MG4 Urban review: a £23,495 electric hatchback

The MG4 Urban is a family-sized electric hatchback that starts from just £23,495. The Premium Long Range version we tested covers about 200 miles in the real world, and gives you a big boot, roomy back seats and a 360-degree camera. On the flip side, there's a fair bit of road noise, and it's no sports car.

As Helena, our resident EV reviewer, put it in our video review, MG has given the MG4 more than "a bit of Botox here and there" to create the Urban. We've been living with the 2026 MG4 Urban Premium Long Range to find out if it's worth the money.

• The MG4 Urban starts at £23,495, and the Premium Long Range we tested starts at £28,495.
• Real-world range is just under 200 miles from a 53kWh battery.
• The boot holds 577 litres, including 98 litres under the floor.
• A 10 to 80% charge costs around £2.60 at home on Octopus Energy's Intelligent Octopus Go - EV Saver tariff.
• On an ultra-rapid public charger, a 10 to 80% charge costs around £30.72, with the 10% discount Octopus EV personal leasing drivers get through Electroverse.
• The trade-offs are road noise, a so-so view out of the back and gentle acceleration.

The MG4 Urban is a five-seat electric hatchback, sold alongside the original MG4. The original is rear-wheel drive and a little sportier. The Urban is front-wheel drive, and puts space and comfort first.

Urban sounds like the little sibling, but Helena points out it's longer and taller than the original MG4, with over 100 litres more boot space. It's 4,395mm long, and a bit curvier too. Or, as Helena puts it, "they've added a bit of filler".

Helena calls it "the UK's favourite budget EV", and the video's title calls it "the UK's Best-Selling Budget EV". And in Helena's words, "the MG4 has historically been one of our most ordered cars".

There are three. Comfort or Premium is the kit level, and Standard Range or Long Range is the battery size.

Specs from MG UK, and real world range from EV database, October 2026.

Every version gets a heat pump, adaptive cruise control and physical climate buttons, according to Carwow's spec list.

Mostly drive around town? The Comfort Standard Range should be all you need. For longer trips, or the heated seats and 360-degree camera Helena loved, the Premium Long Range is worth a look. Ours also had 17-inch "starburst" alloys, which Helena reckons look "really sporty and really, really fun".

Prices start at £23,495 for the Comfort Standard Range. The Comfort Long Range starts at £25,995, and the Premium Long Range we tested costs £28,495.

Road tax is £10 in the first year, then the £200 standard rate. Cars with a list price over £50,000 pay an extra £440 a year for five years, but the MG4 Urban is well under that.

You can expect just under 200 miles from the MG4 Urban's 53kWh battery. The official WLTP (aka lab-tested) figure is higher, at 252 miles. Your actual range depends on your driving, the terrain and the weather, so 200 miles is the number worth planning around.

Do you need more than 200 miles? If your week is mostly school runs, the commute and a big shop, probably not. The standard heat pump also helps the battery go further on a frosty morning.

What about charging? The MG4 Urban can take in up to 87kW on a public rapid charger. A more powerful charger won't make it any quicker. 

On a 7kW home charger, a 10 to 80% charge takes around 5 hours 57 minutes, so plugging in overnight easily covers it. On a 50kW rapid charger, like the ones at the cinema or supermarket, it takes 52 minutes. On a 150kW ultra-rapid charger, it's around 31 minutes.

Most drivers keep the battery between 10 and 80%, so that's what we've based these prices on. At home on a smart EV tariff, it's a few pounds. On a motorway ultra-rapid charger, it's more like a round of drinks.

Charging prices and times from octopusev.com in October 2026. Energy prices change, so check the current price before you plan around them.

Home charging cost

The cheapest option needs a 7kW charger at home and a cheaper smart EV rate. Intelligent Octopus Go - EV Saver is Octopus Energy's home charging tariff, and the discounted rate is exclusive to Octopus EV drivers.

Public charging cost

Public charging costs more, and part of that is tax. Home electricity has had 0% VAT since 1st October 2026, while public charging carries the standard 20% VAT rate. You're also paying for convenience, which isn't unique to electric cars. Petrol at motorway services costs more than filling up locally, too. Our guide to charging costs has the full breakdown.

Very, for a car this size. The boot holds 577 litres, including 98 litres under the floor. Helena fitted a full family Tesco shop and a pram without taking out the boot floor.

