MG S6 EV Review & Prices

The MG S6 EV is a big, spacious electric family car. It’s the poshest MG yet and undercuts similarly sized alternatives on price, but fast-charging times might put you off if you rely on public infrastructure to top up.

Although it’s a bit more affordable than the Skoda Enyaq and Kia EV6, the likes of the Citroen e-C5 Aircross, Renault Scenic and Skoda Elroq are all cheaper still if you’re willing to sacrifice a little space.

It’s a bit like a Black Friday deal – it's undeniably a good price, but if you think about what you need rather than what you want, you might be able to save a bit more cash still.

The MG S6 EV might not have the most head-turning looks, but the narrow lights up front do give it a smart sophistication that's a pleasant alternative to the many other electric cars that offer angular in-yer-face designs. Things are even better inside, with a simple yet classy dashboard and lots of soft-touch materials that make it feel plenty posh enough.

MG S6 EV: electric range, battery and charging data

Range: 301-329 miles
Efficiency: 3.7mi/kWh
Battery size: 77kWh
Max charge speed: 144kW
Charge time AC: 10-100, 12h @ 7kW
Charge time DC: 10-80%, 38 mins @ 144kW
Charge port location: Left rear
Power outputs: 244hp / 361hp

While some buttons and dials for the climate controls are welcome for ease of use, they do feel cheap and make you realise you’re not in a posh car after all. The infotainment screen is big enough and loads menus quickly, but it’s confusing to find what you’re looking for.

There are no complaints about space and practicality, though. It’s roomy in the front with loads of storage, including a huge space under the centre console and big door bins. Those in the rear seats have ample room, which also means you can fit a bulky child seat with ease.

At 674 litres the boot is bigger than anything else at this price in official capacity, but MG has been cheeky and measured up to the roof where most cars are measured to the parcel shelf. In real terms then it’s big, but about the same size as the Skoda Enyaq and Citroen e-C5 Aircross. Where the MG really wins though is the front boot, which is the biggest in the business.

There’s only one battery but a choice of single- or dual-motor power, which give you a range of up to 329 miles or 301 miles respectively. That’s not terrible, but most alternatives can go further. For example, you can get a 375-mile version of the Kia EV3 and a 381-mile Renault Scenic. Maximum charging speeds aren’t bad on the face of it, but MG quotes 38 minutes to get from 10-80%, while most alternatives are closer to half an hour.

On a smooth road the MG S6 EV is a pleasant thing to cruise around in, with light steering and nicely judged pedal weights that mean it’s easy to jump in and immediately acclimatise to. That said, it can jiggle about over bumps and can be quite noisy on the motorway, while the body lean in corners doesn’t exactly encourage spirited driving.

But for family car duties the MG S6 EV is a comfortable, spacious option. You can check out the latest MG lease deals available through Carwow. If you want to save more cash there are used MGs from our network of trusted dealers, and when it’s time to sell your current car, Carwow can help with that too.

Prices start at just under £38,000 for the MG S6 EV in SE Long Range trim. This makes it about the same starting price as a Renault Scenic but cheaper than the Skoda Enyaq and Peugeot E-3008. The best value alternative is the Citroen e-C5 Aircross, which offers similar practicality but costs much less.

The Trophy trim is the one you want; you get bigger wheels, a 360-degree camera, and artificial leather and suede upholstery. Unfortunately the price tips over the £40,000 mark, which means you have to pay the so-called expensive car supplement on road tax in years two to six, which dents the value proposition somewhat.

The single-motor version is comfortable over bumps, but the dual-motor feels more easily unsettled – and neither is much fun on a twisty road

In town

The MG S6 EV is great around town, in part because the pedals and steering wheel are brilliantly judged, so they’re light enough to not be tiring but offer natural resistance to your inputs. That means it’s easy to jump in and feel at home despite the fact this is quite a big SUV.

We found the single-motor model was more comfortable around town, with the dual-motor model a bit more likely to crash over bumps, though neither was particularly settled over rough roads in the way the Citroen e-C5 Aircross is.

Both versions offer enough punch for getting out of busy junctions, while forward visibility is good too.

On the motorway

The suspension settles at higher speeds, so the S6 EV is a comfortable car to take on long motorway journeys. However, there’s quite a bit of wind noise at 70mph, so the Skoda Enyaq and Kia EV6 are a bit more refined in this regard.

Even the entry level model comes with MG Pilot, which includes a suite of safety systems such as adaptive cruise control and lane-keeping assistance. MG has added customisable settings for its driver assistance features, so you can set the systems you want on and off, then it’s two simple button presses to load your preferred configuration each time you get in the car. Neat.

On a twisty road

Find yourself on a winding country road and the MG S6 EV isn’t exactly the ideal companion. Okay, so an electric family car doesn’t necessarily have to be much fun in the twisties, but if you want to take the scenic route home from the school run this is not the best car for the job. It has a tendency to wobble about and gets unsettled by big bumps, meaning the Kia EV6 is much more rewarding to drive.

