Who builds a proper new-age Micra, Nissan or Geely? | Editor's Choice July 2026

The Micra is an archetypal runabout, but could it be about to lose its crown?

Published on 31 July 2026 | 0 min read

Reviewer Catherine writes…

“A couple of weeks ago I went to Coventry test a new electric car. When I told my dad this, he immediately got excited and thought I was going to pay Jaguar Land Rover a visit. Alas, I was not, but other members of our team have already had a sneak preview of the luxurious Jaguar Type 01 and the Range Rover GT which certainly sound intriguing. However, while JLR’s plays in the upper echelons of the car world, I was off to drive a compact hatchback at the other end of the spectrum, which I happened to think was a lot more interesting.

“I love a small car. As in, the kind you actually see on people’s driveways, the first cars and runabouts, the trusty steeds which are compact and reliable, these are my absolute favourites. The Ford Fiesta may have bitten the dust, but it feels like the supermini is FINALLY staging a comeback, and it has now gone electric. From the Honda Super-N to the Kia EV2, the joyous Fiat Grande Panda, the much-loved Renault 5 E-Tech and the Volkswagen ID. Polo, there’s never been more choice – we’ve come such a long way since the Renault Zoe I bought in 2017.

“So, back to the car I’d travelled down the M6 to see. A cute, curvy, electric hatchback in a lovely shade of mint green. The version I was testing was a top of the range model fitted with the kind of creature comforts once the preserve of large, expensive, executive saloons. It had electric front seats, a heated steering wheel, a powered tailgate and crystal-clear cameras to make squeezing into awkward parking spaces easy. Yes, the yellowy cream interior wasn’t exactly plush, and yes, it wasn’t the most fun or the quickest car I’ve driven, but it was roomy and good value, and it reminded me very much of a Nissan Micra. The only thing was it wasn’t a Nissan Micra, it was China’s best-selling car of 2025, the Geely EX2.

“There is of course already an electric Micra and it’s a great little car, but it doesn’t feel very Nissan. Behind those wide, circular headlights the new Micra is dominated by Renault DNA and the family resemblance with the Renault 5 is hard to ignore. As a result, the electric Micra has a certain je ne sais quoi which seems rather out of place.

“Conversely, though, as I pootled around the sunny Warwickshire countryside on a Wednesday afternoon in ‘my’ comfy and well-equipped hatchback it occurred to me, if you stuck a Nissan logo over the Geely badge, you could easily imagine the EX2 was a modern-day Micra. Maybe I was searching for familiarity amongst the unknown of a new Chinese brand, or maybe, just maybe Geely has out Micra-ed Nissan by building a Micra for the modern age?”

Search for a Geely EX2 on Autotrader