2024 MG 4 review

2024 MG 4

The new 2024 MG 4 electric hatch is a benchmark-setting car for the British-turned-Chinese brand, for both value and quality. Built atop a new modular electric platform with rear-wheel drive and a focus on the driving experience, the MG 4 enters a new and fascinating battleground in Australia: electric cars with a starting price of less than $40,000.

It’s the first time Australians can start to cross-shop electric and petrol-powered vehicles on a near-level playing field in terms of price. Base-specification examples of the Hyundai i30 and Toyota Corolla can be had for less money, but up-specced models start to step into this new frontier of more affordable electric cars.

How much does the MG 4 cost in Australia?

The 2024 MG 4 has a starting price of $38,990 plus on-road costs in its most basic form. This is the 51kWh Excite, and to those uninitiated into electric car speak, the kWh refers to kilowatt hours and measures the size of the battery. This base specification has a claimed 350km of driving range, while stepping up to the 64kWh model (for an additional $6000) takes that driving range up to 450km.

Worth noting, this 64kWh model gets a more powerful electric motor (150kW, up from 125kW) and faster charging speeds (140kW, up from 88kW). And because of different battery, more energy-dense chemistry used in the 64kWh model, it works out to be slightly lighter than the 51kWh model.

The next rung up the ladder is the 64kWh Essence, which brings a higher level of standard specification. This includes 18-inch alloy wheels with aero covers (up from 17-inch in the Excite), rear spoiler, full-width LED tail-lights with more so-called ‘constellation lights’, and some cloth and synthetic leather highlights inside.

Essence gets a more comprehensive list of safety equipment as well: blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, door opening warning, emergency lane-keep assist and lane-change assist.

At the top of the pile is the long-range 77kWh Essence, which boosts the driving range to 530km, gets a 180kW electric motor, and asks for another $8000 on top of the 64kWh model.

Key details2024 MG 4Price (plus on-road costs)MG 4 51kWh Excite – $38,990
MG 4 64kWh Excite – $44,990
MG 4 64kWh Essence – $47,990
MG 4 77kWh Essence – $55,990
MG 4 64kWh X-Power AWD – $TBCClaimed driving range (WLTP)MG 4 51kWh Excite – 350km
MG 4 64kWh Excite – 450km
MG 4 64kWh Essence – 435km
MG 4 77kWh Essence – 530km
MG 4 64kWh X-Power AWD – TBCColours availableBlack Pearl Metallic, Brixton Blue, Camden Grey, Volcano Orange, Diamond Red, Sterling Silver, Dover WhiteRivalsMG ZS EV | GWM Ora | BYD Dolphin

How much space does the MG 4 have inside?

With around the same amount of size on offer as a Toyota Corolla, the MG 4 is deceptively large inside. The trick here is the new electric platform that underpins the vehicle. It’s a modular and scalable platform known as Xingyun or Nebula, and will provide the foundation for multiple future models from the parent company SAIC (Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation).

Amongst that skateboard platform is a new-style battery pack, made by CATL specifically for MG, and measuring in at only 110mm tall. This yields good amounts of space in this hatchback, which feels more like a well-sized small SUV inside.

Up front, a platform juts out from the dashboard and houses your rotary gearshifter, electric park brake and big wireless charging pad. Below, you’ll find a USB, USB-C and 12V power outlet, as well as space to toss your everyday stuff. It works well, with an additional covered storage area in front of the well-sized centre console.

Being low-slung, it works well in terms of feeling airy and spacious up front.

The materials are not bad. There is almost a complete absence of the barrel-scraping plastics that you might expect from Australia’s cheapest electric car (for now). The dashboard top is padded, and build quality overall seems to be good and solid.

The overall design is modern and clean, not feeling overly busy and giving an impressive ambience for a relatively cheap electric car.

The flip-side here is that climate controls come through the infotainment display, which isn’t as intuitive or easy as what you get with an array of physical buttons and dials.

The second row is spacious enough for adults to fit inside and decently comfortable as well. Leg room, toe room and head room are all in good supply, and the seatback has a decent amount of rake on offer as well. Once again, reference the shallow battery design.

