2026 MG4 EV Urban review

High entry prices have been a major barrier to electric vehicle uptake, but the price war between competing Chinese brands is driving down the cost of EVs at a clip.

The latest entrant in the affordable EV space is the MG4 EV Urban, a pared back version of the existing MG4 EVs. It sacrifices range/power and some fancier features found in its more expensive stablemates to come in at around $30k before on-road costs.

Does it offer enough to draw attention amid an ever-growing list of budget EVs? We hit the road in an MG4 EV Urban Essence to find out.

How much does the 2026 MG4 EV Urban cost? 

The existing MG4 EV range comprises the Excite 51kWh (from $37,990 drive away), Excite 64kWh ($42,990), Essence 64kWh ($45,990), Essence 77kWh ($50,990) and the XPower 64kWh ($55,990).

The two new Urban models undercut these by quite a margin, with the 43kWh Standard model priced at $31,990 drive away and the 54kWh Long Range version costing $34,990.

This puts the Urban in a similar realm to the BYD Dolphin (from $29,990 plus on road costs), GAC Aion UT (from $31,900), BYD Atto 2 ($31,990) and GWM Ora ($35,990).

The MG4 EV Urban comes standard with a seven-year unlimited kilometre warranty. This can be extended to 10 years/250,000km subject to strict servicing rules, and servicing intervals are every two years or 40,000km. The battery is covered by a separate eight-year/160,00km warranty.

What is the 2026 MG4 EV Urban like inside? 

History suggests expectations should be low when entering an affordable EV, but the MG4 EV Urban has the marque’s latest styling, a simple but elegant palette of black and silver, with agreeable and cohesive shapes in its physical design. Plush artificial leather upholstery further elevates the interior, although the steering wheel leather has that somewhat papery feel common to many MGs. The seats feel firm at first blush, yet prove supportive for a long stint behind the wheel.

Under the centre console are two USB-C connections and a 12-volt port – accessible to the passenger but almost impossible to reach from the driver’s seat. The console itself has two drink holders and a wireless charger, plus a small but deep storage bin. Air conditioning controls are, blessedly, given over to a row of buttons, knobs and switches below the iPad-sized centre touchscreen. A smaller but still very readable driver display resides behind the steering wheel.

The air conditioning vents are a curious design, with narrow outlets, and unless you crank the fan up to five or six it’s like an infant breathing on you. On a hot Aussie day, that’s not ideal, although to be fair, breathless air con is a trait many EVs seem to share.

Move to the second row and there’s space galore, with foot, knee and head room all generous. Rear passengers also enjoy two air vents, a USB-C charging port, pockets in the seat backs and drink holders in the door pockets, but there’s no fold down armrest and no reading lights. Child restraint options are two Isofix and three top tether points.

The hatch body shape doesn’t promise much cargo area but it’s larger than it appears. Upon removing the cargo cover and false floor and engaging in some boss-level luggage Tetris, we managed to fit four suitcases into the approximately 360-litre space. 

What equipment does the 2026 MG4 EV Urban come with? 

Standard inclusions aren’t extensive but there’s a considerable list for the money. The MG4 EV Urban ticks off keyless entry and start, a heated leather steering wheel, heated front seats, 12.8-inch central touchscreen and separate seven-inch driver display, wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, climate control, an excellent 360-degree surround view camera, wireless phone charger, and a six-speaker sound system.

How safe is the 2026 MG4 EV Urban? 

The MG4 EV Urban recently earned a five-star ANCAP safety rating. It has six airbags and numerous ADAS features including autonomous emergency braking, blind spot detection, lane departure warning, lane keeping assistance, and speed sign recognition with audible overspeed alert.

What powers the 2026 MG4 EV Urban? 

A single electric motor on the front axle gets things in motion, delivering 110kW/250Nm on the 43kWh model and 118kW/250Nm on the 54kWh version.

Claimed range (WLTP) is 316km from the 43kWh battery and 405km from the 54kWh. The MG4 EV can charge at up to 150kW DC, for a 10 to 80 per cent recharge time of a bit over 30 minutes. It also has an onboard 6.6kW single-phase AC charger for a home charging time of around seven hours.

What is the 2026 MG4 EV Urban like to drive? 

Like many newer EVs, the MG4 EV Urban has no starter button and no parking brake, which will be a love it or loathe it proposition for many – you just get in, shift to drive or reverse, and away you go. It’s the same on arrival, where you simply put it in park (via a button on the end of the transmission stalk), then get out. Everything switches off when you lock the door… but doesn’t switch off if you don’t lock it, which can be an inconvenience in some situations.

Acceleration is more than adequate for nearly all urban and extra-urban situations. It’s only when you really drop your foot that the moderate power figures come into play and the motor runs out of oomph. A tendency to lurch during braking can be a bit of a pain, especially when you’re trying to inch forward in a parking spot, although this is hardly unique to the MG4.

Nor are its relentless speed alert bing-bongs, and this annoyance was exacerbated in our press vehicle, which must have needed a software patch – it often insisted the prevailing speed limit was 65km/h or 75km/h.

The Urban’s suspension is fine over larger undulations but tends to fuss and fidget when confronted with smaller road imperfections and the ride is at the firmer end for what is essentially an urban runabout. Steering is fine, neither sporty nor under-responsive. 

The regenerative braking comes with three resistance levels, plus a one-pedal driving setting. Energy recuperation is quite effective in the right environment; when it was set to level three the battery gained around 10km range while covering 30km in a run down the eastern side of the Blue Mountains.

The MG4 EV Urban at Bells Lookout.

We averaged approximately 15kWh/100km during our time with the MG4 EV Urban Essence, which always carried four passengers and sometimes four suitcases. This would suggest the claimed WLTP range is achievable in real-world situations – and 405km is not bad at all for a budget EV that won’t often be asked to do that sort of heavy lifting in an urban setting.

Open Road’s take on the MG4 EV Urban

The MG4 EV Urban is another solid offering from a Chinese marque that has come a long way in 10 years. Impressive day-to-day comfort and practicality outweigh the Urban’s comparatively minor flaws. The very reasonable asking price and generous warranty help seal the deal.

What we liked

• Spacious and elegant interior
• Excellent top-down camera view
• Proper value for money

What could be better?

• Performance and range are only good for the price
• Weird air conditioning vent design
• Those gosh-darned speed alert chimes