MG4: long-term test review

First report: new EV joins our fleet with two awards to its name

Verdict

The MG4 deserves all the silverware it gets. It puts paid to the notion that all EVs cost far more than the petrol-powered equivalent. Spacious, good to drive and – for now – quite efficient, it’s genuinely enjoyable to live with.

• Mileage: 9,626
• Efficiency: 3.8mi/kWh

We called it late last year, and six months later the MG4 remains one of the very best electric cars on sale. Named Car of the Year by sister title DrivingElectric back in December, the bargain EV has now been awarded the title of Auto Express Affordable Electric Car of the Year 2023.

My new long-term test car is off to a good start then; almost before I’d unlocked the doors, it was a double award winner. But this is no all-singing, all-dancing super-luxury premium SUV – this is one of the cheapest electric cars money can buy.

The MG costs from £26,995, so only the Smart EQ ForTwo – soon to be discontinued, but still available on the maker’s website – and brand-new BYD Dolphin cost less. Our car is the pricier Long Range model in top-spec Trophy trim, but at less than £33k all in, its value credentials are irrefutable.

So how about a quick rundown of the specs and some insight into why we rate the MG4 so highly? Base SE cars get LED lights front and rear, 17-inch wheels and rear parking sensors, while inside there’s a 10.25-inch touchscreen with Apple and Android phone connectivity, plus a suite of driver-assistance systems. There are two battery options: 51kWh or 64kWh.

Step up to Trophy and you get that bigger battery as standard, meaning up to 281 miles on a charge. This is not an EV hamstrung by a short urban-only driving range – as was proven when I took it to Cornwall on an 800-mile round trip within days of collecting the keys.

Trophy cars like mine bolster that already-generous kit list with standard-fit sat-nav, a heated steering wheel and heated front seats, wireless phone charging and a 360-degree parking camera. In fact, since we took delivery, new orders now also come with bigger 18-inch wheels and a rear wiper – the latter something I really wish was fitted to the Volcano Orange model you see here.

Including that trip to the south-west, I’ve now done almost 1,500 miles in the MG and when it comes to everyday use, I’m left wanting for very little. The range is good – I’m managing around 240 miles in normal driving, and have even seen more than 300 miles on the trip readout when driving  around town in Eco mode.

The MG is plenty quick enough day to day, and its ride is far more accomplished than you’d expect of a car at this price point. The seats are comfortable enough, although I would like a little more thigh support on longer journeys. Further to this, the centre console doesn’t feel as if it’s designed to have your knee resting against it for hours on end – partly due to its shape, but also the hard plastic it’s built from.

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Probably my biggest complaint, though, regards the infotainment system. It’s not the most responsive, and you often need to delve deep into the menus to find what you’re looking for. Burying the climate controls almost completely out of sight is a no-no at this time of year, too, even if the system itself is one of the most effective I’ve ever had the pleasure of using – even in the scorching summer sun.

The car refuses to memorise any of my settings, either. I understand the safety implications of having the driver-assistance system switch back on when you start the car, but why the MG can’t default to my chosen drive mode, or remember that I’d previously opted to use the speed-limiter or cruise-control functions, is a mystery.

Overall, though, I’m enjoying the MG4’s relatively compact footprint, as well as being closer to street level, having run two SUVs back to back. The handling benefits of driving a hatchback versus a crossover are clear – as are the efficiency gains.

It’s abundantly clear why the MG4’s become a serial award-winner during its short time on sale, and who knows, by the time the keys are wrestled from me in a few months, there might be even more silverware in the cabinet.

*Insurance quote from AA (0800 107 0680) for a 42-year-old in Banbury, Oxon, with three points.

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