Geely EX2 (2026 - ) Electric review
China’s best-selling car has arrived – it’s affordable, spacious and cute, should the Renault 5 be worried?
Words by: Catherine Kent
Published on 21 July 2026 | 0 min read
The Autotrader expert verdict:
Available new from £20,990
The Geely EX2 is a best-seller in China and now this cute, compact all-electric hatchback has arrived in the UK ready to compete with the likes of the Renault 5, BYD Dolphin, MG4 Urban, Fiat Grande Panda and the Volkswagen ID. Polo. While you may not have heard of Geely Auto, it already offers two spacious family SUVs here – the EX5 and Starray EM-i – and its parent company owns familiar names including Volvo, Polestar and Lotus. So, will the EX2 be a hit? Judging by our first experience of the car, we think it is off to a good start. The EX2 provides value, space, a healthy dollop of tech all wrapped up in your choice of six pastel paint colours. It’s reminiscent of a cross between a Nissan Figaro and a GWM Ora 03 which is no bad thing because it makes for a jolly small car with a range of up to 214 miles. While the EX2 may not be perfect and the safety aids on the preproduction car we tested could do with some tweaking, the promise of over-the-air updates suggests the EX2 will only get better from here on in
Reasons to buy:
- Cute looks
- Roomy interior
- Plenty of standard kit
Green Rating
The EX2 is a compact electric car with a relatively small battery helping to reduce its overall environmental impact. Unlike Volvo and Polestar, which are owned by the same parent company, Geely Auto doesn’t highlight its green credentials by putting a direct link to a sustainability page on its main UK consumer website, nor does it share full life cycle assessments of its cars. However, the wider Geely Holding Group 2025 Sustainability Report states it has reduced carbon emissions across its supply chain by 25.5 per cent since 2020 and it is targeting using 100 per cent renewable electricity in its manufacturing by 2030 (Geely Auto is already at 100 per cent renewable electricity in its production plants). Geely Auto is aiming for zero wastewater in its net-zero carbon-neutral factories. It uses a proportion of recycled steel, aluminium and plastic in some components its vehicles have a recyclability rate of 94.4 per cent.
Running costs for a Geely EX2
“If you can charge at home, the EX2 could be a very cost-effective runabout”
Reliability of a Geely EX2
“Geely sold nearly half a million EX2s in China last year, making it the country’s best-selling car of 2025”
Safety for a Geely EX2
“We do like the blind spot monitoring which comes as standard and the 360-degree camera fitted to range-topping Ultra models is leagues ahead of the cameras on the Renault 5 or Citroën ë-C3”
All models come with a smorgasbord of advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) which is great in theory, though needs some fine turning in practice. During our drive we found ourselves in a constant power struggle with the lane keeping assistance. While we were promised a software update to make turning it off easier, we’d prefer a system which was more chilled out to start with. Ditto the intelligent adaptive cruise control, which was supposed to be able to steer the car for us but instead bounced the car between the white lines.
To be fair to Geely, these are a common problem we’ve experienced in many new cars and the EX2 is by no means the worst offender. Geely said it would take our feedback on board, so hopefully by the time the EX2 arrives with owners the software will have improved. We do like the blind spot monitoring which comes as standard and the 360-degree camera fitted to range-topping Ultra models is leagues ahead of the cameras on the Renault 5 or Citroën ë-C3. Geely is also expecting the EX2 to get a full five-star rating when it is tested by Euro NCAP.
How comfortable is the Geely EX2
“The EX2 has been configured for comfort over performance which will suit most people’s needs to a tee”
Just like the EX5 and the Starray, the EX2 has been configured for comfort over performance, which will suit most people’s needs to a tee. For a compact car it makes great use of space and has plenty of storage, including a large compartment under the bonnet (AKA a frunk) where can stash your charging cables out of the way. It’s also roomier in the back than the Renault 5 and three people should just about be able to squeeze in for shorter journeys without too much complaint. While the boot isn’t as cavernous as the MG4 Urban, the EX2 has decent luggage space and there’s even an extra cubby under the rear seat bench. While it’s obviously no Rolls-Royce, the interior quality is sturdy enough and the optional light upholstery on Ultra models is airy and much less gloomy than some rivals.
All models get electrically adjustable front seats which make it nice and easy to find a comfy driving position and range-topping models gain a powered tailgate, heated front seats and a heated steering wheel. On the road the ride quality over lumps and bumps is generally very good. However, driving over larger obstacles cause a low booming noise which sounds a bit like you’ve left a window open. At higher speeds some road noise does creep in, though it’s nothing you can’t solve by cranking up the radio.
Features of the Geely EX2
“Wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay come as standard so you can quickly set up smartphone mirroring”
All EX2s get a massive central touch-screen as standard, controlling most of the car’s functions. While some of the graphics are quite small, you can at least configure the row of shortcuts along the bottom. It’s not the worst user experience we’ve encountered, nor is it the best, but wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay come as standard so you can quickly set up smartphone mirroring if you prefer a more familiar interface.
As well as the main screen, there’s a smaller digital display for the driver which is quite grey-scale and grainy with very small font. It’s not as visually pleasing as the latest Renault or Peugeot displays, but it does the job. Our top of the range Ultra test car was fitted with a wireless phone charger and ambient lighting on top of the standard kit, which includes keyless entry and Vehicle-to-load (V2L) allowing you to charge other devices from your car’s battery.
Power for a Geely EX2
“Based on the efficiency we saw we reckon you’d manage a range of around 200 miles on a full charge”
The EX2 is a relatively small car perfect for pootling around town. Once you turn the overbearing lane keeping assistance off, the steering is light no matter which driving mode you put the car in and the EX2 is nippy enough to pull out at junctions easily. It can get up to motorway speed, too, though don’t expect it to shoot off if you put your foot down once you reach a steady cruise. While the Sport mode does make the EX2 slightly peppier, this is not a car with handling and performance to set your world alight. Instead, this plucky car’s laid-back approach makes it easy to drive and provides the flexibility to venture beyond city limits if you need to.
To help with efficiency around town there are three levels of regenerative braking and an auto mode, though no setting provides full ‘one-pedal’ driving. We test drove an Ultra model with the larger of the two available batteries and based on the efficiency we saw we reckon you’d manage a range of around 200 miles on a full charge.
