Geely EX2 review – first UK drive 2026

12 minutes reading

Saturday, 29 Aug 2026 15:28 0 6 autotech

Make and model: Geely EX2
Description: Small electric hatchback
Price range: £20,990 to £25,490, plus optional extras

Summary: The Geely EX2 isn’t particularly exciting to look at or drive, but it’s roomy, practical, well equipped and very keenly priced.

Price and equipment

Geely is pitching the EX2 as a value-focused electric car, and the pricing is certainly competitive. The range starts at £21K for the Pro, rising to £23.5K for the Max and £25.5K for the top-spec Ultra tested here.

The entry-level Pro gets a relatively small 35kWh battery and a lower-power electric motor but a healthy standard equipment list, including synthetic leather upholstery, electric front seats, keyless entry and start, a 15-inch touchscreen, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and V2L (vehicle-to-load) capability for powering external electrical equipment from the car’s battery.

Stepping up to the mid-spec Max costs £2.5K more than the Pro. Its main upgrade is a larger 47kWh battery and a more powerful electric motor, which increases the official driving range from 156 miles to 214 miles and also improves the 0-62mph time from 14 seconds to 11.5 seconds.

The top-tier Ultra adds another £2K to the price and is expected to be the most popular version. It brings quite a lot of extra kit, including two-tone paint, rain-sensing wipers, a 360-degree camera, heated front seats and steering wheel, wireless phone charging, powered tailgate and an upgraded six-speaker audio system.

At the time of writing, the Geely EX2 has not been tested by Euro NCAP. Geely will be hoping for a strong result, and the standard safety kit includes a wide range of driver assistance systems, but we will need to wait for the independent crash-test score.

Inside the car

Geely describes the EX2 as a supermini with the cabin space of a larger family hatchback – in other words, something like a Vauxhall Corsa with the internal space of a Vauxhall Astra. That is a fair summary, although the car itself is on the large side for a supermini at just over 4.1 metres long and 1.8 metres wide.

There’s good room up front and a generous amount of rear-seat space, with enough legroom for six-foot passengers to sit comfortably. The flat rear floor also helps, especially if you are carrying three people across the back.

Boot space is also impressive at 375 litres with the rear seats up, expanding to more than 1,300 litres when they’re folded. That’s comfortably ahead of the Renault 5/Nissan Micra twins at a similar price point. The boot loading lip is high, though, which makes heavier items more awkward to lift in and out.

As well as the sizeable boot, there’s also a 70-litre frunk under the bonnet, which is rare in a small electric car. It is a useful place for storing charging cables, and it helps keep the main boot clear. A pull-out passenger-side glovebox drawer and extra space under the rear seats add to the clever storage options.

Fit and finish are good, as we’re already coming to expect from the newer Chinese brands. The cabin doesn’t feel luxurious, as you’d expect for the low prices, but it does feel solidly put together and better finished than you might expect.

The dashboard follows the current fashion for a large central touchscreen and a small driver display. The touchscreen is menu-heavy, but it responds quickly and is easy enough to use on the move. There are still not enough proper buttons, but the system is less frustrating than many. The steering wheel is small but feels quite good, which is better than plenty of other new cars with overly quirky wheel designs.

As with most Chinese cars, Geely has fallen to the temptation of cramming far too much information into the little driver display, with font sizes that are simply impossible to read on the move. This should be an easy over-the-air update, so hopefully Geely does this sooner rather than later.

*The Geely EX2 cabin is roomy and well finished for the price, with a large central touchscreen and useful storage*

Driving range and charging

The Geely EX2 is available with two battery sizes. The Pro uses a 35kWh battery and has an official driving range of 156 miles. The Max and Ultra use a larger 47kWh battery, increasing the official range to 214 miles.

That should be enough for the car’s likely role. The EX2 is clearly aimed at buyers who want a small, affordable electric car for commuting, school runs, shopping and local trips, rather than regular long motorway journeys.

Both versions get an 11kW onboard AC charger. A 10-100% home charge takes five-and-a-quarter hours with the smaller battery, or a little over seven hours with the larger one.

Public charging is less impressive than the headline figures suggest. Geely quotes a 30-80% charge in 25 minutes, but that’s not the same as the more common 10-80% or 20-80% figure used by many manufacturers. The larger battery can charge at up to 80kW, while the smaller battery is limited to 60kW, so the charging times are about the same.

That’s acceptable for an affordable small EV, but it’s not class-leading. If you regularly need to rapid charge on long journeys, several rivals will be more convenient. Mind you, this is not really the sort of car for hours of motorway cruising, and the target customers will more likely be charging overnight at home.

