Is This Mullen Five Concept Car From A Failed Startup Worth Your Money?

Is it possible to make it roadworthy? I don't know, but now's the chance to find out.

mullen-five-1

Photo by: Facebook Marketplace

Nico DeMattia

By: Nico DeMattia

Sep 8, at 1:59pm ET

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You're forgiven for not knowing what a Mullen Five is. The upstart American electric automaker debuted a concept car a few years back as a sort of Tesla competitor, but it never made it past that phase and never even came close to becoming a production car. In fact, there's no evidence that there were even batteries, motors, or even fully functioning vehicle chassis that were anywhere close to production-ready. However, despite the brand's failures, you can actually buy one of Mullen's concept cars (it might be the only one), because one was just listed for sale on Facebook Marketplace.

Where to even begin with Mullen? Here's the brief rundown of Mullen's short-lived but messy existence. The American automaker was mostly going to rebadge Chinese EVs and went public in 2020, but its share price plummeted the following year. It bought a production facility in Mississippi, but never built anything there. It initially had the idea for an electric crossover type thing that would compete with the Model Y called the MX-05, but then it changed the name to just "Five." In 2022, shareholders sued the company and Mullen had to pay out $7.25 million. Then, it bought the controlling stake of Bollinger Motors, changed its name to Bollinger Innovations, shut down Bollinger Motors in 2025, and then ultimately went into receivership in 2026. In a nutshell, Mullen doesn't exist anymore.

The Mullen Five was supposed to launch in 2024 and there was even an ultra-fast Mullen Five RS announced. This concept car is all that's left of the brand's plans to take on the Model Y and it's barely even a car. While the Marketplace ad shows a video of it driving, it's unclear if it's even built on a roadworthy chassis. It might just be a rolling shell for auto show stands.

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Photo by: Facebook Marketplace

As it stands, it only has a top speed of 15 mph, as it's powered by five lead-acid 12-volt batteries in a series. However, it does have a Brembo brake kit that's supposed to be for a BMW M2, but that's hard to prove from Facebook photos. It's also said to ride on coilover suspension, though it doesn't say what kind, and it has 23-inch wheels.

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It does have a full interior that seems at least close to production-ready and, dare I say, it actually looks kind of nice. So if someone can put an actual EV powertrain in it, and not just a bunch of 12-volt batteries, maybe it can be a fun, super unique project car. Looking at the batteries under the hood, it's hard to tell what can fit under there or whether it's actually capable of being roadworthy. Since Mullen planned on rebadging Chinese EVs, it's possible that it's a real car underneath, just minus a powertrain.

Is it worth $8,000 to buy this concept car from a defunct upstart just to do an EV powertrain swap? I'm not so sure. There are plenty of cool cars that can be had for cheaper that still serve the same purpose. However, there may not be another Mullen of any kind on the road, so this could be your chance to have something that even the richest people in the world don't have.

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