MG4 Urban

The MG4 Urban is a befuddling addition to the brand's range, having nothing to do with the regular MG4 and sitting below it in terms of price, despite being bigger. Its low price and practical interior make it tempting, but it is compromised in other ways. . 

Looking at the name of the MG4 Urban alone, you might think it's a slightly lifted version of the MG4 EV, perhaps with some token plastic cladding around the wheel arches. A kinda/sorta successor to the Rover Streetwise that no one asked for, if you will. But a glance at the images will tell a different story.

The MG4 Urban looks nothing like the regular MG4. It looks more like a Ford Puma, to our eyes, and under the skin, it's an entirely different car. 

In terms of pricing, it sits well below the MG4, given extra breathing room by that car losing its cheapest battery and trim options. So, you might think that means it's smaller, but it's actually a little bigger. Huh. 

It sits strangely in the MG range, but if you don't get too caught up in that, it looks like a compelling proposition on paper. The starting price is similar to that of a Renault 5, but for a car with a much bigger boot and more interior space. The range figures are more modest (the MG4 Urban Long Range has an official range of up to 258 miles), meanwhile, but perfectly acceptable considering the low price. Standard equipment levels are good for the money, too. 

All sounds pretty good so far, doesn't it? Unfortunately, there are a few caveats. We drove the MG4 Urban immediately after trying out the updated MG 4, and there's a marked reduction in cabin build quality between the two. It's also nowhere near as nice or comfortable to drive, and it's not very well refined. 

Interior space needs to be high on your agenda to make the MG4 Urban worthwhile. If not, there are now quite a few very good EVs occupying the same sub-£25,000 territory as the MG4 Urban, along with the Renault 5 we've already mentioned. 

The Citroen e-C3 Aircross is one, as is its cousin, the Vauxhall Frontera Electric. And instead of having a car that merely looks like a Ford Puma, why not have the real deal? The Ford Puma Gen-E isn't drastically more expensive thanks to its eligibility for the top-level electric car grant (ECG), comes close in terms of boot space, and is a better car overall. 

The MG4 Urban isn't a no-brainer, then. As with so many Chinese-built electric cars we're testing here at Honest John, you'll need to carefully consider the compromises that come with the low price of entry. 

The Comfort Long Range is our pick. At £25,495, it combines the larger 53.9kWh battery with the 160PS motor and increases official range from 201 miles to 258 miles. That extra flexibility makes it much easier to recommend as a household's main car. The Standard Range remains attractive if you mainly make shorter journeys and want the lowest possible price. For most buyers, though, Comfort Long Range offers the best balance.

The MG4 EV Urban starts at £23,495 for Comfort Standard Range, rising to £25,495 for Comfort Long Range and £27,995 for Premium Long Range.

That makes it one of the more affordable family-sized EVs, particularly given the amount of passenger and luggage room on offer. The regular MG4 EV costs more but counters with greater range, stronger performance and a substantially more polished driving experience. The Urban makes most sense if outright value and practicality matter more than performance.

The Cupra Raval takes a sportier approach, with up to 275 miles of range and pricing that puts it close to the MG4 EV Urban Comfort Long Range. The Renault 5 E-Tech is smaller and less practical but feels more special inside and is more polished to drive. The Citroen e-C3 Aircross offers plenty of family space and a softer ride, while the Ford Puma Gen-E combines strong practicality with sharper handling.

There is also the regular MG4 EV. It costs more and has a smaller boot, but its rear-wheel-drive chassis is considerably more rewarding and longer-range versions can travel further between charges.

Here's where the MG4 Urban really shines. There's a total of 577 litres of boot space with the rear seats in place, split between 479 litres above the boot floor and 98 litres below it. Fold the rear bench, and the total volume increases to 1364 litres.

That's a good chunk ahead of the 460 litres offered by the Citroen e-C3 Aircross, and leagues better than the Renault 5's 326 litres. The Ford Puma Gen-E gets a lot closer at 574 litres, although more of that (145 litres) is found under the boot floor, in what Ford calls a 'Gigabox'. 

Plus, the Ford can't compete with the MG4 Urban's rear legroom, which is very generous indeed. You're unlikely to hear complaints about headroom, either, even with taller adults aboard. 

The MG4 EV Urban is 4,395mm long, 1,842mm wide & 1,549mm high, with a 2,750mm wheelbase. Despite its Urban badge, it is longer than the regular MG4 EV and closer in size to a conventional family hatchback than a small city car.

The long wheelbase is a major reason for its generous rear passenger space, while a 10.5-metre turning circle keeps it manageable around town.

