MG4 Urban review: is this the cheap electric car we’ve been waiting for?

MG has a reputation for building great-value cars that are surprisingly good, so I had high hopes for the new MG4 Urban. I remember driving the standard MG4 at its launch in 2022 and was astonished – it was as good to drive, as long-ranged and as comfortable as a Volkswagen ID3 for £10,000 less.

Well, the world has moved on a bit, and while back then there were barely any good, cheap electric cars, now there are loads. A cut-down version of the standard MG4 wasn’t going to cut it against the likes of the Citroen e-C3, BYD Dolphin, Hyundai Inster and Renault 5 – so MG decided instead to get rid of the base model MG4 and replace it with a totally new car, the MG4 Urban. I went to drive it in the Chiltern Hills, back-to-back with the updated MG4.

Despite sharing a name with the MG4, the MG4 Urban isn’t really related to it under the skin. It rides on a new set of components designed from the ground up to be cheaper and simpler. That means you get front-wheel drive, and a modest-sized battery that actually forms part of the chassis itself. This improves interior space as well as contributes to a lighter kerb weight.

The MG4 Urban doesn’t look much like the MG4 – the styling is inspired instead by the Cyberster sports car. There are a lot of the same sort of curves down the sides, and the lower portion of the grille is similar too. It’s not bad-looking, but it’s a bit anonymous – I like the taillights, though, which look kind of abstract until you fill in the lines and realise they’re a little bit Union Jack-like.

Even though it’s cheaper than the MG4, it’s larger – the same width, but taller and wider. This makes it a bit of a giant next to alternatives such as the Citroen e-C3, Renault 5 or Hyundai Inster – and that’s reflected once you get inside.

Rear seat space is excellent, with loads of legroom and even more headroom. It’s a little bit dark and dingy – there’s no glass roof option, and only one tiny LED light in each row of seats – but there’s no arguing with the room on offer. You could even fit three adults across the back for short journeys. Try that in a Renault 5, and your passengers will definitely let you know about it.

The boot, too, is massive. It’s 479 litres in capacity – already mahoosive compared to the 310, 326, and 345 litres offered by the Citroen e-C3, the Renault 5 and BYD Dolphin respectively. You even get 98 litres of extra space under the floor, perfect for your charging cables but with plenty of space for more. Storage up front is good, too – there’s a useful cubby on the dashtop, ideal for wallets or keys, and a huge space below the centre console.

What the MG4 Urban doesn’t have that you get in those other three cars is an exciting interior. The dashboard is functional, but there’s no real design flair – or colour. That’s a bit of a shame, considering how much fun small car interiors can be. Just think of the Renault 5’s stacked design and denim upholstery, or the BYD Dolphin’s flipper-like door handles and mad rotating infotainment screen.

It’s very easy to use, though. The 12.8-inch touchscreen is pretty responsive and the menus make a lot more sense than they did in some of MG’s earlier cars. Plus, you get a separate panel of climate controls right underneath it, which makes quick adjustments on the move so much easier.

Everything feels well-built, but there are a few too many hard, scratchy plastics for my taste. Of course, it’s a cheap car – but I wish the top of the door cards were upholstered, because they’re quite an uncomfortable place to rest your elbow.

The MG4 Urban comes with a choice of two batteries and two trim levels, and I drove the very top-spec model – the Premium Long Range. It has a 54kWh battery, supposed to be good for 251 miles, and a 160hp electric motor. That aligns really closely with the top-spec Renault 5, which has a 52kWh battery, a 150hp motor, and an official range of 252 miles.

During testing, I saw a really impressive 4.5 miles per kWh – that would bring real-world range to around the 240-mile mark. I look forward to trying it on a longer route, though, and especially one with a bit more motorway driving.

It’s not as good to drive as the Renault 5, though. It’s not slow, but it does feel a bit more ponderous than the 5 when you get up to motorway speeds – the accelerator needs a real prod to hit 70mph. The 5 is also much more fun in the corners. The MG4 Urban doesn’t excite you in the bends, but the Renault 5 encourages you to drive it quickly – it’s a real laugh.

I found the Urban to be reasonably comfortable on the pockmarked tarmac of my test route, but I think both the Renault 5 and the BYD Dolphin do a better job of this too.

Should you buy an MG4 Urban? Well, I think it’s a great car for a lot of people. If you don’t need super-long range, and you don’t often venture out of town, it’s fantastic – it’s super-spacious and really easy to drive.

It makes more sense to get the lower-spec models, though. Once you reach the level of my top-spec test car – which costs £27,995 – you’re only £2,000 away from getting the faster, comfier, and longer-range MG4 instead.

But opt for the basic model at £23,495 – and then take £1,500 off for MG’s government grant-matching discount – and you’ve got a seriously good-value package.

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*Savings are made up of the maximum dealer discount off RRP – subject to dealership, location and trim. Prices correct at the time of writing.