Used MG4 review and buying guide

The MG4 was released in 2022 as the brand’s answer to the Volkswagen ID.3 and Renault Megane. Its low price and generous equipment made it a hit with budget-conscious buyers and there are now plenty available on the secondhand market, so here’s all you need to know if you’re considering one. 

Despite its nameplate, the MG4 has absolutely nothing in common with the brand’s stuffy models of yore. Since 2006, MG has been owned by Chinese automotive giant, SAIC. Look at how China is now the world’s largest manufacturer of electric vehicles, you’ll agree they know a thing or two about how to build an EV.

Upon its debut in 2022, the MG4 was the first MG to be based on SAIC’s Modular Scalable Platform or ‘MSP’, placing the car firmly up against the likes of C-segment stalwarts: the ID.3, the Megane, and the Cupra Born.

Given Chinese manufacturers’ ability to undercut rivals, SAIC has pitched MG – Cyberster aside – as a budget brand. To buy brand new, it starts at £27,745. This low starting price translates into even more affordability on the used market.

Sure, the infotainment system is a bit fiddly, some of the cabin plastics are the sum of their parts, and the MG badge may not pack the clout of some rivals, but the MG4 was the UK’s second best-selling used EV behind the Tesla Model Y in 2023 for good reason: It’s cheap to buy, even cheaper to run, fun to drive, and can seat five.

MG4 UK model history

The MG4 arrived with two choices of battery. Standard Range cars were powered by a 51kWh battery returning a WLTP range of 218 miles. Long Range cars came with a larger 64kWh unit, boosting range to 281 miles. Both cars managed the 0-62mph run in 7.7 seconds.

Fast-forward to 2023, and MG added a 77kWh Extended Range model to the line-up, along with a performance-focused XPower model.

The Extended Range saw the MG4 now capable of traveling 323 miles on a single charge. Thanks to a punchy dual-motor, all-wheel drive setup, the 429bhp XPower – with its 64kWh battery – sees its range significantly reduced to 238 miles.

Since its debut, the MG4 has curried plenty of favour with UK EV buyers and has won no less than nine motoring awards. These include Small Electric Car of the Year, Best Value Car, Bargain of the Year, and Best Small Family Car. With its bonkers power, the MG4 XPower was named Best Electric Hot Hatch in 2024.

Used MG4 equipment

Along with the likes of BYD, Geely, and Nio, MG is another Chinese brand keen to undercut its rivals in terms of bang for buck , and its C-segment hatchback is no different. All MG4 trim levels come with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, both of which are managed by a 10.2-inch touchscreen.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, the touchscreen is what drivers cite as their biggest bugbear about the MG4 – the screen’s in-built climate control setup makes no sense, and the operating system is sluggish, glitchy and fiddly to operate. This is, however, a trade off for standard kit. And there’s plenty of that.

Entry-level SE trim cars – available with either the Standard Range or Long Range battery – come with assisted cruise control and rear parking sensors as standard. Mid-tier ‘Trophy’ cars build on this, and come with a 360-degree camera, plus a heated steering wheel and front seats.

Externally, the MG4 Trophy gets an more aggressive bodykit developed between MG’s offices in China and its design studio in London. Battery choices are either the Long Range unit, or the larger Extended Range option.

The XPower is the flagship trim, and its sports car-rivalling power clearly marks its position at the top of the MG4 hierarchy. It also comes with a number of visual changes over the Trophy. The Alcantara seats come with fiery-red stitching, and while its orange ‘brake callipers’ are just covers atop the regular brakes, they do provide a bit of visual theatre.

Track Mode is also standard on the MG4 XPower, and tracks real-time G-force and acceleration. While interesting on a track day, it’s no more than a gimmick – albeit a fun one – in the real world. And don’t get any ideas that this is a Taycan-rivalling sports car. It might have more power but MG did no work to upgrade the chassis or brakes, so handling isn’t its forte.

It is also worth noting that while nicely laid out, some of the materials used in the MG4 can’t match the quality of some of its rivals. The ADAS system is also one of the most intrusive around, and requires some tinkering within the touchscreen to switch it off. Once you’ve done that, though, the MG4 is fun to drive, and its eagerness in the twisty stuff belies its 1.8-tonne kerb weight.

MG4 price range and running costs

A used MG4 EV is one of the most affordable options around. As always, we used AutoTrader to browse the listings and found a total of 496 cars from trade sellers. For peace of mind, it is recommended to buy from an approved manufacturer network.

The cheapest MG4 we came across was a 2023 Long Range Trophy from Coventry MG with 93,267 miles on the clock and priced at £10,289. The most expensive non-XPower model was a 2025 Trophy Extended Range model costing £26,990. From new, it had covered just 598 miles.

Of the nearly 500 used MG4 EVs we found, a total of just 49 were XPower models. The most affordable was a £19,653 car from 2024, which had covered 15,446 miles throughout its life. The most expensive was a recently-registered 2025 car with just 2,350 miles to its name.

Using an off-peak home charging tariff of 8p/kWh, the 54kWh battery will set you back as little as £4.32 to charge from 0-100%; the 64kWh battery £5.12 and the 77kWh battery £6.16. Charging on the public network could cost 10 times that, although subscriptions such as the Ionity Power package can cut it significantly.

On April 1 2025, EVs became taxable under new government legislation, meaning they are no longer road tax exempt. As such, all-electric cars registered from April 1, 2017 onwards will now cost £195 per year in road tax.

Used MG4 insurance

The MG4 SE Standard range sits in insurance group 27 out of 50, placing it just slightly above the middle. As battery sizes and power increase, so does the cost of insurance. The 77kWh Extended Range comes under category 33, while the XPower is a group 40 car.

As with any car, the exact price you pay will depend on everything from age and occupation to where you live and your driving record, so it’s best to shop around for quotes before committing to a purchase.

Used MG4 EV reliability and faults to look for

The MG4 scored a full five stars in Euro NCAP crash testing, and all models come with automatic emergency braking (AEB) and lane-keeping assistance as standard. Trophy and XPower models build on this existing safety kit by adding blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert and lane-change assistance to the mix.

Despite a decent safety performance and generous equipment, the MG4 scores poorly for reliability. In the 2024 What Car? Reliability Survey, the MG4 ranked 18th from 18 cars with a reliability score of 63.8%.

The car’s biggest problem were related to non-motor electrics, interior trim, bodywork, and infotainment/satnav system.

What’s more, MG only paid for repairs in 55% of fault cases, leaving 39% of faults costing £1,000 more to the owners. 68% of cars surveyed by WhatCar? also took over a week to fix.

Official recalls

Reliability woes aside, the MG4 has only one recall. At the end of 2021, a total of 1,960 cars were recalled when they were found to lock when running.

Used MG4 EV: The ‘one to have’

With its big power and relatively low purchasing cost, the MG4 XPower sounds a tempting proposition. Yet the reality is actually a car that’s under-chassis’d and overpowered. The range is also a drawback, especially once you’ve taken advantage of all 429 electric horses once or twice.

Our pick of the used bunch would be the Extended Range Trophy model. With 242bhp and 323 miles of range on tap, that’s all the used MG4 EV you’ll ever need.