New MG4 looks to Cyberster sports car for smart new styling
Next electric MG4 will be longer and lighter than today’s car, but will also cost a little more...
On sale Summer 2025 | Price from £28,000 (est)
History may well determine the MG4 to be one of the most important electric cars. That’s because its blend of affordability, usability and practicality was pretty much unrivalled when it first went on sale in 2022.
And that ethos is set to continue later this year, as MG readies the next-generation model – and it could well look a lot like the car in these pictures, which has been unveiled for the Chinese market.
The 2025 MG4 is heavily influenced by the styling of the MG Cyberster electric sports car, and there’s even a hint of Tesla Model 3 about the front end. The rear light design is a simplified twist on the Cyberster’s arrowhead arrangement, and appears to hint at the diagonal stripes from the Union Flag, a reference to the brand's British roots and London-based design studio.
The car has grown by around 10cm to 4.4 metres in length; it’s bigger than the Kia EV3 and Volkswagen ID 3 and will closely compete with the Citroën ë-C4 and Kia Niro EV. The front and rear wheels are 45mm further apart and are pushed out into the far corners of the car, suggesting interior space will grow. That’s a strength of the current car, although it’s harder to draw conclusions about a much-needed boost to boot space.
An MG spokesman told What Car? that the Chinese market electric car, shown here, is based on a new chassis platform, although further details are scarce.
It’s possible these underpinnings could form the basis of a new MG5 estate, a model which is understood to be in its twilight years, although the larger dimensions of the MG4 could render the estate redundant in the car maker's range.
Papers filed with the Chinese authorities point to a single electric motor producing 161bhp, which is less than the 168bhp in the entry-level version of the current car. But as with today’s model, more powerful versions could join the range in the future, although it’s unknown whether the firm will replace the 429bhp MG4 XPower hot hatchback – which we lived with for six months last year.
But despite the lack of power relative to today’s entry-level car, performance and range could yet be improved. MG’s filings tell us the car will weigh 1485kg, which is a significant reduction on the 1655kg of today’s car, and less than the Citroën e-C4 (1571kg), Kia Niro EV (1757kg) and Volkswagen ID 3 (1815kg).
The MG4’s battery capacity remains unknown, but should at least match the 218 miles of the current car. Higher-spec models could enable more than 300 miles from a charge, as is the case with today’s Extended Range models. For context, the MG4 has batteries with usable capacities of between 50.8kWh and 74.4kWh.
It’s possible that charging speeds will increase due to more modern battery chemistry, but the 150kW maximum charging speed of the current car remains competitive amongst rivals. MG’s official photos show a charging port in the front wing, which can make lining up alongside public chargers a little easier than in rivals.
No interior photos have been released, nor is there any indication of standard equipment, although it’s possible to see a panoramic glass roof and full LED lighting front and rear in the official pictures. We’d hope for an improved information system, though; those fitted to the Cyberster and ZS are clunky in operation and there are no physical buttons for adjusting the air-conditioning.
While an MG spokesman said there’s no confirmed decision on the MG4’s arrival here, it seems highly likely it will hit UK showrooms largely unchanged. There’s no word on pricing, but we expect a starting price of around £28,000 – a slight increase on the current car’s entry point.
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