MG S5 EV First Impressions

We drove the all-new MG S5 EV from KL to Kuantan and back. Here’s what we found.

There have been a whole slew of new electric vehicles launched in Malaysia in the last 3 years to take advantage of the tax situation here. If you’re not caught up, here are two important points to note: fully imported EVs escape excise duties and import taxes, making them extremely competitive, and two best selling EVs are the BYD Atto 3 and Proton e.MAS 7 – both of which are family-oriented compact SUVs now priced around RM120K-130K.

Now, MG Motor Malaysia wants a slice of the pie and they have introduced the MG S5 to compete and in terms of dimensions it slots comfortably between these two popular options.

What is the MG S5?

The MG S5 was previewed at the 2025 Malaysia Autoshow and launched shortly after that. Three trim levels were introduced, all with the same LiFePo battery chemistry and 170PS/250Nm motor on the rear axle.

All versions of the MG S5 also feature rear multilink suspension, Vehicle-to-Load capability, 3 levels of regen, and warranty packages.

Here’s a brief spec break down of each trim level:

We got to drive the MG S5 Lux Long Range to Kuantan and back and here’s what we found.

Drive Character

To be honest, the two best-sellers in this space aren’t the best to behind the wheel of – they’re just family-oriented crossovers that are too heavy to be much fun when pushed. The MG S5 on the other hand feels noticeably more dynamic in corners – perhaps by nature of it being rear-wheel driven but also because of its XDS cornering system that subtly brakes the inner front wheel in a tight turn.

The weight distribution is also really balanced at 47:53, with a slight bias towards the rear. Add to this the multi-link rear suspension and what you have is a relatively affordable EV that carves corners exceptionally well.

The rear motor has an output of 170PS and 250Nm of torque, which isn’t exceptionally high. 0-100km/h takes about 8 seconds, not neck breaking but certainly quick for a family car. It’s more Golf TSI than Golf GTI in terms of relative performance feel – fun enough but not a sportscar. I actually don’t think the car needs more power at all. If anything performance would benefit from a firmer steering. Even with the current model’s dual-pinion EPS, Sport mode doesn’t feel transformative to what the front wheels are doing. That being said, it’s a nimble and responsive thing.

It’s The Little Things

Comparing one EV to another tends to come down to a spec comparison. But these aren’t home appliances we’re talking about – cars are complicated machines and the subtle things make the biggest differences. With the MG S5 there’s good and bad here. On the positive side, the design and human-machine interface benefits from a lot of attention to detail.

While it’s not far from generic, the MG S5 shows some character by harking back to the brand’s racing roots.

You’ll find race-flag inspired daytime running lights are rear light graphics, plus ‘M’ perforations in the seat inserts.

The use of light grey upholstery and the panoramic sunroof with a powered cover give the MG S5 a sense of airiness.

Still on design, we really thought the air cond vents were sleek and tidy in terms of design – they’re have hidden away behind a neat matte-finished carbon weave that integrates nicely into the aforementioned light grey of the cabin.

Functionally we’re also impressed with a few items in the S5. Firstly, the air conditioning blows ice cold in here. This is a common complaint in many popular EVs and we’re glad to see MG got it right.

They’re also one of the few companies to actually include physical dials and knobs for climate controls in this segment and that made a HUGE difference to our drive.

There’s also a knob for media volume control and side view mirror adjustment too.

As mentioned, it’s the little things that make the daily drive enjoyable and these physical controls are precisely what we mean.

Boot space is nothing to write home about but we liked that there was hidden room under the boot floor as well as a tonneau cover. Rear occupants also get a single USB-C port and air vents of their own plus a central armrest.

However, there were more than one subtle annoyances to deal with on the MG S5. The lack of powered seats for the front passenger was one. The other was the constant reminder of the overspeed alarm.

The ringing can be manually turned off, but the voice reminder nags constantly. MG Motor Malaysia says this will be addressed in an update – one of the cars on the convoy seemed to have received the update but it was not ours so we can’t make guarantees that the issue has been resolved.

The road and wind noise at highway speed is also a little less than impressive. It’s not terrible, particularly when you consider that the car isn’t aiming at the premium segment. However, we did note that there was a bit more whooshing and booming than we expected on the drive back.

That said, our overall impression of the MG S5 is extremely positive. They’ve done lots of things right, including many things that are hidden from view. The battery pack, for instance, is stacked horizontally, which gives the occupants more room and allows each cell more space to expand and contract theoretically increasing battery longevity.

MG also claims that annual maintenance costs are projected to be one of the lowest in the segment, below RM350/year on average over 8 years. This includes the replacement of air conditioning filters, electric drive transmission fluid, brake fluid, coolant and all associated labour. It does not include wiper blades, brake pads, tyres and other consumables.

The MG S5 is available in Arctic White, Monument Silver, Camden Grey, Dynamic Red and Elegant Latte (Lux model only). The base warranty is 5 years/150,000km with the battery covered for 8-years/180,000km while the drive motor and control unit is covered for 8-years/160,000km. We’ll have more on the MG S5 once we take it for a proper test drive.