Geely EX2 Inspire review: comes with 731,941 endorsements

Geely has become a familar brand here in New Zealand since launch in March 2025, primarily through family SUVs: the pure-electric EX5 and super hybrid Starray EM-i. But a city-sized EV-hatchback is a whole new thing.

If fear of the unknown is holding you back from putting the EX2 on your shopping list, maybe you should relax. Geely sold 465,775 of these in China last year (the model was launched in 2024), making it the country's top-selling vehicle of any kind and the world's most popular small EV.

Year-to-date August 2026, the Geely has sold another 266,166 EX2s. By now it'll be closing in on 800,000, if it's not there already. The EX2 was a smash hit before the first one rolled off the boat here.

But it's still pitching into a very competitive segment in NZ. Choosing a sub-$40k EV hatch or SUV is now a daunting task for the consumer; there are just so many to choose from.

Geely's Kiwi distributor NordEast offers two versions of the EX2. The base Complete is just $32,990, but has a small battery and a small motor (35kWh, 60kW). Our more luxurious Inspire test car is $37,990, but ups the hardware considerably with a 47kWh battery and 85kW motor.

On the outside: what are the Geely EX2 Inspire's main design features?

Is there a less-threatening-looking new-car on the road right now? The EX2 scales down the EX5's jellymould profile and slaps a happy face on the front. It's not super-distinctive, but it really works on a car this size and the vox pop was overwhelmingly positive about the styling during our test week.

The cute colours help. Our car is Nebula Beige (a $950 option, like everything that's not white) but you can also get the likes of Aurora Green and Nova Pink. Or white, silver and grey if you want to be boring. The contrast black roof is standard on the flagship Inspire.

OVERVIEW

On the inside: what's the Geely EX2 Inspire cabin like?

Standard mainstream EV stuff in here, with a 14.6-inch infotainment screen, very few buttons and lots of clean surfaces. But you do get proper physical controls for the side mirrors, and nice faux-knurled ones at that. Thank you Geely.

The infotainment screen is well-organised, with a shortcut dock along the bottom and more one-touch portals behind a swipe-down on the screen. Nothing new, but not a lot that's confusing or annoying either, which is a win for a budget EV.

It's twist and go (no start button), although the instrument panel and infotainment screen take an age to boot up. Well, not an age; it's less than five seconds really. But it's noticeable, even if it doesn't stop you driving away; the powertrain is ready to go immediately.

Our test car's cabin gets a lift with the optional Skyline White interior colour, which looks brilliant and arguably presents a more attractive ambience than the school shorts grey (it's called Horizon actually) standard trim. Our test car was brand new, but after just two days of normal driving, the driver-side armrest and phone charging pad were both a bit discoloured. You'll be busy with the wipes if you want to keep it looking nice.

There are some impressive features for a sub-$40k car, like power/heated seats for both driver and front-passenger (lots of Chinese cars cheap out on the latter), surround-view monitor with 3D aspect, and 256-colour ambient lighting including little dash and door graphics that animate in time with whatever audio is playing (well, sort of).

Some neat packaging touches too, like a glovebox that's actually a drawer: it slides out rather than drops down, so it's not in the way.

The cabin space is vast in relation to the exterior size of the EX2, thanks to a long wheelbase. The boot is pretty decent too, although the volume partly comes from depth, which means you don't get a flat load-through from the 60/40 split rear seatback. A power tailgate (with height adjustment configurable in the infotainment system) is standard on the Inspire.

There's also a generous 70l frunk under the bonnet. So there are many storage options, large and small.

INTERIOR

On the road: what's the Geely EX2 Inspire like to drive?

In dynamic terms, the EX2 is a cut above your average budget EV. It's certainly not the power, though. Our flagship Inspire has the more powerful 85kW motor and while it's smooth and acceptably quick in city driving, it's no ball of fire: not a lot of acceleration on tap above 80km/h and 0-100km/h in 11.5 seconds. The entry level Complete with just 60kW could be quite challenging in cut-and-thrust traffic.

But you needn't shy away from the open road in the EX2, because it has sophisticated multi-link rear suspension and it's rear-drive. The combination of the two makes for a fun drive, even when the electric motor gets a bit breathless: you can absolutely keep your foot flat on a winding 80km/h road and the unencumbered front axle just gets on with the steering.

Decent Yokohama tyres ensure good grip and the rear suspension does a great job of soaking up mid-corner bumps. The steering is very light, but the wheel is pleasingly small.

It could certainly handle a lot more power. But as it stands, don't bother with the different drive settings, especially Sport; you won't feel any difference at all.

Back to the sensible stuff. The RWD layout also allows an impressively tight turning circle in the city (9.9m) and the physical mirror controls mean a quick adjustment if you're slotting the EX2 into a very tight space, or next to a wall. Which you can do, because it has a very small footprint.

The ADAS is pretty well sorted and even the adaptive cruise keeps pace with the traffic around corners, which puts the EX2 one-up on the last EX5 and Starray models we've tested. But the EX2 also has a handy Drive Settings shortcut that allows you to configure your own ADAS combination and activate it with one touch.

The EX2 has just been awarded 5 stars by ANCAP under its tougher new 2026 test regime, which is a huge vote of confidence in the safety of this small car.

SPECIFICATIONS

On ownership: what's the Geely EX2 Inspire warranty and servicing situation?

The vehicle warranty is 7 years/unlimited kilometres, with battery cover for 8 years/unlimited kilometres. Servicing is required every 12 months/20,000km.

On the whole: what do we think of the Geely EX2 Inspire?

There are better-looking (a matter of taste, of course), faster and even more cleverly packaged cars in this hugely competitive class. But very few achieve consistently high standards in each of those areas like the EX2. It really grows on you over time.

The fact this little Geely delivers such a balanced portfolio of talents at a price that's still substantially lower than many rivals makes it a real standout. It's a feel-good car; at least 731,941 people agree.

Geely EX2 Inspire FAQs

What kind of car is the Geely EX2 Inspire?

A city sized hatchback.

Does the Geely EX2 Inspire have hybrid or EV technology?

It's pure electric.

What’s the efficiency of the Geely EX2 Inspire?

It achieves 15.5kWh/100km (which was exactly our figure while on test) and the range is 345km. Both figures are WLTP.

Is the Geely EX2 Inspire safe?

It's just received 5 stars under ANCAP's tougher 2026 test regime. The rating is valid until December 2034.

What safety and assistance features does the Geely EX2 Inspire have?

What are the Geely EX2 Inspire's main rivals?

• GAC Aion UT Lux ($39,990): Arguably the driver's choice, much more expensive... but currently on sale.
• MG4 Urban ($38,990): Super-spacious FWD EV hatch, not to be confused with RWD MG4.
• Arcfox T1 Premium ($34,990): Sharp looking, well-equipped but very slow. Also currently on special.
• BYD Atto 1 Premium ($36,990): Even smaller but tons of fun. The larger Atto 2 SUV starts at over $40k.
• Leapmotor B03X Premium ($42,990): An SUV rather than a hatch. Not great to drive, but very cute and brilliantly packaged.