MG ZS EV successor S5EV to wash ashore in April in UK first

SAIC, the mother company of the now Chinese MG brand, unwrapped last October in China the fully electric MG ES5, a compact SUV, to succeed in the currently still popular MG ZS EV in Europe. And it’s ready to wash ashore on the Old Continent in the UK first, in April, for a base price of £28,495 (€34,186).

This one is 153 mm longer and 40 mm wider than the ZS but stands around 4 mm lower on its wheels than the outgoing car. After the UK, the rest of Europe is likely to follow in Q2 2025, but prices are unknown yet, as SAIC has to pay the highest tariffs in the EU, 35.3%, on top of the EU’s standard car import duty of 10%.

Three flavors

The British version comes in three flavors: SE Standard Range (£28,495 – €34,186), SE Long Range (£30,995 – €37,166), and Trophy Long Range (£33,495 – €40,164). These are ‘OTR’ prices.

In British pricing, OTR stands for ‘On The Road’. It is commonly used in the automotive industry to indicate the total cost of a vehicle, including the base price, VAT (Value Added Tax), registration fee, number plates, and road tax (Vehicle Excise Duty).

Two battery options

The MG ES5 – renamed from S5 in China – debuted on October 15th and is positioned as a family compact SUV. Like in China, it offers two options for the lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery pack: 49.1 kWh or 62.2 kWh. The CATL-SAIC joint venture supplies both, and the companies claim they are the world’s thinnest, with a thickness of 110 mm.

This gives the SE Standard Range (49kWh) a WLTP range of 211 miles (339 km), the SE Long Range (64kWh) some 298 miles (479 km), and the Trophy Long Range (64kWh) some 288 miles (463 km).

Depending on the battery size, charging 10 to 80% can be done in 24 to 28 minutes at a maximum of 150 kW DC. Vehicle-to-load is standard on all versions.

The MG ES5 builds on SAIC’s Nebula architecture further. The rear-wheel version delivers a maximum power of 125 kW (168 hp) and a peak torque of 250 Nm. It needs 8 seconds to accelerate from 0 to 100 km/hour, while the other versions do that in 6.3 seconds. The top speed is limited to 170 km/hour regardless of the vehicle’s power.

Apple CarPlay and Android Auto

Behind the wheel, the driver has a small 10.25” instrument cluster from which he can select the key information he needs, such as navigation or lane assist. The MG ES5 is equipped as standard with Wireless Apple CarPlay™ and Android Auto™ integration.

As expected, the ES5 has all the usual ADAS safety systems as standard, combined in the MG Pilot in all versions, and a 360° HD Surround-View Camera as an extra on the Trophy model.

The MG iSMART app links your car, phone, and the internet, so you can easily use your phone to locate your car, check its status, or pre-heat the cabin.

At the same time, a 12.8-inch HD touchscreen is a central infotainment feature from setting navigation to picking your favorite tune, with Spotify and YouTube integration in the Trophy version.