Geely Starray review

An electric range of eighty four miles may seem feeble from a pure electric car nowadays, but from a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) perspective that’s impressive. That’s what the Geely Starray can do and the brand is proud to shout about it being one of the best in the family SUV class.

In theory, you could commute from Reading to Westminster on battery power alone, but have a petrol engine and a full tank of fuel for trips away at the weekend.

The Starray shares its underpinnings with the all-electric Geely EX5 and promises to offer a competitive price tag, generous equipment levels and a spacious interior for those who can’t fully switch away from the petrol pump. 

Compared with the EX5, the Starray gets slightly different styling up front, with different headlights, a back strip below the bonnet and a different bumper, while at the back, the rear numberplate is mounted on the tailgate, rather than the bumper.

Even with an attractive price, it’s going to need to be strong enough in other areas to go head-to-head with some tough PHEV foes, including the Ford Kuga, Hyundai Tucson, MG HS and VW Tiguan.

How fast is it and which motor is best?

Every Geely Starray has a 1.5-litre petrol engine (98bhp) paired with an electric motor (215bhp) to produce a combined output of 259bhp. A 0-62mph time of 8.0sec is about the same as a BYD Sealion 5 and Hyundai Tucson PHEV, but slower than the MG HS PHEV.

Most of the propulsion is done by the electric motor, and while it can occasionally struggle for traction out of junctions if you pin the accelerator pedal down a bit too eagerly, it builds up to motorway speeds effortlessly. 

Unless you want to get up to speed quickly, the petrol engine rarely needs to wake up to lend a hand in Hybrid mode, which is a good thing from a refinement point of view – which we’ll get to below. Switch to ‘Power’ and that keeps the engine on all the time to give you maximum performance, while ‘Pure’ will only consume battery power to minimise fuel consumption.

Is it agile and is the ride comfortable?

Plug-in hybrids tend to have firm suspension to deal with the extra weight of their heavy batteries and it doesn’t take long to notice that the Starray’s ride is quite busy most of the time. 

There aren’t any harsh thuds and you’re never thrown about in your seat when going over speed bumps, but there’s a subtle fidget at most speeds even on surfaces that appear smooth. Ride comfort in the Hyundai Tucson and MG HS are much better composed.

The upside to the firmness is that there is some body control when cornering, and the Starray doesn’t sway into bends. Meanwhile, the steering has a moderate amount of weighting to it and feels more precise when turning in to corners than the BYD Sealion 5 or Jaecoo 7. Even so, it’s still not as confidence inspiring as the Ford Kuga.

Is it quiet and how easy is it to drive smoothly?

The Starray’s accelerator pedal responds more naturally than the overly-sharp Jaecoo 7’s, meaning it’s much smoother to drive in stop-start traffic. The brake pedal response isn’t too grabby either, even if you do have to press the pedal further down than in some rivals.

You have three different levels of regenerative braking to choose from and a separate automatic mode. Even in its highest setting, it isn’t very strong and is unable to bring the car to a full stop. That said, the braking effect does build up smoothly as you ease off the accelerator pedal.

When it comes to noise levels, the Starray is a little disappointing. Ask for full performance and the engine revs soar, resulting in a lot of noise and vibrations felt through the floor and steering wheel. Settle down to a cruise on the motorway and there’s quite a lot of road noise, along with a moderate amount of wind noise.

What’s the range and efficiency like, and how quickly can it charge?

There are two battery sizes for the Geely Starray DM-i and you’ll want to go for top-level Ultra for maximum range. That’s because it comes with a bigger 29.8kWh (usable capacity) battery, compared with 18.4kWh in the cheaper Pro and Max versions. 

As a result, the Ultra has an impressive official electric-only range of up to 84 miles – up from 51 miles with the smaller battery. That’s almost double the distance managed by PHEV versions of the Ford Kuga and Hyundai Tucson, and beats the Audi Q3 e-hybrid, MG HS and VW Tiguan eHybrid, which can manage around 75 miles.  

At home, the smaller battery takes 3hr to charge from 25-100%, while the larger battery takes nearly 5hr for the same top-up.  It’s difficult to compare directly with rivals because they quote from 0-100%.

A small bonus for the Starray is that it has a CCS charging port as standard and this means you can plug it into a fast DC public charger. With a peak charging speed of 30kW, the smaller battery can top up from 30-80% in around 20min. The Ultra version’s 60kW charging speed means that same charge takes 16mins. The Audi Q3 and VW Tiguan also have CCS charging ports, with a maximum charging speed of 40kW.

“It’s a shame there aren’t any paddles on the back of the steering wheel that allow you to adjust the regenerative braking. You have to adjust it on the touchscreen” – Lawrence Cheung, New Cars Editor

What does the interior look like and is it well made?

The Geely Starray’s interior design is very much like the pure electric Geely EX5’s, the main difference being that the PHEV gets a black interior, rather than blue. Go for top-level Ultra and you have the option of swapping that for white upholstery. 

There’s plenty of showroom appeal, with leather-looking materials on the dash and centre console, slabs of faux-wood trim finishers and soft plastics on the top of the dashboard. The buttons and switches are nicely damped and it feels more upmarket than the Ford Kuga’s interior.

Is the driving position comfortable and is it easy to see out?

The Starray’s driving position is suitably lofty for an SUV and it doesn’t take long to get comfortable behind the wheel. There’s plenty of reach and height adjustment from the steering wheel, while all versions get electric seating adjustment.

You have a great view out over the bonnet, while the thin front pillars don’t impede your view out at junctions. A large rear window helps with rear visibility, and the rear pillars aren’t too chunky when looking over your shoulder. 

