MG4 60 mph Motorway Range Test - how far will it go?

[@mohammednejad353]

Excellent report. I am getting my mg4 next week, it is the SE long range.

[@stuart_thomas]

That's fantastic!

[@redkite5218]

Great information. Good to see actual Road tests. Thanks

[@wino99999]

Many thanks for the reports, I find it immensely helpful to see what the car and instrumentation is capable of even though I'm not sure how you accessed some of these features atm. So got mine 2 weeks ago, Had a scratch on the inside door panel, No 3 Pin Charger, and the Infotainment centre screen had a Watermark Banner stating Pre-Release Hardware, Not for Customer Resale - when using Android Auto. Garage ended up driving it back to the shop to fix issues, bought it back with door trim fixed, new 3-pin plug charger, but although they updated the Software the same Watermark still existed when using Android Auto! Back it went again - again being driven, so driven more than I have had a chance to..... returned the next day after another Software Update from MG support (presumably China) which has finally fixed the issue.

[@stuart_thomas]

Sounds like you didn’t have the best start to your MG4 ownership. At least they have finally sorted it. I did hear about the software issue with android auto. Go an enjoy it now 😊

[@Madonsteamrailways]

Nice to hear reasonably good music on the video!!

[@warrenstewart3645]

SYDNEY AUSTRALIA. had my MG4 10 days. Great vehicle.

[@PianoLearnerChannel]

Thanks for doing this. I was hoping you'd do a 60mph so this is great.

[@DumfriesDik]

Nice one Stuart. All the best for 2023!

[@stuart_thomas]

Thanks Richard and to you too 👍

[@Madonsteamrailways]

I find the situation with all electric vehicles is quite good. Driving the car is totally different from driving a normal car, and I very much enjoy having the electric car. Although my car is a Renault Zoe, it can only be called absolutely silent at cruising speeds!! I get approximately 4.5 miles per Kikowatt/Hour on longer runs, such as Broxbourne to Brighton.

[@dogsbody9293]

Great video, very informative, thank you! This is definitely one of the cars in my future plans.

[@MattHill303]

Over 160 miles of mostly motorway at 60mph this time of year is pretty good and loads more than my mk1 ZS EV, once spring comes around and it warms up I think we'll see plenty of range unlocked. Hopefully picking my SE SR up soon, really looking forward to doing a few longer drives in it.

[@stuart_thomas]

I agree and possibly more! Thanks Matt and congrats on your new purchase

[@MattHill303]

@@stuart_thomas Just collected it, pretty happy, nice drive home, only issue is the rear undertray which is way worse than yours.

[@stuart_thomas]

@@MattHill303 glad to hear you enjoyed the drive - sorry to hear about the undertray. Was it like it on collection or did you realise later?

[@MattHill303]

@@stuart_thomas It was wonky on collection, I did discuss it with the salesperson, I inspected the Trophy they had in the showroom and that was also droopy more in line with yours. I think almost all of them are like it to some extent, it's not a very well fitting or designed part.

[@stuart_thomas]

@@MattHill303 gotcha - most likely a redesign and fitting for whom are effected

[@danuk2005]

Another excellent video, thanks for your time in making it.

[@stuart_thomas]

Thanks Dan - much appreciated as always 😊

[@RBcymru]

Brilliant test and so informative. Well explained settings and real driving test, keep up the good work.

[@stuart_thomas]

Thanks for tuning in and commenting it’s always appreciated 👍😊

[@Ian_Woods]

excellent video as usual, really usefull info from an actual owner. Yes I can see that the settings not being remembered and having to reset them every time is going to be a real pain. Lets hope that there can be a software update that fixes, what i consider a bug unless its a stupid requirement from ncap.

[@stuart_thomas]

Thanks Ian. There’s always a chance when it’s down to software so finger’s crossed!!!

[@happysporran]

Thanks Stuart, 60mph is my normal shorter motorway trip speed. Longer trips tend to be in the warmer months, so I'd definitely be interested in 70 mph closer to summer.

