MG IM5 review: (lots of) power to the people

January 9, 2026 Matt Allan

Does the 741bhp MG IM5 represent a serious challenge in the premium saloon segment or has the Chinese brand overreached?

Most of us know a bit of MG’s history, but it’s worth repeating here to put the MG IM5 into context.

From its 20th-century glory days producing desirable little sports cars and interesting hot hatches, the once-great brand collapsed in the early 2000s before being bought out by China’s SAIC.

In its fledgling days under its new masters it churned out dismal fayre like the MG6 before starting to hit its stride with budget-focused models like the MG ZS. Then it really found its feet with electric cars. First the ZS EV, then the MG4 found favour with buyers looking to go electric on a budget. More recently, the MGS6 has marked another major step forward for the brand.

In 2024 it even had a go at sporty with the nice but niche Cyberster, which packed over 500bhp into a drop-top two-seat body.

Even with that in mind, however, the arrival of a £50,000 executive saloon with more power than a McLaren 720S is a bit out of leftfield.

Yet that’s what we’ve got with the MG IM5.

The IM sub-brand is MG’s first stab at the premium segment and the IM5 is an executive saloon in the vein of the BYD Seal, BMW i4, Hyundai Ioniq 6 and Volkswagen ID.7.

Sensible entry-level cars cost from around £40,000 and offer a healthy 291bhp but tested here is the outrageous £48,495 MG IM5 100 Performance, packing 741bhp and nearly 600lb ft of torque beneath its understated bodywork.

Design, interior and technology

And understated it is. Rather than radical attention-grabbing design, MG has gone for subtle, smooth looks with clean lines and few embellishments.

Squint and you’ll see bits of BYD Seal, some Porsche Taycan and perhaps a little Tesla Model 3 in the slippery saloon shape. There’s even a smidge of Aston Martin DBX in the way the full-width rear lights kink up over the bootlid.

It’s a long, low and fairly handsome thing that certainly won’t look out of place among its myriad rivals, but nor will it stand out.

Inside, the IM’s Chinese roots are immediately revealed by the almost lack of any physical controls. Instead there is a wide 26.3-inch dash-top display housing instruments and infotainment and a second 10.5-inch control display low down in the centre console. And it’s through these – plus two unmarked steering wheel buttons – that virtually everything is controlled.

The screens themselves are crisp and responsive but frustratingly over complicated. Trying to manage every function – from wiper speed to drive modes – via a screen inevitably leads to a confusing array of menus and sub-menus. Even after a week and hundreds of miles of driving, I still found the interface unintuitive and irritating, not helped by the annoyingly small on-screen icons.

It’s a shame because the rest of the IM5’s interior is a pleasant place to be. The upholstery is faux-leather but a step above any other MG to date, and the rest of the cabin materials and build quality are pleasingly solid and high-quality.

Front seat occupants have plenty of space and adjustability in the seats and the 2.95m wheelbase means there’s good legroom in the back too. The only problem is a high floor, which gives a knees-up seating position, and the swooping roofline, which makes it feel tight for taller adults.

Beneath the powered tailgate is a 457-litre boot. That’s a reasonable size but, like any saloon, it’s compromised by the narrow aperture. There’s also an 18-litre frunk for cable storage.

Battery, motor and performance

The IM5’s high-tech interior is one of the IM sub-brand’s core principles. Another is “ultimate performance”.

Central to that are a trio of powertrains. At the entry point is a perfectly sensible 291bhp/331lb ft single motor version that offers 304 miles of range from a 75kWh battery. Even that is no slouch, with a 0-62mph time of 6.8 seconds.

For more performance and range, there’s also a 401bhp rear-wheel-drive model with a 100kwh battery that promises a claimed 441 miles and a 0-62mph time of 4.9 seconds.

And at the very top is the ridiculous 100 Performance which pairs that same 100kWh battery with a two-motor, all-wheel-drive setup packing 741bhp and 591lb ft. That will deliver 0-62mph in a Porsche-troubling 3.2 seconds.

Sink the throttle and there is an expected but still shocking gut-punch of acceleration as the IM5 squats down and delivers all that torque to the road in one big slug. It’s enough to leave virtually anything else standing, whether from a complete stop or, as I found myself doing, getting back to motorway speeds after an average speed camera zone. It’s also enough to give passengers quite a shock if they’re not expecting it.

The problem is that once the grin factor of that instant response wears off, the IM5 doesn’t deliver much in the driving stakes.

The ride is a little stiff which means it can feel unsettled on our sub-standard roads. That firm setup does allow decent body control which, allied to standard-fit four-wheel steering allows this big saloon to change direction quickly and neatly. The all-wheel steering also helps around town and makes the 4.9m IM5 feel smaller than it really is.

However, the steering has a distinctly artificial feel to it and there’s not much in the way of communication between car and driver. You can drive it quickly thanks to the decent body control, grip and strong brakes, but there’s not much joy to be had from doing so.

Ironically, the lack of involvement isn’t helped by how quiet the IM5 is. On the motorway such refinement is great, but when pressing on, it means the car lacks drama.

MG claims the IM5 100 Performance will cover up to 357 miles per change and can charge at a lightning-fast 396kW. However, experience in the depths of winter suggests both are ambitious. In single-digit temperatures the range was less than 250 miles and even on 350kW chargers I struggled to get the IM5 to charge at more than 80kW. Whether that was a battery preconditioning problem or issues with multiple chargers is hard to tell but it was disappointing given the promise of ultra-rapid top-ups.

Price and specification

MG’s big selling point since its rebirth has been value and even with this premium challenger it is sticking to that principle.

The IM5 starts at a whisker under £40,000 for the 75kWh Standard Range model. Above that, the 100 Long Range – likely to be the most popular version – comes in at 44,995.

Right at the top, the 100 Performance costs £48,495. While that’s not pocket money, it is still £23,000 less than the 601bhp BMW i4 M60, £10k less than the 335bhp ID.7 GTX and about the same as the 523bhp BYD Seal Excellence.

Like its more mainstream cousins, the MG IM5 also comes with a generous specification. The only options are a choice of metallic paints, and every version gets the same equipment list.

All cars get heated and cooled front seats, heated rear seats, dual-zone climate control, a powered tailgate and the usual Scrabble bag of driver assistance systems including adaptive cruise control and auto lane change. Four-wheel-steering, adaptive LED headlights and a heat pump are also standard along with laminated glass, a 360-degree camera and 20-speaker stereo.

Verdict

After a week with the car covering several hundred miles and then taking time to get my thoughts in order, I’m still not sure what to make of the MG IM5.

It’s note-worthy purely for offering hypercar power for hot hatch money, but also for being a total departure from the rest of MG’s offerings.

It’s handsome enough, spacious, well built and well equipped. There’s an argument for considering either of the lower-spec models as alternatives to established models, especially with the promise of 400 miles of range.

The 100 Performance, however, is a harder sell. Yes, you get stupid amounts of power and pace for relatively little money. But, for all its speed, the IM5 feels sterile to drive and doesn’t go as far as other variants, and you’ll undoubtedly pay in the insurance and running cost stakes.

It’s also hamstrung by the same over-reliance on screens and unintuitive interface as every other version, leaving it at a disadvantage compared with those more established rivals.