Geely (pronounced like Jelly) is next Chinese brand to arrive in the UK
Geely is probably better known as the owner of established brands such as Volvo, Polestar, Lotus, Lynk & Co and Zeekr, while it also owns LEVC (London Electric Vehicle Company), makers of London's famous black cabs. Now it has decided to bring its own Geely brand cars to the UK, through a bespoke dealer network starting in the last quarter of 2025.
The original plan was to badge the Geely models as LEVC, but customer clinics reveal greater awareness of Geely prompting a change of plan.
The first Geely model is, unsurprisingly, targeting the popular Tesla Model Y market, along with cars such as the Hyundai Ioniq 5, Skoda Enyaq, Volkswagen ID.4, Renault Scenic, upcoming Kia EV5 and other Chinese models such as the Xpeng G6 and Changan Deepal S07.
Cars have been undergoing testing in the UK with Geely's Lotus Engineering arm to assess the car's suitability for UK roads. The car is already on sale in other right-hand drive markets, including Australia, where the car retails from AUD$44,246 (£21,332) undercutting the Tesla Model Y by around £14,000.
It's expected that UK cars will mirror much of the specification of Australian cars, if not the price. So, we should get EX5 models with a 60kWh battery with a range of 267 miles and a 0-62mph time of 6.9 seconds.
Expect the EX5 to offer plenty of value for money, with a full suite of advanced driver assistance and safety features, plus luxury kit like heated, ventilated and massaging front seats, and tech including a 15in infotainment touchscreen, 10in driver display and 13in head-up display. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto should also be available with the option of a 16-speaker audio system, Geely Connected Services and over-the-air software updates.
In Australia, the EX5 is available across two trim levels, with five available exterior colours and two interior trim options.
In preparation for its UK launch later in the year, Geely is setting up a UK distributor and is already employing former Omoda and BYD staff with experience of setting up a UK business for Chinese car makers.
With experience from Volvo, Lotus and Polestar, Geely already has parts operations that can pivot towards the new brands, too, while it's already engaged with Thatcham Research on insurability through parts availability and documentation of repair methods – areas where some other Chinese entrants into the UK market have failed.
The Geely brand arrival and expansion of the UK sales operation comes as Geely-owned Polestar is scaling back its R&D base in Warwickshire making redundancies in the process. The facility had been working on the Polestar 5, which is set to launch next year.
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