Currently reading: New MG 5: electric estate now on sale with 214-mile range
UK's first affordable electric estate is available in two trim levels and priced from £24,995

MG has opened order books for its new MG 5 SW EV electric estate ahead of customer deliveries kicking off in November.

Priced from £24,995 in entry-level Excite trim and £26,995 in range-topping Exclusive form, the 5 is the only electric estate car currently available to buy in Europe, and will play a key role in helping MG to achieve a 50% plug-in sales mix by 2021.

MG is well under way with its transition to becoming a maker of EVs, with the 5 arriving alongside a new plug-in hybrid version of its HS SUV flagship. 

The 5 is based on the Chinese-market Roewe Ei5 from MG parent company SAIC, which has sold more than 63,000 units since it was launched in March 2018, with power output boosted by 42bhp to 154bhp for the UK market. Torque output is up slightly, too, from 188lb ft to 192lb ft. 

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MG claims the 5 can accelerate from zero to 62mph in 7.7sec and reach a top speed of 115mph. Its 52.2kWh water-cooled, lithium ion battery pack offers a WLTP combined range of 214 miles, but MG claims urban drivers can achieve up to 276 miles from a charge. 

The 5 can be charged to full capacity in eight and a half hours from a standard Type 2 charger, with a fast charger giving 80% charge in around 50 minutes. 

With the battery mounted under the floor, the 5 has a low centre of gravity that is said to offer “very similar handling characteristics” to a conventionally fuelled estate car while having minimal impact on interior space. With the rear seats up, the 5 offers 578 litres of boot space, with that rising to 1456 litres when the seats are folded. 

The 5 retains the Ei5's dimensions at 4.54m long, just under 1.82m wide and 1.54m tall, making it around 10cm shorter than the Ford Focus Estate, although its 2.67m wheelbase is only 43mm shorter. MG claims that “rear-seat passengers are very well catered for with ample head room and plenty of leg room”, even when sat behind tall occupants. 

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There are three drive modes offering varying levels of regenerative braking, with a rotary controller standing in for a conventional gearstick and parking brake set-up. 

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The 5 follows its ZS EV stablemate in offering alloy wheels, smartphone compatibility, DAB radio and rear parking sensors as standard, with Exclusive trim bringing extras including one-touch windows, radar cruise control, leather-style seats and a panoramic sunroof. 

Daniel Gregorious, the brand’s sales and marketing boss, previously told Autocar: “It’s exciting because it’ll be our first model that’s truly unique in the market. We expect success but it’ll be fascinating to see how it plays with fleet and business customers.”

At the car’s official unveiling, Gregorious said he expects roughly 50% of the new 5 to go to private buyers. 

If the plug-in HS and new electric estate sell well, Gregorious said MG’s next move will be to launch a production version of its handsome E-Motion high-performance four-seat sports car, unveiled as a concept at the Shanghai motor show in 2017. It’s a twin-motor, all-electric design with 3.0sec 0-60mph acceleration and is aimed at moving it into Porsche or Jaguar territory.

“The car is still in our plans,” said Gregorious, “and it will make a great halo flagship car. We’re only planning one model like it at present. But if we can do well with mainstream models, there could be plenty of opportunity for more sporty models in the future.”

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Felix Page

Felix Page
Title: News and features editor

Felix is Autocar's news editor, responsible for leading the brand's agenda-shaping coverage across all facets of the global automotive industry - both in print and online.

He has interviewed the most powerful and widely respected people in motoring, covered the reveals and launches of today's most important cars, and broken some of the biggest automotive stories of the last few years. 

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Bar room lawyer 23 September 2020

UBER Special?

Taxi!

Bar room lawyer 23 September 2020

UBER Special?

Taxi!

fellwalker 23 September 2020

Which other figures are a con?

The boot space as quoted is to the roof! What a con. 

It isn't really 578 litres in the way anyone other than land rover measures boot space. 

It is actually a 464-litre boot capacity with the rear seats up and load cover in place.

That is way less than my VW Golf estate, and miniscule compared to a Skoda Octavia.