Updated Geely EX5 launches in China with 245kW rear-wheel drive and 6C charging, Australian arrival unconfirmed

Launch and Chinese pricing

Geely launched the updated EX5 in China on 23 September 2026, where the model is sold as the Galaxy E5, with five variants priced from 97,800 yuan (about US$14,400) to 137,800 yuan (about US$20,300), as reported by Zecar. The entry-level 530km Global Classic keeps front-wheel drive and a 400V system, while the four Smart Charging variants use rear-wheel drive and an 800V architecture, with prices of 107,800, 115,800, 125,800 and 137,800 yuan depending on battery and equipment. ¹

The lineup breaks down as follows per Zecar's pricing table: the Global Classic pairs a 60.22kWh battery with the 160kW front motor for 530km CLTC (429km WLTP); the Voyage and Exploration variants use a 61.52kWh pack for 550km CLTC (446km WLTP); and the Exploration+ and flagship LiDAR variant use a 70.01kWh pack for 635km CLTC (514km WLTP). These are Chinese-market prices and specifications, not Australian ones. ¹

Rear-wheel drive, more power and 6C charging

The headline change is the switch to rear-wheel drive. Zecar reports the four Smart Charging variants use a single rear-mounted motor producing 245kW (329hp), an 85kW increase over the previous 160kW setup, with Geely claiming a combined maximum output of 360kW to 380kW depending on battery. An earlier Zecar report on the Chinese update also cited a top-speed rise from 175km/h to 201km/h. ¹²

Top Gear Philippines, covering the same refresh, likewise describes the new rear-axle-mounted motor as rated at 329hp, more than 50 per cent more power than the current front-wheel-drive EX5. Both outlets attribute the update to the Chinese-market model. ³

The rear-drive variants use Geely's new Aegis Golden Brick short-blade battery on an 800V platform with 6C fast charging, which Geely markets as Smart Charging. Zecar notes real-world charging speeds depend on the charger, with expected peak output of roughly 360kW to 400kW, and that the EX5 takes around nine minutes to reach 80 per cent — a figure Zecar attributes to CarNewsChina's estimate. Zecar frames the fast-charging push as a response to BYD's Flash Charging and systems from Xpeng and Zeekr. ¹

Moving the motor to the rear axle frees space under the bonnet, adding a 160-litre front boot that the previous model did not have, as Zecar and Top Gear Philippines both report. Top Gear Philippines notes the frunk is not available on the retained front-drive base variant. ¹³

Batteries, dimensions and design changes

The update offers three battery sizes — 60.22kWh, 61.52kWh and 70.01kWh — delivering claimed ranges of 530km, 550km and 635km on China's CLTC cycle, equating to 429km, 446km and 514km on WLTP, according to Zecar. ¹

The styling revisions are modest. Zecar reports a revised front bumper with matte chrome accents and a more aggressive lower lip, fender-mounted cameras, privacy glass on the rear windows, a choice of 18- or 19-inch wheels, and traditional door handles replacing the previous flush pop-out units. Top Gear Philippines similarly describes a revised fascia with matte chrome accents and the switch to conventional handles. Zecar's earlier report noted the handle change aligns with Chinese regulations requiring physical door handles meeting emergency-use criteria by 2027, and that the charging port has moved to the rear left quarter panel. ¹²³

The published dimension details differ slightly between outlets. Zecar lists the rear-drive variants at 4630mm long, 1920mm wide and 1670mm tall on a 2745mm wheelbase, with the front-drive entry model at 4615mm long, 1901mm wide and a 2750mm wheelbase. Zecar's June report instead put overall length at 4636mm with an unchanged 2750mm wheelbase, while Top Gear Philippines quotes 4630mm long. The precise length and wheelbase figures for the updated car are therefore not fully settled in the available reporting. ¹²³

CarExpert, reporting in August 2026 on Geely's Australian product plans, described the facelifted EX5 as swapping the 160kW/320Nm front motor for a 245kW rear-mounted unit, gaining a sharper front bumper, conventional pull-out door handles and minor rear styling tweaks including a Geely wordmark beneath the light bar, with length growing 21mm to 4636mm and LFP battery technology carrying over. ⁴

Interior, driver assistance and LiDAR

Zecar reports the cabin carries a 15.4-inch 2.5K floating touchscreen and a 10.2-inch digital instrument cluster, now with a redesigned three-spoke steering wheel and a crystal-style gear selector. The Flyme Auto 2 infotainment system is joined by a head-up display, a 540-degree transparent chassis camera view, four-zone voice control, 50W wireless phone charging and zero-gravity front passenger seats. Top Gear Philippines, by contrast, describes the interior as relatively unchanged, with the HUD, 10.2-inch instrument display and 15.4-inch infotainment screen carried over. ¹³

The flagship variant adds a roof-mounted LiDAR sensor, enabling Geely's G-Pilot H5 driver assistance system — known in China as Qianli Haohan — with navigate-on-autopilot on city streets and highways, memory parking and fingertip parking, according to Zecar. Zecar's June report noted side cameras on the front fenders and an additional tailgate-spoiler camera, and that this system is currently limited to the Chinese market. ¹²

Zecar also details structural and safety claims for the updated model: a torsional rigidity of 36,000Nm per degree, 1500MPa hot-formed steel, a bulletproof coating on the battery pack, and a tyre blowout stability system designed to keep the car controllable at up to 160km/h in a straight line and 120km/h through corners. These are Geely's claimed figures as reported by Zecar. ¹

What it means for Australia

Geely Auto Australia has not confirmed the updated EX5 for local sale, and has announced neither pricing nor timing, as Zecar reports. CarExpert, covering Geely's broader Australian product plan in August 2026, likewise noted the identity of an incoming electric SUV was subject to speculation but expected it to be the facelifted EX5 already sold here; that reporting named no confirmed dates for the updated model. The 245kW output, 6C charging rate and Chinese variant structure are Chinese-market specifications, not confirmed Australian ones. ¹⁴

The current Australian EX5 is the Extended Range, which reached showrooms in March 2026 with a 68.39kWh LFP battery and a 160kW/320Nm front motor, offered in Complete and Inspire grades at $41,990 and $45,990 before on-road costs, with WLTP ranges of 475km and 450km and 100kW DC charging taking about 20 minutes from 30 to 80 per cent, per Zecar's comparison. It is backed by a seven-year/unlimited-kilometre warranty with an eight-year battery warranty. Zecar speculates that the powertrain and door-handle changes could arrive as a running update, while the LiDAR-based system appears tailored to China, but this is the outlet's analysis rather than a Geely statement. ¹²

The update's relevance is underlined by local sales and competition. Zecar reports the EX5 added 1947 sales in August 2026, again the third best-selling EV behind the Tesla Model Y and BYD Sealion 7, putting its 2026 total above 10,000 on Zecar's own estimate; it recorded 3944 deliveries in 2025 after local sales began that March. Two new rivals now undercut or match its charging capability: the BYD Atto 3 Evo, on sale from August 2026 with its Premium variant offering 230kW rear-drive power and 220kW DC charging from $46,990 before on-road costs, and the XPeng L03, priced in September 2026 from $41,900 before on-road costs with every battery-electric variant charging at 193kW or more and first deliveries expected from November 2026, according to Zecar. Zecar suggests Q3 2027 as the most likely launch window if Geely confirms the updated model here, explicitly framing that as its own expectation rather than a manufacturer commitment. ¹