Key Takeaways
- Geely has detailed the updated EX5 (Galaxy E5) in China; no Australian date has been given
- New rear-wheel-drive variants on an 800V system: 245kW/320Nm rear motor, 0-100km/h in 5.8 to 6.2 seconds
- LFP batteries of 61.5kWh or 70kWh, DC charging at up to 460kW, AC still 6.6kW
- Range of 550km or 635km on the CLTC cycle, which reads higher than the WLTP figures we use in Australia
- A 400V front-drive entry variant stays: 60.2kWh, 160kW, 120kW DC, 530km CLTC
- New bumper, conventional door handles, roof LiDAR, five-link rear suspension, a 160L front boot
- The EX5 sold here today: Complete $41,990 and Inspire $45,990 before on-roads, 68.4kWh, 100kW DC, five-star ANCAP (2025)
Image credit: Geely Auto. The photo shows the updated car as sold in China (Galaxy E5); Australian specification and imagery are yet to come.
Geely has put numbers to the EX5 update it first showed in a Chinese regulatory filing in June, and the headline is not the new nose. It is the drivetrain. The updated car, sold in China as the Galaxy E5, gains rear-wheel-drive variants on an 800V electrical system that charge at up to 460kW, beside the familiar front-drive 400V car that stays as the entry point. Geely Australia has not said when, or whether in this form, the update arrives here, so everything below is the Chinese specification read against the EX5 you can buy in Australia today.
That matters because the EX5 has become one of Australia's biggest-selling electric cars in its first year, and the current car's weakest number is its charging rate. A jump from 100kW to a claimed 460kW would change the long-trip conversation for the model more than any styling change could.
What Geely detailed in China
Most of the updated line-up moves to an 800V system. The two batteries are lithium iron phosphate packs of 61.52kWh and 70.01kWh, which Geely calls Gold Brick batteries, and they accept DC charging at up to 460kW. AC charging stays at 6.6kW. Range is quoted at 550km or 635km depending on the pack, on China's CLTC cycle. CLTC figures run well above WLTP for the same car, so neither number should be read beside the 475km WLTP figure Geely Australia quotes for the current EX5 Complete.
The 800V cars put a single 245kW and 320Nm motor on the rear axle, giving rear-wheel drive and a quoted 0-100km/h of between 5.8 and 6.2 seconds. The rear suspension changes from a four-link to a five-link layout, and adaptive dampers are offered for the first time. Boot space with the rear seats folded is listed at 1838L, down from 1877L, and the trade is a new 160L storage compartment under the bonnet, which the current car does not have.
The entry variant keeps the formula Australians know. Geely's 530 Global Classic Edition runs a 400V system, a 60.22kWh LFP battery, DC charging at up to 120kW, 530km of CLTC range and a 160kW, 320Nm front motor for a 6.9-second 0-100km/h. It measures 4615mm long, 1901mm wide and 1670mm tall on a 2750mm wheelbase, which are the current Australian car's dimensions to the millimetre. The updated 800V variants grow by 15mm in length and 19mm in width while, unusually, riding a wheelbase 5mm shorter.
Outside, the update brings a sharper front bumper with larger vertical side intakes, conventional door handles in place of flush ones (a response to new Chinese rules), a LiDAR unit above the windscreen and Geely lettering across the tailgate. Inside, the 15.4-inch touchscreen and 10.2-inch instrument cluster carry over with a new three-spoke steering wheel. The LiDAR feeds Geely's Qianli Haohan H5 driver-assistance suite, which in China includes urban and highway navigation-on-autopilot with automatic lane changes and traffic-light recognition. None of that is a given for an Australian car; driver-assistance features are often cut or renamed for right-hand-drive markets, and Geely Australia has not described a specification.
The EX5 on sale in Australia today
Two grades are on sale, both front-wheel drive, both on the 68.4kWh battery Geely Australia added earlier this year in place of the original 60.2kWh pack. Figures are Geely Australia's own.
| EX5 (Australia, 2026) | RRP (before on-roads) | Battery | WLTP range | Motor | DC charging |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Complete | $41,990 | 68.4kWh | 475km | 160kW / 320Nm, FWD | 100kW |
| Inspire | $45,990 | 68.4kWh | 450km | 160kW / 320Nm, FWD | 100kW |
Set the two specifications side by side and the shape of the update is clear. The Australian car already has a bigger battery than the Chinese entry variant (68.4kWh against 60.2kWh), and the same 160kW front motor. What it lacks is the charging speed: 100kW is modest for a 2026 electric SUV, and the current car's 400V architecture is the reason. An 800V EX5 with even a fraction of the claimed 460kW would be a different car on a Hume Highway run.
Where the current EX5 sits against its rivals
At $41,990 the EX5 Complete lines up almost exactly with the BYD Atto 3 EVO Dynamic at $41,990, which carries a 60.5kWh battery, 420km of WLTP range and DC charging to 110kW. The Geely has the bigger battery and the longer range; the BYD charges a little faster. Both are front-wheel drive in the grades we hold. The Tesla Model Y RWD is $58,900 before on-roads with 466km WLTP and 175kW DC charging, and the BYD Sealion 7 Premium is $54,990 with 482km and 150kW. The Kia EV5 Air Standard Range opens at $56,770 with 400km and 150kW.
That is the gap the update is aimed at. Today the EX5 wins on price and range per dollar and loses on charging. If the 800V car lands here at anything near current pricing, the charging objection disappears and the rear-drive layout puts it in the same mechanical conversation as the Model Y and Sealion 7, both of which are rear-wheel drive in their entry grades. Our side-by-side pages are live for the current car: EX5 vs Atto 3 and EX5 vs Sealion 6.
What to do if you are shopping an EX5 now
The honest answer is that nobody outside Geely knows the Australian timing, and the car's Chinese launch does not mean a local launch is months away; the current EX5 reached Australia well after its Chinese debut. Three practical points. First, the current car's five-star ANCAP rating from 2025 applies to the car on sale, not to the updated one, which has not been tested. Second, the current car's figures on this site are Geely Australia's published WLTP and specification numbers, so they are the ones to compare with rivals, not the CLTC figures above. Third, if charging speed is the thing holding you back from the EX5, that is the one area the update addresses directly, and it may be worth a conversation with a dealer about timing before you sign on the current car.
We will update the EX5 model page the day Geely Australia publishes a specification, a price or a date for the updated car, and the page will say which is which: the current car's rows carry their own figures and will not be overwritten by Chinese numbers.
Geely EX5 review | EX5 vs Atto 3 | Best Electric Cars 2026
Disclaimer: Updated-model figures are Geely's published Chinese-market specifications for the Galaxy E5, as reported by Australian motoring press (CarExpert, 5 October 2026), and are quoted on the CLTC test cycle. They describe a car not yet sold in Australia and may differ from any Australian specification. Current Australian EX5 prices, battery, range and charging figures are Geely Australia's published figures, before on-road costs, as held on CarSorted at publication. ANCAP rating applies to the vehicle tested, not to the updated model.