MG S5 EV

Replacement for the ZS EV sharpens MG's challenge at the affordable end of the electric SUV market On sale Now Price from £28,495

- NEIL WINN

MG'S FIRST ELECTRIC family SUV, the ZS EV, became one of the best-selling electric cars in the UK, with a bargain price right at the top of its list of merits. After five years on sale, though, tough new rivals such as the Jeep Avenger Electric, Kia EV3 and Smart #1 - as well as the slightly pricier Renault Scenic and Skoda Elroq - had moved the game on.

In replacing the ZS EV, then, what better car to start with than the MG 4 hatchback? Another smash hit, it's keenly priced, spacious, nippy and well equipped, with a good range. Make it into a family SUV and the new MG S5 is born.

There are currently two versions of the S5. The entry-level Standard Range SE packs a 47.1kWh (usable) battery and a 168bhp electric motor that provides respectable (though hardly rapid) performance. With an official range of 211 miles, it should take you farther than the entry-level #1 (193 miles), but it's well adrift of the Avenger Electric (245 miles) and Kia EV3 Standard Range (270 miles).

We've not yet tried that version, but we have driven the S5 Long Range, which has a larger battery (with a 62.1kWh usable capacity) and a stronger, 228bhp motor that shaves 1.7sec off the 0-62mph time. It can beat any EV3 or Scenic against the clock, and there's more than enough punch to dart into gaps in traffic and join motorways without drama.