2025 MG 5 review

The MG 5 is Australia’s cheapest sedan – that’s one way of looking at it. The other way is that it’s the most value-packed small sedan on the market.

NOTE: This is an updated version of a review that first went live in September 2023. Save some minor price changes and the inclusion of a 10-year, 250,000km warranty, there haven’t been any specification changes since publication.

There is an imminent safety upgrade that will bring seatbelt pre-tensioners, seatbelt dynamic load tensioners, a “calf protection panel”, lane-keep assist, lane departure warning, intelligent speed limit assist, occupant monitoring, as well as a more sophisticated autonomous emergency braking (AEB) system.

We have updated key details, such as pricing, with the most up-to-date information available. You can read the original version of this review here.

Apparently cheap can have negative connotations, especially when it’s translated into Chinese. But as MG has proved with a number of models in the past, ‘relative’ cheapness is a vital selling point for buyers, and value is an even more attractive consideration.

So, this car offers loads of value for the small amount of money being asked – provided customers don’t expect the absolute latest in active safety technology, which this car doesn’t have. It has some, but not all, of the potentially life-saving features that most modern rivals offer.

Does that matter? And is the car good enough for you to potentially overlook those safety items, which – as we know – can be more annoying than assisting if not calibrated correctly?

This car surprised me in so many ways – read on, and you’ll find out why.

How much does the MG 5 cost?

Yep, the MG 5 is officially the nation’s least expensive sedan. There are two different trim levels, with our top-spec Essence coming in at $28,990 drive-away, thanks to a promotion that’s ending on March 31.

To see how the MG 5 stacks up against its rivals, use our comparison tool

What is the MG 5 like on the inside?

Anyone upgrading from something that’s a few years old will feel like they’re stepping up, while those trading in a 10- or 15-year-old car will feel as though they’ve gone into a different world.

That’s saying something for a car that’s very affordable, and what’s quite democratising about it is that the entry-level and top-spec versions don’t look all that different to one another on the inside.

The giveaway is the steering wheel, which in the Vibe is a plastic wheel, while the top-spec Essence gets a leather-like covered item with paddles.

Otherwise, it’s common fare between the two from an appearance perspective, with sporty looking red-stitched fake leather trim, nice design elements to the plastic finishes on the dash, soft padded sections where they should be (elbow pads on the door cards front and rear, and on the centre console bin), all with a general feeling it’s well put together.

Both grades also have a standard 10.0-inch touchscreen media system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and there’s a digital instrument cluster as well. 

The controls for the driver info screen are simple, toggled by the steering wheel controls, while the central multimedia unit is a little more of a learning game. But with time you’ll get the hang of it, including the fact there are buttons below the screen for specific controls, but you must use the touchscreen to adjust the temperature and the fan speed.

This is a trend in a lot of new cars, and it peeves me, but I know there are people out there who will say “you get used to it” or “try the voice control system” or whatever – fine. Just realise it’s not as simple to touch a screen with small controls as it is to grab a dial or press a physical button to adjust things.

The black car I drove; in combination with the fake leather trim and air-conditioning that felt a little duller than it should have, meant I felt it was hotter than it ought to be for a late winter day. I struggled to cool the car (and myself) down after hours of driving, and the vents aren’t the easiest to get a good flow to your face.

Storage in the front is pretty good, with a pair of usable (not Euro-spec) cupholders between the front seats, a storage tray in front of the shifter (sadly not a wireless charger), and a decent-sized centre console bin, glovebox and bottle holder/pockets in the doors. 

In the back, there’s another quirk for the ventilation system – there’s just the one directional air vent. That’s great if you have one kid, but not ideal if you have two. The same goes for the fact that there’s only one USB port in the back.

If you have kids, there are ISOFIX points on the window seats and top-tether points as well; but if you’re hauling grown-ups, they’ll appreciate the fact the seat is actually comfortable. It’s easily roomy enough for larger adults.

I’m 182cm or 6’0” tall, and I sat behind my driving position with inches of space in front of my knees, and there was good room in the footwell. Headroom is just a bit tight, courtesy of the sloping roofline. Anyone taller than I am will likely find it a bit squeezy.

There’s a small intrusion from the transmission tunnel (because this is built on a floor pan shared with models that have all-wheel drive), but there is going to be enough room for three smaller occupants who don’t mind each other’s company.

Amenities are okay, with pockets on the seat backs and bottle holders in the doors, but no flip-down armrest and therefore no cupholders for those in the back. Now, that seat back folds down in a single piece if you need to load longer items through, and while that might be fine for some, a split fold setup would be better, especially if you have a child’s seat fitted. 

The boot itself is decent in terms of the shape and size of it, though bigger bulkier prams might struggle to load through the aperture. MG says there’s 401 litres of cargo capacity on offer.

Buyers who value the practicality of a spare wheel will appreciate that there’s a space-saver on offer under the boot floor of the MG 5, and even better, there’s tyre pressure monitoring for both grades too. That’ll appeal to rural and country customers.

To see how the MG 5 stacks up against its rivals, use our comparison tool

What’s under the bonnet?

