A Geely EX5 Inspire for a week tells me legacy brands’ rough ride is getting stormier by the day. Over mostly city duty and wee trips out of town, EX5 made old badges look like museum pieces. The capacious cabin and cornucopian equipment were positively lavish for the money. However, the cruise control’s habit of braking for bends was like a dagger in the chest.
Geely sells the EX5 in 2 models, Complete and Inspire, both now Extended Range. They share the battery, the single front motor, and the look, but Inspire adds the comfort and the fabulous Flyme Sound system. It’s the bigger electric sibling to the Geely EX2 Inspire, and I like the way it looks very much. Yes, it looks a little Porsche, a bit VW, and a touch of GWM, but that’s only because most new cars appear to have been spawned of the same loins.
On the Road
The EX5 isn’t nippy exactly, but nor is it a slug. It gets along with a relaxed urgency that dislikes being pushed through corners, and that’s fine by me. Parking is easy with the brilliant 360-degree camera, which is a must-have once you’ve experienced it.
Above: Geely EX5 Inspire Review
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ABOVE: The 2026 Geely EX5 Inspire
The suspension is quite soft, so the highway ride is smooth and cornering is relaxed, though some accuse it of being floaty. I thought the multi-link rear felt quite sophisticated, but some “enthusiasts” aren’t happy unless the tyres are smears on monstrously huge rims. I love a good rim, who doesn’t, but not if it ruins your organs after more than 20 metres. After all, only motoring journos and a few scruffy chav modders want to take every corner as if they’re approaching the home straight at Silverstone. Contrary to their urges, their lives don’t depend on it.
There are drive modes, and you can set the steering and other aspects to preference. Mine is soft and easy, like my good self.
We tackled rather a lot of traffic, and EX5 made it a calm and soothing trip. The traffic assist was flawless, in fact it worked better than at speed. While we’re at it, the lane centring could use fine tuning.
Driver Assistance
Automatic lane change is brilliant on the highway, when it feels like working. It has to be switched on for every trip, then you indicate to use it, and it’ll roll the dice to see if it co-operates.
The adaptive cruise slows for every corner, even small ones. It’s annoying and dangerous. An OTA update has since smoothed it out, but you can’t turn it off, there’s no toggle for it in the drive preferences menu. That menu is a Geely-only setting, and we programmed a steering wheel button to reach it. In it you toggle on and off the things that cause angst, and they’re saved.
The driver assistance is very naggy. The preferences menu silences most of it, but the driver monitor stays on and is over-cautious to the point of harassment.
Range
Over the week it used about 15.5kWh/100km, with about 430km showing on the dash. The 450km WLTP claim is, as always, a wee stretch.
The EX5 charges at 100kW DC, but we noticed 135kW charging when researching our UK figures. Is this a slip? You get a wall plug AC charger, but no Type 2 cable, so the public AC street chargers that need you to bring your own cord are off limits until you buy one.
Cabin
Interior space is capacious, with huge rear legroom. The boot is monumental, with a bin under the 2-level floor that came up to my knee when I put my leg inside it on the video. I’m a ham, sure, but how many cars can swallow half a leg?
Our car had the white GeeLuxe premium materials throughout, so the cabin is light and airy. The fake woodgrain is also quite attractive. The full-length glass sunroof is has a huge opening section and a full electric roller blind.
Massage and cooling in the front seats at this price were unheard of until the Chinese came along. The front passenger also gets an electric footrest that folds out from the seat front. I sat having a massage by the sea, AC on, meditation music playing. Totally Zen, baby.
Screen and Sound
The 15.4-inch screen is huge, but almost everything is in a menu. In addition, basic AC controls are buttons on the console., and a row of basic custom buttons runs along the bottom of the big screen.
The Flyme software is AOSP-based, so it has little bugettes. On filming day Google Maps stubbornly refused to display, though navigation still worked, and Apple Maps was fine. Voice control worked most of the time but needed an internet connection. The sound system is a sensation for this price.
