Family car review: 2023 MG4 EV

How big is the boot of the 2023 MG4 EV?

The boot of the 2023 MG4 EV will hold ten shopping bags when empty, which is comparable to the Nissan Leaf+ and Toyota Corolla Hybrid, which both hold nine shopping bags and the Volkswagen Golf, which also holds ten shopping bags.

Or you can fit the Jiffle Wagon 6-in-1 pram with its seat in the boot with three shopping bags.

The boot space and its functionality are really important. I like to have a big boot space and little side wells or areas I can divide things into. So something I don’t want to move around while I’m driving such as Kid’s lunch bag or her wet swimming gear can be sectioned off in a little well where it’s not going to spill or get squashed by the rest of the things in the boot.

Hooks for securing shopping bags to are also favourites of mine, I like being able to secure the bag containing more fragile things like eggs so they don’t move around on the journey.

I measure the boot space in freezer shopping bags, prams and dogs. Not because I think all there is to a mum’s life is food shopping, prams and dogs. (Although it can feel like it sometimes!!) But because these are visually mesurable items we can all associate with. For me, the car company boot measurement of litres is not an amount I can easily visualise and 400L in one car may differ in usability to that in another due to the configuration or shape of the space.

The Jiffle Wagon 6-in-1 cart fits in the boot with two shopping bags, and the Jiffle wagon holds up to 60kg of cargo inside the wagon too.

The Jiffle Wagon, in quick fold with the Adapt More Infant capsule installed into the car, fits with n0 shopping bags.

The boot floor is nice and flat for anyone wanting to transport their small or medium-sized family dog in the boot or for an emergency nappy change.

The twin side-by-side stroller fits in the boot of the 2023 MG4 EV with room for a shopping bag to fit on top of it.

How good is storage in the 2023 MG4 EV?

Storage in the front of the 2023 MG4 EV is good. There are two cup holders down between the two front seats in the central console. They will hold a reusable or disposable coffee cup, and behind them is a storage tray. Above them are USB, USB-C and 12V charging sockets and, above that, a wireless phone charging tray.

The glove box is a good size and will hold a wallet and iPad with the manual.

There is a lined glasses case in the ceiling (great, given so few cars have them these days) so it won't scratch your lenses…

… and the front visors have vanity mirrors but are not lit.

The front door bins are a generous size, they will hold a large refillable water bottle and an iPad too.

In the back, there are map pockets on the back of both front seats that will hold and conceal an iPad and above them are two smaller storage pockets that will hold a phone or kid's toy.

In the back of the central console box there is a phone storage tray and USB socket for phone charging and storing but no air vents.

There are no rear cup holders and the rear door bins are only big enough to hold a kid's drink cup or bottle, not a refillable water bottle.

How noisy is the 2023 MG4 EV?

The 2023 MG4 EV is a lovely quiet car to drive. Being fully electric, you have all those benefits. I did find that, probably due to it being built to a very affordable price point, that, the wind and road noise are very audible on motorways.

You can very easily manage your battery range through the media screen.

The media system has been updated and modernised, which makes it nice and easy to navigate and use. There are some nice features in the home screen like the weather forecast.

You have to control the climate through the media screen which I find really tricky to do while driving as it's just too much attention away from the road in front of me.

The 2023 MG4 EV has Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, which is fantastic for accessing your phone's, navigation, music and podcast apps on the move.

When reversing, the camera image is extremely good and you have views from all sides which makes parking and maneuvering nice and easy in the MG4 EV.

The indicators are nice and quiet in the 2023 MG4 EV and would not disturb a sleeping passenger. When you come to a junction or lights, the 2023 MG4 EV has a camera view down the sides of the vehicle that is displayed in the media screen to help with visibility.

Becoming a parent I soon realised there are some noises and sounds I feel are unnecessary and I could happily live without if it meant my baby stayed asleep!!

That often the distraction of my screaming, distressed baby is more dangerous when driving than not having a lane departure warning for example.

If it is the lane departure warning beeping that creates distress with my baby then which is safest?

It’s where I think we need to be able to strike a balance and choose when we can mute the warnings or swap them to a vibration in the steering wheel or flashing light perhaps?

A lot of these noises come with the increase in technology and especially linked to safety features and alerts. For me these all have their place.

Another thing I have realised is I spend my time in a lot more places where small children roam, parks, beaches, play gyms, swimming lessons, daycare centre etc. I have become more aware that when I’m reversing or manouvering in the car parks I have to tripple check for small children running around behind me or being in my blind spot when reversing. For this I LOVE reversing cameras, I just don’t like their beeping sounds!!

I have become so much more aware of safety and potential accidents or hazards since having a child and so I love the peace of mind that I get from the cameras and sensors combined with my own vision from windows and mirrors as I don’t trust cameras alone.

Its doors and windows are quiet to open and close and the windows can be locked from the driver's door control panel.

Since becoming a mum I spend A LOT of time parked up somewhere with a nice view while my daughter is asleep in the back! If it's hot I need to leave the engine running and the aircon on but I do like to get out and drink my cuppa tea in the fresh air while enjoying the fact my limbs are free from said dangling child!!
SO this is a very important test as I have found that sometimes I have been held hostage by a cars BEEEEPING alarms when I have taken off my seatbelt or opened the door while the engine is still running!! (I only stand outside the car, I am not a bad mother!!)

