Motors review: MG 4 EV Urban Premium Long Range
MG has delivered an economic alternative for the Urban family, writes Jim McGill
Here’s a positive fact for all those who are considering purchasing an electric car for the family: shop wisely and you’ll find the cost of new EVs are, at last, falling. The latest example carries the MG badge. The significant success of the original MG4 EV was built, unashamedly, on value for money. That clearly was a key factor in it gaining a 4.4 per cent share of the UK new car market in 2025; it performed even better in Scotland taking a 5.4 per cent market share.
Now it has launched its new MG4 Urban EV starting at just £21,995. Sitting alongside the company’s refreshed MG4 EV, the larger Urban is targeted at family buyers who need a comfortable car for local journeys. The question is, is it a budget-priced EV that can cope with the demands of daily chores?
Though significantly cheaper than its MG4 sibling, the Urban is actually the bigger car both outside and, more importantly, inside. It also has a longer wheelbase and more bootspace. At great expense, MG has built the Urban on an all-new platform, and as a result unlike the MG4’s rear-wheel drive set-up, the Urban is a front-wheel drive EV. That has resulted in better interior packaging, which equals more cabin space. One cost-saving feature MG introduced is the cheaper torsion bar suspension at the rear, rather than the MG4’s multi-link set-up.
That’s fine, but what’s the range?
The Urban uses a smaller battery than the MG4, which is perfectly understandable given that MG are focusing this car as essentially being a city-based runabout for families. Smaller battery means less weight; but in turn, it does also means less range.
Unlike the MG4 which gets a 64.0kWh battery, rising to 77.0kWh in Extended Range spec, the Urban EV makes do with smaller battery packs totalling 42.8kWh (41.9kWh usable) and a 147bhp electric motor, or 53.9kWh (52.8kWh) with a slightly punchier 158bhp electric motor. And while the latter is good for a maximum of 258-miles on a single charge, the entry-level smaller battery will give you 201-miles. As for the 0-62mph time, the larger battery version takes 9.5secs, with the smaller battery just a tenth slower, both more than adequate for city driving.
Worth mentioning that the battery packs not only use lithium-iron-phosphate chemistry, but have been optimised for stop-start city driving.
And charging?
The charging speeds are lower than you will get with the regular MG4. While it’s rapid speed tops-out at more than 140kW, the Urban is restricted to 87kW. Using rapid public charging the 43kWh battery can achieve a 10-80 per cent charge in just 28 minutes and the larger 54kWh battery in 30 minutes. The MG4 EV Urban also features an advanced heat pump as standard which noticeably improves its efficiency in colder weather conditions.
What’s it like inside?
Actually – and remember the price point – it’s pretty good and grown-up. There’s a high centre console and a broad dashboard, plus the generous quarter-lights enhance the sense of space. Unfortunately there is a slight gloominess to the rear seats, caused principally by the large C-pillars and short rear window.
And that’s a pity because the actual space in the rear is generous. At 5ft 9in I could comfortably sit behind my own driving position, with a degree of knee room not found in rival cars in its class. For a typical family, say with a couple of children, there’s more than ample space for school runs, shopping and the usual ‘parent taxi’ requirements.
I drove the Premium Long Range model, which sits at the top of the Urban range. It’s well-specced with its synthetic-leather steering wheel, electric front seats and ambient lighting. Yes there’s still some scratchy plastic on the upper dashboard, doorcards and the side of the centre console, but again we need to remember the Urban has clearly been aggressively built to a cost.
That said, all the major touchpoints and switchgear have a reassuringly solid tactility about them, and cleverly, thoughtful design means that sitting below the 12.8in touchscreen are roundels for volume and ventilation, plus rockers for further HVAC controls. Brilliant. They’re not hidden away in some software tucked away in the deep, dark bowels of the touchscreen. Actually, in this instance, the touchscreen’s various menus and commands are actually rather intuitive to use. Oh, and you’ll find USB-C ports embedded in the huge storage deck, plus there’s a third port which serves the rear seats. There’s also 577-litres of boot space.
And what’s it like to drive?
It’s perfectly fine. Remember, this is an aggressively-priced EV which is focused on life in the town. Steering is delicately light and reassuring in its positivity, meaning it’s easy to position the car perfectly is busy city centre traffic. Negotiating and navigating your favourite supermarket’s car park will be a dawdle. Handling and grip too are both on-point for a car of this type.
Where there’s a slight downside is the Urban’s ride. Disappointingly, for a car geared towards city driving, it most certainly doesn’t like the UK’s pockmarked city streets, which is a pity. In discussions I had at the launch, it became clear the Urban’s suspension damping had been tightened up when compared to that of the China-delivered versions which were deemed much too floaty for the UK market.
I suspect the tightening has gone a tad too far, resulting in its fidgety ride over our increasingly rough, potholed city streets. Which is a real pity, because otherwise the Urban is actually perfectly suited to city life. I suspect, in time, there might be a few subtle tweaks made to the set-up of the Urban to ensure it’s more comfortable for the environment in which it’s going to spend most of its time.
Trim levels and prices
Buyers have the choice of three specs. The entry-level Comfort Standard Range, which starts at £21,995, including MG’s own £1500 ‘EV grant’ — as well as 0 per cent finance with no deposit required — gets a 7.0-inch digital gauge cluster, a 12.8-inch infotainment system, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, climate control, a reversing camera, and 16-inch alloy wheels.
Next up is the Comfort Long Range, which starts at £25,495. In addition to the goodies found in the entry-level, it’s powered by the larger 54kWh battery with the 158bhp electric motor.
Top-of-the-range sits the £27,995 Premium Long Range, which gets the same battery and motor tech as the Comfort Long Range. It does though add more goodies, including heated seats and a heated steering wheel, rear privacy glass, a 360-degree parking camera and a wireless charging pad.
Verdict
The modern MG has always been synonymous with aggressive pricing, and here the Urban is no different. Essentially you’re getting a larger C-segment family car for B-segment money, and certainly in this current economic environment, money matters.
In pricing the larger MG4 Urban EV cheaper than the established MG4 EV, the company is clearly being bullish that it can capture a new slice of the market without impacting on demand or sales of its sibling.
Can it achieve its goal? I think it can. While the more expensive MG4 is better to drive, the Urban delivers all that is perfectly acceptable to the driver keen to make a move into EVs with his or her family. In mentioning the ride issue, that’s me doing my job and being ultra-pernickety. Will the man/woman in the street actually notice the fidgety ride? Most likely not. And in doing so, the Urban then becomes an ideal family EV, and one which, most certainly should sit high on the shopping list for anybody looking for an everyday EV for about £25,000.
SPEC CHEC
MG 4 EV Urban Premium Long Range
Price: £27,995 (Range from £21,995)
Powertrain: Single electric motor, 52.8/53.9kWh battery (usable/total)
Power/Torque: 158bhp/184lb/ft
Transmission: Single-speed automatic, front-wheel drive
Top speed / 0-62mph: 99mph / 9.5sec
Range: 251-miles (WLTP combined)
Charging: Max 87kW (10-80 per cent charge in 30mins)
CO2: 0g/km
Dimensions (L/W/H): 4395mm / 1842mm / 1549mm
On sale: Now
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