MG S6 vs Geely EX5: Which Family EV Should You Buy in Australia?

The MG S6 vs Geely EX5 decision comes down to space and towing against cabin polish and software. As of October 2026, the MG S6 Essence RWD costs $49,990 drive-away and the Geely EX5 starts at $41,990 before on-road costs. That looks like an $8,000 gap, but on-road costs shrink it fast. Priced the way you actually pay, the S6 RWD lands within a few hundred dollars of an EX5 Inspire.

For that money the MG gives you a bigger boot, a front boot, 55 km more rated range than the EX5 Complete, rear-wheel drive and a 1,500 kg towing rating. The Geely gives you a plusher cabin, a softer ride, a tighter turning circle, an LFP battery you can charge to 100 percent every night, and over-the-air updates. Neither car is a bad buy. They suit different families.

Owners who test-drove both before buying tend to split along a clear line. Buyers who carry lots of gear, tow, or drive long distances on country roads went MG. Buyers who already had a bigger second car for road trips, and wanted the nicest place to sit for the school run, went Geely. Here is the detail behind that split, with every price and spec drawn from MG and Geely’s Australian figures and local road tests.

MG S6 vs Geely EX5: prices and specs side by side

The table below covers all four variants. Prices are as of October 2026. MG publishes national drive-away pricing, while Geely quotes before on-road costs, so we have added CarExpert’s August 2026 Sydney drive-away estimate for the EX5 to make the comparison fair.

Spec	MG S6 Essence RWD	MG S6 Essence AWD	Geely EX5 Complete	Geely EX5 Inspire
Price	$49,990 drive-away	$56,990 drive-away	$41,990 + on-roads	$45,990 + on-roads
Approx. drive-away (Sydney)	$49,990	$56,990	~$46,267	~$50,407
Battery	77 kWh NCM	77 kWh NCM	68.39 kWh LFP	68.39 kWh LFP
WLTP range	530 km	485 km	475 km	450 km
Drive	Rear	All-wheel	Front	Front
Power / torque	180 kW / 350 Nm	266 kW / 540 Nm	160 kW / 320 Nm	160 kW / 320 Nm
0-100 km/h	7.3 s	5.1 s	7.4 s	7.6 s
Peak DC charging	144 kW	144 kW	100 kW	100 kW
Claimed DC time	10-80% in 38 min	10-80% in 38 min	30-80% in 20 min	30-80% in 20 min
AC onboard charger	11 kW	11 kW	11 kW	11 kW
V2L	6 kW	6 kW	3.3 kW	3.3 kW
Braked towing	1,500 kg	1,500 kg	Not rated	Not rated
OTA updates	No	No	Yes	Yes

Sources: MG Australia S6 EV page and Geely Australia EX5 page, read October 2026; CarExpert price, spec and review data (March to August 2026). The S6 V2L figure comes from CarExpert’s review, as MG does not publish one.

Two things stand out. First, the S6 RWD and the EX5 Inspire cost almost the same once you are driving away, so the real choice for most buyers is between those two. Second, the battery chemistries differ, and that changes how much of the rated range you use day to day. More on that below.

Both cars sit far below the $91,661 threshold for the ATO’s electric car FBT exemption, so either works on an EV novated lease. Run your numbers through the novated lease calculator before you assume the cheaper car gives the cheaper repayment.

Price: the gap is smaller than the sticker suggests

The EX5 Complete is the cheapest way into either car by about $3,700 drive-away. Past that, the gap disappears. An EX5 Inspire at roughly $50,407 drive-away in Sydney costs about $400 more than the S6 RWD, and on-road costs in other states move that figure a little either way.

Dealer discounting muddies it further. Buyers report MG dealers settling the S6 RWD at around $45,000 drive-away, with low-kilometre demonstrators lower still. Geely dealers also deal, particularly on demonstrators. Treat both published prices as a ceiling and get written drive-away quotes from two dealers for each car.

Watch the offer dates. MG’s $500 accessories bonus on the S6 and Geely’s 0.09 percent finance on the EX5 both ran to 31 October 2026, and neither brand had published a November offer when we checked. A 0.09 percent loan on a 36-month term with no balloon is worth a lot on paper, but it carries high monthly repayments and a dealer origination fee. Salaried buyers on higher tax rates usually save more through a novated lease.

Space and practicality: the MG’s clearest win

The S6 is the more practical car, and owners say this is what decided it for them. It is 4,708 mm long on a 2,835 mm wheelbase, against the EX5’s 4,615 mm and 2,750 mm. That extra 85 mm between the axles goes mostly to the back seat and the boot.

