I’ve been testing the 2026 Geely Starray EM-i with my family this week. This is a five-seat medium SUV and a plug-in hybrid, making it Geely’s second model for the Australian market after the all-electric EX5. Starting from just $37,490 before on-roads, it’s one of the most affordable plug-in hybrids you can buy in Australia right now, so let’s find out how it stacks up as a family car.
Quick Overview
✓ Fits three child seats across the rear row
✓ 186cm driver fits in front of a rear-facing child seat
✓ 13 shopping bags in the boot — generous for a PHEV
✓ 83km electric-only range for daily school runs and commutes
✓ Five-star ANCAP safety rating with seven airbags
✓ Starting from just $37,490 before on-roads
✗ Front cup holders too close together for two cups at once
✗ Three child seats across the shoulders is a tight squeeze
✗ No spare tyre (puncture repair kit only)
✗ One booster seat could not be correctly installed in the centre rear position (per ANCAP testing)
Key Specifications
Feature
Specification
Price Range
$37,490 – $39,990 (before on-road costs)
Model Tested
Starray EM-i Inspire ($39,990)
Warranty
7-year/unlimited km (8-year battery warranty)
Safety Rating
5-star ANCAP (2025)
Powertrain
1.5L petrol + dual electric motors (PHEV)
Power/Torque
160kW / 262Nm (electric system)
Electric Range
83km (WLTP)
Combined Range
943km (WLTP)
Battery
18.4kWh lithium-iron phosphate (LFP)
Child Seat Capacity
3 seats (2 ISOFIX, 3 top tethers)
Boot Space
13 shopping bags
Review conducted by Tace Clifford. Vehicle tested in December 2025.
How much does the 2026 Geely Starray EM-i cost and what are the options?
Model Grade
Price (Before On-road Costs)
Starray EM-i Complete
$37,490
Starray EM-i Inspire
$39,990
The Geely Starray EM-i range is simple with just two variants. The Complete starts at $37,490 and the Inspire I tested comes in at $39,990, both before on-road costs (stamp duty, rego, CTP etc). Premium paint is an extra $600 if you want anything other than Alpine White.
That pricing makes it one of the most affordable plug-in hybrids on sale in Australia. To put that in context, the Hyundai Tucson Hybrid starts from $42,850 for a hybrid (not even a plug-in), and the Jaecoo J7 SHS PHEV starts from $43,990.
The entry-level Complete is well equipped with a 15.4-inch infotainment screen, wireless Apple CarPlay, surround-view monitor, automatic climate control, heated front seats, LED headlights, satellite navigation, and a six-speaker sound system.
The Inspire I tested adds a panoramic powered sunroof, a 16-speaker Flyme sound system, head-up display, wireless smartphone charging, power tailgate, front parking sensors, 256-colour ambient lighting (which the kids love), front seat ventilation (which I love in the humid Queensland summer), and driver’s seat memory (great if, like in my family, the drivers are VERY different in height). For an extra $2,500 that’s a lot of creature comforts and a bit of a no brainer!
Both versions come with Geely’s seven-year, unlimited kilometre warranty. The high-voltage battery has an eight-year, unlimited kilometre warranty, which gives good peace of mind for families planning to keep the car long term.
How big is the boot of the 2026 Geely Starray EM-i?
The boot door of the Geely Starray EM-i Inspire opens and closes at the touch of a button, and it has a really quiet beep which is fantastic as it wouldn’t wake your little ones when they’re asleep.
The boot floor drops down about 10 centimetres, giving you extra storage underneath or a deeper boot area. There’s also lovely hidden storage under the boot floor. The Geely Starray EM-i does not have a spare tyre, instead it comes with a puncture repair kit, which is kept underneath the boot floor.
When empty, the boot of the Geely Starray EM-i will hold 13 shopping bags. That’s good for a plug-in hybrid, as in some models the battery can eat up boot space. It’s roomier than the Jaecoo J7 SHS PHEV (10 bags), and on par with the MG HS Plug-in Hybrid (12 bags). The Hyundai Tucson Hybrid holds 14 bags and the Subaru Forester Hybrid holds 16 bags, but neither of those are plug-in hybrids.