The back seats are roomy, too. When we reviewed the Ford Puma Gen-E, a rear-facing car seat left very little legroom for whoever sat in front of it. In the MG4 Urban, she sat in front of a four-year-old's car seat and still had all her legroom. Two rear seats have Isofix points (the standard fixings for child car seats), and there's space for the kids as they grow, even if they end up "really, really tall" like Helena's husband.

Up front, the old floating shelf has gone. In its place is a centre console with "loads of secret pockets", two cupholders, wireless charging and a big space for Helena's massive water bottle.

Two features stood out when we filmed the car:

• Physical buttons. The climate controls are actual buttons, so you're not digging through menus to warm up. A bonus if, like Helena, you "love a button".
• The 360-degree camera. Helena's favourite feature. She reversed into a tight space using the bird's-eye view and summed it up perfectly: "bosh. Easy peasy."

Smooth and comfortable, rather than sharp. As Helena points out, UK roads are full of potholes, and the MG4 Urban rides over them nicely. She reckons it feels more like a VW or a Skoda, and had to keep reminding herself that it's a budget car.

It'll do 0 to 60mph in 9.5 seconds. Helena's honest take: if you're after a sporty car, this isn't the one for you. It's set up for comfort, town driving and family life, and it does that job well.

There are five drive modes: Eco, Normal, Sport, Snow and Custom. Custom lets you mix and match, so you could have light steering with Sport mode's quicker response. One-pedal driving slows the car when you lift off the accelerator, and tops up the battery a little as it goes.

It has a five-star Euro NCAP rating and seven airbags, and Helena counted about 20 features in the MG Pilot menu, from adaptive cruise control to driver fatigue monitoring.

There are a few, but none is a deal breaker at this price.

1. There's a fair bit of road noise.
2. The view out of the back isn't great, which Helena noticed in rush-hour traffic.
3. Some of the buttons on the centre console still had her stumped after four days, though the climate controls are easy.
4. You'll find hard plastics on the lower dashboard and doors.
5. If you've driven the original rear-wheel-drive MG4, you might miss its extra zip.

And the looks? Helena loves the split grille at the front. The back, she thinks, is "a little bit grannyesque".

Prices and specs taken from manufacturer’s websites, October 2026. The Polo runs on petrol, so there's no electric range to compare.

The Renault 5 E-Tech has more character, goes slightly further and gets to 60mph quicker. But it's much tighter in the boot, at 326 litres against the MG's 577. 

Sticking with petrol? A Volkswagen Polo costs around £22,000, so it's cheaper to buy. But the boot is smaller, the entry-level car takes 15 seconds to reach 60mph, and filling it up will typically cost more than charging an EV at home.

Helena's verdict? The price point is spot on, given the safety kit, cabin and boot space. As a mum of two small children, she can see herself driving it for years, because it'll grow with the kids. No kids? There's room for the golf clubs or the wakeboard instead.

If this MG4 Urban review has you tempted, leasing is one way into it without buying it outright. We offer the MG4 Urban on personal lease, with servicing, MOTs, road tax and repairs included. It's also available on salary sacrifice, if your employer runs a scheme with us.

Some of our EVs come with a free or discounted home charger. Check the latest offers here. Octopus Energy's Intelligent Octopus Go - EV Saver tariff gives you a discounted rate that's exclusive to Octopus EV drivers. For charging away from home, Electroverse lets you use one large public charging network, on one card and with one bill.

It's a comfortable, practical family hatchback for the money, with a 577-litre boot, roomy back seats, a five-star Euro NCAP rating and about 200 miles of real-world range. The trade-offs are road noise, some hard plastics and gentle acceleration, so it may not suit drivers who want something sporty.

No. MG sells the MG4 Urban alongside the original MG4. The Urban is front-wheel drive rather than rear-wheel drive, its charging port is at the front, and it puts comfort and space ahead of sportiness.

On a 7kW home charger, a 10 to 80% charge takes around 5 hours 57 minutes, so an overnight plug-in easily covers it. On a 150kW ultra-rapid charger, the same top-up takes around 31 minutes. Cold weather can slow your charging down.

About £2.60 for a 10 to 80% charge at home on Intelligent Octopus Go - EV Saver, Octopus Energy's tariff whose discounted rate is exclusive to Octopus EV drivers. On an ultra-rapid public charger it's about £30.72, with the 10% Electroverse discount if you lease through Octopus EV.

The MG4 Urban only went on sale in 2026, so there isn't much owner data yet. What you do get is MG's seven-year factory warranty, which covers all new MGs. Check the mileage limits and battery cover with an MG retailer before you order.