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

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Fans of small cars have it rough these days. Whether you prefer to sit down low or just appreciate the classic proportions of a subcompact sedan or hatchback, well, pull up a chair. I’ve been crying into my beers for a few years now; you might as well join me. For my part, I just got done driving the 2026 Nissan Sentra. It’s a sedan.

The good news: Nissan has a new Sentra. It’s sticking around, unlike the poor Versa, which was unceremoniously booted from the U.S. market at the end of 2025. Meanwhile, Nissan gave the Sentra a top-to-bottom overhaul for 2026. The exterior and interior offer completely new designs, though the eagle-eyed reader has probably already noticed that the Sentra’s silhouette remains strikingly similar. That’s no coincidence. In Nissan’s own words, the new Sentra hasn’t grown an inch.

Mechanically, there’s very little to report. The new Sentra’s entire powertrain is effectively a carryover. The 2.0-liter, four-cylinder engine makes the same 149 horsepower as last year’s, but the 2026 model gets a torque bump: 1 lb-ft, up from 145 to 146 lb-ft. Good stuff. [Ed. note: wow.]

As you can see from the above side-by-side, the broad strokes are indeed pretty much identical, but the 2026 redesign was nonetheless comprehensive. There doesn’t appear to be a single piece of carry-over sheet metal (or plastic, for that matter) between them. The roof, maybe?

The 2026 model’s assertive jawline and vertical front lighting cues seem at odds with a body that looks like a mix of the last-gen Mazda6 sedan and Nissan’s third- and fourth-gen Altimas. Both are meant as favorable comparisons; not everybody may agree.

Inside, you get that same general vibe that you’ve been here before, but looking at them side-by-side, only the dimensions and the position of the infotainment screen really drive that home. Everything in the cabin, from the new digital cluster to the redesigned center console, is unique between them.

The interior shown above is a well-appointed SL model showing off the Sentra’s available dual 12.3-inch screen setup. That’s the standard screen, no matter which trim you buy, but the value-oriented S model replaces the matching driver information display with a 7.0-inch “multi-information display.” The new interior design is pretty sharp; I’m not sure I’m sold on the Ariya-like wheel, but the rest works fine. My biggest complaint is probably that the old interior held up reasonably well, and Nissan could have skimped here with little ill effect. I would have liked to see that money spent giving the Sentra more of an on-pavement personality, but I understand the Sentra’s demographic likely couldn’t care less about that.

But while Nissan hasn’t shown much bravery in the Sentra’s redesign, the very fact that it’s returning as a sedan still counts for something. After all, look at the current state of America’s traditional four-door family car. Sure, some automakers are threatening to revive the format, but talk is cheap.

Predictably, the new Sentra drives pretty much like the old one did—exactly like the old one did, one might even say. There are virtually no differences between them. The front/rear strut/multi-link suspension from 2025 carried over too. Nissan said it made some tweaks to the suspension tuning, so the part numbers probably don’t all match, but the fundamental architecture remains unchanged.

The Sentra is many things—roomy (for a sedan), reasonably comfortable, and acceptably fuel-efficient for not employing anything particularly interesting under the hood. But one thing it’s not is exciting. This is a perfectly OK cocoon in which to zone out and ignore a daily commute, but it’s not the sort of car that encourages you to take the long way home. This was true before; it’s just as true now.

The good news, however, is that the new infotainment is a genuine upgrade. The tile interface works nicely, and most of the critical features have physical controls; the volume knob sits in the fake vent on the center stack, with the HVAC controls taking up the horizontal space just below. Everything is within easy reach, and the look-down moments are few and far between.

The 2026 Sentra also excels at the one thing that has mattered most to Nissan: the bottom line. With the even-cheaper Versa getting the axe for 2026, the Sentra is now Nissan’s ambassador for four-door affordability. Say that quickly if you dare. At $23,875 (including destination), the base Sentra undercuts the equivalent Hyundai Elantra by a whisker-thin margin; the Kia K4 is slightly cheaper. They’re all a tier less expensive than the Civic, Jetta, or Mazda3, and the latter three are nicer for their respective premiums. The Jetta is practically a limousine in this nominally compact segment. Even the K4’s available hatchback commands enough of an upcharge to put it with the nicer offerings in this group.

If value is your goal, Nissan should fit the bill. Like the Hyundai and Kia, it remains reasonable even once you spring for the popular equipment at the SV and SR trims. That’s where the 12.3-inch driver screen becomes standard. Both also get you remote start, and the sporty-looking SR comes with unique 18-inch wheels. At that point, you’re still only in for $26,245. Our SL tester represents the top of the range, and even that is still just $29,235.

There are buyers who want something frugal and unobtrusive with a warranty. If they also happen to want a sedan, the Sentra fits the bill. It’s competent enough to get the job done, and the new interior is a perfectly decent place to be. Kudos on the new tech.

Nissan provided The Drive with a seven-day loan of this vehicle for the purpose of writing this review.

2026 Nissan Sentra Specs

Quick Take

Fun ain’t on the menu, but the Sentra is frugal enough for a second look.