On the road

The UK launch cars were all top-spec Ultra models with the larger battery. That means they had the stronger 116hp motor, although “stronger” is relative here. Even with the more powerful motor, the EX2 takes 11.5 seconds to reach 62mph. The Pro takes 14 seconds with its less powerful motor, which is slow by modern EV standards.

For the car’s likely use, that’s not a major problem. Around town, the EX2 feels responsive enough, and the usual instant response from an electric motor makes it easy to drive in traffic. It has a very tight turning circle, probably helped by being rear-wheel drive, which helps in urban driving and parking.

The steering is very light, which suits low-speed manoeuvring but becomes less convincing at higher speeds. The small steering wheel feels quite good and there’s a direct feel to the steering. There’s a reasonable sense of connection to the front wheels, which is better than many Chinese cars, but things can feel a little fidgety once you’re travelling more quickly.

There’s also noticeable wind noise at higher speeds, so the EX2 is not at its best on faster roads. That is not unusual for a small, affordable electric car, and the car’s target buyers are unlikely to spend most of their time on motorways.

The ride quality is a bit lumpy, and it feels like the wheels are a couple of sizes larger than the 16 inches that they are. Again, this effect is more noticeable at higher speeds and unlikely to bother most prospective buyers.

Early overseas reviews of the EX2 criticised its driver assistance alerts for being too intrusive. Geely appears to have worked on that, because they were not a major issue on the UK launch drive. We’ll need a longer UK test to judge them properly, but the first impressions were better than expected, and better than several European and Japanese cars we’ve driven recently.

Overall, the EX2 is easy rather than engaging. It’s simple to drive, light in town and comfortable enough for the sort of short journeys most buyers are likely to make. It’s not a car that will make you look forward to a good road, but it will be enormously practical for the school run or weekly shop.

*The Geely EX2 is easy to drive around town, but light steering and wind noise make it less convincing at higher speeds*

Ownership

As of late August 2026, the Geely EX2 doesn’t have a full Expert Rating in our unique Expert Rating Index, as we’re still gathering all the available data. It also hasn’t been tested by Euro NCAP yet, so there is no independent safety rating.

The warranty cover is certainly strong. Geely originally launched in the UK with a six-year new car warranty, but this has since been increased to eight years. The battery is also covered for eight years or 125,000 miles, which is reassuring for buyers moving into their first electric car.

The review scores here reflect the driving experience. Our Geely EX2 Expert Rating, once finalised, will tell a broader story, combining the subjective opinions of car reviews with objective safety data, running costs, warranty information and more. It’s worth reading both before making any buying decision.

Verdict

The Geely EX2 presents the potential buyer with the kind of conundrum that is becoming a feature of today’s market, especially in EVs. It’s not exciting to look at and it’s not exciting to drive, but it gives buyers a remarkable amount of usable space for their money.

The space is the big surprise. There is rear-seat room and boot space comparable to much larger and more expensive cars, plus a very useful frunk and some clever cabin storage. For a small electric hatchback at this price, that’s a compelling argument on its own.

The value-for-money proposition is also difficult to ignore. Even the entry-level car is well equipped, while the Ultra adds plenty of desirable kit and still costs less than many rivals with shorter equipment lists.

There are compromises, however. Driving range is adequate rather than generous, public charging is not as quick as Geely’s headline figure suggests, and the steering is too light at speed. The EX2 also lacks verve compared with something like a Renault 5, which has far more personality.

But plenty of buyers won’t be bothered by these shortcomings. If you want an affordable small electric car that’s roomy, easy to drive, well built and backed by a strong warranty, the Geely EX2 could provide just what you need.

Stuart’s view:

“The Geely EX2 is a better proposition than I had expected, mainly because Geely has done such a good job with the packaging. There’s loads of cabin space, a big boot and a useful frunk, all in a small hatchback, while the wide door openings make getting in and out easier than in most small cars.
It’s still not an engaging car to drive, and it feels much happier around town than it does on faster roads. But for drivers who rarely venture onto motorways and simply want a practical, affordable electric small car, it could be a very sensible choice.
The driver assistance warnings are also less annoying than in several other cars I’ve driven recently, which deserves credit.”

We like:

Lots of cabin space for the price
Useful 70-litre frunk
Easy to drive around town
Strong equipment levels
Excellent warranty cover

We don’t like:

Over-light steering at speed
Battery range is only adequate
Wind noise at speed
Public charging not that fast
High boot loading lip

Similar cars

Key specifications

Model tested: Geely EX2 Ultra
Price as tested: £25,490
Powertrain: Single electric motor
Gearbox: Single-speed automatic

Power: 116 hp
Torque: 150 Nm
Top speed: 81 mph
0-62mph: 11.5 seconds

Battery range (combined): 214 miles
CO₂ emissions: 0 g/km
Euro NCAP safety rating: Not yet tested (August 2025)
TCE Expert rating: Not yet rated (August 2026)