MG 4 Urban EV Review 2026: Prices, specs and verdict

What is the MG4 Urban?

When is an MG4 not an MG4? When it’s the new MG4 Urban. Allow us to explain what’s going on here…

MG Motor UK has enjoyed years of value-focused success. It’s now a top 10 car brand for sales in the UK, but growth has slowed as other big Chinese brands like BYD, Chery and Geely enter the market – while European brands fight back on value.

The all-electric MG4 has been around for a few years now, too. And while it once blew us away by offering a long-range, fun-to-drive family EV at a bargain price, newer rivals have begun to undercut it.

And that’s where the MG4 Urban comes in. It’s unrelated to the regular MG4 in a technical sense, but it is the same size - slightly bigger in fact – and cheaper. It replaces the entry-level version of the MG4, which has been dropped as part of that car’s mid-life update.

The idea is that the standard MG4 caters for those that are willing to pay for style, a long range and a fun drive, while the MG4 Urban is the value champion, offering loads of space and equipment for a bargain price. But is it any good? We got behind the wheel for our in-depth review.

Verdict: is the MG4 Urban a good car?

If you’re looking for an EV that’s priced like a small car but offers the space and equipment level of something much pricier, than the MG4 Urban is a good choice. It’s capable enough to be a sole family car if a long range isn’t essential, but the regular MG4 (and the Renault 5) are better to drive, nicer to sit in and have more kerb appeal. If none of that is a priority, though, then the Urban is one of the best cheap electric cars.

Pricing, specs & rivals

Prices for the MG4 Urban start at £23,495 – but that doesn’t include MG’s £1,500 discount designed to match the government’s Electric Car Grant.

At just under £22,000, then, it’s competing with some of the cheapest electric cars on sale today. A Renault 5 E-Tech is currently slightly cheaper thanks to the grant, but it can’t match the Urban for practicality and standard equipment.

Speaking of which, even the entry-level MG4 Urban Comfort comes with kit such as LED headlights with auto high beam, climate control, sat-nav, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a reversing camera, rear parking sensors, keyless entry, adaptive cruise control and a heat pump.

That’s a strong kit tally, and a compelling case for the base model. However, for an extra £2,000 you can upgrade to the Comfort Long Range adding an extra 57 miles on a charge.

Top-spec Premium trim (at £26,495 including the grant) upgrades the base car’s 16in steel wheels to 17in alloys, while also adding power-folding mirrors, a 360-degree camera system, rear privacy glass, a six-way electrically adjustable driver’s seat, heated front seats, a heated leather steering wheel, wireless phone charging, ambient lighting and Live data services.

Rivals

You’ll probably be considering cars like the Renault 5 E-Tech, Hyundai Inster, Nissan Micra and Citroen e-C3 alongside the MG4 Urban. But the problem for those cars is that the MG is a lot bigger and roomier.

It’s larger and roomier even than the more expensive BYD Dolphin. In fact, the closest competitors if size matters are the Vauxhall Frontera and Citroen e-C3 Aircross SUVs. Consider the Ford Puma Gen-E, too, if there are some keen offers on.

Interior comfort, quality & technology

The MG4 Urban’s driving position is higher up than you might expect. You sit further off the ground than in a regular MG4, and closer to SUVs like the Frontera and Puma Gen-E.

There’s a wide range of adjustment in the comfortable seat and both reach and rake adjustment in the steering wheel (something with the petrol-powered MG ZS doesn’t have). The view forward is good, too, although thick rear pillars and a narrow rear window restrict the view out the back a little.

In terms of the interior design, it looks very similar to the newly updated MG4 (and bigger MG S5 EV) on first impressions. That’s a good thing, because it’s more attractively designed and sensibly laid out than older MGs – if still quite functional.

It’s also mostly good quality in there. Alright, next to the regular MG4 there are more hard plastics on the dash top, doors and centre console. But you still get padded armrests and a nice suede-effect trim on the dash face and centre console, plus some nice metallic trim elements.

Overall, a Renault 5’s interior has nicer materials and more splashes of colour inside. But overall, this MG4 Urban is far from as sparse as the price suggests.

Infotainment, sat-nav, stereo and connectivity

Compared to the old MG4, the brand’s latest 12.8in infotainment touchscreen is greatly improved – and the Urban gets the same system as the new MG4 and S5.

It’s decently responsive, with big icons that are easy to jab on the move and mostly intuitive menus. It’s a bright and crisp, too, but not a patch on the all-round brilliance of Renault’s infotainment system.

