MG IM5 Review 2025

These are extraordinary times for both the automotive industry and car buyers trying to keep tabs on the slew of new brands and unfamiliar model names that are being launched on the UK market at an unprecedented rate. Reassuring salvation could — perhaps — be sought with one of motoring’s oldest and most storied marques, although even then all’s not as it seems if the new MG IM5 is anything to go by.

Unless you’ve lived as a media hermit for the past 20 years, cut off from the worlds of corporate and social media communication, it’s unlikely to have escaped your attention that the rejuvenation of MG is courtesy of its Chinese ownership. Are today’s models contemporary takes on the iconic British-built MGs of its past? Not exactly but they do have an air of ‘right cars, right time’ about them, combining different levels of electrification with compelling value.

With the arrival of the MG IM5 — and its SUV-bodied IM6 sibling — there’s a tactical change afoot. Aimed squarely at the Tesla Model 3, half-close your eyes and the electric-only IM5 bears more resemblance to the Muskmobile than it does any of MG’s other models. 

In fact, save for Morris Garages’ initials applied to the bottom-left of the tailgate, presented in freshly rounded font, it doesn’t appear to be an MG at all — instead of octagonal badges there’s a brand mark akin to a double-exposure percent symbol, which is IM’s own logo. Huh? You see, in China IM — that’s shorthand for Intelligence in Motion, if you were wondering — is a standalone marque but adding the MG name lends that familiarity to Europeans. 

Relegating IM to sub-brand status ensures the massive costs associated with registering new trademarks, awareness-raising marketing and even practicalities such as additional dealership signage are negated. At least until such a time where it’s decided IM’s outgrown MG and needs separating, by which point its logo and styling nuances will be better known. So the theory goes.

So, scene set, what do we know of the MG IM5? It’s an elegantly tapered five-seater measuring 4931mm in length and while there’s a whiff of Eau de Model 3 about it, it’s less amorphous than its Tesla rival with a more expressive ‘face’ and a neatly distinctive tail. 

Unlike the Tesla, the IM5’s a five-door in a similar vein to alternative choices such as the Audi A6 Sportback e-tron, the BMW i4 and the Volkswagen ID.7, boosting its family friendly credentials. With the rear seats in use the MG’s boot capacity is 457 litres, extending to 1290 litres when the 60/40 split bench is folded. Pop the bonnet and you’ll find a modest 18-litre ‘frunk’ — that should be sufficient for keeping charging cables out of the way.

Inside the MG IM5 the exterior’s fuss-free theme continues with the minimalist style of its dashboard. Atop is a plinth-like 26.3-inch screen with key speed and range data immediately ahead of the driver, with infotainment functions displayed to the left. 

Below that is a sloping centre console, replete with cupholders, a smartphone charging pad and a portrait-display 10.5-inch touchscreen to control the majority of the IM5’s in-car functions, including its climate control settings. 

From the get-go the MG IM5 will be available in three variants — 75 Standard Range, 100 Long Range and 100 Performance, with the numbers referencing the gross capacity of their batteries rather than the usable totals described below:

• IM5 75 Standard Range — single-motor, rear-wheel drive, 73.5kWh battery, 295PS, 450Nm of torque, 0-62mph 6.8 seconds, 124mph top speed
• IM5 100 Long Range — single-motor, rear-wheel drive, 96.5kWh battery, 407PS, 500Nm of torque, 0-62mph 4.9 seconds, 137mph top speed
• IM5 100 Performance — dual-motor, all-wheel drive, 96.5kWh battery, 751PS, 802Nm of torque, 0-62mph 3.2 seconds, 167mph top speed

Unsurprisingly, the MG IM5 75 Standard Range with the smallest battery pack has the lowest range of the trio with a WLTP Combined cycle claim of still-handy 304 miles. That compares with 441 miles for the 100 Long Range, while colossal grunt of the 100 Performances trims that potential back down to 357 miles.

Using a typical 7kW AC wallbox, domestic recharging of the 73.5kW battery from 10-100% takes 12 hours, with the 96.5kWh alternative requiring 16 hours. For those times when you need to use a public DC ultra-rapid facility, the smaller-batteried MG IM5 can jump from a 10-80% state of charge in 26 minutes hooked-up to a 350kW machine, while the larger version needs just 17 minutes to do the same.

Standard equipment levels across the range are generous with all MG IM5s receiving a suite of driver assistance systems, One Touch automatic parking, four-wheel steering with a crab mode function, Rainy Night Mode which supplements the door mirrors with rear-facing camera displays on the main dashboard screen, a double-glazed and thermally insulated glass roof, active noise cancelling and a 20-speaker audio package.

Order books for the MG IM5 have already opened and — while more expensive than most of its octagon-badged showroom siblings — prices indicate that it offers attractive value compared with its rivals. 

Gateway to the line-up is the £39,450 MG IM5 75 Standard Range, while the IM5 100 Long Range is a little over £5k more at £44,995. From there it’s a more modest increase to £48,495 for the IM5 100 Performance. Customer deliveries will commence shortly.

Keep this page bookmarked for further news on this important new range and to read our forthcoming full and comprehensive MG IM5 review in the weeks ahead.