Practicality	MG S6 RWD	MG S6 AWD	Geely EX5 (both)
Length / width	4,708 / 1,912 mm	4,708 / 1,912 mm	4,615 / 1,901 mm
Wheelbase	2,835 mm	2,835 mm	2,750 mm
Boot, seats up	581 L	581 L	302 L + 108 L underfloor
Boot, seats folded	1,690 L	1,690 L	1,877 L
Front boot	86 L	67 L	None
Turning circle	11.1 m	12.4 m	10.8 m

Sources: CarExpert price and specs and reviews (March to August 2026).

With the seats up, the MG holds 581 litres against the Geely’s 410 litres including its underfloor well. Families hauling prams, sports bags or holiday luggage feel that every week. Owners who chose the EX5 point out that the underfloor tray is useful, but you end up stacking things to use it. The MG also has a front boot (frunk), which is a storage space under the bonnet, handy for charging cables so they stay out of the main boot.

Fold the rear seats and the Geely wins, at 1,877 litres against 1,690. That matters for a tip run, less so for a family on the road.

The EX5 is easier to park. Its 10.8 m turning circle is the tightest here. The S6 AWD’s 12.4 m is the figure to check before you buy: S6 AWD owners say forward turns are fine but reverse parking in tight shopping-centre car parks takes planning. The RWD is much better at 11.1 m.

Towing: only the S6 can pull a trailer today

The MG S6 tows 1,500 kg braked and 750 kg unbraked in both variants. The Geely EX5 has no towing rating at all as of October 2026.

That alone settles it for some buyers. A box trailer, a small camper or a pair of jet skis is well within the S6’s limit. Owners who tow firewood trailers on fire trails or rural properties picked the S6 AWD for exactly that reason, and said they would have bought the RWD otherwise.

Geely filed a towbar version of the EX5 with the federal regulator in September 2026, with a 750 kg rating, according to Zecar. It has no price or on-sale date. Even when it arrives, 750 kg is half what the MG manages. Range drops sharply under load in any EV, so if you tow often, read our EV road trip guide for planning charging stops.

Range, charging and battery chemistry

The MG S6 goes further on paper, but the Geely’s battery lets you use more of what it has. The S6 RWD is rated at 530 km WLTP, the AWD at 485 km, the EX5 Complete at 475 km and the Inspire at 450 km.

The S6 uses an NCM battery. NCM (nickel cobalt manganese) is a lithium-ion chemistry with higher energy density, and owners commonly keep it at around 80 percent for daily driving to reduce long-term wear, charging to 100 percent before long trips. The EX5 uses LFP. LFP (lithium iron phosphate) is a chemistry that tolerates daily charging to 100 percent and has a long cycle life. In daily use, an S6 RWD kept at 80 percent has roughly 424 km of rated range on tap, against 475 km for an EX5 Complete charged to full. Our LFP vs NMC battery guide explains the trade-off.

On a road trip, when you charge both to 100 percent, the MG has the edge. Its 144 kW DC peak is faster than the EX5’s 100 kW. The claimed times use different windows (10 to 80 percent for MG, 30 to 80 percent for Geely), so they cannot be compared directly, and owners who have driven both say the real-world difference on a fast charger is only a few minutes per stop. Neither car is quick by 2026 standards. Rivals on 800-volt platforms charge much faster.

At home, both have an 11 kW onboard charger. The onboard charger (OBC) is the part inside the car that converts AC power from your wall into DC power for the battery. Most Australian homes are single-phase, where a 7 kW wallbox fills the S6 from empty in about 11 hours and the EX5 in about 10. Either is fine overnight. Our best home EV charger guide covers which wallbox to buy.

How they drive: RWD firmness against FWD softness

This is where buyers split most, and where a back-to-back test drive matters more than any spec sheet. The S6 RWD feels more planted at highway speeds and steers more cleanly. The EX5 rides more softly around town but floats over bumps and can tug at the wheel under hard acceleration.

Owners who drove both on the same day describe the same pattern. The MG is better above 60 km/h and on country roads, with no tugging through the steering in corners. The Geely is more comfortable over low-speed suburban bumps. Some EX5 owners say they have never noticed the front-wheel-drive tug in normal driving, and one who also owns a dual-motor Tesla Model Y said they prefer the EX5 day to day. Drive style clearly plays a part.

Local reviewers back up both sides. CarExpert found the EX5’s suspension too soft on uneven roads and its front tyres quick to spin. Chasing Cars and carsales found the S6’s ride firm at low speed on its 20-inch wheels. If you live on patched suburban streets, drive the S6 over them before signing.