I measure the boot space in freezer shopping bags, prams and dogs. Not because I think all there is to a mum’s life is food shopping, prams and dogs. (Although it can feel like it sometimes!!) But because these are visually measurable items we can all associate with.
A multi-configuration pram with a single seat fits in the boot of the Geely Starray EM-i with four shopping bags.
A multi-configuration pram with two sibling seats also fits in the boot with four shopping bags, which is a great result for families with two little ones in a tandem pram setup.
A multi-configuration pram with a single seat and the bassinet will fit in the boot side by side, but with no shopping bags. So if you’ve got a newborn and a toddler, you can fit the pram but you’ll need to put your shopping elsewhere.
A single running stroller with the back wheels on fits easily in the boot with three shopping bags.
A double running stroller with the back wheels on fits in the boot with no shopping bags. So if you’ve got two young siblings and need the double jogger, it will fit but you’ll just need to plan your shopping trips separately. Or balance your shopping on top of your pram!
A compact and lightweight stroller fits in the boot of the Geely Starray EM-i with eight shopping bags, which is excellent.
You can also fit two 90-litre duffel bags in the boot for family road trips.
A medium-sized dog will fit in the boot of the Geely Starray EM-i.
The boot space and its functionality are really important. I like to have a big boot space and little side wells or areas I can divide things into. So something I don’t want to move around while I’m driving such as my daughter’s lunch bag or her wet swimming gear can be sectioned off in a little well where it’s not going to spill or get squashed by the rest of the things in the boot.
How good is the storage in the 2026 Geely Starray EM-i for families?
The interior of the Geely Starray EM-i is really nice and modern with a clutter-free design. There aren’t many buttons around, just a few on the central dash console, and the cabin feels open and spacious.
In the front, there are two cup holders in the central console. They will hold a reusable or disposable coffee cup. However, I found that I often couldn’t get two in at the same time as the cup holders too close together. That’s a bit annoying for families where both sleep-deprived parents need their coffee on the go!
Behind the cup holders, there are two mobile phone beds. One of them has wireless charging, which is handy. Behind that, you’ve got a good-sized central console box.
The central console bridge has a nice big storage area where you can put an iPad or a wallet. You’ve got USB, USB-C, and a 12-volt socket down there too, which is great for keeping devices charged on family road trips.
The glove box is a good size – it would hold a wallet and an iPad.
The door bins in the front are really lovely and big. They will hold a large refillable water bottle, and an iPad and wallet fit in them too. There are also little shelves above them in the door handles where you can pop a mobile phone.
In the back, there’s a fold-down armrest in the central seat back with two cup holders. They will hold a reusable or disposable coffee cup, and a kids’ drink cup fits in there easily.
In the back of the central console box, you’ve got USB and USB-C sockets, and there’s a little shelf there to store a mobile phone. There are map pockets on the back of both front seats that will hold and conceal an iPad, which is great for keeping the kids entertained on longer drives.
The door bins in the back are lovely and big too — they will hold a refillable water bottle and an iPad and wallet fit in there as well. And there are little storage shelves in the door handles, which are great for popping a mobile phone.
How many child seats will fit in the 2026 Geely Starray EM-i?
There are ISOFIX anchorages on the two outer rear seats of the Geely Starray EM-i.
They are within plastic guides and really lovely and easy to connect to.
There are top tether anchorages on the back of all three rear seats, and they’re nice and easy to access through the boot.
I could just fit three child seats across the back row. I tried three forward-facing and they just fit, so you will need to check which seats you put in there and try them before you buy, because just across the shoulders it is quite narrow.
I also tried with one rear-facing child seat and two forward-facing, and with the legroom there, it’s actually excellent.
With the rear-facing child seat behind the driver, you can fit a 186-centimetre driver in front, which is fantastic news for tall families. That’s on par with the Subaru Forester Hybrid (186cm) and the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV (186cm), and much better than the Hyundai Tucson Hybrid (170cm) and the Jaecoo J7 SHS PHEV (180cm).
