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Australia's next electric SUV from China is the EX5 from Volvo parent company Geely, which promises prices in line with a mid-grade Toyota RAV4 Hybrid.
Electric Cars
The 2025 Geely EX5 – the latest Chinese electric SUV similar in size to a Tesla Model Y to reach Australian shores – will be priced from less than $50,000 before on-road costs.
Final prices are not due to be confirmed until later this month, but Geely has indicated RRPs between $49,000 and $55,000 for the two-model EX5 line-up, rated for up to 430km of driving range.
It makes it the second-most affordable model in the mid-size electric SUV category dominated by the Model Y.
Only the Leapmotor C10, another new Chinese entrant, is cheaper, at $45,888 plus on-road costs – or $47,500 drive-away nationwide for a limited time.
A BYD Atto 3 is formally classified as a medium SUV, but it is a smaller vehicle closer to a Hyundai Kona Electric in size, and is priced from $39,990 plus on-road costs.
The outgoing Tesla Model Y was priced from $55,900 plus on-roads, the updated version is $63,400, the Deepal S07 starts from $53,900, the Kia EV5 opens at $56,770, and the BYD Sealion 7 will start from less than $60,000.
Geely is one of China's largest car companies, and the parent of Volvo, Polestar, Zeekr, Lotus and other marques.
Its cars have previously been sold in Australia, with a limited number of petrol-powered, budget-priced MK sedans offered in Western Australia through John Hughes, the dealer who brought Hyundai to local roads in the 1980s.
The MK disappeared from showrooms after a few years – and was never sold outside WA due to a lack of critical electronic stability control technology.
The Geely brand coming to Australia in 2025 is a factory-backed entity, offering electric cars equipped with a full list of advanced safety systems.
They will be initially marketed through a network of 17 franchise dealerships in New South Wales, Victoria, Queensland and South Australia, with sites in Western Australia and Tasmania to follow.
Two model grades will be available – the Complete and Inspire – though, confusingly, the Complete is the entry-level model with fewer features than the flagship Inspire.
Both are powered by a 160kW/320Nm front electric motor and 60.2kWh lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery rated for 430km of driving range in the Complete, and 410km in the Inspire with larger wheels.
DC fast charging is limited to 100kW, compared to 170kW of a Tesla Model Y RWD.
Standard equipment in the EX5 Complete – expected to start from $49,000 – includes a 15.4-inch touchscreen, 10.2-inch instrument display, 18-inch wheels, LED headlights, wireless phone charging, rain-sensing wipers, and power-adjustable heated front seats.
It is fitted as standard with rear parking sensors, autonomous emergency braking (AEB), adaptive cruise control, lane-keep assist, blind-spot monitoring, front and rear cross-traffic alerts, traffic sign recognition and a driver fatigue alert.
The Inspire adds a panoramic sunroof, 19-inch alloys, a power-operated tailgate, ventilated and massaging front seats, a 16-speaker sound system, head-up display, and front parking sensors.
A Geely Australia spokesperson told Drive the company is "committed" to the market, and has tested its advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) on local roads.
"We've done over 12 months of ADAS verification [and] calibration with a third party, we've also done that against some competitors locally – not just for ADAS, but in terms of driving dynamics as well."
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Alex Misoyannis has been writing about cars since 2017, when he started his own website, Redline. He contributed for Drive in 2018, before joining CarAdvice in 2019, becoming a regular contributing journalist within the news team in 2020. Cars have played a central role throughout Alex’s life, from flicking through car magazines at a young age, to growing up around performance vehicles in a car-loving family. Highly Commended - Young Writer of the Year 2024 (Under 30) Rising Star Journalist, 2024 Winner Scoop of The Year - 2024 Winner