All versions get the same system, with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto as standard, although Premium trim adds live services to for weather and live traffic, plus, streaming services like Amazon Music and YouTube.

We like that there are high quality physical controls for the climate functions, a home shortcut button and a volume knob, while key icons are also present at the bottom of the screen.

The 7in digital driver’s display hasn’t changed much over older MGs, though, which means some small icons and text that are hard to read on the move.

A wireless phone charging pad is standard on Premium trim, but all versions get a couple of USB-C ports under the centre console along with a single one for rear passengers to fight over. The base four-speaker audio system is merely passable, with the six-speaker system on Premium trim giving a bit more punch.

How practical is the MG4 Urban?

The MG4 Urban looks like a small car at first glance, but with dimensions of 4,395mm in length, 1,842mm in width (excluding mirrors) and 1,549mm in height, it isn’t.

In fact, that’s bigger in every dimension than the regular MG4, and roughly the size of much more expensive cars like the Vauxhall Astra Electric and Nissan Leaf.

That means impressive amounts of interior space even by family hatchback standards. It’s nearly as tall as some small SUVs, giving even drivers well over six-foot plenty of headroom. There’s also good amounts of legroom, and you won’t be banging elbows fighting over the centre armrest.

Space in the back is plentiful, too. Six-footers have a good few inches of kneeroom to spare even sitting behind tall drivers and won’t find their heads brushing the roof either. There’s also plenty of room for passengers to slide their feet under the front seats, and a flat floor.

It’s even possible to fit three average-sized adults across the back for longer trips without too much complaint. It’s almost physically impossible to do this in the much more cramped Renault 5. Our only gripe is that it’s a little gloomy back there, with big pillars and fairly narrow rear windows.

Storage and boot space

There’s also plenty of storage in the MG4 Urban, including good-sized door bins, a large under-armrest cubby, a pair of centre cupholders, a decent glovebox and a tray for your wallet and suchlike. Under the centre console itself is a huge tray that could hold a large handbag or shopping items.

The door bins in the rear are surprisingly big, too, and there’s a tray under the rear air vents, although you don’t get pockets in the front seatbacks. You also don’t get a centre armrest in the rear, which is normal for a cheaper car.

As for the boot, MG quotes a remarkable 577 litres of capacity – bigger than some estate cars. But don’t get too excited, as that figure is measured up to the roof rather than up to the parcel shelf like most brands quote. It also includes a generous 98 litres of storage under the boot floor.

In reality, the boot is still very spacious for a car of this price, if not quite as vast as the Vauxhall Frontera’s. Premium trim gets a height adjustable boot floor, but without it there is a big step when rear seats are folded down in their 60/40 split that makes it hard to slide items through. But that’s a minor complaint, because it’s easily a big enough space for families.

Performance & drive: What is the MG 4 Urban like on the road?

You might be wondering at this point where the compromises are for the Urban to be so much cheaper than the regular MG4. Well, they’re in the bits you can’t see.

The Urban sits on a totally different structure that makes it lighter than the MG4, but also does away with that car’s sophisticated suspension, powerful electric motor options and rear-wheel drive layout.

Instead, you get the choice of 149hp or (in Long Range form)160hp electric motors driving the front wheels only. Performance is a lot more modest as a result, with both managing the 0-62mph sprint about nine and a half seconds and neither able to crack 100mph where allowed.

Acceleration is less keen than a Renault 5, then. But by the standards of cheap electric cars, it’s easily perky enough for everyday driving and getting up to motorway speeds. Throttle response is keen enough, too.

As for braking, there are four regenerative braking settings ranging from very gentle braking effect off throttle to reasonably strong slowing. There’s even an adaptive mode (impressive at this price) that adjusts brake regen depending on what’s in front of you, and a one-pedal mode.

These are adjusted via the touchscreen rather than steering wheel paddles, but at least there is a shortcut button on the wheel to access the menu. The brake pedal itself is a bit vague in its responses, but it’s not too bad overall.

Power, 0-62mph times

• MG4 Urban Standard Range: 149hp / 9.6 secs
• MG4 Urban Long Range: 160hp/ 9.5 secs

Ride and handling

We drove the new MG4 Urban back-to-back with the updated MG4, which exposed some of the new car’s shortcomings.

However, that’s only because the standard MG4 is way more fun to drive than it has any right to be, with plenty of comfort too. By comparison, the simpler suspension on the Urban doesn’t deliver such a strong ride and handling balance.