The foot well is completely flat in the rear too, so there’s really good kick room and easy access for little passengers getting to and from their child seats.
I did try sitting between two child seats and I could just do it, but it is a bit of a shoulder squeeze.
It’s worth noting that according to ANCAP testing, one of the selected booster seats could not be correctly installed in the centre rear seating position. So if you’re planning to use a booster in the middle, definitely check compatibility before you buy.
How comfortable is the 2026 Geely Starray EM-i for families?
The rear passengers are kept really nice and comfortable in the Starray EM-i. There are air vents in the back of the central console box, so you can keep the little passengers the right temperature while you’re driving along.
There are grab handles above both of the rear doors, so you can hang a toy from there to keep little passengers entertained on long journeys. There are also lights above both rear doors in the ceiling, so you can see what you’re doing when you’re popping your kids in and out at night.
I have found our daughter does not like travelling in the dark in the car so if it gets dark whilst travelling then I reach back and turn the interior light on for her. So it’s really important for me that I can reach the rear ceiling light.
It is also useful when there are lights situated above the doors where the handles are usually positioned. These are good for when putting baby into their child seats when visibility is poor, so you do not have to reach across them to a light situated in the ceiling centrally etc.
The front seats are really lovely and comfortable. The Inspire model I tested has ventilated front seats, which is brilliant for Queensland summers — keeps you nice and cool on the school run.
The visors in the ceiling have lit vanity mirrors.
The interior ceiling feels roomy. Combined with what Geely says is one of the longest seat cushions in the segment, the rear cabin is a very comfortable place for passengers of all ages.
What is the media system like in the 2026 Geely Starray EM-i?
The media system in the Geely Starray EM-i runs on a lovely big 15.4-inch landscape screen in the middle of the dash, which has an iPad-like interface that’s simple to get around.
The best bit for parents? You can choose from some fantastic backgrounds. We love the guinea pig and the kitten in our family, but there are a few to choose from, which are very cute. The kids will love choosing their favourite.
Wireless Apple CarPlay is built in, and Android Auto has now been added via an over-the-air (OTA) update that went live in March 2026.
That same OTA update also added a Drive Setup one-touch activation, so you can set your customised (i.e. toned down) safety bings and bongs from a simple steering-wheel button press. Geely also improved the cruise control to make it smoother.
I love the camping mode, which lets you use the battery to run fridges and other equipment while camping but will automatically turn off battery use when it drops below 25%, so you don’t find yourself stranded.
There’s also a rest mode, which is brilliant for families — it turns off the occupant detection alert so you can wait in the car while little ones can have a sleep in the back without any noise disturbing them.
The reversing camera images are really lovely and clear, and I love that it gives you a real-time distance to whatever is behind you.
You’ve also got front cameras and side cameras you can easily select too. Junction cameras pop up on the media screen when you indicate, which is a really nice safety touch.
How safe is the 2026 Geely Starray EM-i for families?
The Geely Starray EM-i has a five-star ANCAP safety rating, scoring 90% for adult occupant protection, 87% for child occupant protection, 86% for vulnerable road user protection, and 82% for safety assist. This rating applies to all variants (both Complete and Inspire) and was tested under the 2023-2025 rating criteria, published in February 2026.
The Geely Starray EM-i comes with seven airbags as standard, including:
Dual frontal, side chest-protecting and side head-protecting (curtain) airbags that extend to the rear row of seats. A centre airbag which provides added protection to front seat occupants in side impact crashes is also standard.
According to ANCAP, in the frontal offset and side impact tests, protection of both the 10-year and 6-year child dummies was rated as GOOD, with maximum points scored in both of these tests.
A child presence detection system is fitted as standard, although ANCAP noted that the system did not meet their requirements and was not rewarded in the scoring.
