MG4 review - Reliability & safety

It’s not good news for MG in terms of customer satisfaction, because the brand came in dead last out of 32 manufacturers in our most recent 2024 Driver Power survey, and also did so the year before that. Buyers rated it the worst in terms of powertrains, exterior styling and ride and handling, while its interiors, practicality and infotainment were also near the bottom of the pack.

Reliability is slightly worse than average, too, with 28.1% of MG owners reporting an issue in the first year of ownership – that’s better than the 33% figure from the year before, at least, and shows the brand has been working hard to right the wrongs. At least MG offers a competitive warranty that will help give a little extra peace of mind.

Safety

All MG4 models come utterly loaded with safety technology, leading to the car gaining a five-star safety rating from Euro NCAP. Included with even entry-level SE models, the MG Pilot suite of driver assistance features includes autonomous emergency braking (AEB), lane departure warning with lane-keep assist, blind spot monitoring, adaptive cruise control and an automatic speed limiter function. SE cars also come with rear parking sensors, while top-spec Trophy cars benefit from a 360-degree camera system to help out with tight manoeuvres.

Servicing

MG has committed to offering lower servicing prices for its EV models than those with a petrol engine, recognising that they generally require less complex and expensive maintenance, with fewer items that need to be replaced. Check with your local MG dealer for exact pricing.

Warranty

MG’s warranty should be an incentive to go ahead, because it lasts for seven years and up to 80,000 miles as standard. That beats the three years of the Peugeot e-2008 and the five years offered for the Hyundai Kona Electric. The Kia Niro EV also gets a generous seven years of cover, along with a slightly higher 100,000-mile limit.