2025 IM5 and IM6 review 

MG Motor ventures into premium territory with its IM marque, which seems to deliver the goods – but can badge snobs look past the ‘ick’ factor?

Blue MG IM6 and white IM5 parked with city and harbour bridge in the background

Ever since Toyota decided to turn its hand to luxury models and create Lexus, other brands have followed suit with varying success. Nissan’s luxury brand Infiniti found traction in the US but spun its wheels in Australia for a few years before pulling out, while Hyundai eventually found acceptance once it split Genesis into a separate division. MG Motor is the latest to try to shrug off its ‘budget’ background and create a luxury marque, IM (‘Intelligence in Motion’). Pricing for its debut EV models is enticing, but will consumers really see the IM5 and IM6 as “attainable dream cars”?

How much do the IM5 and IM6 cost?

The IM5 and IM6 come in three spec levels: Premium for $60,990, Platinum for $69,990 and Performance for $80,990 (all drive-away prices). The IM5 has a sedan body shape, while the IM6 is a mid-sized SUV.

IM doesn’t lack competitors at this price point, lining up against the Tesla Model Y ($72,300), Volvo CX40 Recharge ($76,990), Mercedes-Benz EQA ($78,513), Ford Mustang Mach-E ($79,990), BMW ix1 ($82,000), and Polestar 4 ($81,500), to name just a few of the luxury EVs available in Australia.

What are the IM5 and IM6 like inside?

Few things are more cringeworthy than an ‘affordable’ brand attempting to do luxury, but there’s nothing try-hard about the IM models in that regard. Seat padding is thick and sumptuous and there are lashings of artificial leather all around the cabin. The curvaceous design feels futuristic but also cosy, with straight lines and corners absent except on the touchscreens. Double-glazed windows block out exterior noise effectively and the panoramic sunroof has a double silver layer for heat rejection – which, along with the ventilated front seats, makes it well-suited to the Australian climate. Electric door openers are another premium touch. Some of the plastic used on the centre console and door inlays is the only element that suggests ‘affordable’.

In keeping with modern cabin architecture, the IMs have an expansive main screen that incorporates a digital instrument cluster and central display, but there’s also a secondary touchscreen at a slight upward angle on the centre console, which seems an odd choice as it hampers open storage options. While traditional knobs and switches are nowhere in evidence, there are two clever spheres on the steering wheel which act as both buttons and rollers that can go up and down or sideways for easy navigation through menus. There is one USB-C port and one 12-volt charging socket front and rear.

The IM6 is designed for space and comfort more than the IM5 and this is most evident in its cargo area, with 665 litres in the Premium and Platinum models compared to just 457 litres in the IM5. It’s the same story for the frunk, the IM6 offering 32 litres compared to 18 litres in its sedan sibling. Rear cargo space is further reduced in the Performance models to make way for a second motor.

On face value the IM5 and IM6 represent exceptional value and could reshape expectations in the luxury EV market. 

— Kris Ashton  

The MG IM6

The MG IM6

The MG IM5

The MG IM5

The MG IM5 interior

1/5

What equipment does the IM5 and IM6 come with?

Knowing it would be up against stiff competition, IM has adorned even the base model IM5 and IM6 with a litany of nice-to-haves as standard. These include keyless entry and start, a 26.3-inch ‘immersive’ touchscreen, 10.5-inch central touchscreen, voice control system, digital video recorder, wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, digital radio, a heated steering wheel, ambient interior lighting, ventilated wireless phone charger, heated/cooled storage box, two-zone climate control, a 20-speaker sound system, synthetic leather seats, a 12-way power-adjustable driver’s seat with memory function, six-way power-adjustable passenger’s seat, heated seats front and rear, ventilated front seats, adjustable rear seats, hands-free powered tailgate, rain sensing wipers and an array of self-parking functions (more on that below).

Aside from performance and range, little separates the Premium, Platinum and Performance trims. Platinum and Performance are treated to a more powerful air conditioner and larger wheels (20-inch in the IM5 and 21-inch in the IM6). With its focus on comfort, the IM6 does score a few minor luxuries over the IM5, such as manual leg rest adjustment.