It’s not all roses, though. While there is a single USB-A power outlet, the MG 4 is missing second-row air vents and a pop-down armrest with cupholders.

The boot – with 363L of space on offer – is good for a vehicle of this size. Not huge, mind you, but decent enough. MG seemed to have missed a trick by making the bag of charging cables too big for fitting under the floor, where you’ll find the tyre repair kit (there is no spare wheel). So, the bag tends to float around in the back without a home.

2024 MG 4SeatsFiveBoot volume363L seats up
1177L seats foldedLength4287mmWidth1836mm, 2060mm (inc. mirrors)Height1504mmWheelbase2705mm

Does the MG 4 have Apple CarPlay and Android Auto?

The 10.25-inch infotainment display – which is shared across the range – is a good size and offers the important Apple CarPlay/Android Auto functionality. It’s a relatively basic set-up overall, but it’s effective enough. And like I mentioned before, here is where you’ll also find all of your climate controls.

From what we could tell, native navigation and digital radio aren’t available as additional features. Only the usual suspects of AM and FM radio are there.

A 7.0-inch display is in front of the driver, which feels quite reminiscent of the BYD Atto 3’s set-up in terms of functionality and the user experience. It’s good and does the job, with a digital speed readout and some extra functionality around driver assistance and energy consumption.

Is the MG 4 a safe car?

The 2023 MG 4 gets a five-star ANCAP safety rating, which comes from testing done by Euro NCAP back in 2022. Don’t forget, this car has been available in the Northern Hemisphere since the middle of 2022.

Adult occupants get an 83 per cent protection rating, while child occupants get an 86 per cent rating. Vulnerable road users (pedestrians) get a 75 per cent number, while the safety assistance systems of the MG 4 (despite entry-level Excite missing out on some technology) get an 81 per cent score.

2024 MG 4ANCAP ratingFive stars (tested 2022)Safety reportLink to ANCAP report

What safety technology does the MG 4 have?

There is a difference in included safety equipment for the MG 4 between Excite and Essence specification.

Starting with Excite, there is autonomous emergency braking, forward collision warning, lane-keep assistance, lane-departure warning, intelligent headlamp control, speed assistance and unsteady driver warning.

On top of this, the MG 4 Essence gets blind-spot detection, rear cross-traffic alert, door opening warning, emergency lane-keep assistance and lane-change assistance.

There are six airbags inside the MG 4, which includes front, side and curtain airbags. There’s no front centre airbag, but the MG 4 has managed a five-star score regardless.

How much does the MG 4 cost to maintain?

Being a new model, we haven’t yet been able to get a quote on insurance for the MG 4. However, as time goes on and we get more time behind the wheel of this new electric car, that will change.

In terms of service costs, you’re looking a a capped price programme that runs to 200,000 kilometres and 10 years. You’ll make four service visits in this time, with costs jumping between $886 and $296 per visit. After ten years, you are looking at $2,660 (or an average of $266 per year), which is impressively cheap when compared to petrol and diesel powered vehicles. This comes down to the relative mechanical simplicity of an electric vehicle, in comparison to internal combustion.

At a glance2024 MG 4WarrantySeven years, unlimited kmService intervals24 months or 40,000kmServicing costs$1478 (6 years)
$2660 (10 years)Energy cons. (on test)17.5kWh/100km (64kWh)
18.5kWh/100km (77kWh)Battery size51–77kWhDriving range claim (WLTP)350–520kmCharge time (11kW)
(0–100%)51kWh: 5hr 9min
64kWh: 6hr 21min
77kWh: 7hr 46minCharge time (50kW)
(0–100%)51kWh: 1hr 11min
64kWh: 1hr 28min
77kWh: 1hr 45minCharge time (max rate)
(10–80%)51kWh: 31min (88kW)
64kWh: 26min (140kW)
77kWh: 30min (140kW)

Is the MG 4 energy-efficient?

Our initial test drive was around 250km, which included mostly country roads, curvaceous and hilly runs, as well as some stints on the highway. In other words, these conditions aren’t perfect for replicating the claimed consumption figures of the vehicle, and we commensurably had some higher readouts on this run.

