Is this the BEST or WORST used Electric Car?

[@ashb8572]

Great video, I had a MG5 LR back in 2022. That version had mg pilot which was very good adaptive CC and lane centering. I noticed used car prices going up so bailed out of my pcp at near list value. I'm glad i did given the crash in prices. You got yourself a bargain. I decided to go back to a Prius phev as it better suited our familys use case 😊

[@UpsideDownFork]

@@ashb8572 thanks for the comment 👍

[@briangriffiths1285]

And I bought the ZS new in 2020 for much the same reasons; very practical car with the VW feel to the cabin (replaced a Passat) and whilst it wasn't the bargain that the MG5 is now, it did get all the discounts at a time when there weren't second hand EVs about. And the Press panned them but as you have found there really isn't anything to hate about them.

[@UpsideDownFork]

Yeah, if you can see past the Chinese stigma then you can enjoy the value for money.

[@ODD_JOB]

I'm seriously looking at the mg5 ev estate. I look foward to your next video on the real world range test. thank you for the great video. and hopefully the charge time to 80% from home charging if available.

[@UpsideDownFork]

Stay tuned. Done some miles and some trips already and I'm impressed.

[@JOOI525]

We have the 62KWH excite without the 'toys'. Had it 15 months without issue. Only thing to watch for is the ,auto braking' on the collision avoidance system. Had it come on and catch me out, very aggressive....can be cancelled by pressing accelerator bizarrely. Love the car though, smooth. Average 4.25 mpk annually, upto 6 in summer and 3.5 in winter. Enjoy

[@UpsideDownFork]

Nice, thanks for the comment!

[@chrisrowe22]

Nice video, or should I say pleasant! I enjoyed the change in presentation style from your Heat Pump/Solar Videos and look forward to seeing more. Welcome to the EV world. 4 years in for me and never going back!

[@UpsideDownFork]

@@chrisrowe22 thanks for the comment!

[@Lewis_Standing]

Great choice, quite efficient too. My mum's got one and it's great apart from the infotainment screen

[@derekpaisley620]

Well done!, same issue not much £ managed to bag a tesla model 3 long range for 15.8k loving it.

[@UpsideDownFork]

Nice one!

[@ChrisJakins]

We just bought the same car. Really pleased with it. It just works. One thing that surprised me was the wipers when lifted collide with the bonnet and rub the paint off. It’s a minor issue I suppose. I think maybe the boot lip protection is aftermarket but a neat solution if you have a dog jumping in. Do wish I had tinted windows too. Great car though. I don’t mind its looks at all.

[@brettfield847]

On VW's they have a wiper maintenance position either in the settings on the infotainment or try switching the ignition on, then off and pull the wiper for one single wipe and the wipers stick at the top position. On Volkswagens that is...

[@ChrisJakins]

@@brettfield847 thanks that is interesting information! Maybe I should read the manual 🤔

[@ChrisJakins]

@@brettfield847 You are correct. Service mode position. You have to turn ignition on and off then push the wiper control stalk down. Never seen that before!

[@UpsideDownFork]

Thanks for the comment. Good tip from the community on the wipers!

[@_Dougaldog]

@@ChrisJakins Page 136 in the MG5 manual is a also good take away, the 'alternative starting procedure' should the battery in the key run flat.

[@adrianflower3230]

Great review thanks 👍 did you buy through trade or auction for it? I'd be tempted at £8500 but all the retail ones are around £11000

[@UpsideDownFork]

This one was actually retail! I was so close to going down the auction route but didn't need to in the end.

[@neillgatley8770]

It's just a case of shopping around. The auction route worked for me via eco cars. A couple of times a month I will do over 200 miles in a day. On those days, a faster charging EV would be nice. That is the only thing I would change about it.

[@SolAce-nw2hf]

Great choice. At that price you really can't go wrong. I like physical buttons and a normal interface instead of driving a game console.