Performance is close unless you buy the S6 AWD. The S6 RWD and EX5 both run 0-100 km/h in the mid-7-second range. The AWD’s 266 kW drops that to 5.1 seconds, which is quick for a family SUV.

Cabin, tech and software

The Geely wins inside, with one big exception: software support. Most reviewers and many owners rate the EX5’s cabin as the plusher of the two. The Inspire adds a 13.4-inch head-up display, ventilated and massaging front seats, a panoramic roof and a 16-speaker sound system.

The S6 is not bare. It has heated and cooled front seats, heated rear seats, a power tailgate, a head-up display and soft-touch materials across the upper cabin. Owners say they miss only the massage seats and some tech extras. The S6 also keeps physical buttons for climate and volume, plus conventional door handles. EX5 owners and testers mention the pop-out handles and touchscreen-heavy controls as their main gripes.

Software flips the result. The EX5 gets over-the-air (OTA) updates, which means Geely can push fixes and features to the car through the mobile network. Geely Australia’s ownership page lists a February 2026 update that added Android Auto and a general update on 12 October 2026. EX5 owners report that a recent update noticeably improved adaptive cruise control. The S6 has no OTA updates, so any software fix means a dealer visit. S6 owners report a slow infotainment start-up and settings that reset every drive, though a steering-wheel shortcut and MG’s one-tap alert mute help.

Both cars have chatty driver-assist systems. Both let you silence most of it, and both reset some settings each time you start.

Safety, warranty and servicing

Both cars hold five-star ANCAP ratings from 2025, with different strengths. The MG S6 scored 92 percent for adult occupants, 87 percent for children, 84 percent for vulnerable road users and 81 percent for safety assist, according to ANCAP. The EX5 scored 86, 87, 83 and 85 percent respectively (ANCAP, 2025).

Ownership	MG S6	Geely EX5
Vehicle warranty	7 yr / unlimited km (10 yr / 250,000 km with MG dealer servicing)	7 yr / unlimited km
Battery warranty	See MG’s terms for your build date	8 yr / unlimited km
Service interval	12 months / 25,000 km	12 months / 20,000 km
Seven years of capped servicing	$1,877 (RWD), $1,987 (AWD)	$2,052

Sources: CarExpert and Zecar launch coverage (May to June 2026), CarExpert EX5 price and specs (March 2026). Warranty terms apply to private buyers; commercial use has lower limits.

MG’s 10-year cover is the longest here, but it depends on servicing every time at an MG dealer. Published figures for the S6’s separate high-voltage battery cover disagree between sources, so ask the dealer to show you the battery terms in writing for your car. Geely’s eight-year unlimited-kilometre battery cover is clearly stated.

Some buyers worry about MG’s after-sales reputation, much of it built on its older petrol cars. Others choose MG precisely for its larger dealer network. Geely has grown fast, passing 100 Australian dealerships in October 2026, but it is still a newer brand here. Check how far your nearest service centre is for each before deciding. Our EV battery warranty guide compares brands.

Sales, demand and the new EX5 question

The EX5 is selling far faster. Geely sold 12,745 EX5s in the first nine months of 2026, against 676 MG S6s since its late-May launch, according to VFACTS and Electric Vehicle Council data compiled by The Driven (October 2026). In September the EX5 was the eighth best-selling new vehicle of any kind in Australia. EVs made up 13.1 percent of new car sales in 2025, according to the Electric Vehicle Council, and mid-size SUVs like these two are a big part of the growth.

A common question in buyer discussions is whether to wait for the updated EX5. China launched a new version in September 2026 with a rear-wheel-drive 800-volt platform, a 245 kW rear motor and DC charging far faster than today’s car. CarExpert reported on 5 October 2026 that Australian timing has not been confirmed. Some outlets guess mid-2027 at a higher price. If you need a car this year, buy on what is in showrooms now.

Which should you buy?

Buy the MG S6 RWD if you need boot space, tow anything, drive regularly on country highways, or prefer physical buttons and a firmer, more controlled drive. It is the pick for families of four or five who take the one car on holidays.

Buy the MG S6 AWD if you tow on unsealed roads or head to the snow, and you can live with the 12.4 m turning circle and the $7,000 premium.

Buy the Geely EX5 Inspire if you want the most comfortable cabin for the money, mostly drive in town, and have another car or no need for a big boot. OTA updates and LFP charging make it the lower-fuss car to own.

Buy the EX5 Complete if budget is the deciding factor. It is the cheapest way into either car.

Line both up against every other mid-size EV in our EV compare tool, check the full spec sheet on the EX5 Inspire product page, or read the full MG S6 EV review and Geely EX5 review. The electric vehicles hub covers the rest of the market.