[@stuart_thomas]

That’s a nice balance and you’ll reap the rewards like that. Saying that, the car does do well at 70. It’s incredibly comfortable and eats the miles

[@markholmes6831]

Good to see it did the range (in fact gained a bit), but I can do more than that in a days work or driving to Crewe which is 180 miles, and I can go there and back on a tank with driving around up there with no range anxiety, particularly as there’s no home charging there.

[@nicholaswarner5475]

Hi Stuart, I came across some short videos from a MG4 owner, Burn Solomons . He suggested the battery pre-heater could be switched on and burning up the power. Checked it out and it was on, so hopefully do a longist journey soon and test out the power saving settings to get the best kwh per mile. Cheers

[@stuart_thomas]

That will certainly make a difference - keep an eye on that one! It's such an insignificant size and placement deep in the menus so I can understand why it's overlooked. On the plus size, your battery is always toastie ; )

[@UrbanCha0s]

Great test, thanks for sharing. Nice to see real life tests.

[@stuart_thomas]

Many thanks for tuning in and commenting - always appreciated 👍😊

[@decimal1815]

Nice real world test, interesting thanks 👍

[@chrispenn715]

Thanks for doing this - really helpful for me to plan my upcoming trips, including 230 mile run to Norfolk. 🙂

[@stuart_thomas]

Thanks Chris! If it helps people in some way it’s all worth it 😊

[@cloggsy1971]

I would suggest using the ‘adaptive’ setting on the regen for greater efficiency 👍🏻

[@stuart_thomas]

Thanks clive. I do normally use it tbh but as I mentioned in the video, If you use the ‘ECO’ setting in the car set up, it will only let you select full regen 😞

[@damiendye6623]

Just leave it in max regen no reason to change it.

[@nicholaswarner5475]

Hi Stuart, nice 60mph video, might well try those settings. Only getting 2.6/7 mls/kwh at the moment. Heavy right foot I think. Cheers

[@stuart_thomas]

Thanks Nicholas. It’s nice when you see some good numbers on the GOM but it’s nice to drive a car how you enjoy it. I too have a heavy foot, MG4 seems to love it too 😉

[@danuk2005]

Have you heard of the possible issue of the intelligent battery heater being turned on. Alot of people are finding this turned on from the factory causing high power consumption. Turning this off yeilds better m/kwh

[@therandomtester9561]

15% sounds about right. I tested quite a bit with the 24-Leaf, among other difference in consumption in speed from 40-80 km/h. Any 10 km/h increase (above 40 km/h) seemed to give a 10-12% increase in consumption. According to other tests shown around here, that seems to hold true in higher speeds as well. New to your channel, about half way I was surprised to see that low range until I realised you've got the SR model 🤣 Then it made a lot more sence 👍 Here in Norway, we only get the top spec LR model.

[@stuart_thomas]

Hi and thanks for taking time to tune in and commenting. That’s some interesting data on the consumption. Was that based on winter temps? I assume you get sub-zero numbers this time of year in norway? Shame you don’t get the SR MG, although it’s not offering exceptionally high range in winter with the charging infrastructure you have in Norway it would sure make it attractive? Have you tested any other EVs? Would love to do some testing over that part of the world 😊

[@therandomtester9561]

