<p>The development of electrical vehicles (EVs) demands more efficient and environmentally friendly electrode materials to extend the driving range and reduce the cost of the batteries. The transition metal phosphate is considered as a promising solution due to its non-toxicity, affordability and safety. However, its use has been hindered by the low tap density in comparison with layered oxide cathode materials, which limits the volumetric energy density of the batteries. In order to tackle this challenge, we synthesize high-performance LiMn_0.5Fe_0.5PO₄ (LFMP) from carbonate precursors prepared by co-precipitation method. In this work we demonstrated that adjusting key parameters of the co-precipitation process allows formation of dense and spherical precursors for micro-sized LMFP cathode materials. LMFP delivered 137.86 mAhg^− 1 at 50^oC owing to the fast Li⁺-diffusion kinetics. Despite the necessity of further optimization, we believe that our synthesis route could pave the way to the development of high-energy-density batteries based on LMFP.</p> Graphical Abstract <p></p>