2026 MG IM5 review

“Time will tell if build quality and materials are up to snuff, and whether the drive experience stands up on more challenging roads, but on face value the IM5 and IM6 represent exceptional value and could reshape expectations in the luxury EV market.”

This was our conclusion after a rather stage-managed introduction to MG’s IM products in August 2025, and we felt we were overdue to put an IM electric vehicle through a proper road test.

Did the IM5 perform as well under the scrutiny of a week-long loan, or did the real-world magnifying glass pick up some imperfections? Read on to find out.

How much does the 2026 MG IM5 cost?

The 2026 MG IM5 is available in four spec levels: Premium ($60,990), Platinum ($67,990), Platinum with air suspension ($71,980) and Performance ($77,990). All prices are before on-road costs.

The IM5 is a low-riding sedan EV, which means its nearest competitors include the Tesla Model 3 RWD (from $54,900 before on road costs), Kia EV4 Long Range ($59,190), BYD Seal Performance ($61,990), Polestar 2 Standard Range ($62,400) and Hyundai Ioniq 6 ($67,300).

Given the IM5’s luxury aspirations, it could also be compared to the likes of the BMW iX2 (from $87,600).

The IM5 is covered by a seven-year/unlimited kilometre vehicle warranty and a separate eight-year/160,000km warranty on the battery. Servicing (through selected MG dealerships) is every 12 months or 20,000km.  

What is the 2026 MG IM5 like inside?

An almost complete absence of corners and edges gives the IM5’s interior a strangely calming quality, although the dark-grey colour palette and patterned trim inserts recall those in a mid-1990s Ford Falcon (and not in a warm-and-fuzzy nostalgic way). It doesn’t want for soft-touch surfaces, that’s for sure, and it’s hard to find a panel that isn’t pliable or padded in some fashion.

The panoramic screen’s position means the left half is in easy reach from both the driver and front passenger seat, while the driver information screen is clear and readable. A second screen on the centre console houses main functions and, with so much screen available, the icons never feel bunched up or confusing.

Cushioned seats give a true sense of luxury, and the double-glazed windows reduce the outside world to whispers. Less whispery is the electric driver’s seat, which makes a coarse noise as it moves forward or backwards along its tracks – if someone gave that the nod at Mercedes or BMW, they’d be fired and run out of town.

The armrest storage box isn’t enormous, but it can be cooled or warmed, with a dial inside to moderate the temperature. Towards the front of the console is a wireless phone charger that’s also supposedly ventilated when the air conditioning is on, although we couldn’t get ours to work. Beside that is a cavity to hold sunglasses and all four doors offer a decent storage pocket. A strange oversight, however, is the glove box – the IM5 simply doesn’t have one.

And speaking of oversights, the IM5 has precisely one USB-C socket, located at the back of the centre console. Given you can expect three or four ports in much cheaper cars these days, this feels a bit stingy.

In addition to the single charging port, rear passengers get comfy seats with decent leg and head room and a fold down armrest with drink holders. If child restraints are called for, the IM5 has two Isofix and three top-tether points.

Move right to the back and there’s a long (1150mm) and reasonably wide (900mm) cargo space, although don’t expect to fit bulky items in the IM5’s boot – with the sloping roofline, it’s only 620mm at its highest point and 100mm at the boot lip.

If you can locate the bonnet catch lever beneath the dash – it’s completely invisible unless you get on your haunches – it will reveal a reservoir for the windscreen washers and a frunk. Storage in the frunk is limited because it contains the tyre repair kit equipment. The box’s plastic lid is also very flimsy and one of the few items that really betrays the IM5’s budget origins. The key fob is another – it’s light plastic and doesn’t promise longevity.

What is the 2026 MG IM5 like to drive?

A week living with the IM5 did expose some flaws in its day-to-day user-friendliness.

First up, the doorhandles. Like those on many EVs, the IM5’s sit flush with the door panel, but they don’t emerge automatically as you approach – you have to hold your finger on the touchpad for a second or two before they pop out (or go back in when you’re locking the car). It sounds like a quibble, but on a $70,000 car you don’t expect these sorts of operational foibles.

Not needing to press a starter button or disengage a handbrake feels disconcerting at first, but it’s strangely liberating once you’re used to it. Drive and reverse are operated via a stalk on the right side of the steering column and to put it in park you press in the button at the end. The driving position and vision are overall quite good for a low-slung sedan, although looking through the rear window is rather like peering out from a letterbox.

On the road the IM5 provides instant throttle response, as most EVs tend to, but when you put your foot down even the Platinum (our test vehicle) transforms into a silent rocket-ship. By the time you glance down at the speedo you’re already doing 100km/h.

Thanks to rear-wheel drive there’s no torque steer to contend with and the IM5’s running gear puts the motor’s prodigious power to the road without chirping or wheel spin. As if that weren’t enough, the suspension handles cornering well but also rolls over road plates, potholes and speed bumps as if they were made of cotton wool.

Moreover, the IM5 weighs 2210kg but you’d never know it unless you really throw it into a long, sweeping bend and lateral momentum comes into play. On quicker turns the suspension system counteracts any lean or sideways movement, while the low centre of gravity and minimal overhangs give it plenty of natural grip and stability anyway.

All this is in Normal mode. Press Sport mode and you can literally feel the car tense up, as if it’s ready to pounce, and it adds a lot more weight to the steering. To be honest, though, we’d just leave it in Normal. It’s more than enough.

So yes, on the performance front, the IM5 is an absolute scorcher, while also remaining calm, comfortable and collected as it negotiates suburbia.

Which, unfortunately, brings us to the IM5’s overspeed alert.

It sets new records for volume and the noise it produces goes beyond irritation to borderline distressing. The notorious chimes that have sullied the Hyundai/Kia drive experience in recent years are mellifluous compared to the horrid cacophony that awaits if you dare exceed 40km/h (which is what the car defaults to every time you switch it off and back on again).

And turning the crazy thing off requires no fewer than six (6) button presses every single time. MG insists that you tick to say you’ve read its safety disclaimer (1), dismiss the disclaimer screen (2), press the ADAS button (3), select speed alert off (4), close the menu (5), then accept the change in the resulting pop-up (6). Apparently, it’s possible to condense this palaver into a shortcut, if you can be bothered looking up how.

A 20-speaker audio system sounds impressive, figuratively speaking, but the IM5’s doesn’t back it up literally. While there’s quite a bit of beef in the lower register, anything higher or treble-heavy has a tinny quality. More proof that, in audio, quality beats quantity every time.

Open Road’s take on the 2026 MG IM5

All the things we loved about the IM5 at last year’s launch remain in evidence – it’s face-tearingly fast, it’s comfortable, it has road presence, it’s awash in the latest digital tech.

Although it misses the mark on a few finer details – and falls short of the refinement found in true luxury brands – the MG IM5 absolutely nails the fundamentals of a luxury express. Its blend of comfort, driving dynamics and $70,000 price point (for the Platinum) make it an almost unique proposition in the EV market. Your best bet is to test drive some cheaper and more expensive alternatives and decide if the IM5 hits the sweet spot you’re looking for.

What we liked

• Outrageously quick acceleration
• Sporty looks and handling
• Plush interior and comfortable ride
  
  

What could be better?

• Intolerable speed alert system
• Slow-to-open keyless entry
• Lacks refinement in some areas