MG IM5 (2025 - ) Electric review

While the attention will inevitably focus on the top of the range IM5 and its frankly ridiculous 751 horsepower the more significant version is the sub-£40,000 entry-level one with the smaller battery saving £425 a year in VED/road tax for the first and, likely, subsequent owners given the ’expensive car supplement’ applies for five years beyond the first registration. If you don’t need to go dusting supercars (or, indeed, Teslas) at the lights this will be the one to go for, given it has all the same kit and enough performance and range to be going on with. Either way, the IM5 is intended to give MG a foothold in the fleet and company car sector, which prefers more powerful and luxurious models over the more value-oriented vehicles MG has been known for thus far.

We’ll call this a holding score for now, for the fact the cars we drove were pre-production and still had a few teething troubles MG assures us will be sorted before customers take delivery. The fact this can be done remotely and ‘over the air’ rather than with need to visit a dealership like other MGs comes thanks to the IM5’s more up to date tech. Like the rest of the range it’s also covered with a confidence inspiring seven-year warranty.

Another holding score we’ll revisit when we’ve driven an IM5 representative of those customers can actually buy. This for the fact the cars we tested still had some fine-tuning pending for the many and various driver aids to address intrusive nagging from the face-scanning driver attention monitor and heavy-handed lane-keeping interventions. If, as promised, this is all sorted out we’d take some confidence in the range of assistance tech included as standard. Which, given how much power the top model has, is probably for the best…

Tesla Model 3 comparisons are inevitable, the IM5 scoring its first victory for the fact it’s a proper hatchback and not a saloon, meaning the boot space is a lot more useful and accessible. There’s also a huge amount of legroom front and back thanks to the car being built on a dedicated electric platform putting batteries and occupants between the wheels for a very space-efficient layout. A shame the best of the comfort features like massage and extra power adjustment only apply to the driver but, generally, the seats are comfy and, at least for four, there’s plenty of usable space. Or the IM6 SUV version if you need more. On the road we were less taken with the combination of vague steering and fidgety suspension, neither of which sat comfortably with the performance on offer. The optional air suspension on the IM6 version felt a lot more controlled and plush, and while it’s not available on the IM5 as yet if enough people ask for it MG may consider offering it as an extra.

Credit to MG for the fact all IM5s are absolutely loaded with kit, the only differences between the models coming down to battery capacity, power output and wheelsize. The only cost option is metallic paint beyond the standard white. Style-wise the interior at least feels plusher and more opulent than a Model 3 (not difficult) but the materials are still on the cheap side and while the IM5 blasts the BMW i4 on price, horsepower and standard kit it can’t compete on feelgood premium vibes. Inevitably, tech is a big focus and there’s lots of it, operated through a combination of a combined screen for instruments and infotainment and separate control pad below. We’d prefer a few more buttons but it’s not the worst of its type and the shortcuts and menus are reasonably user-friendly, even if there are some quirks like the speedo and indicator warning lights ending up partially hidden by the steering wheel. Slick wireless phone connectivity at least means you can control familiar apps without having to delve too deeply in the fiddlier corners of the ‘native’ menus. Oh, and the badge on the nose and in the middle of the steering wheel? For now it’s that of the IM brand the car sells under in China and reflective of the speed with which it has been adapted for sale here. Don’t be surprised if it gains proper MG branding down the line.

We drove the top of the range twin-motor Performance and, frankly, amusing as it is for one exploratory prod of the accelerator, it feels like the IM5 would be much nicer with half the power. Thankfully that’s what the standard version with the smaller of the two batteries pretty much offers, its official range of 304 miles not that far behind the 357 miles of the Performance. See ‘Running Costs’ but it’s also a lot more affordable. Saying that, the sweet spot for performance and endurance will likely be the Long Range, which has the bigger of the two batteries with the super quick charging capacity (if you can find a suitably powerful charger), a single motor with a vaguely sensible 407 horsepower and official range of 441 miles.