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China’s most popular car is coming to Australia – meet the 2026 Geely EX2.
This is a compact, all-electric hatchback that stormed the Chinese market last year with more than 465,000 examples sold in its home country in 2025.
At 4135mm long and 1805mm wide, it’s between a Volkswagen Polo and Golf in terms of size, with clever packaging helping to make it feel like a larger, more substantial car.
Furthermore, in this part of the market it’s rear-wheel drive (which is a very special selling point for itself), as all its direct competitors – mostly Chinese in Australia are front- wheel drive.
A new set of customers are hoping to bring the Geely experience to a new generation of consumers, with cute looks, ‘palette colour finishes and dozens of in-car and driver assistance technologies’.
As we were launching its Australian market in the third quarter of 2026, and had a very (very) short test drive around ‘handling track’ in China for Geely’s smallest, lowest and best-selling model here was our first taste test with this.
Is it worth getting excited about? Read on to find out.
How much does the Geely EX2 cost?
We still don’t know yet – but childcareman.xyz understands the EX2 will kick off somewhere around the $30,000 mark to compete with budget Chinese EVs like the BYD Dolphin, GAC Aion UT and MG 4 EV Urban.
Geely explains that “we expect to see several variants, such as different trim levels and two battery sizes,” but full pricing and specifications for the local market are yet to be officially communicated.
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What is the Geely EX2 like on the inside?
The fact that I actually had less than 10 minutes inside the EX2 is that the Chinese-market left-hook car we drove may not be fully indicative of what’s going to Australia.
But the overall design and execution is like a scaled down version of the larger EX5, with an attractive layout, brightly visible displays – including – i.e. infotainment touchscreen and an 8 inch info. A 8-inch digital instrument cluster – and a good build quality, as seen in the video.
A Chinese-market ‘Geome’ model was tested again and it is unclear whether export versions of the car for markets such as Australia will undergo any changes, other than having the steering wheel on the right side.
But keeping the price point in mind is a little more upmarket than most $30,000 small cars, and the flourishes of silver and gloss-black highlights help to accent the cabin – especially the black interior shown in supplied imagery (from South Africa)).
It was a good ergonomics, but it took me – I just had to wait for the little gear shifter that is ‘little Volkswagen-like in appearance’ on the centre console.
But a brief stint in the back of the city-focused EX2 showed you’re more than two six footers back there, but it’s not just about toe room behind taller passengers.
This broad flat rear bench means you don’t feel hemmed in or pushed into the side of the car, although there is no fold-down centre armrest to make better use of more likely two-seat rear configuration.
That’s nice at this end of the market, a nice touch when it comes to rear air vents (at least you get them), and outward visibility is good too thanks to tall rear windows.
But Geely will no doubt ensure that the required ISOFIX and top-tether points will be fitted to the appropriate areas of the rear seat as well, which is useful if you need a smaller and/or second runabout that can also fit ‘child seat seats’.
Geely Australia has not yet finalised boot dimensions for Australia, but the South African model cites 375 to 1320 litres for the rear cargo area (back seatbacks up and down respectively), plus an additional 70L under the bonnet.
We’d also expect a tyre repair kit under the boot floor rather than – space-saver or full-size spare wheel, but as mentioned above we’re still waiting for Geely Australia to finalise details.
| Dimensions | Geely EX2 |
| — | — |
| Length | 4135mm |
| Width | 1805mm |
| Height | 1580mm |
| Wheelbase | 2650mm |
| Cargo capacity | 70L – Frunk 375-1320L – Boot |
What’s under the bonnet?
In the past, a 70L ‘frunk’ or ‘froot’ (or whatever you want to call it) is mentioned. And again we don’t have Australian powertrain specs, but a good guess from the South African version of the EX2, called the “E2” is an educated interpretation.
| Specifications | Geely E2 – South Africa |
| — | — |
| Drivetrain | Single-motor electric |
| Battery | 39.4kWh LFP |
| Power | 85kW |
| Torque | 150Nm |
| Drive type | Rear-wheel drive |
| Weight | 1300kg – Kerb |
| 0-100km/h (claimed) | 11.5 seconds |
| Energy consumption (claimed) | 15.2kWh/100km |
| Energy consumption (as tested) | – |
| Claimed range | 325km – WLTP |
| Max AC charge rate | – |
| Max DC charge rate | 70kW |
It’s worth noting that, globally, the EX2/E2/Xingyuan offers a number of different battery and motor configurations depending on the market.
A single-motor electric powertrain with a 30kW/310Nm single motor is used as the basis for China’s first-level EX2. A 12kWh lithium iron phosphate (LFP) battery with a claimed 310km (CLTC) driving range is offered by the 12-kWh battery, while higher grades have an additional 40. With a range of up to 410km CLTC and an 85kW/150Nm electric motor, 16kWh battery is 16 km.
The latter is presumably the case in South Africa, as given by the quoted battery size in SA would be a reasonable usable capacity if the larger Chinese figure is total capacity.’ Geely’s local team has also suggested that there are several different battery sizes for this market (which could mean smaller 30kWh unit may be on the cards too soon).
For the segment, a range of 320km seems right for A “WLTP” as it is mentioned in the base (MG 4 EV Urban 43kWh) 316km of an WLTC-certified range but according to GAC Aion’s statement that there are 430km with its much larger 60kWh LFP battery pack at similar price point.
The cheapest BYD Dolphin Essential, meanwhile, quotes a 340km WLTP range.
How does the Geely EX2 drive?