All versions come with rear parking sensors and a high-res 360-degree camera as standard. Mid-level Max trim and above come with the addition of front parking sensors.

Is the dashboard and infotainment system easy to use?

The driver gets a crisp 10.2in digital display behind the steering wheel. Some of the font is quite small, though and it’s not as configurable as the display in the Volkswagen Tiguan. That said, you do get a big head-up display on Max trim and above, so you can keep an eye on your speed while looking at the road ahead.

Almost every feature in the Starray is managed through a 15.4in infotainment touchscreen that sits along the centre of the dashboard.

We certainly can’t knock the screen’s big, square dimensions or the sharp graphics, but some of the icons are on the small side and tricky to aim for while driving. There is a pause before certain functions load up, too. 

However, what’s most frustrating is that some features are hidden deep within multiple menus, so you spend more time swiping and prodding to find the function you want. You can use voice control for some functions – to open the sunblind on the panoramic roof, for example – but it can take a few attempts.

More positively, the main physical control on the centre console is a big rotary one. It primarily adjusts the volume of the stereo but holding it down allows you to temporarily change its function, including adjusting the fan speed and, weirdly, options like changing the touchscreen’s wallpaper. It’s more useful than the dial in the Tiguan – and in closer reach.

As standard, every Starray comes with built-in sat-nav and smartphone mirroring for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Going for mid-level Max upgrades the standard six-speaker stereo to a punchy 16-speaker Flyme system, which even includes speakers in the front seat headrests.

“It’s nice to have the physical controller, but I found that its limited uses meant that I often just dived into the touchscreen to make changes instead.” – Dan Jones, Senior Reviewer

How much space does it have for people?

A pair of six footers will have no trouble getting comfortable in the Geely Starray EM-i, with loads of head, leg and shoulder room on offer. 

It’s the same story in the back, too, with limo-like leg room and plenty of space for feet underneath the front seats. Even with a panoramic roof fitted, there’s plenty of clearance left above your head. 

For the middle passenger, there’s enough shoulder room to get comfortable, while a flat floor means they still have lots of foot room. 

There’s loads of handy storage spaces up front, with long door bins, a pair of cupholders, a grippy storage tray (with a built-in wireless charging pad on Max and Ultra trims) for a pair of phones and a fairly deep cubby underneath the centre armrest. A two-tier centre console brings a large storage area lower down, too. 

In the rear, you get door bins big enough for a drinks bottle, a pair of cupholders in the fold-down centre armrest and pockets on the back of the front seats. 

How much room does it have for luggage?

A height adjustable boot floor is standard, and in its lowest position, there’s 528 litres of boot space to play with (up to the load cover). 

On paper, that’s a decent amount more than the BYD Sealion 5 (463 litres) and Ford Kuga (412 litres), being comparable with more generous rivals, such as the MG HS (507 litres) and Hyundai Tucson (558 litres). 

Raise the floor to its highest position and it sits almost flush with the boot entrance, so it makes sliding bulky items in and out easy.

There’s also a storage area underneath that’s big enough to stow your charging cables out of the way. 

Unlike the Audi Q3 – which has 40/20/40 split-folding rear seats – the Starray EM-i makes do with a 60/40 split and doesn’t have a ski hatch. That makes it less versatile than the Q3, because you can’t thread longer items through from the boot while still being able to accommodate two occupants in the outer rear seats. What’s more, the rear bench in the Q3 and Kuga can be slid back and forth to help you juggle between rear leg room and additional boot space.

“You get a big boot but I think it’s a slight shame you don’t get levers that can remotely fold down the rear backrest for that added convenience. ” - Lawrence Cheung, New Cars Editor

How much does it cost and what equipment do you get?

The entry-level Geely Starray Pro’s sub-£30k price undercuts the cheapest MG HS PHEV, although the range-topping Ultra trim (with the bigger battery) costs about the same as the top-spec HS Trophy PHEV. The Audi Q3, Hyundai Tucson and Volkswagen Tiguan cost significantly more.

Even so, all versions come with loads of standard equipment. Entry level Pro gets 19in alloy wheels, rear privacy glass, heated front seats, adaptive cruise control, climate control and keyless entry.

We can see why you’d be tempted by the Max, which has a panoramic roof, heated steering wheel, auto-dimming rear-view mirror, ventilated driver’s seat and rear centre armrest. Top-spec Ultra is the same as Max, but just comes with the bigger battery.

Is it reliable, and how long is the warranty?

Given how new they are to the UK, we’ll have to wait and see how the Starray or Geely fare as a brand in the What Car? Reliability survey. 

You do get an eight-year/125,000-mile warranty (that also covers the battery) that should give you some peace of mind. That’s more generous than the five year cover from Hyundai, six year cover from BYD and the seven year cover from MG.

On top of that, Geely includes four years of UK roadside assistance.

How safe is it, and is it easy to steal?

The Starray was awarded the full five star rating when it was crash tested in 2025 by safety experts, Euro NCAP. 

It provided occupants with a good level of protection in a frontal impact while having lots of standard safety equipment helped achieve its score, including automatic emergency braking (AEB), lane-keeping assist, blindspot monitoring, rear-cross traffic alert, driver attention monitoring and traffic sign recognition. And to stop thefts, every trim level comes with an alarm and an immobiliser system.  

“We need plug-in hybrids to be more affordable for private buyers and I reckon the Starray’s keen pricing is encouraging.” – Dan Jones, Senior Reviewer

Buy it if...

-You want an plug-in hybrid with a cheap price tag

-Having loads of front and rear space is important to you

-You’re after an interior with loads of showroom appeal

Don’t buy it if…

-You value a calm and comfortable ride

-You don’t like relying heavily on touchscreens

-You want a car with a proven reliability record

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