There are some invitations you say yes to immediately. Driving from London to Brighton in a brand-new electric SUV as part of an efficiency rally was definitely one of them. This June, I took part in the London to Brighton EV Rally behind the wheel of the Geely EX5. It was one of those days that brought together everything I love about cars, content and real-world testing. A proper mix of planning, driving, a bit of competitive spirit and plenty of “right, how efficient can we actually make this thing?” energy.
The route started in Westminster and finished on Brighton seafront. On paper, that sounds fairly straightforward. In reality, it meant navigating London traffic, mixed-speed roads, changing gradients, junctions, roundabouts, traffic lights, coastal traffic and the usual real-world stuff that never appears on a clean laboratory test. And that is exactly why I enjoyed it. This was not about seeing what an electric car can do in perfect conditions. It was about seeing how the Geely EX5 performed on a journey people could actually recognise.
First impressions of the Geely EX5
The Geely EX5 is a fully electric family SUV, and first impressions were strong. It feels like the sort of car that has been designed to fit into normal life rather than make electric driving feel complicated. It is not trying to be an outrageous performance car. It is not covered in unnecessary drama. It is comfortable, easy to drive and feels well suited to the kind of journeys most people do every week.
The driving position is good, visibility is decent and the cabin feels spacious enough for family life, commuting, longer trips and everything in between. There is also enough technology inside to make it feel modern without it feeling like you need a training course before setting off.
For a brand that is still new to a lot of UK drivers, the EX5 makes a good first impression. It feels like a sensible, well-equipped electric SUV that has arrived at a time when a lot of people are still weighing up whether an EV could work for them.
The challenge
The goal of the London to Brighton EV Rally was simple: drive efficiently. That sounds easy until you are actually doing it. Suddenly every bit of acceleration, every braking point, every hill, every overtake and every traffic light feels important.
Rather than just driving normally and hoping for the best, we had to think properly about how to get the most from the battery. Smooth inputs were the key. Gentle acceleration, looking far ahead, keeping momentum where possible and avoiding unnecessary braking all made a difference.
It becomes quite addictive once you get into it. You stop thinking about outright speed and start thinking about flow. Can you hold momentum through this section? Can you avoid coming to a complete stop? Can you keep the car settled and efficient without annoying everyone else on the road?
That is where the EX5 impressed me. It was easy to drive smoothly. The power delivery felt predictable, the car felt relaxed and it did not take long to get into a rhythm.
London to Brighton in the real world
The route itself was a great test because it covered such a mix of driving. Leaving London meant slower traffic, stop-start sections and plenty of moments where smooth driving mattered. Once we were out of the city, the roads opened up a bit more, but it still was not the kind of journey where you could just sit at one speed and let the car do all the work.
That matters because this is how most people actually drive. Real-world EV efficiency is not just about the car. It is about temperature, traffic, road type, speed, elevation, driving style and even how much patience you have. The rally really highlighted that.
The Geely EX5 felt very at home doing it. It was comfortable, quiet and easy to place on the road. It did not feel like I had to work hard to get a good result from it, which is important. The best electric cars make efficiency feel natural rather than stressful.
The result: 5.4 miles per kWh
By the time we reached Brighton, the EX5 had achieved 5.4 miles per kWh. For a family-sized electric SUV, that is a seriously strong result. It showed what the car is capable of when driven with a bit of thought and patience. To put it simply, miles per kWh is the EV equivalent of miles per gallon. The higher the number, the more efficiently the car is using its battery. So seeing 5.4 miles per kWh from an SUV on a mixed real-world route was genuinely impressive.
We finished 5th in the SUV category out of 21, which I was really pleased with. Obviously, I would have loved to come away with the win, but for a first proper efficiency challenge in the EX5, 5th place felt like a brilliant result.
It also made the whole day more exciting. There is something about having a leaderboard involved that suddenly makes every driving decision feel dramatic.
What I learned from the rally
The biggest takeaway for me was how much difference your driving style makes in an EV. Range anxiety gets talked about a lot, but what the rally showed is that efficiency is not some mysterious thing you have no control over. The way you drive really does matter.
A few simple changes can make a big difference:
- Drive more smoothly.
- Look further ahead.
- Avoid harsh acceleration.
- Use regenerative braking properly.
- Keep momentum where it is safe to do so.
- Do not treat every gap in traffic like a qualifying lap.
None of that means driving painfully slowly or becoming a rolling roadblock. It just means being more considered. The funny thing is, once you start driving like that, it often feels calmer too.
For anyone thinking about making the switch to an electric car, that is probably one of the most useful lessons. You do not need to obsess over every mile, but understanding how your driving affects efficiency can make EV ownership feel much easier.
What was the Geely EX5 like to drive?
The EX5 was easy to get along with. It felt smooth, quiet and comfortable, which is exactly what you want from this type of car. Around town and through traffic, it felt calm and simple. Out on faster roads, it had enough power to feel confident without feeling jumpy or over the top.
The thing I liked most was that it did not make the event harder than it needed to be. Some cars take a while to understand. Some feel like they are constantly asking you to adapt to them. The EX5 was not like that. I got in, got comfortable and could focus on the route, the efficiency and the challenge.
That is a big compliment for a car that many UK drivers may still be unfamiliar with. The interior also helped. It felt modern and well put together, with the kind of space and comfort you would expect from a family SUV. For commuting, school runs, longer weekend trips and everyday driving, it feels like it would be very easy to live with.
EV rallies matter more than people think
Events like the London to Brighton EV Rally are important because they move the electric car conversation away from theory. It is one thing to read a range figure online. It is another thing to get in the car, drive a proper route and see what happens.
That is what I loved about the day. It was not just a showcase of electric vehicles parked neatly in a line. It was a proper demonstration of what they can do when used in the real world. For anyone still unsure about EVs, that kind of experience is far more useful than a spreadsheet of figures. You see the cars moving, charging, arriving, competing and being used properly.
And finishing on Brighton seafront gave the whole thing a brilliant atmosphere. After driving down from London, arriving by the coast with all the other EVs felt like a proper celebration of how far electric cars have come.
Final thoughts
The Geely EX5 surprised me in a really positive way. It was comfortable, easy to drive and impressively efficient on the London to Brighton route. Achieving 5.4 miles per kWh and finishing 5th in the SUV category out of 21 gave me a proper result to be proud of, but more importantly, it showed that the EX5 has real potential as an everyday electric SUV.
For me, the day was a reminder that EVs are at their best when you stop thinking of them as something strange or complicated. You get in, you drive, you adapt slightly and you learn how to get the best from them. The EX5 made that feel easy. And honestly, as first introductions go, driving from Westminster to Brighton in an efficiency rally was not a bad way to get to know it.
