MG Cyberster review

In some ways the MG Cyberster represents a wistful gaze back at the brand’s glory days. That’s because this is a convertible two-seat sports car (or roadster, if you prefer), just like the MGA, MGB and MGF.

On the other hand, the Cyberster is thoroughly modern in concept. It looks very different to anything in MG’s back catalogue (there’s no retro styling here), has a name that could have been chosen by Elon Musk and – most importantly of all – is a fully electric car.

The fact that it’s an electric vehicle (EV) makes it tricky to position, because right now there are no other battery-powered roadsters for us to compare with the Cyberster. A new electric Porsche Boxster is on the way in 2025 though, and we’re crossing fingers that the much-delayed Tesla Roadster will eventually go into production.

Then again, if you just want a sporty convertible car and don’t care too much whether it’s powered by electricity or petrol, indirect rivals to the Cyberster include the BMW Z4 and existing Porsche 718 Boxster.

Read on to find out how we rate the MG Cyberster against the best sports cars...

The entry-level MG Cyberster is called the Trophy and has a 335bhp electric motor driving its rear wheels, giving it an official 0-62mph time of 5.0 seconds.

The other option – and the only version we've driven so far – is the Cyberster GT, which has a second electric motor driving its front wheels and a total of 503bhp. Acceleration is properly brutal (0-62mph in 3.2 seconds) and will leave any BMW Z4 or Porsche 718 Boxster for dead in a drag race.

Yet despite its savage performance, the Cyberster doesn’t feel like a hardcore sports car. Its relaxed demeanour is more reminiscent of a grand tourer, because while it hangs on surprisingly well through fast corners, it doesn’t change direction with the agility of most petrol-powered roadsters.

That has a lot to do with the fact that the GT weighs almost two tonnes (the Trophy is around 100kg lighter). Unsurprisingly, there’s more body lean than in the much lighter Boxster, and more nose dive under braking – although stopping power is strong and, despite the regenerative braking system working away, the brakes are predictable.

The steering doesn’t exactly stream every nuance of the road surface to your fingertips but it’s accurate and weight builds up consistently as you turn in to bends. That means it gives you the confidence to drive the Cyberster quickly, and you’ll have fun doing so – just not as much as you would in an Alpine A110 or a Boxster.

The suspension is relatively supple and smooths over bigger bumps and undulations fairly well. In short, you won’t wince your way along every bumpy road. That said, the Cyberster – or at least the GT version we’ve tried – does shimmy around noticeably over minor road imperfections. While it’s something you’re aware of rather than overly annoyed by, it does take the edge off the car’s long-distance cruising ability.

This is, of course, an electric car, so you'll want to know how far you can actually cruise for before plugging in to charge. Well, that depends which version you go for. All Cybersters have the same 74.4kWh (usable capacity) battery, but the lighter and less-powerful Trophy has an official range of 316 miles, compared with 276 miles for the GT.

We haven’t put the Cyberster through our scientific real range tests yet but electric cars usually fall about 8% to 20% short of their official ranges in mild weather, assuming you’re taking it easy. Cold weather reduces the range.

With the roof down, you’re protected pretty well from the elements thanks to a standard wind deflector between the roll hoops. That is, unless you're more than about 5ft 10in because, if so, your head will probably find itself poking out into the turbulent air above.

Getting into the MG Cyberster is an event in itself because it involves pushing a button and watching the whole door pivot up electrically. The "scissor doors" – similar to those on some Lamborghini car models – add plenty of drama, and also make it easier to get in and out if you're parked close to another car.

They are fairly slow to open though, so it’s a good thing you can also activate them using a key fob as you’re walking up to the car. And don’t worry: there are sensors to stop them uppercutting an innocent bystander or, indeed, you if you become distracting when standing near your Cyberster.

The driving position is relatively high by two-seat sports car standards but you sit closer to the road than you would in an average hatchback. The fully electric seats offer enough support, and there’s a good range of adjustment to help you get comfortable behind the wheel.

That said, there’s a good chance you’ll find it difficult to see parts of the digital driver's display behind the steering wheel. It consists of three screens – a 10.3in one directly behind the wheel, with a 7.0in touchscreen on either side, angled slightly towards the driver.

The trouble is, the outer two screens will, for some drivers, be obscured by the steering real, which is a pain if you're trying to follow the sat-nav directions of the one on the left.

Both the infotainment touchscreens are often slow to react to presses, and although you can use buttons on the steering wheel to scroll through functions, we didn’t find that a particularly intuitive experience.

A fourth screen lower down is used to control the air-conditioning, the heated seats and some other functions. It's quicker to respond to prods than the other two, and there’s also a touch-sensitive panel that gives haptic feedback, allowing you to adjust the interior temperature without using the screen (although we'd still prefer proper physical controls).

Interior quality is generally very impressive, with synthetic leather and suede adorning the dashboard and the insides of the doors. Plus, depending on the paint colour, you can choose between a grey or red interior colour scheme, and a black or red roof.

Talking of the roof, it folds down electrically at the touch of a button, and takes around 10 seconds to go from closed to fully open, or vice versa.

The MG Cyberster is a two-seat sports car so it’s obviously never going to be the most practical car in the world. There’s enough head and leg room for a couple of tall people inside, along with lots of storage for their odds and ends.

To that end, you’ll find a couple of cupholders between the seats, pockets for your phone and wallet, a cubby under the centre armrest and a good-sized glove compartment. The door bins are small but covered by a lid to stop everything falling out of them when you open the scissor doors.

Behind the seats you’ll find a surprising amount of space for jackets and soft bags, and there’s plenty of netting to stop everything sliding around when you’re driving the Cyberster the way a sports car is supposed to be driven.

As for the boot size, it’s a respectable 249 litres (about the same size as a Kia Picanto boot). That's big enough for a week's shopping, luggage for a weekend away or even a small bag of golf clubs.

A BMW Z4 can carry more luggage, but the difference is small. The Porsche 718 Boxster also has fractionally more luggage space overall, but that’s only when you factor in its second boot under the bonnet. The Cyberster – unlike some electric cars – lacks a front boot.

The Cyberster is by far the most expensive car MG makes. Indeed, it has a higher starting price than a Porsche 718 Boxster – let alone a BMW Z4 – which might have you raising an eyebrow. Or two.

However, it’s important to remember that electric cars are always pricier than petrol alternatives, and the Cyberster is likely to massively undercut rival electric roadsters, including the forthcoming electric Boxster and Polestar 6.

Like all EVs, the Cyberster is particularly tempting for company car drivers paying BIK tax. That’s because it requires a much lower monthly salary sacrifice than any petrol alternative – even the much smaller and cheaper Mazda MX-5.

The Cyberster has a maximum charging speed of 144kW which means it's possible to do a 10-80% charge in 39 minutes with a fast public charger.

You get heaps of standard equipment with the entry-level Cyberster Trophy. The GT adds a larger 20in alloy wheel design (the Trophy gets 19in wheels).

The Cyberster is very well-equipped on the safety front, although at the time of writing no Euro NCAP safety report was available so we can’t tell you how well it's likely to protect you and your passenger if an accident can’t be avoided.

Likewise, reliability is something of an unknown, although we can tell you that MG came a disappointing 25th out of 32 brands in our 2023 What Car? Reliability Survey. Fortunately, you get a competitive seven-year, 80,000-mile warranty in case anything does go wrong.

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