MG S5 EV review (UK): SAIC's best yet — smart value, but does it excite?

The MG S5 EV arrived in UK showrooms in April 2025 as the direct replacement for the MG ZS EV. It is built on SAIC's Modular Scalable Platform (MSP) — the same architecture as the MG4 EV — but it is bigger, better-equipped and, according to most reviewers, meaningfully better-made. Three trims cover two battery sizes: a 49 kWh LFP unit for the entry SE, and a 64 kWh NMC pack for both SE Long Range and Trophy models. Prices run from £28,995 to £33,995. Euro NCAP gave it five stars (May 2025). MG's seven-year factory warranty applies. The car earns 8/10 from Electrifying.com and Carwow; The Car Expert rates it 79% (A). The universal caveat: it is competent and sensibly priced, but it will not make your heart race.

The S5 EV is manufactured by SAIC Motor (Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation), China's largest car maker by volume and the parent company of the MG brand. SAIC is a state-owned enterprise with joint venture partnerships alongside General Motors and Volkswagen in China. MG is an export-led brand: it sells far fewer cars in China (around 400–500 units per month in 2025) than it does internationally, where value pricing and rising quality have been well received. The battery cells come from Times SAIC — a 50/50 joint venture between CATL (the world's largest battery maker) and SAIC formed in 2017 — giving the MG S5 EV effective CATL battery provenance. The electric motor is sourced from UAES, a Bosch-SAIC joint venture, lending the drivetrain established engineering credentials. Brand survival risk is low: SAIC is one of China's most financially stable automakers.

Three UK trims cover a £5,000 spread. The SE Standard Range (£28,995) gets a 49 kWh LFP battery, 211 miles of WLTP range, a 125 kW (170 PS) motor and 120 kW DC charging — alongside 12.8-inch touchscreen, wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, full LED lights and MG Pilot safety suite. Step to the SE Long Range (£31,495) and you get the 64 kWh NMC pack, 298 miles WLTP, a more powerful 170 kW (228 hp) motor, 139 kW DC charging, heat pump and 360-degree camera. The Trophy Long Range (£33,995) adds a panoramic roof, heated and ventilated front seats, heated rear seats and heated steering wheel, wireless charging and an electric tailgate — though its 18-inch alloys trim the official range to 288 miles. The Trophy starts to look expensive against rivals such as the Skoda Elroq and Kia EV3 at similar money, both of which reviewers rate as more rounded overall.

The entry 49 kWh LFP battery suits urban and suburban commuting; LFP chemistry is durable and tolerates regular top-ups without degradation, but offers slightly less energy density and can charge more slowly in cold weather. The 64 kWh NMC pack fitted to the two Long Range models is not a Chinese-market carryover: Chinese ES5 Long Range models use a 62.2 kWh LFP pack. MG specifically specified NMC chemistry for Europe, giving the UK car better cold-weather performance and a higher peak charge rate. Both packs use the CCS standard, and DC peak rates of 120 kW (standard) and 139 kW (long range) mean 10–80% charging in around 25–28 minutes. That is competitive for the segment. AC charging is limited to 7 kW, so overnight home top-ups take roughly 8–11 hours depending on battery size. Note: there is no 11 kW or 22 kW AC option. A heat pump is standard across all trims, which materially improves real-world winter range. Electrifying.com records real-world range for the Long Range model at approximately 240 miles on mixed driving.

The MG S5 EV holds a five-star Euro NCAP rating from May 2025. The headline scores are strong: 90% adult occupant, 82% child occupant, 82% vulnerable road user and 78% safety assist. The side-barrier test returned maximum points. However, Euro NCAP noted poor results on the stiff windscreen pillars for pedestrian head protection, and the car lacks child-presence detection — a feature increasingly standard at this price point. On the active safety side, MG Pilot is standard across all UK trims and includes adaptive cruise control, lane-keep assist, autonomous emergency braking with pedestrian and cyclist detection, blind spot warning and rear cross-traffic alert. The AEB system is rated well by Euro NCAP for car-to-car and pedestrian scenarios. Euro NCAP did flag that motorcyclist lane support performance was weak. Physical braking is handled by a system co-developed with Continental and Bridgestone, stopping from 62 mph in 35.5 metres. Seven airbags are standard. As of August 2025 there were no DVSA safety recalls for the S5 EV.

