2026 (26) MG Mg4 Urban 118kW Comfort Long Range 54kWh 5dr Auto

MG dips down into the more affordable section of the electric car market with this model, the MG4 EV Urban. Jonathan Crouch takes a look.

Ten Second Review

MG has decided to super-size its proposition for customers of B-segment small EVs with this car, the MG 4 EV Urban. Do you really need more from a compact electric car than this?

Background

MG has a history in budget EVs. Here's another, the MG 4 EV Urban. By now, you've probably got a good idea of how the budget end of the EV market is structured these days. A sub £15,000-£18,000 segment for tiny really cheap city car-shaped models like the Dacia Spring and the Leapmotor T03. Then the more popular £22,000-£25,000 segment for more mature EV smaller superminis like the Renault 5 and the Citroen e-C3. And then finally the £27,000-£30,000 bracket for larger EV superminis like the Vauxhall Corsa Electric and the ordinary MG 4 EV. Ah yes, the ordinary MG 4 EV. The demise of MG's original cheap electric car, the ZS EV in late 2024, saw the brand's strong-selling '4' model temporarily positioned as the entry point to the company's electric line-up. Quite a highly-priced entry point as it turned out, following that model's subtle push up-market as part of a mid-term update in early 2026. So a more accessible model was required to slot beneath it at the £22,000-£25,000 price point - and the MG 4 EV Urban is it. Contrary to what the name suggests, the Urban shares almost nothing with the ordinary MG 4 EV - in terms of platform, drivetrain and design. Confusingly, the Urban is even slightly bigger than its pricier stablemate, though as you would expect given the lower price point, its battery is smaller. Let's take a closer look.

Driving Experience

The engineering here could hardly be more different from that of the ordinary MG 4 EV. The 4 EV Urban rides on its own bespoke EV platform and for better packaging drives from the front rather than the back. Via significantly smaller lithium-iron-phosphate batteries of either 42.8kWh or 53.9kWh in size, giving driving range figures of 201 or 258 miles respectively. For reference, a normal MG4 EV uses 64kWh and 77kWh batteries with respective range figures of 280 miles or 329 miles. With the Urban, the batteries are also engineered into the chassis differently. Rather than being simply bolted to the monocoque as with the standard '4', a 'cell-to-body' structure is used whereby the casing of the pack is a structural element and part of the floor. That's a major reason why the Urban's 1,520kg kerb weight is a substantial 245kg lighter than its stablemate. More changes are found with the suspension, which sees the sophisticated independent set-up of the ordinary 4 EV replaced by simpler cost-saving torsion beam arrangement. What about power? Well the smaller 42.8kWh 'Comfort Standard Range' battery pack is mated to a 147bhp front synchronous motor which accelerates the car to 62mph in 9.6s. Most will opt for the 'Comfort Long Range' version, which mates the largest 50.4kWh battery with a punchier 158bhp motor that takes an insignificant tenth of a second off that sprint time and offers a little more grip thanks to a larger tyre size. Expect the usual quite engaging MG driving dynamics (sharp steering etc). But you'll probably pay a little for that simpler suspension arrangement over city potholes and speed humps.

Design and Build

As already mentioned, MG is in the curious position with this Urban in selling an entry-level model that's larger (108mm longer) than the conventional MG 4 EV that sits above it in the line-up. You might even prefer the styling of this more affordable model, Josef Kaban and his team lifting styling cues from the Cyberster sports car; primarily found in the headlamps, front splitters and wheel arches (which house 17-inch rims). The combination of the better packaging possible with front wheel drive and a tall roof with short overhangs liberates a lot more space inside too. Not only more than an MG4 EV but more than just about every comparably-priced small EV hatch in this class. Cabin space instead is much more what you'd get from something VW ID.3-sized in the next segment up. The interior ambiance isn't, but the broad dashboard and high centre console gives a grown-up feel. Build quality from the Nanjing factory seems solid but some of the scratchy plastics will mark quickly. There's the expected substantial central touchscreen, this one 12.8-inches in size and with a welcome bank of buttons beneath it to control the stereo volume and air conditioning. That centre console also has an incorporated hidden lower level with twin embedded USB-C ports. And the usual small instrument screen is one of the Chinese motor industry's better efforts. Rear seat space is extremely impressive, much better than an ordinary MG4 and class-leading with the kind of room to stretch out that you simply wouldn't expect in this class of car. Plus because the roof is so high and the bench so wide, you could conceivably fit three adults in the back if need be. Equally noteworthy is boot space, rated at up to 577-litres (compare against 388-litres for an ordinary MG4). To give some perspective, a big BMW 5 Series Touring estate has 7-litres less.... There's 100-litres of space below the boot board, enough to carry a 3-foot-tall houseplant standing upright in the boot. No other small cheap EV at this price is anything like as practical. With the rear bench folded, there's up to 1,364-litres of space.