There is a seatbelt removal visual for all the seats on the driver's display screen so you know if anyone in the back removes their seatbelt.

How many child seats fit on the 2023 MG4 EV?

There are ISOFix points in both of the outer rear seats in the 2023 MG4 EV, behind large Velcro flaps…

… and top tether anchorages in all three rear seat backs and easily accessible through the boot.

I could easily install the three Infasecure child seats across the back seat of the 2023 MG4. They do fill the seat base, so you would need to be selective with the child seats you use if you need to fit three across. I installed the Infasecure Attain More and Momentum More child seats forward-facing and the Infasecure Adapt More Infant Capsule rear-facing behind the driver. With the Infasecure Adapt More installed behind the driver's seat, we found a 180cm driver could sit in front of it or a taller person on the passenger side.

Posting Bub into their child seat from inside and outside the car is really nice and easy in the 2023 MG4 EV.

Australia being a country of weather extremes; blazing sun and torrential rain, mean you may find it easier to put Bub into their seat from inside the car sometimes. If it’s hot you can get the air-con going, cool the car down and not stand out in the sun while you fasten them in or shelter from the rain and not get soaked yourself whilst you’re doing it. So it is important to test whether Bub can be easily installed from either direction!

The seats of the 2023 MG4 EV are upholstered with plain black pleather and woven upholstery central panels, which should be quite easy to clean.

How comfortable is the new 2023 MG4 EV? And How good is the 2023 MG4 EV to drive?

In the front of the 2023 MG4 EV, I tested with my family, the seats are nice and comfortable and the interior is modern and clutter-free.

The headrests are not adjustable in all directions, so I couldn't wear a ponytail!

I had spent hours styling my hair this morning to get this ponytail just right too… said no new mum ever!!!

For a mum travelling in the back with Bub, the seats are comfortable and I could just squeeze between two child seats if they were positioned at the edge of the rear seats, and I'm 162cm.

For the first year of my daughters lives when we would go out as a family, if I wasn’t driving, I would travel in the back with Bub so it’s important to check the back seat comfort as you may be spending a lot of time in them! They were never something I gave any thought to before but I definitely notice a good or bad back seat now!

The steering wheel was adjustable up/down.

There are four air-conditioning vents across the front dashboard; two horizontal central ones below the media screen and another at each end of the dash.

There are no rear air vents in the back of the central console box so you really have to blast the aircon through from the front to the back to keep passengers comfortable.

You control the aircon through the media screen, which I find difficult to control while driving.

There are vanity mirrors in both the front visors and a lined glasses case in the ceiling.

Rear visibility is affected by having three child seats in the back of the MG4 EV and using the 360-degree camera really helps when parking and manoeuvring etc.

One thing I have noticed since being a mum is I hate it when I reach a destination or get home from being out and Bub has either done really well in the car or she is screaming her head off and I have done really well to keep it together for the entire journey (usually the latter!!) and it takes 10 minutes to park the car! It can be really stressful. Usually I dread parking new cars as they take longer in our tight apartment block carpark, but the MG4 EV was fine to park as it is quite small and the turning circle is good and the cameras are excellent.

The 2023 MG4 EV is a very affordable electric car for families that is surprisingly practical and spacious too. It is perfect for a family of four and there is room for that third passenger or child seat in the back if needed occasionally too. It is spacious enough for everyone to fit in comfortably, and legroom is very generous for the adults in the front, both tall and small.

The 2023 MG4 EV is great value for money. The choice of battery ranges makes it practical for families to select what is best fit for them for their usual weekly routine school drop-offs, commutes and playdates, and the top-spec with a 530km range will be a good amount between charging stops for family road trips and holidays too. It has practical boot space fitting the Jiffle 6-in-1 pram, good legroom and ample rear-seat space for two and, if needed, three Infasecure child seats. I am not a fan of the climate settings only being controlled through the media screen as it requires too much of my attention when driving, and there's a fair bit of wind and road noise at speed on a highway, and the MG4 starts to feel a bit light too at 100kmph but for families that will do mainly school run and commute this makes a nippy like family run around!

How safe is the 2023 MG4 EV?

The brand new 2023 MG4 EV has scored a five-star ANCAP crash test and six airbags as standard.

When it comes to safety features, the 2023 MG4 EV has six airbags; there are dual frontal, side chest-protecting and side head-protecting (curtain) airbags are standard. A centre airbag to prevent occupant-to-occupant interaction is not available.

For child occupancy, the MG4 scored 86%, which is good, especially for the price. For adult occupancy, the MG4 scored 83%.

As standard, all cars come with adaptive cruise control (ACC),  Anti-lock Braking System (ABS), automatic headlights, autonomous emergency braking (AEB) car-to-car and VRU and junction assist, blind spot monitoring (BSM) (not available on the base model), electronic brake-force distribution (EBD), event data recorder (EDR), electronic stability control (ESC), emergency brake assist (EBA), fatigue reminder and detection, forward collision warning (FCW), lane departure warning (LDW), lane keep assist (LKA), rear cross-traffic alerts (RCTA) (not available on base variant), reversing collision avoidance camera, secondary/multi clision brake, speed assistance – manual speed limiting and speed assistance – speed sign recognition & warning.

Some of these safety features are also features that drive me crazy as a mum! Like the lane departure and forward collision alert or the parking sensor beeping sound. I want all the safety technology AND to be able to mute the sound when Bub’s asleep!