@@stuart_thomas got a little long answer here, and a bit back and forward I guess, but hope you'll find some good answeres. Tested in summer, HVAC off, but same should hold true for winter as well. HVAC will, off course, affect numbers and off course more so in slower speeds, but should still be in ballpark +/- 10-12% pr 10km/h.. (above 40 km/h which roughly is most efficient). If you look at TeslaBjørn's 90/120 test, they are in that ballpark as well. He also did some highspeed test, and seemed to hold true there as well. Where I live (Trondheim), rarely goes below -20C, and yes, that EATS range! I've seen the SOC go by twice the rate of summer-use.. But I've actually many times had about same consumption in +/-0C with wet road, slush, wind etc as -20C..!! Normally wintertemps here is -10 to +5 C, but many places in Norway see -30 or colder... Cold temps not only eats range because of HVAC, but a lot from air-density. I actually drove about 50 km, nice wheather, but a cold -10C with fan only, and was shocked over high consumption. Believe it was around 30% higher than in +20C HVAC off on same road. Cold, battery, yes, but mostly because of air density. Done a few more tests, regen, charging etc. Haven't really found my way to be a car tester, just tested some on my own cars, 24-Leaf and 40-Leaf, and not produced any videos really. We also don't get SR MG ZS and 5. Believe you actually can get the 39kWh Kona/Niro now, but for the longest time, you only got the LR 64 kWh Kona/Niro. And as far as I know, the SR Kona/Niro is not selling all that great.. We do have some "used" greymarket import, both MG, Kona, Niro etc, but from dealers, you only get LR from MG. Leaf has sold very well here, but the marked volume for i.e. ID4 is the 80. Appart from the outgoing Leaf, MG4 LR already is the cheapest EV on the market I believe. Everyone here is going for range, so SR's might just fill up space.. Could be an exception for the MG4 as it's so "cheap" as LR, but... I've got 40-Leaf now, max about 150km cold winter, 230km summer, and for my 60km daily drive, that's more than I'll ever need. For sure there's a place for affordable, "short range" EV's here as well, but volume sellers are max range and max equippement. Numbers of QC's has increased enormusly!! But still queues at times.. In 2015 driving Oslo-Trondheim (very common stretch, 500km) was impossible with 24-Leaf. Now you'll find more than often enough chargers even for winterdriving..

[@bazworld]

didn't know that the sr had the coffee break warning on it, nice video .

[@stuart_thomas]

Nor did i 😂 nice feature, if only I knew how to manually switch it off without stopping. Thanks again

[@pete9b]

Great informative video, thanks for sharing!..

[@XtremeCoke]

I just did a 160 miles round-trip @70mph on M40 with my trophy, it's 3miles per kWh,7-9 degree C, normal mode as I fed up it reset everything back to default everytime. Started 100% and back on 15% left with160 miles travelled. Noted that my MG4 trophy don't have efficiency graph displayed, just flat zero.

[@stuart_thomas]

Not too shabby - I got 3.2mi pkWh on my 70mph test however, I had no HVAC and it was warmer outdoor temp

[@solentbum]

To put speed differences into a context. I once left the service area at Warwick M40 at the same time as a my boss. He normally drove at indicated 80 mph, I drove at around 60 mph. He told me he would press ahead as he had some work to do in the office. After driving the 120 miles from the services to the office in Portsmouth I pulled up behind my bosses car just as he was getting out. He had arrived 5 seconds before me, due to one set of red traffic lights up the road. I wonder if his was a good use of the extra fuel? (We were both in ICE cars, but the fuel efficiency drops according to speed are similar) On the brighter side I regularly managed over 5 MKwh in my LEAF over a 175 miles trip , half M/W and half rural roads. In Summer of course.

[@stuart_thomas]

Sounds about right, I always feel the more you try to get somewhere quicker everything else seems to not favour your side ie traffic lights etc. sometimes it’s nice to feel you drove the route quicker 😂 Great numbers on the Leaf. Front wheel drive EVs seems to do exceptionally well with efficiency (less road friction), same goes for the South Korean brands like Kia’s e-Niro and Hyundai’s Kona.

[@dadanddave62]

From Australia... enjoyed you take on range test, a lot less dribble then other presenters 👍😏 Question as I'm picking up an MG4 at the end of the year, have you needed to use the air conditioner during a trip?? Would it chew more power then using the heater?? My longest run to charge would be 330 odd km.

[@stuart_thomas]

High there, thanks for the great feedback. The car will indeed use more energy if you use AC. To give you an idea, I’ve just finished a range test of the Trophy long range spec and I used between 1-2 kWh for 22c fan speed 2 during the whole trip.

[@dadanddave62]

@stuart_thomas cheers and beers Stuart. As we say here, G'day. Hope to pick up the MG around January next year, current delivery time being flexible, currently driving a Corolla hybrid,. 22c would be perfect, drop the outside temp by 12 to 14c in the summer..😅 just hoping the gov/industry have got more charges on line before I pick it up..🤔🙄 look forward to your next post..👍

[@A.N.O.1412]

Stuart, thanks for some of the best MG4 content on YT. As someone with extensive experience with a Tesla Model 3 and an MG4 SR, how would you compare the ride quality, refinement and sound insulation of the 2?