MG's UK warranty covers all new vehicles registered from September 2019 with a seven-year factory warranty; the terms and conditions were updated in July 2026 and are available on the MG UK website. The Car Expert cites a separate eight-year / 100,000-mile battery warranty — this is not stated explicitly on the main MG UK warranty page, so it is marked needs-check pending direct confirmation from MG UK. Importantly, Chinese buyers of the ES5 receive a lifetime battery and powertrain warranty with unlimited mileage; that does not apply to UK customers, who are covered under the standard UK terms. Anti-perforation cover and roadside assistance are also included.

The S5 EV rewards in ways the MG ZS EV did not. The rear-wheel-drive layout — unusual at this price — gives the car a lively, "pushed out of corners" feel in Sport mode that delights reviewers expecting a mundane family hauler. Carwow calls it 'surprisingly fun to drive.' In everyday Comfort mode it settles into a composed, quiet motorway cruiser. The main shortcoming is the suspension tuning: the car can feel firm and bouncy over urban road imperfections and speed humps, and tyre noise at motorway speed is more intrusive than in rivals such as the Volvo EX30 or Kia EV3. Steering is quick and predictable. Regenerative braking comes in four stages via a steering wheel shortcut. One-pedal driving is available but described by Carwow as 'clunky.' Overall: a competent, practical family SUV that is genuinely capable on the motorway but stops short of being engaging on a B-road. Top Gear's Paul Horrell summed it up: 'vanishingly little charisma, but competent and cheap enough.'

Reviewers agree the S5 EV's interior is the best MG has produced for the UK market. Soft-touch materials replace the scratchy plastics of the MG4; the 12.8-inch central screen is upright, responsive and logically laid out; and physical buttons beneath it handle temperature and other frequently used controls — sensible and appreciated. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are standard. The driver gets a 10.25-inch configurable display. Boot space is 453 litres with seats up, expanding to 1,441 litres flat — practical for family use; there is no front boot. From the Chinese owner intelligence base, the infotainment system is the model's most persistent weakness: the MG iSMART platform is a closed ecosystem with no third-party app installation, OTA software updates have not been pushed to UK cars (dealer-only as of December 2025 with a rollout trial planned for 2026), and Android Auto requires reconnection at every journey start. These are not new complaints — they mirror what Chinese ES5 owners report about the equivalent 斑马智行 system. Until MG delivers a reliable OTA update cadence, buyers should treat software as static for the foreseeable future.

The Chinese-market equivalent — the MG ES5 / 名爵ES5 — has accumulated 59 owner reviews on Autohome (汽车之家) with a 4.60 out of 5.00 overall score and the top ranking in its segment. The most praised aspects align closely with what UK reviewers say: chassis dynamics (Chinese owners particularly praise the precise RWD steering) and real-world range matching the claimed figures. The battery also earns trust from the CATL-SAIC JV provenance — Chinese owners often cite this explicitly as a reason for confidence. The most common complaint in China mirrors the biggest concern in UK reviews: the infotainment system is a closed ecosystem, software updates require a dealer visit, and bugs persist for months. Chinese owners also flag short seat cushions and ADAS limited to the top trim — both UK-market improvements (MG Pilot wider availability, longer seat cushions on UK spec). 车质网 (China's official complaint registry) records very few ES5 complaints and no safety-critical fault patterns. The most prominent complaint was a dealer failing to pay out a purchase subsidy — a China-specific commercial issue, not a product fault.

The MG S5 EV is the most well-rounded Chinese electric car SAIC has yet brought to the UK. Five-star Euro NCAP, competitive WLTP range of up to 298 miles, 139 kW rapid charging, rear-wheel drive, a genuinely improved interior and a seven-year warranty — all from £28,995 — is a strong package. The CATL-backed battery and Bosch-SAIC motor add credibility to the drivetrain. Chinese owner data shows a well-regarded chassis and a reliable battery with no safety-critical fault history. **The one persistent weakness is infotainment.** The closed MG iSMART ecosystem, absence of OTA updates in practice and Android Auto reconnection bugs are real irritants — and they are unlikely to vanish quickly. The ride is also on the firm side. At Trophy level the value case softens: the Kia EV3 and Skoda Elroq are more engaging and arguably better-rounded for similar money. But for buyers who want a practical, safe, spacious family electric SUV and are not chasing driving thrills, the S5 EV is a credible, well-priced choice with a strong warranty safety net.

**Buy if:** you want maximum space and charging speed per pound, and ADAS and Euro NCAP credentials matter more to you than driver engagement.

**Look elsewhere if:** a lively driving experience, seamless over-the-air software and an infotainment ecosystem to rival a Kia or Volkswagen are non-negotiable.