What do we have here?
This is the 2026 Geely EX5 EM-i. It’s a plug-in hybrid crossover based on the same chassis as its fully electric counterpart, the EX5 EV. While it isn’t technically Geely’s first hybrid in the country, it’s the Chinese brand’s first-ever PHEV in our market.
Take a look at that colorway.
You like it? The EX5 EM-i comes in five colorways, but we definitely like this Jungle Green color the most. The crossover also comes in blue, white, gray, silver, and black. The styling isn’t bad, either. It has a modern silhouette with sleek headlights separated by black trim.
The taillights run across the tailgate and remind me of a Porsche Cayenne. It has 172mm of ground clearance and sits on either 18-inch or 19-inch alloy wheels, depending on the variant.
OTHER STORIES YOU MIGHT HAVE MISSED:
First impressions: The 2026 Nissan Kicks e-Power is all grown up
First impressions: The Toyota Urban Cruiser has its work cut out for it
What’s it like on the inside?
The first thing you’ll notice when getting into the car is the wide 15.4-inch display and the lack of physical buttons on the dashboard. You probably already know what that means—most of the controls are handled through the touchscreen, including the A/C. Some people will like the clean look, while others, including myself, prefer physical buttons or knobs that I can access immediately.
The leather seats are nice, though. They have decent support, and the higher trim even gets ventilation to keep your posterior nice and cool on a hot day. There’s plenty of room in the back as well. I’m six feet tall, and I was able to sit behind my usual driving position with a couple of inches to spare between my knees and the back of the driver’s seat. Headroom was great, too.
Sitting in the front, you’ll notice soft padding on the doors and the center armrest, which extends seamlessly to the dashboard. The center console also provides two cupholders and some useful storage shelves tucked underneath. The steering wheel features a flat bottom with an octagonal design wrapped in leather. Gear selection is done through the right stalk, where your windshield-wiper controls are usually located. The left stalk houses your headlight controls, turn indicators, and wipers.
Okay, enough about the interior. What was it like to drive?
We only had a few minutes with the car at 2pm in the blistering heat. Despite this, the A/C didn’t struggle—the ventilated seats were also a huge help. The NVH suppression was good; there was minimal noise from the road and surrounding vehicles.
The crossover is powered by a 1.5-liter four-cylinder gasoline engine paired with an electric motor that delivers 214hp and 262Nm of torque. The car jumps off the line pretty quickly. When our managing editor Leandre floored the accelerator from a dead stop, my shoes lifted from the floor for a couple of seconds. Geely claims the EX5 EM-i is capable of 0-100kph in 8sec.
What really impressed me, though, was the sound setup. This car has a Flyme 16-speaker audio system with two speakers integrated into the headrest. And it sounds clean. If I were to bring this car home, I would be tempted to sit in it for a couple of minutes longer just to finish the rest of my playlist before finally heading into the house.
How does the Geely EX5 EM-i compare to the competitors in its class?
As I mentioned, we weren’t able to drive the car long enough to test out the other features such as the ADAS, long-drive comfort, and fuel consumption in Metro Manila conditions. The verdict will have to wait until we get our hands on this car for a full review.
Can't wait. In the meantime, how much does it cost?
The Geely EX5 EM-i comes in two variants, the Pro and the Max—I wonder where they got those names from. The lower Pro variant comes in at P1,288,000 while the Max has a sticker price of P1,468,000. That price range allows this crossover to throw its hat in the ring for people looking for similar-sized PHEV crossovers.
