MG5 EV 2021 electric car owner review

Sam drives an MG5 EV 53kWh 2021.

This is Sam’s first electric car, he’s owned the MG5 EV 3-4 years and drives under 5,000 miles annually. The current mileage of the car is between 5,000-10,000 miles and he achieves 210 miles from a full charge.

Why did you choose the MG5 EV?

I really needed an estate car and there were no other options in 2021. I test drove a few other EVs but was so impressed during my test of the MG.

Positives

It’s very efficient – even in the depths of winter I average a minimum of 3.6 miles/kWh, in the warmer months 4.5 miles/kWh is easily achieved and I’ve recorded up to 5.8 miles/kWh!
The suspension and high profile tyres give a superb ride and I love how quiet it is inside
The most enjoyable car to drive in over 50 years of driving!

Negatives

Nothing

Compared to when you first bought the car, does your battery still charge at the same rate & do you still get the same range?

After nearly 4 years I’ve not noticed any change at all in charging rate or range.

Have you experienced any faults with the car? If so, what have they been?

None

What are the standout technological features of the car?

The only technological feature that interests me is that it’s an EV so I don’t leave a terrible exhaust smell behind me.

Tell us something people wouldn’t readily know about your MG5 EV

It is really so very enjoyable to drive; after nearly 4 years I still find myself thinking of reasons to go for a drive!

What’s the biggest or funniest myth you’ve heard about EVs?

Where do I start? 🙂

They are too expensive – our MG5 cost less new than a base model VW Golf in 2021
they are so heavy – the MG5 EV is lighter than the VW Passat estate with which it’s often compared
let’s not even talk about the fire risk nonsense and so on.

What electric car(s) are you interested in next and why?

None, no intention of changing as I’ve found the perfect car for our needs.

Home charging unit

SyncEV untethered chargers (one of the first) – I chose this as it’s easy to adjust the charging rate should I wish to charge from our solar panels. Works perfectly without any problems including scheduled overnight charging.

Electricity supplier & tariff

Octopus Go plus Outgoing Octopus for solar export – I did have some initial problems with a reluctance to return a large amount of credit but this was eventually resolved and I can now adjust our direct debit as required.

What public charging networks would you recommend to others and why?

Octopus Electroverse – my go-to charging app which works with several networks reliably
Pod Point – app works really well and chargers reliable in recent years
GRIDSERVE – the MG used to have occasional problems connecting with their early chargers, no problems in last couple of years though.

Insurance

LV= I think it’s too expensive, in fact, after 50+ years without an insurance claim they should be paying me!

Please itemise where you’re saving money (or not) owning & running an MG5 EV

The main reason for buying an EV was environmental concerns, we didn’t really think too much about the cost of running one. However, it’s astonishing how cheap it is to run; with Octopus Go it costs 2p/mile most of the year. Saving on fuel alone over our previous petrol hatchback is over £240/year (average 3,000 miles/year) & MG EV servicing is pleasantly cheap: £63 for the first annual service and the most expensive so far was £120 including a new pollen filter.