[@UpsideDownFork]

Well said!

[@janhenkins]

Welcome to "Club Fugly¨! I have also bought the same year SR model (52 KWh battery) in "Westminster Silver" a few months back. Mine is not such a clean model as yours since it was used (heavily) as a taxi, therefore the interior shows wear and tear that yours do not show. Even so after 48k miles on the clock, the battery still has 98.3% SoH (which is phenomenal!) and is the real reason I have bought this particular car (apart from the price of course, which was a shade over £10k). I feel the same as you about the looks and interior, and I also feel the ride is more boat than car. Still, it takes on long journeys like a magic carpet, and the seating position is superbly comfy. This is a remarkably good second-hand buy, even though you have to buy this one with your head and not your heart. PS: I don't completely agree that it's the ugliest EV, that particular prize goes to the old Nissan Leaf (which we also own, a fantastic car if you can live with the limited range). What you paid for yours is a fantastic price, and somebody really looked after this car. The rubber boot liner is fantastic (I'm getting myself one of those!), and the rear bumper trim is definitely an after-market item that shows the previous owner doted on this car. Amazing!

[@UpsideDownFork]

@@janhenkins agree, agree, agree!

[@EVPuzzle]

8500 seems an incredible deal , we'd buy it today for that or more 😱

[@UpsideDownFork]

@@EVPuzzle are you in the market for another EV? I've actually been looking at a Soul like yours to go alongside the MG5 on our driveway. 👍

[@EVPuzzle]

@@UpsideDownFork I'm always looking but the MG we're looking for is actually for a friend . The Soul is incredible . It's basically an ENiro with a unique body. Boot is much smaller but the shape is so unique we love it. Visibility in the soul is great too and suspension is a bit firmer than the niro so less roll and a bit softer than the Kona . Used souls are a bargain

[@TheRonskiman]

Interesting video, I didn't realise the tie up with VAG. I've no plans for an EV, but something like this would suit me if my 15 year old Tiguan gave up. A few years back I replaced the wheels on my Tiguan, it made it look like a lot newer car.

[@UpsideDownFork]

You will certainly recognise some of the VAG parts bin I showed in the video then. My brother in law who had a passt and now has a t-roc feels very at home in the MG5. I've changed wheels on just about every car I've ever owned, so this is nothing new. Totally agree that just a set of wheels can transform a car.

[@stevechelt1]

Interesting video, I will watch out for updates. I've had an Ampera or the last 7 years and am looking to change soon, the two EVs on my shortlist are this or an Ioniq 38kwh. Both are not the best looking cars but I'm not too fussed on looks, in fact I quite like the slightly retro look of the MG5.

[@UpsideDownFork]

Good choice. I did really like the Ioniq 38kWh, but this just blew it away for practicality. If you don't need the extra space then it's definitely worthwhile thoroughly researching both.

[@Paytonatorz]

I am impressed you got it for 8.5k. i want to go ev. Got a family of 4. Kids still in child sheets and will be for a little while. They are 4 and 2. Though having onstreet parking could make charging interesting for charging. I do have solar panels that i want to use. There are on street chargers on a parallel road. But it could be a push to get the council to trial one of those gantry style cable runs in the pavement. Thanks for this video. Need to keep my eyes peeled for bargains

[@UpsideDownFork]

Thanks for the comment and I do feel for you with the charging situation!

[@TheVedabuss]

I bought mine 2.5yrs ago and so far 40k miles. Love going on trips with the dogs, range is great, ride is excellent. Some quirks..android rarely works, rear boot open warning only triggers after you are going 30mph (lol) and front lights at night about are really dim, so eat your carrots. Overall, love it, looks tatty but 5 yrs left on warranty and is a great dog truck..

[@UpsideDownFork]

I've adjusted the headlights already up to the maximum level I can and will fit some osram night breakers I think as I've had good experience with them in the past. I've also found that short, high quality USB cable are the way to go with android auto. Mine is working perfectly so far.