[@stuart_thomas]

Thanks for tuning in and the positive feedback. Firstly I’d say I love both cars. My M3 LR is seriously quick and I love driving it. It’s a proper driver’s car with so much feedback and I always get a buzz jumping in the driving seat. I’ve had it for over two years now and it’s showing signs of wear. It rattles and squeaks a lot, some trim around door bins is scuffed and my kids have distorted the backs of the front seats with their feet. It’s had parts begin to fail, most recent the heat pump and we’ve been left for nearly 3 weeks with no cabin heating or preconditioning and Tesla, despite being winter don’t consider it a health and safety issue. Where I live it looks like moles have been tunnelling through the roads as there’s pot holes everywhere and M3 just loves for me or my wife to feel every bit of each and every one of them. MG4 is a great ride, it’s comfy and soaks up the bumps and holes, it’s refreshing and the cabin is so quiet. It’s also pokey and great for slinging around lanes etc I don’t think at top end speeds and motorway driving you can’t beat a model 3 however the cabin is very noisy and sometimes conversations are difficult because the acoustics are awful but that’s glass cabins for you. Luckily it has a great sounds system which helps!!! I think for the price MG4 SE SR is bloody good value and found it better to drive than all of its rivals, Niro Ev, ID.3 etc Both vehicles cut corners with materials but I can overlook the MG as as of last week it was nearly half the price of an M3. I think if I owned none of these and was in the market I’d only consider the MG4 Se Sr only as for the new prices of the trophy I’d dig deep and get the M3 just for performance and the supercharger network. We do a lot of miles and having the SC network available is worth its weight in gold, plus the route planning is impeccable. I think M3 Std+ is still priced a little high IMO and would love to see it drop into the mid-late £30ks based on the current build etc Tesla would kill all the competition. But MG4 is the benchmark and it’s hard now for any OEMs to justify their price tag! What do you think of both yours?

[@A.N.O.1412]

@@stuart_thomas I really appreciate the time to detail your response! We're actually shopping for our first EV and your feedback is reassuring, MG4 sits on top of the list, but were considering to stretch for a used, faceliifted M3 Rwd. Until now :) . MG4 hasn't arrived to Hungary yet, and local Tesla hasn't got an M3 for testing, so can't tell the difference myself unfortunately. Reading your answer, now I can't wait to go over to Vienna for a test drive of the MG4. Sorry about the heating issues, and hope it gets sorted out soon, though a 2nd car helps. Wish you plenty of trouble-free miles! P.S. it would be interesting to see the SR headlights' performance on country roads.

[@stuart_thomas]

@@A.N.O.1412 anytime! I wish you all the best with your EV endeavour. I think you’ll be happy in either car. Try and test drive a few different ones even just to rule them out 👍

[@singlesprocket]

Thanks Stuart. Would you be able to borrow a MG4 77kWh Extended Range for your test? Also, how much will the service cost? Guessing it’s a lot for what is actually involved and avoiding services invalidates the warranty? Keep up the good work dude 👍🏼

[@stuart_thomas]

I can try! ☺️

[@bradhaigh61]

Really informative video. Ordered a trophy mid December. Researching home chargers currently and thinking of Octopus Go? Recommendations?

[@stuart_thomas]

Thanks Brad! Glad it can help in some way. I’m with octopus go, have been for a few years now. If you do pull the trigger consider using my referral in the video description and we will both get £50 credit😉

[@PiefacePete46]

Excellent thank's Stuart. The longest trip we would do, maybe twice a year, is to visit my son... he lives 275km from me! 🥴 ☹ 👎 In reality, we would not even come close, we may be able to maintain the same average speed, but very little of it is straight road, steady throttle, and there is a sizeable mountainous section as well. We'll stick with the hybrid for now.

