Proton e.Mas 5 review: The little EV that beat Tesla

[SINGAPORE] If you’ve ever wondered what the single best-selling car in China is like, you can satisfy that curiosity by prodding around the inside of the Proton e.Mas 5.

That sounds like a typo, but the e.Mas 5 is essentially a clone of the Geely Xingyuan (also known as the Geely EX2), a compact, egg-shaped cutie that topped the Middle Kingdom’s sales charts in 2025, displacing the Tesla Model Y in the process.

Lots of industry observers muse about whether anyone will ever beat Tesla, but this car has actually done it, and in what might be the toughest market in the world, too. 

The Proton’s appeal lies in its ability to balance simplicity with functionality. It’s built on a modest recipe, with a single motor sending 114 horsepower to the rear wheels, and a relatively small battery capacity to go with it.

The claimed range is just 325 kilometres, but I was on track to beat it (or at least rough it up a bit), having returned the car with 251 km left in the battery pack after covering 82 km.

To drive, the little Proton is fabulously manoeuvrable and eager to change direction, but not especially good at holding the road; getting the tyres to squeal through a corner is almost comically easy.

It’s certainly not fast, and there’s a bouncy, small-car quality to the way it rides. Once you’re above city speeds, road noise builds steadily until it starts to have an argument with the sound system, which is surprisingly good.

The seats are manually adjusted and trimmed in cloth, the steering column doesn’t adjust for reach, and the air-conditioning is a simple affair. There’s no wireless charging pad, while the cabin plastics are the hard-wearing sort designed to survive nuclear war.

Beyond that, the e.Mas 5 feels like it punches above its price tag in many ways. The screens (note the plural) don’t look or feel like a cost-saving exercise. They’re both sharp, and the 14.6-inch infotainment system works snappily.

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One gripe: Apple CarPlay takes over the entire display, necessitating an extra swipe if you want to make the air-con or other car controls reappear.

There’s no smart cruise control to do most of the driving for you and no self-parking party trick, but blind spot monitors and a 360-degree camera are included and worth having.

I would have wanted a few more physical controls, specifically for the sound system and air-con, but you do get some that make the Proton relatively straightforward to operate. Just as welcome are the rear air-con vents, which are by no means a given in this class.

There’s also enough room in the back for two adults to sit there without feeling as if they’re being punished for something they did in a previous life.

For a small car, the e.Mas 5 does offer plenty of storage, too. It has a 70-litre frunk (which you can open with the key fob, handily), and 28 litres of space under the rear seats.

The boot measures just 375 litres but is nice and deep, and you can expand it if you go furniture shopping. And yes, it does feel like a car you don’t have to drive home empty-handed from a trip to Ikea.

Ultimately, I might have been charmed by the Proton because I simply wasn’t expecting much from it, but if your idea of smart car shopping is to spend as little as you can possibly get away with, the e.Mas 5 shows that you needn’t end up with something grim.

It’s among the cheapest cars in Singapore, but its best trick is that it doesn’t make you feel like buying one would be short-changing yourself.

Proton e.Mas 5

Motor power/Torque 114 hp/150 Nm Battery type/Net capacity Lithium Iron Phosphate/40.16 kWh Charging time/Type 5.9 hours (6.6kW AC), 21 minutes 30 to 80 per cent (71kW DC) Range 325 km 0 to 100 kmh 12.1 seconds Efficiency 15.2 kWh/100 km Agent Proton Singapore Price S$174,988 with COE Available Now