MG last month officially launched one of Australia’s most affordable EVs, and one of the first few priced below $30,000 – before on roads – or a total of $31,990 drive-away.
At first glance, the MG4 Urban looks to be an important car that will help Australia’s inner-city and suburban buyers get behind the wheel of their first EV.
After spending a week with the car, it confirms what I thought during the initial test drive over a month ago: this car packs everything MG has learned over the last few years after selling over 20,000 EVs in Australia, and it’s packaged into a hatchback that now comes with the benchmark 10-year warranty, too.
So let’s dive into the car and see why this model is such a big deal for the brand and what it’s really like on the roads around Melbourne and Mornington Peninsula.
Firstly, the pricing of the MG4 Urban is quite aggressive and is expected to be the brand’s most affordable EV in Australia. The entry-level Essence 43, the variant packing 316 km of range, starts at $31,900 driveaway, meaning that it’s actually cheaper than many of its fossil-fuelled and hybrid rivals.
The larger-battery Essence 54 variant, with 405 km of range, has a driveaway price of $3,000 more, coming in at $34,990, and that’s the one I tested for the week.
Both models are priced below the previous RWD MG4, suggesting that MG is positioning this car as the brand’s entry-level EV. But what about other areas?
From the outside, this model is more rounded than the original MG4, and I quite liked the side profile, especially the rear, which borrows elements from MG’s halo electric car, the Cyberster.
Inside, it feels quite a step up from the previous MG4, especially in terms of materials compared to previous MG vehicles, aside from the MGS5, from which it takes many design cues.
The new steering wheel was quite comfortable, with various soft-touch materials found along the door trim.
On top of that, MG has left quite a few functional buttons on the steering wheel and under the screen with physical dials for volume and temperature, too, which made it easier to adjust things on the go.
In the centre, the floating, rotating dial gear selector has now been moved to the steering wheel, providing much more storage space and bringing the cupholder closer to the driver, which I thought was a big design improvement.
Even though the car’s smaller, some may think it might be a bit tight on the inside, but it is actually quite roomy.
MG has put quite a bit of effort into the interior, and I found it roomier than some larger ICE SUVs from the brand.
Still inside, the infotainment screen has also been upgraded and is a reasonable size. On top of that, it has Android Auto/Apple CarPlay as standard. Wireless Android Auto worked easily and didn’t disconnect during the time I had the car.
Speaking of screens, there is also one behind the steering wheel that displays info such as speed, drive modes, battery status, regenerative braking settings, and safety/cruise control.
The rear seating was quite comfy too, with good legroom for adults, along with rear air vents, which is a surprise given the price point of the car. There are also lots of storage spaces and pockets for storage.
Over the week of driving, the MG4’s ride was very smooth, with the suspension handling most bumps without much rebound, even over speed humps. We also didn’t find floaty suspension, as in many rival models on the market, geared more towards comfort and affordability.
On faster, more swooping mountain roads around Dromana, it felt fairly composed and had plenty of acceleration from its 118 kW front-mounted motor when exiting hairpins.
Heading down Arthur Seat mountain’s steeper sections, the regenerative braking, thanks to one-pedal drive, also helped with both efficiency and braking.
Consumption ranged around 15.9 kWh/100km over the week we tested the car, which included suburban roads and highway stints up and down the Peninsula.
Features like cruise control were easy to engage, and lane keep assist worked fairly well, though it required a bit more attention than Tesla’s more advanced system.
An area where we felt the car could improve is in its speed sign recognition, with audible alerts being intrusive even when the car picked up advisory signs, such as 20 km/h signs spotted before speed humps on roads around Melbourne.
The alert can be turned off in the speed sign recognition system, but it resets on each trip. We hope a more permanent software fix can be implemented in the future, given how good a value the MG4 Urban EV offers.
All in all, the MG4 Urban EV is a big step up in the affordable EV space, packing more options for EV drivers, especially those who want a practical electric hatchback that’s almost perfect.
Combine that with the 10-year warranty and a solid national dealer network, and it’s one well-rounded package that should be on EV drivers’ shortlist.
MG4 EV Urban Essence 43
- Up to 316km of WLTP Combined Range
- 43kWh LFP (Lithium Iron Phosphate) Battery
- 17” Starburst Alloy Wheels
- MG Pilot, including MG Pilot Custom Function
- Black and Grey Fabric Upholstery
- Full LED Headlights & DRL & Rear Lights
- Automatic Headlamps
- Roof Rails & Rear Spoiler
- 7” HD Driver Display
- 12.8” HD Infotainment Touchscreen
- Satellite Navigation
- Wireless Connection to Apple CarPlay® & Android Auto™
- iSMART Connectivity
MG4 EV Urban Essence 54
- Up to 405km of WLTP Combined Range
- 54 kWh LFP (Lithium Iron Phosphate) Battery
Riz is the founder of carloop based in Melbourne, specialising in Australian EV data, insight reports and trends. He is a mechanical engineer who spent the first 7 years of his career building transport infrastructure before starting carloop. He has a passion for cars, particularly EVs and wants to help reduce transport emissions in Australia. He currently drives a red Tesla Model 3.