[@TheVedabuss]

@@UpsideDownFork I'll give that USB upgrade a go thx

[@matthewwakeham2206]

I'd have one but I had a Volvo v40 (the old estate one) and I loved that car. It was just nice to be in and you could get loads of stuff in it. This is probably not as nice inside but an unassuming practical car for moving things and people about. No-ones going to steal it or 'accidentally' damage it in a car park and you probably aren't going to worry about minor battle scars anyway.

[@UpsideDownFork]

Good points. It's hard to beat a Volvo interior. Especially those seats! They know what matters most. The MG5 is a step down but it's probably not as bad as you might expect.

[@Cats4PresidentHarris]

That’s a bargain! Nice colour too.

[@iKaGe01]

I actually really like the look of it. Especially vs the new version... But I like the look of the original Leaf. The 61kWh of this will be my next car. By next year, probably about 9-10k for it. You got the Exclusive too

[@UpsideDownFork]

I'm actually camping at the moment and another family has the LR version. It's been interesting to compare. They had theirs for over 2 years and are over the moon with it.

[@iKaGe01]

@@UpsideDownFork Yeah it seems like the obvious step for us. Can't get it this year due to remortgaging but next year we'll be selling the Leaf which will hopefully get something for...and moving on to that

[@rhiantaylor3446]

I bought a Zoe about a year ago and I am very happy with it but I am now wondering why I didn't look out for a MG5, I like estates but had assumed it would cost a lot more.

[@UpsideDownFork]

I suspect the price on these has fallen a lot in the last year. I don't think you made a mistake by getting the Zoe.

[@robinbennett5994]

Early reviews the MG5 called it 'quirky', with intrusive lane-assist, complex menus and a charge port flap that obscured the socket. The latter seems to have been fixed on yours, with the flap opening horizontally instead of vertically. Have you found anything that made you think MG isn't an experienced car designer? The big surprise for me (who has never driven an MG) was that someone coming from a Merc found a sub £10k Chinese EV good enough to buy. That's got to be a good sign for consumers, if not for some big European car brands...

[@UpsideDownFork]

I think you've got some crossed wires with the MG ZS electric. The quality of the interior is pretty much on par with a Mercedes A Class, it's not comparable in any way to an S Class or something like that but it's all very functional and practical for an every day car.

[@MikeGleesonazelectrics]

Not sure what the black bar was for on the rear door but it just didnt look right. Comes off easy enough. The MG5 version 1 had a few minor issues but was a great workhorse and very cheap to run. At that price you cant go wrong.. I now have an mg4 se with no regrets as my retirement car.

[@UpsideDownFork]

Nicely done!

[@jfinnie78]

£8.5k?! That's more like it! :) Amazing VFM. Finger's crossed it is a good one for you. What's the weird thing under the numberplate? At first I thought it was an aftermarket rear park sensor, but that would seem madness on a car of this age.

[@UpsideDownFork]

@@jfinnie78 it is a terrible afterthought by MG UK! Literally just a blanking plate. It will be gone shortly. 👍 Just back from the Jurassic coast and it's been excellent.

[@Biggest-dh1vr]

As broached in the video, the context is that you have a background in auto. £8.5k is a bargain.

[@gavjlewis]

Yes this is the big hit here. He can probably drive it around for two years and still get most of If not all of his money back.

[@BJ_MBA]

£8.5k for a 30k MG5 in this condition is exceptionally cheap. Even the cat s cars on auto trader are £9.5k

[@grahamtaylor9795]

Really a great price for a practical EV. Just wondered if you could comment on the rust protection on the underneath of the car. There are some posts on Reddit of a 2019 MG with rust developing (not sure what model, nor whether rust protection has improved on recent models). I tend to hang onto my cars for several years so that’s the only concern I have about the MG EVs

[@UpsideDownFork]

@@grahamtaylor9795 the chassis and the body look well protected but the suspension, subframes and other bolt on parts do appear to have inadequate rust protection for the UK. Nothing that would prevent me from purchasing one. I'm planning to do a little video on this.

