REVIEW | MG S5 - The Jack of All Trades SUV

Six months in, and 2025 is shaping up to be a good year for MG. Two of the Anglo-Chinese brand's models – the MG ZS and MG HS – have made it onto the UK's bestselling new cars list, with 12,918 and 12,548 sales, respectively. After launching the all-electric MG S5 back in March, the brand is now set to unveil another two EVs at The Goodwood Festival of Speed in July. Both will feature the first release of a new platform and more sophisticated battery technology – will it rock the sector as much as Chinese rival BYD's 5-minute charge? – and with a track record of fast turnarounds onto forecourts, they could soon secure the commanding lead.

In the meantime, the MG S5 EV is causing enough of a stir. With its affordable price, capable ride, and well-appointed interior, it's one of the most buzzed-about all-electric offerings in the current SUV market. As the successor to the brand's debut fully electric SUV, the ZS EV, which 31,000 buyers in the UK have snapped up, the S5 undercuts its older sibling by £2,000.

Prices and specs

With a focus on efficiency, the S5 shares the same lightweight Modular Scalable Platform (MSP) that was first introduced on the MG4 in 2022, so it has a smaller battery but a bigger range than the outgoing ZS. The entry-level model, priced from £28,495, features a 49kWh lithium-ion battery that provides a reasonable range of approximately 211 miles. In contrast, the two more expensive models, priced from £30,995, are equipped with a 64kWh battery, which is claimed to achieve up to 300 miles on a full charge. Speaking of, provided you're plugged into a powerful enough rapid charger, either battery can be topped up from 10-80% in less than 28 minutes.

Versions and Variants

The three variants, the SE Standard Range, the SE Long Range, and the Trophy Long Range, all come with MG Pilot, a customisable driver assist setup, as standard. Preferred settings can be saved. Since serious safety concerns were raised over the MG's lane assistance and departure-warning technology; huge improvements to the system have been made, but with a tendency to tug at the wheel when you stray out of your lane and incessant binging if you creep over the speed limit or yawn, I decided to toggle most of them to 'off'.

Smart Tech As Standard

Offering other useful but non-essential tech wizardry is MG's bespoke iSMART app. Want to check the tyre pressures, pre-chill the cabin, or see how much range is left in the tank? The app enables you to do all that remotely. Can't remember where you parked at the supermarket? The 'Find My Car' feature will seek it out, and with a 453-litre boot, there's plenty of room for both the sprogs and the shopping. For a £5,000 premium, the Trophy features a swish leather-style interior with branded embossing, wireless phone charging (with a tactile suede finish. Ooh.) and a 360-degree camera. But upgrades including heated front seats and steering wheel and rain-sensing wipers, I think, should come on every model as standard.

Curbside Appeal

Looks-wise, the S5 isn't especially inspiring, and it renders itself particularly anonymous. What is interesting, though, is MG's focus on design identity. That is, introducing elements that will become visual cues to help customers recognise their cars, which, if you put the all-electric MG5, MG4 and ZS in a line-up, you'll notice, isn't something they've previously done. To create a more cohesive look between models, the split grille echoes that of the brand's range-topping Cyberster, while the overall styling echoes that of the MG4, with which it shares the same platform, albeit over a slightly larger frame.

Praise be for buttons!

The fifth EV from the brand, the S5, doesn't have anything as old-school as a key to switch it on or off, which is something that continues to wig me out, but inside, hoorah, there are buttons! Which pleases me very much. Essentials such as volume control, cabin temperature, hazard lights and demisting are all adjustable at the touch of a physical switch, and two customisable buttons on the six-sided steering make it an even more, in my opinion, intuitive and user-friendly system.

Despite turning back the dial on the trend for hiding functions within a fiddly touchscreen, all versions of the S5 have a two-screen setup. An upgrade for MG, the 12.8-inch central console has wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity – older models, such as the Cyberster, are plug-in only – but the initial setup was painful and time-consuming and the connection dropped in and out. Other negatives? The infotainment system was laggy, and on a sunny day, the driver display was tricky to see. Overall, though, the cabin is a nice place to be. Everything fits together neatly, and there are lots of useful cubbyholes.

Performance

Sharing the same lightweight Modular Scalable Platform (MSP) that was first introduced on the MG4 in 2022, the S5 is fairly peppy in its performance. Aided by its rear-drive traction and 228bhp electric motor, it can leap off the line and hit 62 mph in 6.3 seconds, which I think is the quickest in its class. When not testing its whip, power delivery is pleasantly smooth. Regen braking has four settings to choose from and is well-calibrated, with none of the usual lurching as you lift your foot off the pedal.

In addition to the suite of driver aids, there are five drive modes; Normal, Sport, Comfort, Snow and Custom. For me, Comfort had a feeling of competence, which is what I expect you'd look for in a family car, and it performs its road duties without complaint. The S5's five-link suspension delivers a slightly hard drive, but it doesn't wallow in the corners, and the steering is comfortably compliant.

Six years after MG's first EV went on sale, the S5 feels like a statement of intent. A solid buy for drivers seeking a well-appointed and well-engineered car, it's the jack-of-all-trades that most people want their SUV to be.

words by Charlotte Vowden
photography by Henry Faulkner-Smith