There are five exterior and two interior colour options available for both the IM5 and IM6 at no additional cost.

IM vehicles are subject to a seven-year/unlimited kilometre warranty and a separate eight-year/160,000km warranty on the battery. IMs will be sold and serviced through MG dealerships, but not all dealers are participating – something to query if you get beyond the test drive stage.

How safe are the IM5 and IM6?

The IM vehicles have not been ANCAP crash tested, but they do come with a wide array of safety equipment including seven airbags, a driver monitoring system, pedestrian warning system, and every imaginable cross-traffic, lane departure, and speed monitoring technology. (Custom settings will let you turn off speed alert chimes with a single button press).

What powers the IM5 and IM6?

Powertrains are what primarily separates the various IM spec levels. The Premium has a single RWD motor (217kW/450Nm) with power supplied by a 75kWh lithium iron phosphate battery. WLTP range is 490km in the IM5 and 450km in the slightly heavier IM6.

Platinum and Performance grades step up to a 100kWh nickel manganese cobalt battery. In the Platinum vehicles this drives a single RWD motor (300kW/500Nm) and delivers a range of 655km in the IM5 and 555km in the IM6.

Performance models have two motors (200kW/302Nm on the front axle and 372kW/500Nm at the rear), which drops the 0-100km/h time to a squeak over three seconds but also reduces range to 575km in the IM5 and 505km in the IM6.

All models have an 11kW charging unit on board. The 75kWh battery can accept DC charging up to 153kW, while the 100kWh can take 396kW (assuming you can find a DC charger with that capacity). Claimed 30 to 80 per cent charging times are 20 minutes for the Premium and 15.2 minutes for the Platinum and Performance. All models have a vehicle-to-load (V2L) function.

What is the make model like to drive?

We spent a limited time in the IM5 and IM6 during an IM launch event in Sydney. There’s a softness to the interior that many of the Euro prestige brands have abandoned in favour of sportiness and sitting in an IM really does live up to that motoring journalist cliché, ‘cosseted’.

Gear selection is via a stalk on the right-hand side of the steering column ala Mercedes-Benz, with a button on the end for park and an automatic parking brake. The digital instrument cluster is agreeably huge and its proud positioning behind the steering wheel all but negates the need for a head-up display (one of the few notable omissions in the IM range).

As the stated power and torque figures suggest acceleration is brisk indeed, with even the base model Premium returning a sub-7.0 second 0-100km/h time. The Performance models are aptly named, with neck-snapping acceleration reminiscent of the Porsche Taycan and dual-motor Tesla Model S, and the Performance IM5 hits highway velocity in just 3.2 seconds. The one thing we weren’t able to judge during our time in the IMs was handling, and with the IM5 Performance tipping the scales at a porcine 2298kg, it’s likely to need its advanced air suspension, intelligent damping system, four-wheel steering and torque vectoring.

The IM powertrains do have energy recuperation, but it can only be set to ‘low’ and ‘standard’, and even standard is gentle, doing little to wipe off speed. There does not appear to be a one-pedal driving option.

The IM party piece is its self-parking function, one of the best examples of the technology yet. Not only can it detect spots accurately and park itself from a variety of angles, it can also pull back out the touch of a button and ‘crab walk’ out of a tight spot (four-wheel steering essentially lets it move at a slight diagonal while remaining straight). A 100-metre ‘trace back’ memory function means it can retrace its course out of a twisting driveway or dead end without driver input.

Open Road’s take on the IM5 and IM6

One doesn’t readily associate ‘MG Motor’ with ‘luxury’, but the IM5 and IM6 appear to be the real deal. Measured on luxury, technology and performance they certainly than hold their own and, unlike the European brands, IM has no endless options list to inflate the final price. Time will tell if build quality and materials are up to snuff, and whether the drive experience stands up on more challenging roads, but on face value the IM5 and IM6 represent exceptional value and could reshape expectations in the luxury EV market.