Market and Model

From launch, MG list prices for this Urban model were starting at around £23,500 for the base 42.8kWh smaller-battery 'Comfort Standard Range' variant. Most customers will graduate at least to the mid-level 53.9kWh 'Comfort Long Range' bigger-battery version, which cost from launch around £25,500. If you want to go all-out with your Urban, the top 'Premium Long Range' version uses the same larger battery but has more equipment, which takes the price to around £28,000. No MG 4 EV Urban qualifies for the government's Electric Car Grant, but that doesn't matter because MG offers its own £1,500 grant towards purchase, which means that prices effectively start from around £22,000 and progress to around £26,500. MG is also offering 0% finance with no deposit required. All of this sounds decent value price-wise - the Urban is pitched at about the same level as the cheapest cars in that sector; until you learn that in China, where the Urban is built, pricing starts from around £7,000... Still, you probably get more equipment on a British-spec model. Even the entry-level 'Comfort Standard Range' version comes with full-LED automatic headlights, LED tail lamps, roof rails and 16-inch alloy wheels. Inside, there's a 12.8-inch HD colour touchscreen and a 7-inch HD driver display. And you get satellite navigation and wireless 'Apple CarPlay'/'Android Auto'. Graduating up to the mid-level 'Comfort Long Range' version doesn't really get you much more in terms of equipment. For that, you've to stretch to the top 'Premium Long Range' version, which gets larger 17-inch alloy wheels, a 6-way power-adjustable driver's seat, a heated steering wheel, ambient lighting, heated front seats, a six-speaker audio system, rear privacy glass and a 360-degree parking camera with a 'transparent chassis' feature. Plus the centre screen gains online apps for things like Live Traffic, Spotify, Tik-Toc, YouTube and Amazon Music. All MG 4 EV Urban models get a very complete suite of 'MG Pilot' camera safety features, including an 'MG Pilot Custom' function that allows you to easily decide which ones you want to be activated. These include Active Emergency Braking with pedestrian and bicycle protection, Lane Keep Assist with Lane Departure Warning and Emergency Lane Keeping, Intelligent Speed Limit Assist, Intelligent High Beam Assist, a Driver Monitoring System, Traffic Jam Assist, Blind Spot Detection with Lane Change Assist, Forward and Rear Collision Warning, Rear Cross Traffic Alert, Door Opening Warning and Adaptive Cruise Control with Intelligent Cruise Assist.

Cost of Ownership

MG claims an efficiency figure of 4.0 miles-per-kWh for the 53.9kWh 'Comfort Long Range' (52.8kWh of which is usable). Both battery packs use lithium-iron-phosphate chemistry apparently optimised for stop-start urban driving. Bear in mind that if you opt for the larger battery with top-spec trim, the 258 mile claimed range figure drops by 7 miles due to the provision of larger 205-section tyres. Like with most cars of this kind, you're probably going to be driving well to get 200 miles from a full charge, even in a Long Range model. On to charging, where DC speeds are much lower with an ordinary MG4 EV. The 42.8kWh 'Comfort Standard Range' entry model can only charge at a feeble 87kW. The 'Comfort Long Range' model ups that to 140kW. As usual with MG, there's a comprehensive 7 year warranty, though it's limited to just 80,000 miles and the battery warranty is for 7 years (to 70% of capacity) rather than the eight years (80% capacity) you get from other EV brands.

Summary

If you've up to £25,000 to spend on a compact EV, we reckon the MG 4 EV Urban should be high on your list of cars to try. There are certainly more charismatic and more nicely finished alternatives you could choose for this kind of money. But none of them have the same kind of interior and boot space that MG is offering here. It's a C-segment Golf-sized hatch at B-segment sub-Corsa-level pricing - and that's a big draw. We've got a few concerns MG could address when it comes to the mid-term update; like scratchy interior plastics and the feeble DC charging speed of the smaller-battery version. But overall, the Urban offers a strong package and is the MG 4 to have if you don't need the longer operating range of the ordinary version.