MG reveals its trendy new 4 EV – however Britons will not be capable to purchase it

The MG4 is the Chinese brand’s best-selling EV and it has shifted almost 42,000 of the cars in Britain since it first went on sale in September 2022.

So, it’s perhaps no surprise that MG has previewed to great fanfare what the second-generation version will look like when it goes on sale later this year.

The only problem is, we won’t be seeing it at all. 

The all-new MG4 has broken cover in its home country and looks nothing like the one in UK showrooms today. 

Heavily influenced by the brand’s Cyberster sports car, the 2025 MG4 will be available in China from the summer with a starting price around £28,000.

However, while China will be getting a redesigned second-generation of the popular and practical hatchback EV, we’re getting a mild facelift of the existing best-selling affordable electric car…

The MG4 for China – what’s new?

So far, from the limited information we know about the second-generation MG4, the most obvious change is the exterior design.

The 2025 MG4 takes a lot of styling cues from MG’s two-seat electric roadster.

The rear lights are a modified twist on Cyberster’s arrow rear lights, bringing a bit more character to MG’s family hatch but nothing as dramatic as the Cyberster’s full arrowhead look.

There’s also a new light bar and a different bumper. 

It’s a significant contrast to the MG4 we know in the UK, which has a sharper, more angular design. 

In terms of dimensions, China’s new MG4 is bigger too.

The second-generation car is 108mm longer, 6mm wider and 47mm taller and the wheelbase has stretched by 45mm, making the same size as the Smart #1 and bigger than the VW ID.3 and Kia EV3.

Despite being larger, China’s new MG4 is lighter by almost 200kg, which should improve efficiency and driving finesse.

Nothing’s been released yet about battery sizes or power, but filings made by Chinese authorities show a 161bhp single motor and a new chassis platform.

Range also hasn’t been confirmed but the current MG4 can manage 218 miles for the Standard Range model, 281 miles for the Long Range version and 323 miles for the MG4 EV Trophy Extended Range with the 77kWh battery, so it’s safe to assume the forthcoming generation will be around the same. 

Whether the MG4 XPower hot hatch will be replaced too remains to be seen. 

What about the MG4 for the UK market – what’s being updated? 

Unfortunately, if you’re looking at the second-generation car and wanting to add it to your garage, that’s not going to be possible… at least not for some time.

While UK buyers will be able to get an updated MG4, they won’t be getting the one revealed to the Chinese market.

MG’s head of product and planning for the UK, David Allison, confirmed to Autocar that the MG4 UK will not follow China’s new MG4 when it’s updated for British roads this year. 

Instead, the MG4 will have a facelift but not a full overhaul. 

The interior will be extensively redesigned in the same flavour as the newly-launched MG S5 EV model; more soft-touch plastics, higher processing speeds on the bigger infotainment screens and improved connectivity with upgrades such as wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. 

Allison also revealed that the upgraded MG4 will get the S5 EV’s new level-two Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS).

The MG4 – why is it such an important EV? 

The MG4 was the second-best selling EV in the UK in 2023, behind only the Tesla Model Y. 

Last year, it dropped down the order to fourth but remains the most popular affordable EV with a price point below £40k. 

To date, it’s collected over 30 awards and has landed three overall UK Car of the Year titles.

It was one of the first modern Chinese EVs to become an international success, with huge popularity and fantastic sales results. 

But crucially, it arrived as costs of living have been skyrocketing and was one of the very first actually affordable EVs.

It put a marker down for what a good driving, practical, well-equipped cheap EV could be while undercutting rivals but thousands of pounds in the process.