MG S5 EV 2026 review: Essence 62

MG’s getting rather good at building cars that don’t feel so… cheap.

For some time after Chinese state-owned manufacturer SAIC Motor took over the historically British brand, MG’s passenger cars seemed destined to be driven into the ground and replaced, but that’s not the case now.

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The 2026 MG S5 EV, as much as Audi might have an issue with that name, is one of them.

The small electric SUV is not only affordable when you consider what you get (as in many such cases with Chinese cars), but it’s also quite a decent drive.

For $48,990 drive-away, you can have the car pictured, the top-of-the-range S5 EV Essence 62. It’s named as such because, you guessed it, it has a 62kWh battery rather than the smaller 49kWh unit also available in either this or the lower-grade Excite. That’s four grades all up, but we’re sticking at the top.

That means the S5 is approaching the price of one of CarsGuide’s favourite electric cars, the Kia EV3 – even if it’s the base EV3 and the features list is somewhat shorter.

The Essence 62 has a claimed WLTP rated range of 425km, which isn’t groundbreaking considering similar-sized electric SUVs have been doing this for the better part of a decade – the Hyundai Kona Electric had it beat five years ago with a similarly-sized battery.

The Essence 62 also gets the same extensive list of features as the Essence 49, aside from the (90km) longer range.

Inside, there’s a 10.25-inch driver display and a 12.8-inch multimedia touchscreen, wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, a six-speaker sound system, a wireless phone charger, surround-view parking camera, heated front seats and steering wheel, V2L capability, keyless entry and start and rain-sensing window wipers.

It’s a practical space inside that still retains physical controls for the climate along with buttons on the steering wheel, while the native operating system within the touchscreen is clear and easy to navigate.

Its LED daytime running lights, 18-inch alloys, power tailgate, a panoramic sunroof and tinted privacy glass are all giveaways from the exterior, but they’re not my biggest point about the S5’s exterior.

Yes, the big thing that very much turns me off the S5 EV is its design. MG’s design language has struck me as a little hodge-podge for a while, and the S5 feels like one of the best examples of why.

It has these soft curves and lines that, in a lot of ways, are fairly restrained. There isn’t a lot of unnecessary trim or just lines for the sake of breaking things up.

But then there’s the face.

The DRLs and headlights create these sharp, angular eyes and an almost war-paint-like shape underneath. Why does this small, family-friendly SUV look so aggressive from the front? It’s got 125kW and 250Nm.

Fortunately, it doesn’t feel aggressive from behind the wheel.

Those 125kW and 250Nm are put to better use than you might think, but the delivery is progressive and still gives you that little shove as you put your foot down, which you’ll be familiar with if you’re an EV person. It doesn’t feel incredibly urgent and you won’t be spinning the rear wheels (yes, it’s rear-wheel drive!) unless it’s pouring rain… and oil, perhaps. 

Its steering is arguably too light and lacks communication, but it’s accurate enough and once you’re used to it becomes a bit of a non-issue.

The suspension, similarly, is nothing necessarily to write home about, but it’s a big improvement on where your expectations from previous MGs might land.

It can be unsettled at times, usually during fast cornering on rough roads, but you wouldn’t expect most people to be doing this in a small electric SUV anyway.

It wafts a little after big bumps or undulations in the road, but collects itself quickly enough to not feel sickening as some EVs are prone to.

At the same time, it’s not too stiff. Comfortable, practical, a relatively well-judged setup overall.

Practicality continues post-purchase, MG’s 10-year/250,000-kilometre warranty includes the battery and you shouldn’t really be worried by that distance limitation. You do need to service with MG to keep the warranty going, though.

There’s also a maximum five-star ANCAP safety rating from 2025, plus seven airbags and a long list of active driver-assistance tech that actually seems rather well-calibrated given the overbearing nature of many systems, particularly those from Chinese brands.