[@grahamtaylor9795]

@@UpsideDownFork thanks! Look forward to seeing more videos on the mg5. Also found your heat pump videos really useful.

[@CEUOTC]

Great content buddy. I too have just jumped on a 72 plate MG5 FL LR Trophy and l am quite happy with the performance and think l bagged myself a bit of a bargain. Not to the same level you have :)

[@UpsideDownFork]

Nice 👍

[@Sean_S1000]

Morning buddy, I've been considering it really, will take a nice long term review in a later date :) Been a little taller I might have to give one a decent test drive.

[@UpsideDownFork]

Definitely try before you buy if you are 6 foot or over, or if you have a long torso.

[@M0j0]

Congratulations on your new car. Great amd very smart choice. Like you mentioned cannot be beaten in terms of features and practicality and price. Love it.

[@UpsideDownFork]

Thanks! 👍

[@saimurali6199]

@@UpsideDownForkInsurance group is 32D right. Would you be able to give rough figure of annual insurance cost? I currently run BMW X3 for 1000 pounds of annual insurance with 2 years of driving full license. Thank you for wonderful all electric reviews ❤

[@UpsideDownFork]

@@saimurali6199 annual cost for the MG5 - £334 for me. Annual cost for our Seat Alhambra - £367. I have full NCB and been driving for over 20 years.

[@jamesdaw131]

I’ve also gone estate (admittedly different end of the spectrum with an ID7). If this was my budget, I’d be going for something like this.

[@UpsideDownFork]

ID7 looks great! I'll be keenly watching for what happens to their pricing in 3 years time!

[@jamesdaw131]

@@UpsideDownFork looking forward to it. Amazing lease deal came up and went for it. Don’t normally get new cars!

[@chrispenn715]

The MG5 is a very sensible car. It looks a bit old fashioned, but it does the job for most people day to day and a great bargain. I have an MG4 and I'm happy with it. Cheap to run, reasonably comfortable and fast enough - but all EVs are kind of soul less to me. Cars are becoming about as exciting as washing machines, or fridges 😂. I get my fun from an older petrol car that I only use sparingly on sunny days....

[@UpsideDownFork]

Very true.

[@geoffreycoan]

Lot of car for a bargain price. Very nice

[@UpsideDownFork]

It sure is!

[@edwardlamb]

Had no idea the price of these was so low! You're right... they are so darn ugly, but I love the practicality. We have a 2012 Volvo V60 so this would be perfect for us as our first EV (though we are hoping to get something a bit smaller - only two kids and a small dog). Looking forward to seeing how you get on with it and the changes you make. Nice one!

[@UpsideDownFork]

Thanks for the comment. The price did seal the deal.

[@MrRushworm]

What tariff are you going to go for to run your heat pump and charge the car in winter? This is the conundrum for me. Octopus intelligent go isn't compatible with every car or charger, plus the 18 hour peak pricing. Agile the cheap rates aren't guaranteed, again with a shorter peak. Tracker lacks an off-peak window for charging. So cosy?

[@UpsideDownFork]

I think I'm going to roll the dice and try and make agile work for us. I'm fortunate that we don't do that many miles and the car will often be sat on the drive during the off peak periods. We'll see if that gamble pays off for me.

[@izwizbiz3471]

If you use a VW spare wheel you should use the VW bolts, whilst the bolt pattern is the same, I think the countersink in the wheel is a different angle.

[@UpsideDownFork]

That's an important point if people don't know what they're doing. Radius bolts are what I use for my Mercedes spare, I also need a spigot ring because of the smaller centre bore on the MG. The MG5 bolts are tapered. My previous 2 VAG cars also used the same tapered bolts as the MG. I used to run an alloy wheel business for my sins.