[@stuart_thomas]

Thanks john. I appreciate it’s not for everyone and it’s a shame EVs aren’t able to suit at this time. Thanks again for tuning in 👍😊

[@PiefacePete46]

@@stuart_thomas : I live in New Zealand; the MG4 has not been released here yet. I have watched most of the MG4 videos, and have not seen a negative one yet! Even some of the "EV Haters" have had to soften their stance. It certainly looks like the closest thing to our EV wishlist. The Trophy might be worth a closer look when the time comes. (The nearest Tesla dealer is four hours drive from my home.) Since we retired, we only have need of one vehicle. We don't have the budget, or space for a second car. (Half the garage has been stolen for my workshop.) The last three years we have been having a love affair with a BMW 330e Hybrid. About 90% of our motoring is pure electric, and we have an electricity plan that gives us three hours free per day. The car is set up to make the most of that free electricity timeslot. I really appreciate the time you have put into these thorough and useful videos.

[@stuart_thomas]

@@PiefacePete46 hi John, it sounds like your Hybrid is working for you in terms of the electric propulsion and giving you options. I think MG4 would be a great option for you and having a car which is ‘less complicated’ mechanically is a bonus in terms of maintenance. I do 95% of my charging at home id love some free charging each day. That’s a great bonus for EV ownership. We’re fortunate enough to have a Tesla m3 (company car) and we love it but we don’t use it anywhere near how much we should, MG4 is just a pleasure to drive. Thanks again for tuning in and maybe you might review your situation later on once you’re able to jump in an MG4 to review it😊👍

[@adam060577]

Hi Stuart. Great video again. I had the same sort of discrepancy with the kwh used. I worked it out to be about 4ish kwh out on the full discharge. It would be interesting to see if there is an app we can use with an obd dongle to work out to see what kwh remain on 3%

[@stuart_thomas]

Thanks Adam and great to hear I’m not the only one to experience it. I do have an OBD reader but apps like Car Scanner aren’t currently yet supporting MG4. As soon as they do I will be on it like a fly on… Do you have the standard LFP pack? I have to believe it’s either 1-of-3 things. It’s an in-balance of the battery cells, it’s a misreport of HVAC usage or software issue.

[@adam060577]

Hi. Yep, I've got the sr with the lfp battery. I'm obsessed with figures 🤣

[@brunob1532]

Hi Stuart, Good vid. I was contemplating an MG4, any idea what the charging situation in the SW corridor ? We live in Cheshire and we occasionally trip down to Plymouth to see family, I'm guessing stopping at Gloucester/Bristol/ Exeter services

[@stuart_thomas]

Hi Bruno thanks for tuning in. Bristol has loads of chargers up to 130kw, most services have gridserve charging and Exeter is pretty good too

[@craigirving5540]

You sound like a pilot coming into land. Great video. But the screen showing the cars in lane would do my head in, seems to be a little lag there.. 🤔

[@stuart_thomas]

Chocks away!

[@MrSensible2]

On a long motorway run with my Suzuki Celerio, I've eked out 549 miles from 32 litres (a full tank) of unleaded. That's 78 mpg or 84 gCO2/km. Right now, petrol's £139.9/l at my local Jet filling station, which equates to fuel costing me 8.16p/mile. My solar panels are chucking out plenty of power right now but with Octopus Flux, charging an EV would cost me between 22.52p/kWh & 35.93p/kWh in 'lost' export revenue, depending on when I charged. At 3.5 miles/kWh, the fuel cost of running an EV ranges between 6.4p/mile & 10.26p/mile. It's really hard to justify an EV against figures like this.

[@stuart_thomas]

I’m no expert on solar tariffs - is there opportunity for a tariff which can incorporate ev charging tariff?

[@MrSensible2]

@@stuart_thomas Octopus Go is very cheap for four hours overnight but is correspondingly a lot more expensive for the other 20 hours of the day.

[@Madonsteamrailways]

Although it looks like a good thing, I wonder if it really is!! Lane assist is one of the better things on my Renault Zoe!!