The Geely Starray EM-i comes with a long list of active safety technologies as standard across both variants, including autonomous emergency braking (AEB) covering car-to-car, vulnerable road user, junction, crossing, backover and head-on scenarios, adaptive cruise control (iACC), a lane support system with lane keep assist (LKA), lane departure warning (LDW) and emergency lane keeping (ELK), blind spot monitoring (BSM), rear cross-traffic alert with brake, forward collision warning (FCW), a driver fatigue alert and distraction monitoring system, a surround-view monitor, speed sign recognition, and seatbelt reminders for all seating positions.
Some of these safety features are also features that drive me crazy as a mum! Like the lane departure and forward collision alert or the parking sensor beeping sound. I want all the safety technology AND to be able to mute the sound when Bub’s asleep!
The good news is that the Geely Starray EM-i lets you customise your driver assist settings through the media screen, so you can turn individual features on and off as you need them. The OTA update also added a Drive Setup shortcut so you can quickly switch to your preferred safety settings profile.
What is the 2026 Geely Starray EM-i like to drive?
The Geely Starray EM-i is a lovely, comfortable and quiet car to drive. Being a plug-in hybrid, I could do most of my driving just using the battery range. With about 83 kilometres of electric-only range, I could easily handle my school drop-offs and daily commutes without using any fuel at all.
If my little one falls asleep, I can sit with the car running on just the battery and not churning through fuel, which is great. The combined fuel and battery range is about 943 kilometres, which is really good for family road trips and holidays.
There are three driving modes to choose from: Pure (electric only), Hybrid (switches between electric and petrol), and Power (both working together for maximum performance). For everyday family driving, I mostly used Pure mode for the quiet, smooth ride, switching to Hybrid for longer trips.
The Starray EM-i can be charged via AC at 6.6kW or DC fast charging at 30kW. The 18.4kWh battery can be charged from 30% to 80% in just 20 minutes on DC, which is handy if you need a quick top-up. It also has Vehicle-to-Load (V2L) functionality with up to 6kW of power output, so you can run appliances from the car when camping — brilliant for family getaways.
Since becoming a mum I spend A LOT of time parked up somewhere with a nice view while my daughter is asleep in the back! If it’s hot I need to leave the engine running and the aircon on but I do like to get out and drink my cuppa tea in the fresh air while enjoying the fact my limbs are free from said dangling child!
The cabin is very spacious and open with nice big windows, so everybody has their own personal space. It feels light and airy in here, and visibility is very good. With three child seats in the back, I can see over the top of them in my rear-view mirror, which is excellent.
The steering is lovely and light, and the turning circle is excellent too. That makes parking and manoeuvring around town, multi-storey car parks, and school car parks really lovely and simple.
One thing I have noticed since being a mum is I hate it when I reach a destination or get home from being out and the kids have either done really well in the car or she is screaming her head off and I have done really well to keep it together for the entire journey (usually the latter!!) and it takes 10 minutes to park the car! It can be really stressful.
The Starray EM-i’s tight turning circle and light steering mean parking is quick and painless, which is exactly what you need after a fraught drive with the kids!
It’s also worth noting that the Geely Starray EM-i set a Guinness World Record in December 2025 for the lowest fuel consumption by a plug-in hybrid SUV on the Sydney to Melbourne coastal drive, achieving just 3.83 L/100km over 1,056 kilometres. So the efficiency claims are backed up by real-world results.
Additional Information
Geely offers a seven-year, unlimited kilometre warranty for the Starray EM-i, with an eight-year, unlimited kilometre warranty on the high-voltage battery. Servicing occurs every 12 months or 15,000 kilometres (whichever comes first), and Geely has an Assured Service Pricing program so you know what to budget for. Up to seven years of complimentary roadside assistance is included when serviced within the Geely network.
The Starray EM-i is powered by a 1.5-litre petrol engine paired with an 11-in-1 electric drive unit containing two electric motors. Power goes to the front wheels only.
