► MG 4 review: one of 2024’s EV benchmarks
► Undercuts most electric cars on price
► Choice of three batteries, 218–323-mile range
The MG 4 is one of the stand-out electric cars of the moment, mixing all-round ability, temptingly low prices, plentiful availability and a reassuringly familiar badge to win plaudits all round. It’s the reigning Car of the Year at our sister site Parkers and it’s no surprise it’s deserved a spot high up in our own best electric cars list.
MG’s two previous electric cars – the ZS EV and the 5 EV – have everything to offer except desirability. They make great pragmatic purchases, with long-range batteries and plenty of space for all the family, but plasticky interiors, dull driving dynamics and all the charisma of a UPVC window counted against them.
In contrast, the MG 4 should worry the likes of the Volkswagen ID.3 and other leading EVs from South Korea – it’s that good. Read our detailed 2024 MG 4 review in full to find out why.
We’ve driven every which variant, including the MG 4 SE, SE Long Range, Trophy Long Range and Trophy Extended Range on UK roads. Our experienced team of road testers can help guide you to the sweet spot in the range for your needs and price point.
Don’t go thinking of MG as some budget bit-player any more – in 2023 it sold more cars in the UK than Skoda, Land Rover or Tesla. A long warranty, small and friendly dealers and significantly less supply disruption than some of its rivals has proved a winning recipe so far.
It’s a convincing recipe – and explains why the MG 4 has sold like hot cakes since it launched in the UK in September 2022. Cheap finance and lease deals are making this benchmark EV a very attractive proposition.
What exactly is the MG 4 EV?
Thinking of it as a Chinese rival to Volkswagen’s ID.3 isn’t too far off the mark. Size-wise, there’s very little in it (the ID.3 is a little taller) giving the MG 4 family hatchback dimensions. It rides on an all-new scalable electric platform with a thin skateboard-style battery under the floor. Pick from the following models:
- MG 4 SE: 51kWh battery, 218-mile range, 3.6 miles per kilowatt hour, £26,995
- MG 4 SE Long Range: 64kWh battery, 281-mile range, 3.8 miles per kilowatt hour, £29,495
- MG 4 Trophy Long Range: 64kWh battery, 270-mile range, 3.7 miles per kilowatt hour, £32,495
- MG 4 Trophy Extended Range: 77kWh battery, 323-mile range, 3.7 miles per kilowatt hour, £36,495
Quoted ranges are for on the official European WLTP cycle, so will likely be a tad optimistic. Although the MG has a more accurate range meter than most, we would cautiously recommend lopping around a quarter to a third of the claims in mixed real-world conditions.
The clever, Chinese-engineered engineering is wrapped in an angular, insectoid body. It doesn’t look half bad in the flesh – somewhat under-wheeled with just 17-inch rims on SE models and 18-inchers on Trophy trim, compared to the ID.3’s 19- or 20in affairs, but modern and smart nonetheless.
There’s a distinctive rear light bar and smart twin roof spoiler (above a surprisingly tiny rear windscreen wiper!), plus vibrant paint choices – the orange you see in the photos here joined by an electric blue and a classier metallic red, among six hues.
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It’s a modern MG, so it’ll be mediocre to drive, right?
Surprisingly, not at all. We first tried the Trophy model with a 150kW (201bhp) electric motor and 184lb ft of seamless torque. But being rear-drive it’s much less prone to lighting up the tyres at the merest hint of acceleration, as happens in the MG 5 or ZS EV, allowing you to get a move on with minimal drama.
You’ll be more than happy getting a move on with the way the 4 EV rides and handles. Those dinky wheels round off bumps admirably well, and the body control is excellent. MG’s new platform offers balanced 50:50 weight distribution and a low centre of gravity and it pays off here – this isn’t just a good budget EV, it’s a great EV to drive, period. More comfortable than an ID.3 or a Cupra Born, and better-resolved than a Renault Zoe or Kia Niro EV.
It even offers a little entertainment if you treat it like a blunt instrument, though the traction control steps in before anything gets too messy.