[@SimVRRacing]

Love your videos. Keep up the good work mate. I need to change my etron in september and work needs to know soon due to the waiting times on new cars. Thinking of this as my next EV. Think I'm right in saying you need the trophy model to get the heated electric seats and reversing cameras? It's a shame they don't make the trophy trim with the smaller LFP battery as we don't do a lot of miles, but the trophy is much better spec.

[@stuart_thomas]

Thanks Glen that means an awful lot. That’s correct, Trophy has the bells and whistles. On the plus side, you do also get faster peak charging speeds too and a good flat charging curve, bit like an etron😉

[@SimVRRacing]

@@stuart_thomas I ordered one this morning 🙂

[@cloggsy1971]

I didn’t know TJA did that 🤔 Will give that a bash on my next motorway trip 👍🏻 How come you didn’t use TJA for the whole trip? 🤔

[@stuart_thomas]

Thanks Clive. I like what it does but I’m not a big fan of lane centring in general as the car (including Tesla, VW…) despite having your hands on the wheel, will keep asking you to make sure you have your hands and will expect minor inputs to prove this. On a long drive this gets tiring so I switched to good old ACC. Just a preference

[@undecided25]

Hi Stuart. Another great video. We finally ordered our white SE standard range yesterday so your advice really helped making the decision. I understand that the vehicle doesn't remember your last settings and defaults back to standard each time but if you create your own custom settings, does it reset these settings back to a default or if you hit custom each morning, does it remember the settings you made in custom?. By the way, on our 1 hour test drive before doing the deal, we were seeing 3.3 miles/kWh. Considering that i wasn't being careful, I thought this seemed ok. This was on single carriage A & B roads. Thanks.... Mark

[@stuart_thomas]

Hi Mark, congrats on your order. Unfortunately, for the time being, the car will not remember custom set up. The ‘normal’ set up it defaults to isn’t a bad set up but it’s not the best eco setting. 3.3kWh is about what I’m getting since the warmer temps and this sounds about right for A&B. Thanks again for tuning in and commenting 👍😊

[@undecided25]

@@stuart_thomas Thanks Stuart. I'll be ordering the threshold scuff plates you mentioned as well when the car arrives. Just noticed your interest in aviation. I've worked for an aerospace composites company for the last 28 years. Civil and military. Worked on most civil variants from the Dash 8 & BAe 146/RJ right up to B787 & A350. Then Hawk, Typhoon, C17, C130, A400M and even the ill fated Nimrod 2000 (MRA4). I work as a fire & mechanical Test Engineer and also carry out transmission testing on repaired radomes. Small world.

[@stuart_thomas]

@@undecided25 that’s awesome. Wow, that’s an incredible list of aircraft to be involved with, there’s not a lot you haven’t worked on - not jealous at all 😉😂.

[@littlechanges13]

Thanks again Stuart! Have you played with the battery pre heat much? Wonder if that would’ve given you another couple %

[@stuart_thomas]

Hi and thanks. Yes, I did have it on prior to leaving as it was just above freezing overnight and was plugged in. Even with that I know the LFP pack does struggle to get up to optimal temps and in all my long range tests the car always does better in the second legs of the journey but this happens to two other EVs I’ve tested (ID.3 and Niro-EV). Once I have opportunity to extract data through an OBD reader (when the car spec is available) I’ll be able to pin point where efficiencies are gained and lost and that will hopefully benefit everyone.

[@littlechanges13]

@@stuart_thomas ah ok, that’s great info, apologies if you said it in the video I thought you’d just meant the cabin pre heat

[@stuart_thomas]

@@littlechanges13 no worries at all. Once I can get data on the car I’ll work out whether how beneficial it is👍

[@jamesguy7396]

Have you switched off 'Intelligent Battery Heating'? Ive just found the switch at the bottom of the energy management page if you scroll down. My consumption improved considerably in the cold weather once turned off. Battery heating using 7kW and is entirely unnecessary unless you want to improve dc charging rates. I also drive a lot on the A38 further west where it is very hilly and Im getting about 180 ml range in cold, wet and windy weather travelling at 60mph.

