• Lots of space in the back
• Competitive boot space
• No load-through facility for rear bench

How much space is there?

Lots, especially when you consider the S5 costs a similar amount to the smaller Renault 4 and Ford Puma Gen-E. At a couple of fingers shy of 4.5m, it’s longer than the Kia EV3 and only slightly shorter than the Skoda Elroq. That really shows inside.

Of course the front seats go back a long way to accommodate tall drivers, and there’s also lots of headroom and a decent amount of space between driver and front passenger. Crucially, the S5 is also spacious for rear seat passengers.

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The back bench doesn’t do anything clever like slide or recline, but that’s not really an issue. Legroom is generous even with someone approaching six-feet tall sat behind the wheel, and there’s plenty of space for feet under the front seat even with that in its lowest position. Headroom is also very impressive.

MG S5 boot space and storage

While the S5’s boot space isn’t class leading, it is certainly competitive when compared to similarly sized rivals. There’s 453 litres of space under the parcel shelf; that’s a mere seven litres less than the Kia EV3 and 17 litres shy of the Elroq. However, the smaller Ford Puma Gen-E has a whopping 523 litre boot and, unlike the S5, under bonnet storage, too.

Still, the S5 has a two-level boot floor that allows you to maximise space in its lowest setting, or lift the boot floor to the height of the loading lip for more convienience. This also has the benefit of giving you a space to put your charging cable and makes for a flat load area with the rear bench folded.

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This is done using a couple of levers on the tops of the rear bench, with no way of folding the bench from the boot, at least with the parcel shelf in the way. The seat split is a standard 60:40, and despite there being a rear armrest, there’s no load through facility, even as an option.

Want an electric tailgate? You’ll need Trophy trim for a gesture controlled one. Oddment storage up front is good thanks to a large tray under the centre console, decent door bins and a slot to stick your phone.

Is it easy to park?

The driving position is elevated enough to give you a good view out forwards and to the side, but the rear screen is rather small and high. At least the S5 has a tight turning circle which boosts manoeuvrability, while 17-18-inch wheels with balloon-like tyres look almost impossible to kerb.

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If that’s not enough, all models get rear parking sensors and a reversing camera, with Trophy adding a 360-degree camera. Front and side parking sensors are absent on all models and not available as an option.

Safety

Euro NCAP tested the S5 in 2025 and gave it the full five stars for safety. It performs well in a crash, especially for adult occupants, and outscored the Kia EV3 in every category bar child occupant protection. Even then, the S5 is just 2% adrift of the EV3’s score.

It doesn’t matter if you’ve gone for base SE or top-spec Trophy, all S5s get the full suite of MG Pilot safety gear. This includes automatic emergency braking, lane keep assist, traffic sign recognition, automatic main beam, blind spot detection and a full suite of airbags. Auto lights are standard on all models, but frustratingly, only Trophy gets auto wipers.

However, the safety kit is too keen if anything. The speed limit warning pings if you go 2mph over the limit for a couple of seconds, and I haven’t been able to turn the warning off at all. The driver attention alert is also a bit hyperactive. You can thankfully have a custom setting with all the stuff you do want and none of what you don’t easily accessed in the infotainment.

You get two Isofix mounts on the outer rear seats that are a doddle to get to and use, but there isn’t one on the front passenger seat. That’s a shame as the Skoda Elroq is available with a handy front Isofix mount, too.