The 2021 MG5 Is An All-Electric 214-Mile Compact Estate That Looks Like A VW And Is Priced From £24,495

MG is expanding its all-electric lineup in the UK with the all-new MG5 EV compact estate.

Despite MG’s claims, the fully-electric compact estate model isn’t all-new as parent company SAIC has been selling it in China for almost three years now as the Roewe Ei5. You can see that in the styling, which is not much to write home about. It looks rather generic – some would say, even Volkswagen-ish, but, then again, MG is not out to revolutionize the compact wagon segment in this respect.

What it does want to achieve with the MG5 EV is capture a sizable chunk of the “affordable” EV market. The electric wagon starts at £24,495 ($31,160) in the UK (after the government’s £3,000 Plug-in Car Grant), undercutting the Nissan Leaf by £2,350. On sale from October 2020, the MG5 EV is pitched as a unique offering in Britain’s EV market, offering the flexibility and practicality of a roomy estate car with great driving dynamics and absolutely no exhaust emissions.

See Also: Facelifted MG ZS Debuts With New Looks And A More Upscale Interior

Power comes from a 52.2 kWh lithium-ion battery pack that can be charged from zero to 80% in just 50 minutes using a rapid charger. A full charge at home using Type 2 fast charging takes around 8.5 hours. When fully charged, the battery enables the MG5 EV to cover 214 miles (344 km) in normal day-to-day use (WLTP combined range). That’s significantly more than the base Nissan Leaf’s 168-mile (270-km) range.

The range rises to 276 miles (444 km) if the MG5 EV is used solely for urban driving (WLTP City driving cycle). The battery powers a 115 kW (154 HP / 156 PS) front-mounted electric motor, which provides decent performance: zero to 60 mph (96 km/h) takes just over 8 seconds.

When it comes to practicality, the MG5 EV offers 464 liters (16.4 cu ft) of cargo volume up to the parcel shelf with all seats in place and 578 liters (20.4 cu ft) up to the roof but still with five passengers on board. The capacity expands to 1,456 liters (51.4 cu ft) if the 60:40-split folding rear seat backs are dropped.

MG also says rear seat passengers get “ample head room and plenty of legroom, even when seated behind a tall driver.” At the front, the six-way adjustable driver’s and four-way adjustable passenger seats are said to make it easy to find a comfortable position.

As with the exterior, the dashboard has a functional design and features a standard 8-inch color touchscreen with smartphone mirroring capability, compatible with both Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. Also standard are a six-speaker 3D audio system, DAB radio, 4 USB ports, power windows, air conditioning, regenerative braking, cruise control with speed limiter, an auto-hold electric parking brake, rain-sensing wipers and push-button starter.

There are two trim levels, Excite and Exclusive, with the latter starting at £26,995 ($34,330), after the Plug-in Car Grant. It adds leather-style upholstery, heated front seats, silver roof rails, electrically adjustable folding heated mirrors, smart keyless entry with push-button start, an automatically dimming rear view mirror, rain-sensing wipers and satellite navigation.