The dual-motor version of the MG S6 EV is stupidly quick, though, so if you just want something to make you giggle when you accelerate out of a corner, it delivers.

Impressive luggage capacity and a spacious cabin, but there aren’t many extras in the boot to make life easier

There’s a lot of adjustability in the driver’s seat and steering wheel, so even taller drivers should be able to get comfortable. It’s fairly roomy in the front, though if you’ve got long legs you might find the chunky centre console intrudes on leg space somewhat.

It’s really practical though, with big door bins, a huge hidden area under the armrest and another spacious cutout beneath the centre console. You also get two cup holders and a useful glovebox.

Space in the back seats

There’s absolutely masses of space in the back, to the point where even the centre seat is comfortable, meaning that you can fit three in the second row without too much fuss. Just about the only complaint is that the floor is a touch high, so there’s not much under-thigh support.

As a result of all that space the S6 EV is great for families with young children, because you can fit a child seat in comfortably. Practicality isn’t quite as good as it is up front, but you still get small door bins, pockets in the seatbacks and two cup holders in the armrest. Two USB-C slots in the rear mean there’s no arguing about who gets to charge their phone, either.

Boot space

The boot capacity looks excellent on paper at 674 litres, but MG is a bit cheeky and measures up to the roof where most manufacturers measure up to the parcel shelf. That said, it’s still a bigger space than most families will need in day-to-day life, and looks at least comparable to the Citroen e-C5 Aircross’s boot.

If you’re considering one of the smaller, cheaper electric alternatives such as the Skoda Elroq or Kia EV3, none have a boot anywhere near the size of the MG’s.

Despite the space on offer, there’s little in the way of useful accessories, with just a few hooks for bags and two netted areas for smaller items. It’s also a bit of a pain to fold the rear seats, because you have to reach in to release them, but at least when you do there’s a minimal lip to push items over.

There’s no underfloor storage, but on the plus side there’s a massive front boot – at 124 litres in the single-motor it’s one of the biggest in the business. You lose a little capacity here if you go for the dual-motor version, but even then only the Tesla Model Y gets close.

Inside, the S6 EV is one of the poshest MGs yet, with lots of lovely materials on the dashboard, but the buttons for the climate controls do feel cheap

The S6 EV is MG’s flagship SUV, and it pulls out all the stops to justify this tagline. The interior is a huge improvement on its more budget-focused models such as the MG3 and MG4 EV. Everything feels well put together and there are quality materials throughout, from the steering wheel to the seat upholstery, while even the dashboard plastics hidden lower in the cabin don’t feel too cheap and nasty.

The only thing that really pulls you out of this posh image is the plasticky climate control buttons. While it’s nice to have them, rather than having to fiddle around in the touchscreen as with so many modern cars, they look and feel like they’re from a much cheaper car.

The infotainment system is bright and clear, with fast-loading menus. At 12.8 inches it’s not particularly big by modern standards, but don’t let that put you off as it actually sits nicely on the dashboard without being too distracting.

All versions get a 77kWh battery that gives the S6 EV a 329-mile range in single-motor Long Range guise, or 301 miles as a Dual Motor.

During our testing of the car in rural Berkshire – including a brief stint on the M4 motorway – we saw efficiency of 3.2 miles per kWh in both versions, which would equate to a real-world range of about 250 miles. That’s about 75% of the claimed range of the single-motor model, which is a bit less than you get with most electric cars (though some of this will be because of the cold outside temperatures during the test).

The official range figure isn’t bad, but it’s some way off the best in class. For example, you can get a Kia EV3 with 375 miles of range and a Renault Scenic with 381 miles. The Peugeot E-3008 beats all here, though, as there’s a big battery version that promises up to 435 miles to a charge.

When it comes to charging, again, the S6 EV is a bit underwhelming. Maximum charge speeds of 144kW aren’t too bad in this company, but the quoted 10-80% top-up time of 38 minutes will be a bit frustrating when most alternatives can do the same charge in about 30 minutes.

As an electric car, you benefit from the lowest rate of Vehicle Excise Duty in the first year, but only the entry-level SE Long Range version avoids the expensive car supplement in years two to six for now. Company car drivers get the lowest rate of Benefit-in-Kind tax, too.

The MG S6 EV scored the full five stars in Euro NCAP safety testing, with an incredibly impressive 92% for adult occupant protection.

All models get the full MG Pilot suite of driver assistance technologies, which includes adaptive cruise control, lane-keeping assistance and blind spot detection, amongst others. Dual-motor models get bigger front brakes, too.

The MG S6 EV is a brand-new model, so reliability isn’t clear just yet. However, MG has finished bottom of the Driver Power ownership survey for the past two years, which isn’t particularly reassuring.

However, you do get an impressive seven-year/80,000-mile warranty, while the main battery gets the industry-standard eight years of cover. That’s up there with the longest manufacturer warranties you can get, with Kia offering seven years or 100,000 miles, and Toyota giving up to 10 years if you get your car serviced regularly.