If the driving experience is top of your list of priorities, there are better cheap EVs. A Renault 5 or Ford Puma Gen-E feel more agile while also isolating you from the road surface better.

In isolation, though, the Urban is fine. Body roll isn’t too pronounced, and although the steering’s weighting isn’t that natural it is quick and precise. There’s enough grip, too, and it negotiates bends in a neutral and safe manner.

The test route we drove the new car on had some really poor surfaces, which exposed a more unsettled ride than the best cheap EVs. It’s far from jarring, but you do notice it fidgets about quite a bit and can’t quite deal with big bumps as effectively.

For those looking for an EV to mooch about town in and occasionally cruise down the motorway, however, the MG4 Urban is perfectly capable.

Noise and refinement

The MG4 Urban is far from the quietest electric car inside, but neither is it unbearable either. Sure, there’s noticeable wind noise and tyre rumble at motorway speeds, and some thumping from the suspension over potholes.

The electric motor is audible under acceleration, too. But turning the radio up masks most of this, and while a regular MG4 is much quieter the Urban is about in-line with similarly priced EV rivals.

Euro NCAP: is the MG 4 Urban a safe car?

There are no compromises when it comes to safety in the MG4 Urban, which achieved an impressive five-star safety rating when crash tested by Euro NCAP.

Very few of the cheapest electric cars can match that – even class benchmarks like the Renault 5 only managed four stars out of five. The Urban’s strong category scores (over 80% across the board) mean it’ll protect those on the outside almost as well as those in the car.

Every MG4 Urban gets seven airbags along with a suite of active safety features. These includes automatic emergency braking with pedestrian and cycle detection, lane keep assist, intelligent speed assist and a driver monitoring system.

That’s the usual stuff, but MG also adds adaptive cruise control with traffic jam assist, blind spot detection and lane change assist, rear collision braking, rear cross-traffic alert and even a safe door exit alert system. It’s an impressive tally for the money.

Charging, range and running costs

As you’d expect for the money, the MG4 Urban can’t match the best electric family cars when it comes to range on a charge. But, crucially, it’s in-line with similarly priced alternatives.

The Standard Range model makes do with a 41.9kWh usable battery pack, allowing an official WLTP combined range just breaking the crucial 200-mile barrier. That’s more than the cheapest Vauxhall Frontera and Renault 5, and in-line with the Hyundai Inster.

For those looking to venture further afield, the Long Range version gets a 52.8kWh usable battery for an official range of 258 miles. That’s a touch more than any Inster, 5 or Frontera – and comfortably ahead of the old entry-level MG4. Officially, the Premium model with its bigger wheels drops the range slightly to 251 miles.

That also makes the MG4 Urban efficient and cheap to charge. Based on our mixed test route in England with the Long Range version, that range figure seemed fairly accurate, too.

Another bonus is that every MG4 has a heat pump as standard, which is a more energy-efficient way of heating the cabin in winter. Some EVs that cost twice as much make you pay extra for one.

Range on a charge (WLTP figures)

• MG4 Urban Comfort Standard Range: 201 miles
• MG4 Urban Comfort Long Range: 258 miles
• MG4 Urban Premium Long Range: 251 miles

The MG4 Urban’s rapid charging speeds look a bit miserly on paper. But because the batteries are so small, you won’t be waiting around to charge for too long.

With the Standard Range version claiming a maximum DC charge rate of 82kW, and the Long Range upping that to 87kW, both will charge from 10-80% in around 30 minutes using a suitable public charger.

That’s the baseline we look for in any EV, and it’s actually a few minutes faster than the Renault 5. But MG expects most Urban buyers to mainly charge at home or work.

That’s where the standard 11kW AC charging on every version comes in. While that won’t make charging on most typical home wallboxes faster, it should mean quicker AC office or destination charging.

While most rivals have the same feature, we mention it because the bigger and more expensive MG S5 doesn’t come with 11kW charging even as an option, oddly.

Charging speeds

• 7kW charging: 8hrs (Standard Range) / 9hrs (Long Range)
• 11kW charging: 5hrs / 6hrs
• 50kW rapid charger (10 to 80% charge): 40 mins / 50 mins
• 150kW+ rapid charger (10 to 80% charge): 28 mins / 30 mins

How much does the MG4 Urban cost to insure?

MG has yet to release insurance data for the MG4 Urban, but we can expect it to be considerably lower than the regular MG 4 due to the reduced performance and smaller battery pack.

That car starts in insurance group 27, so we’d expect the Urban to start at around insurance group 20 or below for it to compare with the BYD Dolphin and Renault 5.