[@bamber119]

I was looking at an older MG5 as my shortlist along with an ID3. I was looking at the exclusive(or is it premium?) as it had the panaramic roof but what put me off it was the lack of mobile remote features for charging but still a lovely looking car. The id3 I didn't like the short bonnet, and I ended up with my leaf. The only downside of the leaf is the foot hand brake, but I went for a n-connecta(tekna has electric brake I know.). I still like the look of the MG5 though and I think the bits you don't like are very small points and will do you until you can get the Tesla you wanted for under 25k.

[@UpsideDownFork]

Yes, the lack of app is a bit of an inconvenience. The newer MG5 resolves that and many other annoyances.

[@_Dougaldog]

Well done, and perfectly placed to spot a bargain , the MG5 looks to be the comfy sized family car. With your solar PV and all the other trimmings it should cost near nothing to run, a real bargain. I went for the MG4 a few weeks ago, more of a 'lady magnet' I thought; others may have recognised it better though with the words 'late mid life crisis' appearing frequently 🤔

[@UpsideDownFork]

Absolutely. So far I've only charged it from the negative agile rates so I've been paid to charge it.

[@karlwest437]

An MG5 is the definition of sensible, and if that's what you want there's nothing wrong with it 😃

[@UpsideDownFork]

Well said.

[@stuartburns8657]

The MG EV range seem to be fairly well thought of from what I understand. Spare tyre a bonus these days too. Not personally ready for a EV yet, hanging on to our 2 diesels for another 4-5 years, lots of EV price carnage to come I believe 😊

[@UpsideDownFork]

👍

[@truebrit3670]

It's a very capable car. I do like the power available in sport mode. Ride is very good, not a rally car by any means but doesn't pretend to be. Infotainment is not great, but overall a very nice EV.

[@UpsideDownFork]

Totally agree

[@ML-qk1px]

Dealers didn’t like them either it would seem. My dad tried to get more information on these when they came out, but he said the salesmen at first were now where to be seen, and when they did didn’t know much about it.

[@UpsideDownFork]

Our local dealer was definitely geared up to sell us an MG4 or MG ZS but not so prepared for the MG5.

[@derekpaisley620]

So you will be considering a new tariff to compliment the house battery and car charging?

[@UpsideDownFork]

I'm going to play the agile game if I can. Watch this space.

[@SteveForth]

You’ve got a bargain at that price, gutted I didn’t wait 18 months before buying mine now. Btw If you change the tires from the terrible oem ones you’ll get the grip you need on faster pull away and reduce the noise significantly.

[@UpsideDownFork]

Thanks. The car is presumably on it's second set of tyres as they are Michelin and I understand that wasn't a factory fit option. My presumption is that the chassis dynamics were calibrated with a petrol or diesel engine fitted which would shift the weight balance considerably compared to the EV version. There's only so much they can do with suspension to try and correct a chassis after the design phase. The low sling battery pack will have shifted the weight balance significantly.

[@leslie19611]

Accelerator like an on/off switch? Which EVs are you referring to and why not mention them?

[@UpsideDownFork]

Mustang mach-e is the worst offender. Teslas are also not great, even in their "chill" mode.

[@GreggCastree]

Did you say £8.5k? How did you get it for such a low price?

[@UpsideDownFork]

@@GreggCastree 1. Don't rush. 2. Set up daily favourite search notifications. 3. When the deal comes, pounce immediately. 4. Negotiate hard.

[@GreggCastree]

@@UpsideDownFork Sound advice :) Will be looking for a 'Cheap' replacement EV in the spring, so will take you're advice 🙂

[@JOOI525]

Should have added that on the non electric seat they have height adjustment, is that not available on the electric seats?

[@UpsideDownFork]

The electric seats are height adjustable but I'm on the lowest setting.