Energy consumption around town – where a vehicle like this is likely to be spending most of its life – could be better, but we will only know more about this figure in the future when we get to spend more time with the car.

What is the MG 4 like to drive?

For MG in Australia, as a reborn brand under its new owner, this new MG 4 is a standout and a new benchmark. If you’re underwhelmed by the driving experience offered from the likes of a HS or ZS, there is a chance that you’ll be much more impressed with this new-generation MG 4.

Instead of using older legacy platforms underneath, the new electric-focussed platform of this new model puts the MG 4 in a good place. With an electric motor at the rear balancing against powertrain cooling and controls up front under the bonnet, this platform manages to achieve a 50/50 weight distribution between front and rear.

MG collaborated with Spain-based automotive engineering company IDIADA to develop this Nebula platform, which uses MacPherson struts at the front and a five-link set-up in the rear.

The end product feels much more cohesive and enjoyable overall compared to the previous offerings from MG with more of a front-wheel-drive bias. For town driving, the MG 4 feels easy and well balanced. The steering is light-weighted but not vague, but rearward visibility is noticeably lacking.

Once you starting moving at pace and through the corners, the MG 4 continues to impress. It feels well balanced and confident, cornering well to the point where EV weight overcomes the amount of grip the tyres can coerce from the road surface. Considering the price point, it’s impressive.

And to be honest, maybe there is more enjoyment to be found here when we get some more time behind the wheel. Stay tuned for that.

The ride quality of the MG 4 is mostly good but can feel slightly firm at times. It can bobble about somewhat over undulating road surfaces, and sharper imperfections like road joins can feel a bit noticeable in the cabin as well. For the latter, it’s partly because there is a typically hushed driving experience inside, with little noise to note until you reach highway speeds. At that point, there is a bit of wind noise from the A-pillar area.

From my previous experience, and before we do any back-to-back testing, I would say that the BYD Atto 3 offers a better ride quality than this MG 4. However, the MG has the advantage from the driving experience point of view, with more capability, balance and grip on offer.

Our driving test consisted of time with a 64kWh model, followed by time in the 77kWh range-topper. Both feel rapid and responsive enough, but you can also feel the additional 30kW and 100Nm on offer in the 77kWh model (despite the extra 76kg that comes with the larger battery). The accelerator tuning feels well balanced, and drivers can adjust the responsiveness through a selection of driving modes.

Rear-wheel drive seems to put down the power better than front-wheel drive as well, with less wheel spin and concurrent traction-control intervention when you slam down the skinny pedal.

The brake pedal feel is a little on the wooden and numb side, however, and there isn’t what we would call a true ‘one-pedal’ driving mode available even in the most aggressive regenerative braking set-up.

Key details2024 MG 4 EngineElectricPower51kWh: 125kW
64kWh: 150kW
77kWh: 180kWTorque51kWh: 250Nm
64kWh: 250Nm
77kWh: 350NmDrive typeRear-wheel driveTransmissionSingle-speedPower-to-weight ratioExcite 51: 76.5kW/t
Excite 64: 91kW/t
Essence 64: 90.3kW/t
Long Range: 103kW/tKerb weightExcite 51: 1655kg
Excite 64: 1648kg
Essence 64: 1672kg
Long Range: 1748kgSpare tyre typeTyre repair kit Tow rating500kg braked
500kg unbrakedTurning circle10.6m

Should I buy an MG 4?

When you compare the MG 4 against a ZS EV, you can see a clear advantage in this new-generation model. It’s cheaper and feels better in just about every respect. It’s not perfect, but at the same time there is plenty to like.

In particular, that price is something quite appealing.

If the MG 4 were on its own in this kind of pricing region with full electric power, one would say that it’s just about beyond reproach. However, buyers going fully electric do have some options in this part of the world.

The GWM Ora is close at $39,990 before on-road costs in its least expensive form, and has proved to be an impressive jigger so far as well. And don’t forget about the incoming BYD Dolphin, which conspicuously undercuts the MG 4 by $100 after a late price reduction from the Australian distributor.

It’s an exciting problem to have, and an indicator of the changing face of everyday motoring in Australia at the moment.

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