The EX2 was a motorkhana-style course in what we drove for the entire time, and it was basically ‘a car park just outside Hangzhou’ that gave us an immediate low-speed handling test more than any other driver had.
Although this wasn’t necessarily a definition of real-life driving – except you go around car parks 99 per cent of the time it was able to give me an impression on how the EX2 initially accelerate and handle itself.
Two go at it, the second one more to film driving impressions than getting a better grip on the car’s dynamics but my short time behind the wheel confirmed some key points.
The EX2 doesn’t seem to be a distantly fast, but it does offer decent low-down response to get you off the line and is very smooth operator provided you aren’T in rushed to go anywhere.
But we didn’t really get more than 40km/h, so we don’n’T know what the EX2 is going to do with Australian freeway on-ramps and country highways (although South African 11). This class of car is on the slower side for 5-second 0-100km/h claim.
This makes Steering feel very light and overly assisted but at least felt like the front wheels were connected to inputs – the Emgrand EM-i which we also drove was oddly disconnected.
It’s a bit of an oddity with how the EX2 handles and, while it is far from sporty, but in nimble-and chuckable way that makes little city cars fun — even if they aren’t all that sharp or fast.
A key part of EX2’s drivetrain is helping that the rear-drive balance, which means only turning and not having to put down power. That’s not a bad thing that Geely has kept this car relatively light too, at 1300kg.
I left corners around the course to see if it was like the EX2 had been keen on understeer or struggled to power down even when pushing, but didn’t long find the limitations of the Chinese model grip on the standard tyres – although keeping in mind the 16-inch alloys are shod with modest 205/60-section rubber.
Rather, it’s completely predictable and well mannered for its intended use as a . But a proper verdict requires more time behind the wheel in real-world contexts for an appropriate decision.
Until you pile on about the piddly outputs, just remember “It’s always fun to drive a slow car fast (or at least spiritedly) than if it’ll be quickest” or even fewer.
What do you get?
Australian pricing and specifications haven’t been confirmed yet, but we’re expecting at least two trim levels for the EX2.
2026 Geely EX2 equipment highlights (in South Africa):
- 15-inch steel wheels – base
- 16-inch alloys – high-spec
- LED headlights – auto on/off
- LED daytime running lights
- LED tail-lights, turning lights
- Power side mirrors
- Manual air-conditioning
- Rear air vents
- 8.8-inch digital instrument cluster
- 14.6-inch infotainment touchscreen
- Apple CarPlay, Android Auto
- Bluetooth connectivity
- FM radio
- 4-speaker audio – base
- 6-speaker audio – high-spec
- 2 x front USB ports – 1 x -A, 1 x -C
- Wireless phone charger – high-spec
- Keyless entry, start
- Leather multifunction steering wheel
- 256-colour ambient light – high-spec
- ‘Vegan’ leather seats
- 60:40-split/folding rear seats
Colours
Six exterior paint finishes will be available for the Australian EX2 range.
Available options include:
- Jupiter Pink
- Aurora Green
- Nebula Beige
- Comet Gray
- Star Silver
- Moon White
Is the Geely EX2 safe?
The Geely EX2 hasn’t been crash tested by ANCAP or Euro NCAP at this point in time.
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Despite the fact that Geely is promising an EX2 full suite of safety systems, expect it to be decked out with everything you’ll see in your new car — especially a Chinese one.
Available safety features in South Africa include:
- 6 airbags
- Adaptive cruise control
- Autonomous Emergency Braking – AEB
- Blind-spot monitoring
- Door open warning
- Forward collision warning
- Intelligent high-beam
- Lane change assist
- Lane departure warning
- Rear collision warning
- Rear cross-traffic alert
- Surround camera system
But worth noting is that the cheapest model in South Africa does not have adaptive cruise control, AEB and lane departure warning (and subs out 360-degree camera for a reversing camera only) without adaptive Cruise control.
Because our customer in Australia is always demanding a higher specification, we expect the full safety suite from the base grade to be available with the only option between low and high grades being the surround camera system or perhaps intelligent high-beam.
How much does the Geely EX2 cost to run?
Geely Australia covers its model range with a seven-year, unlimited-kilometre vehicle warranty, and an eight-year, unlimited-kilometre high-voltage battery warranty.
China’s brand carries out 12 months of roadside assistance from purchase, each service scheduled at an authorised Geely workshop renewing the cover for another 12 month (for up to the seventh year) renewal.
Service details for the EX2 have not yet been revealed, but Geely quotes EV Assured Service Pricing which is advertised as follows.
| Service interval | Price |
| — | — |
| 12 months or 20,000km | $171 |
| 24 months or 40,000km | $303 |
| 36 months or 60,000km | $171 |
| 48 months or 80,000km | $671 |
| 60 months or 100,000km | $171 |
| Total | $1487 |
childcareman.xyz’s Take on the Geely EX2
With such a conviction, it’s too early to say whether the EX2 will be the new face of the budget-EV pack – but that larger (EX5 and Starray EM-i) have proven Chinese brand isn’t just punk player.
But if it’s priced where we think it will be, and Australia’t entry-level version is given specification levels such as the high-end South African variant, then that could be a compelling offering with its current competitors.
So you’re looking for a good car to stand out from the pack, so Geely’s local boss says he’d be following solid sales volume with this car.” It’s a good start with the fun, agile feel behind the wheel and the funny, quick-thinking attitude of s.
The bubbly and (literally) colourful design will also be a refreshing departure from the seas of white, grey and black we see on Australian roads; practical cabin punches above its size class.
A long drive in this new EV is welcome for us as we look forward to the launch of it in Australia at its third quarter of last year.
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