On-screen controls permeate every aspect of a tech-heavy cabin. Although every single setting is in the system, EX5 duplicates some functions, such as windows and mirrors. Better still, the vents have knobs you aim with the flick of a finger. Motorised vents are asking for strife, because anything that moves can go bad, and anything with a motor is expensive to fix.
The Same Car Costs More in the UK
In Australia, the EX5 costs from $41,990 to $45,990 plus on-roads, or about $45,600 to $49,700 drive-away. In the UK, it costs from about $60,500/£31,990 to $73,700/£38,990 on the road. The UK has 4 models, SE, Pro, Max, and Ultra. Australia has 2 models, Complete and Inspire.
The SE has a smaller 60.2kWh battery. The Ultra has the same 68.4kWh battery as ours.
Even after on-road costs are added to the Inspire, the UK car with the same battery costs over $20,000 more. Both Australian models get the bigger battery, but they charge at 100kW where the UK Ultra does 135kW.
When did OZ get cheaper?
Who It Suits
Treat the EX5 as a large hatchback rather than an SUV. The payload is small, 5 of me and it’s already overloaded with only 445kg to play with. EX5 is by no means alone on that point. In fact, most drivers have overloaded their cars at some stage without knowing it.
Owners rarely know their GVM, tare, or GCM, let alone what their payload is. For the record, payload is you and your hunny, your bags, your bottles of wine, and your cheese’n’nibbles. It’s everything you put in the car, from people to hair pins.
Singles will love the space, and a canny camper could keep the climate control running while they kip. Like most EVs, the AC takes surprisingly little power. The back seats are a triumph, and I haven’t even mentioned the little tray that pulls out from underneath.
Getting in and out is easy, with a high design and big doors.
When it comes down to it, the bits that are naggy can be fixed with updates. All the fixed appointments are fine.
EX5 isn’t perfect, but the value, the quality, the cabin, the inclusions, and the performance can’t be matched by the old guard. That, ladies and gents, is why their slide will turn into a tumble unless they stop treating customers like mugs. Still the 7 year warranty outlasts most of the old guard with very few exceptions.
Likes
- Looks
- Stunning cabin
- Equipment for the price
Dislikes
- Slows for corners on cruise
- Over-cautious driver monitor
- 100kW DC charging
Price
| Model | Price plus on-roads | Adds |
|---|---|---|
| EX5 Complete | $41,990 | Base model with 18-inch wheels and 6 speakers |
| EX5 Inspire | $45,990 | 19-inch wheels, panoramic glass sunroof with power blind, power tailgate, 13.4-inch head-up display, 16-speaker 1,000W sound with driver headrest speakers, ventilated, memory, and 6-mode massage front seats, power front passenger legrest, 256-colour ambient lighting, front parking sensors, light Cloud interior option |
Geely EX5 Inspire
| Spec | Detail |
|---|---|
| Price | $45,990 |
| Battery | 68.39kWh LFP |
| Power/torque | 160kW/320Nm |
| Drive | Front-wheel drive, single front motor |
| 0-100km/h | 7.6 seconds |
| Range | 450km WLTP |
| Energy use | 16.9kWh/100km WLTP |
| Charging | 11kW AC, 100kW DC, 30-80% in about 20 minutes |
| V2L | 3.3kW (V2V 6.6kW) |
| Boot | 410L, 1,877L with the seats down |
| Towing | 750kg unbraked |
| Payload | 445kg |
| ANCAP | 5 stars (2025) |
Download spec sheet HERE
Above: 70mai A900 Dashcam + 4G Hardwire kit Unboxing and Review
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Alan Zurvas is the founder and editor of Gay Car Boys, Australia's leading LGBTQI+ automotive publication. Before launching GCB in 2008, Alan's automotive writing was published in SameSame.com.au and the Star Observer. With over 16 years of hands-on car reviewing experience, Alan brings an honest, irreverent voice to every review — championing value and innovation over brand loyalty.
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