Both the Complete and Inspire are available in six exterior colours. Alpine White is standard, while Polar Black, Cloudveil Silver, Volcanic Grey, Glacier Blue, and Jungle Green are available as premium paint for $600. Two interior colours are available: Ebony Black (both variants) and Ivory White (Inspire only).
Compare the 2026 Geely Starray EM-i
If you are looking at the Geely Starray EM-i as a five-seat plug-in hybrid SUV for your family, here are some competitors worth considering.
The Hyundai Tucson Hybrid (from $42,850 FWD) is a regular hybrid (not a plug-in) that holds 14 shopping bags and fits three child seats across the back. It scored 86% for adult and 87% for child occupant protection in ANCAP testing. It doesn’t have the Starray EM-i’s electric-only driving capability, and it’s more expensive, but it’s a well-known and trusted brand with a strong dealer network.
The Subaru Forester Hybrid (from $46,490) is another non-plug-in hybrid that fits 16 shopping bags in the boot and can also fit three child seats with 186cm of legroom for a rear-facing capsule. It scored 83% for adult and 91% for child occupant protection. It’s pricier and lacks electric-only driving, but it comes with standard all-wheel drive.
The Jaecoo J7 SHS PHEV (from $43,990) is a Chinese-brand plug-in hybrid competitor that fits just 10 shopping bags and only two child seats across the back. The Starray EM-i beats it on boot space, child seat capacity, and price.
The Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV (from $57,290) is a plug-in hybrid with available seven-seat configuration. In five-seat mode it holds 14 shopping bags and has three top tether anchorages with 186cm of legroom. It scored 85% for adult and 84% for child occupant protection under the latest rating. It’s a much more expensive option but offers AWD and the flexibility of a third row.
Vehicle
Price From
Shopping Bags
Child Seats
RF Legroom
ANCAP Child %
Geely Starray EM-i (PHEV)
$37,490
13
3
186cm
87%
Hyundai Tucson Hybrid (HEV)
$42,850
14
3
170cm
87%
Subaru Forester Hybrid (HEV)
$46,490
16
3
186cm
91%
Jaecoo J7 SHS PHEV
$43,990
10
2
180cm
85%
Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV (5-seat)
$57,290
14
3
186cm
84%
BabyDrive Verdict on the 2026 Geely Starray EM-i Inspire
The Geely Starray EM-i is a seriously impressive family car, especially at this price. Fitting three child seats across the back, getting 186cm of legroom behind a rear-facing capsule.
Holding 13 shopping bags in the boot and having a five-star ANCAP safety rating, all from under $40,000 for a plug-in hybrid, is a lot of car for the money.
The 83km electric-only range means most families could do their daily driving on battery alone, saving fuel costs while still having the peace of mind of a petrol engine for longer trips and that 943km combined range. The V2L capability is a bonus for camping families, and the rest mode and camping mode show that Geely has thought about how families actually use their cars.
The only real downsides are the cup holders being too close together in the front, the tight shoulder squeeze with three child seats, the lack of a spare tyre, and the ANCAP-noted issue with one booster seat not fitting correctly in the centre position. These are worth checking before you buy, but none of them are deal-breakers.
For families looking for an affordable, efficient, and practical plug-in hybrid SUV, the Geely Starray EM-i is well worth a test drive.
Key Pros:
Fits three child seats across the rear row
186cm driver fits in front of a rear-facing child seat
13 shopping bags in the boot
83km electric-only range for daily commutes
943km combined range for road trips
Five-star ANCAP safety rating (90% adult / 87% child)
Starting from $37,490 before on-roads
Seven-year unlimited kilometre warranty
V2L functionality (6kW) for camping
Rest mode turns off occupant alerts when kids are sleeping
Power tailgate with quiet beep (Inspire)
Flat rear footwell for easy child seat access
Excellent turning circle and light steering
Key Cons:
Front cup holders too close together for two cups at once
Three child seats across is a tight shoulder squeeze
No spare tyre (puncture repair kit only)
One booster seat could not be correctly installed in centre rear position (ANCAP testing)
Child presence detection fitted but did not meet ANCAP requirements
No all wheel drive option available
