Advert
The MG4 EV has received a number of updates for 2026 including a longer driving range of up to 338 miles, but its key qualities remain: it looks sporty, it’s good to drive, it’s a practical size, and it offers good value for money.
The British brand of MG, famous for its sports cars of the 1960s and 1970s, became part of SAIC Motor, a Chinese brand, in 2007. More recently it has been enjoying success with UK sales, especially with its electric cars. The MG4 has received a number of updates for 2026, have these improved what was already a good car?
The headline updates for the 2026 MG4 EV include an improved interior and a longer driving range. The interior certainly feels as though it now has higher quality materials, and one of the issues with the original MG4 was the lack of climate controls on the dashboard, which has thankfully now been remedied. The new physical climate controls are much more user-friendly, although they don’t look particularly stylish.
The rear-wheel drive layout remains, with three battery options: Premium Long Range with a 64kWh LFP battery (61.7 kWh usable capacity); Premium Extended Range with a 77kWh NCM battery (74.4 kWh usable capacity) (as tested); and XPOWER (all-wheel drive) with a 64kWh NCM battery (61.7 kWh usable capacity).
The MG4 EV is a family hatchback with a slightly raised ground clearance. It’s a relatively compact size on the outside (4,287mm in length) and a practical size on the inside with a 388-litre boot (to the roof), or 1,164 litres with the rear seats folded. A relatively shallow space under the boot floor can just about accommodate charging cables.
It looks sporty, with new (larger) 18-inch alloy wheels and a redesigned rear spoiler, and we love the new Ealing Green colour of our test car.
The MG4 EV is a family hatchback. Although it has a slightly raised ride height, it’s not an SUV. Combined with rear-wheel drive – so avoiding wheel spin and torque steer that is often a feature of front-wheel drive EVs – this makes it rewarding to drive. The kerb weight of 1,755 kg – which is relatively light compared to some EVs – helps with the driving experience, and you can switch off the ESC (Electronic Stability Control).
It even has reasonable levels of performance; the MG4 EV Extended Range model, as tested, has power of 245 PS, torque of 350 Nm, and a 0-62 mph acceleration time of 6.2 seconds.
The steering has some feel, and the MG4 has a tight turning circle of 10.5 metres. Primary ride quality is decent, but there are rivals with better ride comfort on poor road surfaces. At motorway speeds some road noise intrudes into the cabin.
The gear selector is a user-friendly rotary dial on the floating centre console. There are no steering wheel-mounted paddles to adjust the level of regenerative braking; you have to choose from the levels of low, medium, strong and adaptive on the touchscreen. It’s the same for changing drive modes (Eco, Normal, Sport or Custom); there’s no physical control to do this, so this also needs to be done via the touchscreen. However there are two shortcut buttons on the steering wheel which can be set up to change drive modes and regen braking levels.
The original MG4 that we tested had no climate controls in the cabin. The new model has physical climate controls under the touchscreen which makes changing the climate settings much more user-friendly. You can also swipe the touchscreen to bring up a range of car controls.
If you get in the MG4 and just drive it, at some point you’re likely to be assaulted with what seems like a never-ending series of beeps, accompanied by a message on the screen saying ‘Do not drive while fatigued’ – even if you’re wide awake. Thankfully MG has an excellent solution to banish this, and other annoying driver assistance interventions, by pressing the MG Pilot Custom button. However the car doesn’t let you press this one button when you’re driving, although it does allow you to press the many individual ADAS buttons, which means that you have to take your eyes off the road for much longer to do this.
The driver’s seat has electric adjustment for seat height and backrest angle, but you can’t adjust the angle of the seat base.
There’s no CarPlay button in the main shortcuts on the touchscreen, you need to press the Home button and then press the CarPlay button – and we did experience one issue with the MG4 which was that despite repeatedly trying various solutions, that car wouldn’t reconnect Apple CarPlay.
The MG4 EV Extended Range has a WLTP combined electric driving range of 338 miles. After a week on test, including long motorway journeys, the real-world range averaged an impressive 320 miles.
A maximum rapid charging rate of 150 kW should deliver a 10% to 80% charge in 40 minutes.
The Premium Long Range MG4 model has a 64kWh battery with a WLTP range of up to 280 miles and a 154 kW DC charging speed, and the XPOWER model has a 64kWh battery with a WLTP range of up to 251 miles and a 144 kW DC charging speed.
The MG4 features the ability to deliver vehicle-to-load charging, which can power electrical items such as domestic appliances, camping equipment or power tools – but the adapter to let you do this doesn’t come with the car.
The MG4 Premium Long Range is priced at £29,995; the MG4 Premium Extended Range (as tested) costs £32,995; and the all-wheel drive MG4 XPOWER (with a 0-62mph time of 3.8 seconds) is £33,995 – a performance bargain.
The MG4 includes heated seats and steering wheel, important features for an EV in winter.
The 2026 MG4 is available in three new colours: Ealing Green, as tested, Cosmic Silver and Piccadilly Blue, as well as Arctic White, Black Pearl (Metallic), Camden Grey (Metallic) and Dynamic Red (Tri-Coat).
Our review of the original MG4 when it first came out highlighted a number of usability issues with the car, including the lack of climate controls on the dashboard. We’ve gone through our list and it seems that MG has implemented virtually all of them, which is impressive. So although it may not seem that the 2026 MG4 EV has had many significant updates, the changes that have been made address the main issues with the original car. The good points of the MG4 remain: a rear-wheel drive layout that’s better than front-wheel drive in a torquey EV; a compact exterior footprint but practical levels of space inside; a long driving range, especially with the Extended Range model tested; and, at £32,995, it offers good value for money. The MG4 EV is awarded a Green Car Guide rating of 8 out of 10.
Drive an EV for less than you think with Select Car Leasing 
Save 20-50% on an EV through salary sacrifice with The Electric Car Scheme 
ClearWatt supports buyers, sellers and owners of EVs with app-based battery health testing and detailed EV data insights available for every used EV in the UK. Take the stress out of buying a used EV with ClearWatt and save 10% on all their products with promo code “GCG10”. 
Zapmap: UK's No.1 EV charging points app 2025. Zapmap helps EV drivers search for EV chargers, plan longer journeys and pay for charging. 
Paul Clarke, GreenCarGuide Editor
