Geely EX5 vs Toyota C-HR

What's the difference?

You’re not alone if you’re struggling to grasp the sheer number of new names from China popping up in the Australian new-car market. There’s more than ten and the list is only growing.

Geely is yet another marque with an ambitious plan to break into Australia's top-10 auto brands. It might have a leg-up on rivals, though, because Geely has been dabbling in international marques for some time.

Volvo, Polestar, Lotus and Zeekr are either majority or entirely owned by Geely, and the father brand — like Volkswagen in its eponymous group — therefore benefits from years of engineering know-how from other brands. Clever.

The first car launching here Australia is the EX5, an electric mid-size SUV pitched at families. Think of it as a direct rival to the Tesla Model Y, Kia EV5 and XPeng G6 but (yet unconfirmed) sharp pricing might see buyers cross-shopping with Toyota RAV4s and Mazda CX-5s.  

Geely even proclaims Australian-tuned suspension, something Ford, Toyota, Hyundai and Kia have used to huge success. But does that mean the 2025 Geely EX5 is top-10 material? A spin in an early production model should give us some answers.

According to the chief engineer for the Toyota C-HR, a second generation was never guaranteed for this uncharacteristically (for Toyota) design-led small SUV.

After the Corolla Cross came into existence, the top brass didn’t think the brand needed two similarly sized models in the line-up. So, why is it here, and is it any good?

The first question is easy to answer - the team drew the new C-HR up as a European model, built in hybrid-only and with enough key differences from the Corolla Cross to avoid the models competing. 

The second question? Let’s find out.