[@petest3992]

Oi! I’ve been looking for that car for 6 months! How you get it for such a great price? I’d have snapped that up right away.

[@UpsideDownFork]

Keep your eyes peeled. I set up favourite searches and refreshed the pages every evening to check for any new listings. Then drove a hard bargain with the dealer.

[@chrisblunt7627]

Interesting car for the money - That's a big battery, does it support V2L? 🙂

[@UpsideDownFork]

Not this one. The long range version one year newer has V2L.

[@Burtis89]

The wheels and the ride height let the car down. They should have down a lower version with sporty aero and tasty wheels to appeal to a younger market

[@UpsideDownFork]

They are a little hamstrung on the height due to the battery fitment but I agree the wheels are appalling considering they were the only option.

[@andrewgage6942]

I don't dislike the MG range, obviously with a car of this budget price it's not going to be perfect, if I was in the market for an electric vehicle I would consider one of these. The technology is a bit much for an old fart like me, the screen on the dash, I probably wouldn't use it mainly because it would probably be too complicated for me, being short, the driver seat height would probably be fine for me. As most of my driving is motorway driving, I don't have access to off road parking so I wouldn't be able to charge at home, I work nights so even if I had access to off road parking, I wouldn't be able to take advantage of cheaper electric rates and the infrastructure in the area where I live is very poor, if I could afford to buy an electric vehicle, it still wouldn't be as cheap to run as my little diesel. That said, I think MG are producing some nice cars, even though they are way too expensive for someone like me, they are still cheaper than the competition

[@UpsideDownFork]

No off street parking is definitely a deal breaker for most. The dash display is actually very simple on this one. It defaults to just one big Speedo and if you don't press any buttons it just stays there. Another great practical design feature.

[@Hali88]

No point changing the wheels or anything else on it in my opinion, all you'll be doing is wasting money and putting off future buyers who want to buy a stock car. I don't think it's an ugly car at all. Not exciting to look at, but perfectly fine. I know YTers tend to buy cars, mod them and then sell them to make content but you don't strike me as a typical car YTer

[@UpsideDownFork]

Thanks for commenting! I remove ugly badges from most of the cars i've ever owned. I usually change wheels but keep the original ones in the garage for a future owner. This doesn't cost me anything because of my business. I'm not worried about resale value. We plan to keep this car for 5-10 years. I'm not one to comment about aesthetics or anything, my wife thinks my taste is terrible! She thinks the car is fine but she does prefer the new wheels i've got for it. I'm definitely not into youtube for the money. This video has made £12 after 4,400 views. The amount of money I make for my videos results in a net loss every time when I consider the time taken to produce them.

[@contact2001]

Can this do V2H? If not then I don’t understand that you didn’t go for one that is, like the Nissan Leaf for example. You do work from home, no?

[@robinbennett5994]

The Leaf doesn't do V2H unless you buy a charger that's so rare it's almost mythical. A few people got them as part of a research project, but otherwise they're not available in the UK.

[@_Dougaldog]

The MG5 supports V2L (Vehicle to load @ 240v ac), so in an emergency could easily be used to power home at a nominal 2.2kW load, my MG4 could easily provide household power at 10kWh/day for six or seven days.

[@AlanTov]

Do any UK EV's have V2H? Quite a few have V2L...

[@MikeGleesonazelectrics]

​@@AlanTovnah..

[@JOOI525]

I don't believe the Nissan leaf has liquid battery cooling which appears to result in increased battery degradation. Looked in detail about getting one, but space was an issue for us. Felt nicely put together but from memory do they have infotainment screen issues? Always liked them though.

[@asabriggs6426]

£8500 is a bargain. Throw in a bit more for a compatible EV charger and you're Intelligent Octopus Go ready ...

[@UpsideDownFork]

Watch this space!

[@robinburn4974]

New EVs are bad enough, any used one isn't worth even thinking about

[@UpsideDownFork]

Why are they bad?