You’ve got the choice of two different powertrains across the two versions of the MG 5. Our tester has a 1.5-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol with a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.

To see how the MG 5 stacks up against its rivals, use our comparison tool

How does the MG 5 drive?

I really was surprised by some elements of the MG 5 drive experience.

I was impressed by its excellent ride quality. This test drive was done in the central west of NSW, where the roads have worse pockmarks than a 13-year-old Matt Campbell had, and the MG 5 dealt with nasty lumpy and bumpy sections well.

The Essence grade has the slightly larger – but not large by current standards – 17-inch wheels, and while there was a slightly firmer edge in some situations, the general ride control and comfort was exceptionally good. It felt – dare I say it – almost Volkswagen-like in its composure and sure-footedness.

Admittedly it has a torsion-beam rear suspension setup (and MacPherson up front), so it can skip around just a tad if you hit a bump mid-corner, but it was hardly a problem and it managed to maintain its composure in most of the situations thrown at it over more than a hundred kilometres of mixed driving.

The steering is good, too, with a nice direct action to it, and a decent amount of feel to the driver’s hands. There are a few different drive modes you can adjust for the steering weight, but I left it in normal mode most of the time, and it was perfectly suitable for that type of driving.

What may not be perfectly fine for most people is the way the car behaves at lower speeds. If you spend a lot of time in stop-start traffic, it’s worth test-driving this car to see if you can live with it.

That’s because the Essence’s turbo engine, in combination with the dual-clutch automatic transmission, is quite laggy when you take off from a standing start. After just a couple of hours of driving, I found myself second-guessing whether I could make a gap in traffic safely; such was the hesitation at times.

But if you are a long-distance commuter or live in a rural area where traffic jams aren’t a concern, it might be just fine for you. There’s also a sport mode for the transmission and paddle-shifters if you want to take matters into your own hands, but neither iron out the issues with the low-speed acceleration.

It’s that typical ‘laaaaaaaaaaaaaaaag-LURCH‘ sensation that has been a common issue with this type of drivetrain in the past. But there is a good engine here, with easily enough poke for most people’s needs, and like I said, it might be fine if you aren’t often sitting in a tailback.

The only other big consideration might be road noise, as there’s a bit of that to contend with on coarse-chip road surfaces. But make no mistake – this isn’t miles behind the competition when it comes to the drive experience.

In fact, I liked it more than one of those entry-level Korean rivals because there’s just a bit more zest from the engine, even considering the lag. Honestly, it felt a bit more comfortable than the last Cerato or i30 Sedan I drove on similar roads, as well. 

Told you it was a surprise.

To see how the MG 5 stacks up against its rivals, use our comparison tool

What do you get?

There are two trim levels in the MG 5 range.

MG 5 Vibe highlights:

• 16-inch alloy wheels
• Auto LED headlights
• LED daytime running lights
• Keyless entry 
• Push-button start
• 10-inch touchscreen infotainment system
• Apple CarPlay, Android Auto
• 4-speaker sound system
• Digital information screen for driver
• Electric parking brake
• Leatherette upholstery
• Cruise control
• Air-conditioning with rear air vents
• Folding rear seat back (single-piece backrest)
• Rear directional air vent
• USB ports – 2x USB-A front, 1x USB-A rear
• 3 steering modes
  • Urban
  • Normal
  • Dynamic
• Reversing camera
• Rear parking sensors
• Space-saver spare wheel
• Tyre pressure monitoring

MG 5 Essence adds:

• Single-pane electric sunroof
• 17-inch alloy wheels
• Leatherette-wrapped steering wheel
• Steering wheel-mounted paddle-shifters
• 6-way power driver’s seat
  • Manual lumbar support
• 6-speaker sound system
• Power-folding exterior mirrors
• Grey front-end accents
• Surround-view camera with 3D view mode

To see how the MG 5 stacks up against its rivals, use our comparison tool

Is the MG 5 safe?

The MG 5 received a zero-star ANCAP safety rating based on testing conducted in 2023.

Standard safety equipment includes:

• Autonomous emergency braking (AEB)
• Electronic stability control
• 6 airbags
  • Dual front
  • Dual front-side
  • Full-length curtains
• Cruise control
• Tyre pressure monitoring
• Reversing camera
• Rear parking sensors

The MG 5 Essence adds a surround-view camera.

To see how the MG 5 stacks up against its rivals, use our comparison tool

How much does the MG 5 cost to run?

The MG 5, like the rest of the MG lineup, now comes with a 10-year, 250,000km warranty.

To see how the MG 5 stacks up against its rivals, use our comparison tool

CarExpert’s Take on the MG 5

The MG 5 was way better to drive than I expected in some ways, and about exactly what I expected in others.

The turbo-petrol engine and dual-clutch transmission need some work in terms of usability at lower speeds, but I was more than okay with the rest of the drive experience, including the fact it didn’t have tech nannies interrupting the drive.

I think it looks great, feels nice inside, drives well and has the promise of a decent ownership experience. If you can overlook the lack of safety tech and the at-times frustrating low-speed driving behaviour, then you could be very happy with this car.

Interested in buying a MG 5? Get in touch with one of CarExpert’s trusted dealers here

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