of improved quality in the new model is likely to be aided by the new interior. We really liked the heating and ventilation controls in the last MG5, which looked like they were part of a 1980’s car stereo that was sticking up from the centre console, but they worked really well. The latest MG5 has a new touchscreen and underneath it, at the bottom left, is a physical shortcut button which takes you to a screen of heating and ventilation controls. This works perfectly well, and is a much more elegant solution than the controls in the previous MG5 model. This is also a much better solution than the heating and ventilation controls in the new MG4, which don’t exist anywhere on the dashboard or on the touchscreen home screen.
One thing that’s hard to control is the radio; selecting and changing radio stations is a lot easier in most competitors’ cars. We also struggled to get Apple Carplay working, and the USB socket is hidden underneath the centre console. The centre console is also wider than it needs to be, resulting in it having a tendency to dig into the driver’s left leg.
The MG5’s charging cover was also stiff to open and close.
The MG5 has a WLTP electric driving range of 250 miles for SE trim, or 235 miles for Trophy trim. Although the MG5 looks better in Trophy trim with its 17-inch wheels than in SE trim with 16-inch wheels, the larger wheels are likely to be a key reason for the 15-mile reduction in driving range.
In real-world driving, the average driving range was 201 miles – however the car was tested in January when there was snow on the ground all week – you’re likely to enjoy an improved driving range in summer.
The 61kWh battery is capable of rapid charging at up to 87kW, with a 10% to 80% charge time of 35 minutes.
Another new feature on the latest MG5 is Vehicle-To-Load Technology (V2L), meaning that you can use the car to power electrical appliances such as camping equipment or tools.
The MG5 is available in two trim levels: SE (£30,995) and Trophy, as tested (£33,495). Trophy specification includes 360° parking camera, heated front seats, auto air conditioning, electrically folding heated door mirrors, rear privacy glass and an auto-dimming rear view mirror. MG Pilot advanced driver assistance is standard on all models, as is MG’s 7-year/80,000-mile warranty.
The previous MG5 model was a perfectly good car, but in our view it needed more ‘EV-like’ frontal styling (without a grille that looks like it’s from a petrol car), larger wheels, and a more modern interior. So what are the main changes with the new 2023 MG5?: more ‘EV-like’ frontal styling, larger wheels, and a more modern interior. Yes, our three wishes have been granted – thank you MG Genie.
Other aspects of the car were perfectly fine last time around, and have been unchanged – such as the practical body style, good driving experience, decent driving range, and most importantly, the competitive price.
In our last review the MG5 EV was awarded a Green Car Guide rating of 8 out of 10; the latest updates allow the new 2023 model to score a Green Car Guide rating of 9 out of 10.
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Paul Clarke, GreenCarGuide Editor
