Geely EX2 faces the MG4 Urban: what the road tests and specs reveal about Australia's cheapest EV hatch duel

An evidence-backed verdict on the EX2

The Geely EX2 has arrived in Australia as the brand's new entry point, and the review signal surrounding it is unusually clear about where the car excels and where it falls short. CarExpert's road test of a top-spec Inspire around Sydney praised it as "surprisingly practical" and "efficient in the real world", with a long warranty, but flagged sub-par ride quality, the absence of an independent safety rating at that time, and a base variant short on range and punch. CarExpert also judged the cabin "doesn't necessarily cater towards an older audience", with most functions buried in the 14.6-inch touchscreen. ⁴

Against its key rival, the verdict is similar. CarExpert's separate spec-battle comparison picked the MG 4 EV Urban overall, citing better performance, longer driving range, extra standard equipment, and what the outlet called a classier, more spacious interior. The same publication's comparison nonetheless noted the EX2 counters with a 14.6-inch screen (against the MG's 12.8-inch) and a 70-litre frunk the MG lacks. ¹

Independent UK testing reaches a comparable conclusion. Carwow drove both cars and found the EX2 "perfectly pleasant" around town but less polished at higher speeds, with light, disconnected steering and modest pace, while the MG4 Urban "feels like a proper family car". Carwow's reviewer, Tom Wiltshire, concluded the MG4 Urban "just gives you more metal for your money" once discounts erased the price gap in the UK. ⁵

Specifications: Australian Complete and Inspire grades

The Australian EX2 line-up comprises two grades. According to CarExpert, the Complete opens the range at $26,490 plus on-road costs (around $29,319 drive-away in NSW), with a 35.4kWh LFP battery, 60kW/150Nm rear-mounted motor, 252km claimed WLTP range and a 60kW maximum DC charge rate. The Inspire tested by CarExpert is priced at $30,990 plus on-roads (about $33,954 drive-away in NSW), with a 47.1kWh battery, 85kW/150Nm, 345km WLTP range, 80kW DC charging and vehicle-to-load capability. Both use Geely's GIEA platform with MacPherson front and multi-link rear suspension. ⁴¹

The MG 4 EV Urban it faces is a different proposition on paper. CarExpert's comparison lists the Urban Essence 43 at 110kW/250Nm with 316km WLTP range, and the Essence 54 at 118kW/250Nm with 405km WLTP, both front-wheel drive, with 10-80 per cent DC charging in 28 and 30 minutes respectively. The MG also carries a heat pump, which CarExpert notes helps real-world range in colder weather and which the Geely lacks. ¹

Buyers should be aware that overseas-market EX2 variants differ from the Australian grades. In Brazil, Quatro Rodas tested an EX2 Max with a 39.4kWh battery and 289km range, and an earlier international first drive by Chasing Cars referenced Chinese-market 30.1kWh and 40.2kWh packs. Those figures relate to different markets and specifications and should not be read across to the Australian Complete and Inspire. ²³

Dimensions

CarExpert's Australian EX2 review lists the hatch at 4135mm long, 1805mm wide, 1580mm high, and riding on a 2645mm wheelbase, with 375 litres of boot capacity behind the rear seats, 1320 litres with them folded, and 70 litres of under-bonnet storage. Quatro Rodas' Brazilian specification sheet for the EX2 matches the same length, width, height and wheelbase figures. The EX2 is officially classified as a light car in Australia, though CarExpert's tester, a six-foot-one adult, found the rear seat genuinely roomy. ⁴²

The MG 4 EV Urban is a size class above in length. CarExpert measures it at 4395mm long on a 2750mm wheelbase, with a 382-litre boot plus 98 litres under the floor; its publication rates the MG's cabin as more spacious overall. ¹

On the road: attributed road-test findings

CarExpert's Sydney road test found the Inspire sprightly from 0-60km/h but never quick, with the claimed 0-100km/h time of 11.5 seconds reflecting its modest 85kW output against a near-1400kg tare weight. Efficiency was the standout: CarExpert recorded 11.8kWh/100km displayed and 13.8kWh/100km calculated, which the outlet described as among the best in its class. The same test identified the ride as the car's downfall, with the suspension bobbling even on smooth surfaces, sharp thumps over road joins and pronounced body roll in corners, while braking and configurability were praised. ⁴

Earlier impressions from an international first drive by Chasing Cars, conducted on a closed course near Geely's Chinese headquarters, foreshadowed the ride issue: the outlet found the test car "unbelievably softly suspended" with comic body roll and "laughably poor grip" from its Linglong-fitted Linglong Comfortmaster tyres, and hoped Australian deliveries would receive a firmer tune and better rubber. Chasing Cars also praised the packaging, rear legroom, 375-litre boot and 70-litre frunk, noting the EX2 is unusually rear-wheel drive for the segment. ³

Carwow's UK drive test adds an efficiency data point from its own use, recording 4.7 miles per kWh in the EX2 on a spirited run, better than the 4.4 miles per kWh best it had seen in the MG4 Urban, and it judged the EX2's interior material quality superior to the MG's, while conceding the MG's extra space, pace and one-pedal driving make it the better-rounded car. ⁵

Ownership, safety and pricing context

CarExpert reports Geely offers the EX2 a seven-year, unlimited-kilometre vehicle warranty with an eight-year, unlimited-kilometre battery warranty, plus a seven-year capped-price servicing program totalling $2052, at 12-month or 20,000km intervals. The MG counters with a 10-year/250,000km warranty subject to MG dealer servicing and a cheaper five-visit capped-price total of $1366, figures from CarExpert's comparison. ¹⁴

Safety status is worth clarifying: CarExpert's August road-test review stated the EX2 had yet to be rated by ANCAP or Euro NCAP, but the same publication's later October comparison reports both hatchbacks now hold five-star ANCAP ratings, the EX2's dated 2026 and the MG 4 EV Urban's 2025. The later position supersedes the earlier one. Standard equipment across both cars includes autonomous emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, blind-spot detection and seven airbags, with a 360-degree camera reserved for the top-spec EX2 Inspire and standard on all MG 4 EV Urban grades. ⁴¹

On pricing, CarExpert notes MG's Urban Essence 43 and 54 are normally $31,990 and $34,990 drive-away but carry $2000 cashback until October 31, 2026, bringing them to $29,990 and $32,990 drive-away. Geely, meanwhile, ran an early-adopter offer for EX2 orders taken and delivered before August 31 comprising a complimentary 7kW home charger and a $600 premium paint upgrade, as reported by CarExpert. All MG prices cited are drive-away; all Geely list prices are before on-road costs with NSW drive-away estimates alongside, and the two bases should not be compared directly. ¹⁴

What the evidence supports, and its limits

Taken together, the verified road-test evidence supports a consistent picture: the EX2 is an efficient, well-packaged and surprisingly practical city EV with an attractive cabin for the money, but it is slower, shorter-ranged and less composed on the road than the MG 4 EV Urban, which CarExpert and Carwow both favour overall. Chasing Cars' earlier drive suggests dynamics depend heavily on the final Australian tune and tyres. ⁴¹⁵³

Limits remain. DriveAgent has not driven or scored either vehicle; all findings above belong to the named outlets and their specific test cars, including overseas-market EX2 variants whose battery, power and range figures differ from Australian grades. Some competing boot-capacity figures for the MG4 Urban appear across outlets for different markets and cannot be reconciled here, and long-term durability, Australian service-lane experience and real-world winter range remain unverified by any source in this report. ¹²⁵