Entry-level SE models have perfectly acceptable performance: the slowest MG 4 SE is pretty brisk, passing 0-60mph in 7.5 seconds – and step up to the Trophy Extended Range with its brawnier 242bhp motor if you want 6.1sec 0-60mph bragging rights. It feels as quick as a hot hatch.
Driving modes include the usual Normal/Sport/Eco, altering throttle response, braking effort and steering weight, while you can also select from four levels of regenerative braking, including an adaptive mode. Shame there’s no one-pedal drive, but the top level of regen will take you down 80% of the way.
That interior looks very minimalist…
It’s not just in dimensions that the 4 apes the ID.3. The interiors are very similar too, though the brighter and more rounded aesthetic of the VW contrasts the rather sober and straitlaced MG.
There’s no starter button. Step in, sit down and press the brake and the car will come to life once it syncs with the keyless entry system, with two admirably high-definition screens staring at you over a sea of pleather.
Poke around a bit and you’ll find where MG’s saved a bit of cash. You don’t get grab handles or lighting in the sunvisor mirrors, for instance, and the plastics atop the doors and lower down on the dash are decidedly hollow-sounding, while the floor mats are hilariously abrasive. But the steering wheel and both armrests are nicely cushioned, so does it really matter?
There’s something of the Goldilocks quality to the MG 4: it’s just smart enough, without going overboard. It feels like a canny sweet spot, in the same way that Skodas or Korean cars used to.
Physical controls are minimal and amount to a row of buttons below the infotainment screen, plus the drive selector and parking brake. This is where the first real annoyance creeps in: if MG was going to take inspiration from the ID.3, why did it have to be in routing most minor controls through the touchscreen?
It’s just about okay for media consumption, but changing the climate control with an array of diddy onscreen buttons is frustrating. Frustrating, too, that the drive modes, regen and even toggling cruise control on and off is done through a buried sub-menu. Oh, and don’t bother using the wireless charging pad – it’s so slick your phone will slide off at the first roundabout.
The steering wheel controls are unmarked and multifunctional, though we suspect owners would commit them to memory after a few days of ownership without great trouble. Just make sure you are prepared to learn your way around the MG 4’s digital ecosystem. If you prefer physical knobs and buttons, you might be disappointed. We also did not like the over-vigorous lane-keep assist function, which is surprisingly aggressive in its corrections if you dare stray out of lane.
Space for passengers is acceptable: four six-footers will fit with average legroom but good headroom, and unlike some EV rivals the floor in the rear isn’t ridiculously high. The boot is a good size and shape too; although it is not very deep, you do get space under the floor to store the charge cables. There is no ‘frunk’ or front boot.
So just how cheap is the MG 4?
That’s the really exceptional part. MG wants just £26,995 for an entry-level SE car with the Standard Range battery (UK prices have risen from £25,995 at launch in September 2022). Add £2500 for the Long Range car with a bigger 64kWh battery, and a further £3000 on top of that for the Trophy trim which brings a lot of tempting kit.
Stepping up to Trophy brings 360deg parking cameras, wireless phone charging, sat-nav, heated front seats and steering wheel, plus the ability to install the car key in your mobile phone.
That’s already impressive enough (an ID.3 starts from £37,430 at the time of writing; a much smaller Vauxhall Corsa-e, £32,445) but even the finance packages are bang on the money. CAP predicts the best MG 4 will retain an amazing 64.6% of its value after three years – residuals on par with Porsche, Tesla and Land Rover – and even the top-spec one will retain 61.7 per cent.
That means MG can offer the SE Standard Range model, on a three-year PCP with a 35% deposit for a scarcely believable £99 a month in spring 2024. No wonder they’re flying off the shelves…
That sort of monthly payment makes the MG 4 outstandingly good value. It’s unbelievably affordable for a modern, good-to-drive, long range electric car.
MG 4 review: verdict
So should you buy an MG 4? Perhaps for the first time since MG was taken over by SAIC two decades ago, the answer is a resounding yes.
MG’s managed to make a desirable car that somehow undercuts its main rival by more than £10,000. It’s loaded with kit, genuinely competent on the road and backed by a strong concoction of seven-year warranty and friendly local dealers.
It’s definitely one of 2024’s bigger surprises and a car we wholeheartedly recommend if you’re looking to plug in and go electric.
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