Just like the regular MG4, the MG4 Urban gets a sizeable 12.8-inch touchscreen infotainment system. It's not the most responsive thing to use, though, and frequently we found ourselves having to prod it a second time for the desired action to take place. 

We applaud MG for not sticking all the climate functions into the display, though. Instead, there's a physical bank of controls just below. Other car manufacturers – please take note. 

Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto feature on all models, and we were able to quickly and easily connect our Android device to the car. Premium Long Range versions also have the option of downloading apps, including Spotify, directly onto the system. 

The infotainment system is joined by a seven-inch digital instrument cluster. It's nothing particularly flashy, but it displays all the information you might need in a clear, easy-to-read fashion.

Unfortunately, this is where things start to go wrong for the MG4 Urban's interior. While the standard MG4's interior feels surprisingly plush for the cash, the MG4 Urban cabin seems cheap by comparison. There are some nicer, soft-touch elements, but the dashboard is topped by scratchy plastic, with what looks to be the same material used for the inner door panels. 

The fabric used for the seats is pretty basic, and the felt-like material cladding much of the centre console actually feels a bit nasty to the touch - this was already badly marked in our very young test car. There's definitely a sense of 'you get what you pay for' inside the MG4 Urban.

All versions of the MG4 Urban feature a single motor powering the front wheels, and not an especially pokey one. The Standard Range makes 150PS, making for a 0-62mph time of 9.6 seconds, while the Long Range cars put out 160PS for a marginally quicker 9.5 second 0-62mph sprint. 

The battery in the Standard Range car is a 43kWh unit, while in the Long Range, it's 54kWh. Spec the MG4 Urban Standard Range version, and you're looking at a range of up to 201 miles according to the WLTP Combined cycle, which isn't spectacular given that you'll likely struggle to get near that at colder times of year, but it's what we'd expect at this price. It's slightly more than a Standard Range Citroen e-C3 Aircross, for example. 

Meanwhile, the MG4 Urban Long Range manages 258 miles on a full charge, which again compares well to the e-C3 Aircross, with the Extended Range version of that car good for 248 miles.

Although the performance stats aren't exactly exhilarating compared to some EVs, the MG4 Urban provides more than enough shove for most. There's a slight delay between putting your foot down and anything happening, but this is shortened in the Sport mode. 

This is perhaps the MG 4 Urban's poorest area. While the MG 4 is a fun yet comfortable car to drive, the MG 4 Urban is neither. It's set up quite firmly, but there's little finesse to the damping, with the MG 4 Urban thumping over imperfections in the tarmac and generally feeling quite unsettled. 

It doesn't roll too much, at least, but it doesn't feel very happy if you try and take a corner a little quicker. It's not that quiet on the move, either, with a lot of noise coming from the tyres, in particular, entering the cabin. 

Despite not being a particularly powerful car, the front wheels struggle in damp conditions when you try to accelerate quickly out of a side turning, excitedly scrabbling while the basic traction control does its best to quell the wheel spin. 

The MG4 EV Urban achieved the maximum five-star Euro NCAP rating when tested. It scored 87% for adult occupant protection, 85% for child occupants, 85% for vulnerable road users and 80% for safety assistance.

MG Pilot is standard and includes autonomous emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, lane assistance, traffic sign recognition and driver monitoring.

A DC rapid charging capacity of 87kW for the Long Range models (the Standard Range is capped at 82kWh) is a little behind the Citroen's 100kW, but slightly better than the 80kW offered by a Renault 5 fitted with its smaller battery option. It makes for a 10-80% charge of 28 minutes in the Urban Standard Range and 30 minutes in the Long Range.

It'll be just under six hours to fully charge the Standard Range from empty using a 7.4kW home wallbox, and just over seven hours for the Long Range. Charging from a three-pin plug generally isn't recommended, but if you must, it'll take three to four times as long.

MG covers the Urban for seven years or 80,000 miles, which is longer in time than the warranties offered by many mainstream rivals. The high-voltage battery is separately covered for eight years or 100,000 miles, with protection against excessive capacity loss.

Servicing is required every 12 months or 15,000 miles, whichever comes first.

The MG4 EV Urban sits in insurance groups 22 to 23. Comfort Standard Range is group 22, while both Long Range versions are group 23.

That is reasonable for an electric family hatchback, although individual premiums vary considerably according to age, postcode and driving history.

The MG4 EV Urban costs £200 a year to tax at the current standard VED rate.

There is no Expensive Car Supplement because every version costs comfortably less than the £50,000 threshold that applies to zero-emission cars.