Electric Car Awards 2023: Best electric estate car
With electrified cars now coming in all shapes and sizes – and available to suit every budget – we’ve named the best models in every class. Here we look at the best electric estate car...
When kids at sleepovers ransack the kitchen for midnight snacks, they inevitably head for the crisps and chocolate and leave the broccoli and lettuce alone. Basically, they don’t know what’s good for them. The same thinking has people overlooking the ultra-sensible MG5 estate in favour of trendier alternatives.
Generally, that means electric SUVs, and to get one for this sort of money, you’ll want the MG ZS EV from the other side of the showroom. Otherwise, you’ll need to pay much more for a Hyundai Kona Electric or a Kia Niro EV.
For the enlightened, though, the MG5 is an excellent halfway house between those electric SUVs and small electric hatchbacks such as the Nissan Leaf and Renault Zoe. The best news is that, in our preferred entry-level SE form (there’s also a better-equipped Trophy version for around £2500 more), the MG5 is within a shout of the price of those smaller, less practical cars.
The Leaf runs the MG5 fairly close for luggage capacity (435 litres versus 479), but it doesn’t offer as much passenger space; two pairs of six-footers will be comfortable enough in the MG but decidedly cramped in the Nissan. The MG5’s interior finish is nicer than the Leaf’s, too, with more soft-touch surfaces as well as smart metallic trims that lend it a bit of extra visual appeal.
The MG5 is no slouch when it comes to driving manners, either; its 8.3sec 0-62mph time puts it ahead of the Zoe and ZS EV in a drag race, and it handles more tidily than the latter car, with more precise steering and less body lean in corners. What’s more, it rides more smoothly than not only the Zoe and ZS, but also most other comparable small EVs, including the much pricier Volkswagen ID 3.
With a usable battery capacity of 57kWh, the MG 5 scores fairly well when it comes to official range (250 miles) and maximum charging rate (87kW); a 10-80% top-up can take as little as 35 minutes. Neither the Leaf nor Zoe can go as far, and each of them will take much longer to charge when their batteries are empty.
Like a plate of greens, then, the MG 5 is full of goodness. Some similar-priced EVs look a bit tastier, but the MG 5 is an altogether more wholesome proposition.
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