[@stuart_thomas]

Thanks James. Yes, it’s always switched off. I rarely use it tbh unless it’s before I leave the house on long journeys on super cold mornings or as you say prior to DC charging (I have a video on this). 180 miles is great numbers for 60mph. Is that a standard or long range battery?

[@jamesguy7396]

@@stuart_thomas My range estimates are approx calculations and extrapolation from the guessometer. Always now about 180 miles. I haven’t done a long motorway trip, just local between Exeter and Plymouth, all motorway could reduce range. I chose the SR because it has the LFP battery, for me the only choice.

[@stuart_thomas]

@@jamesguy7396 gotcha good choice for the journeys you’re doing etc

[@bitet1]

For all heaters-what is the problem stop and charge 20-30 km extra and go wherever you want? 😱😱 10 -15 minutes and go

[@stuart_thomas]

Nothing wrong to stop and charge. It's nice to know how far your vehicle will travel in the real world as not everyone will want to or have an opportunity to charge. Knowledge is the key!

[@bitet1]

@Stuart Thomas I just hate how they spill the venom .I also have electric bike and I did the same and finally did extra 40 km back home with flat battery. Mountain bike weights 27kg😭

[@stuart_thomas]

@@bitet1 there’s a lot of misinformation or confusion over EV range. Good to know

[@bitet1]

I'm going to order tomorrow😁

[@bitet1]

White ordered 👌 😁🚘🚙🚘🚙

[@ouethojlkjn]

15% better efficiency at 60mph - I'll take that.

[@angatsingh2500]

Hey Stuart, How did you get electricity at 5p per kwh? I thought in the uk it averages around 35p per Kwh? sorry if this is a dumb question. I just ordered my mg4 trophy and am a complete newbie when it comes to EVs.

[@stuart_thomas]

Hi Angat - as they say, you won’t know if you don’t ask!!!😊 There’s a few EV tariffs out there for home charging. Between 12.30am-4.30am my Octopus Go tariff allowed me to charger at 5p p/kWh. This 12 month fixed tariff finished last week and my new rate is 12p based on the same supplier/timings. I know many people on varied tariffs at home from 12p like mine up to 45p. Hope this helps. If you do consider Octopus for your energy consider using my referral code to get £50 credit on your account👍

[@Madonsteamrailways]

Well most of us drive electric vehicles at around 60 MPH, so a 60 MPH is probably the most efficient speed for most electric vehicles.

[@chrispenn715]

I'm enjoying my MG4 - but it is soo irritating that most drive settings default back after every trip....

[@nicholaswarner5475]

This is such a pain , why can't you hold the settings for car even if you restart it, very frustrating.

[@wongcna]

Not quite sure why but It happens to my Kia Sportage hybrid as well. It does not save the changed settings

[@CastleKnight7]

@@nicholaswarner5475It’s probably something to do with the NCAP rating that certain safety features must be on when first getting into the car.

[@antoniopalmero4063]

NCAP probably insist these settings are default .

[@chrispenn715]

@@antoniopalmero4063 yes. Good point

[@rodbrown8306]

Damp and cold will effect range 60 mph is fast enough for testing.

[@furkanipekoglu]

What's your software version, I've a st sr and i can't see outside temperature on this multimedia screen.🤔

[@accidentalactor9306]

What is the current cost to charge to 100% from your home charger?

[@stuart_thomas]

I now pay 12p p/kWh. At the time of filming it was 5p p/kWh

[@alfamonk]

Shocking really - everything optimised, and a slow average speed yielded only a comfortable 150mile range. Put the average to 75mph and I’d be fascinated to see the range, my guess is perilously close to 100miles which is peanuts. Ev just not up to speed yet. Btw there must be a user -profile you can save your settings too, can’t believe you’d have to go though that rigmarole every time you restart the car..

[@stuart_thomas]

Unfortunately no user profiles yet, but if it's software related it can be sorted with an over the air update. It was actually 170 miles in total. The Long-range version should do well over 200 miles. You have to remember this isn't going to be suitable for everyone. I'm only paying £6 for 170 miles driving so it's what favours your situation. There are EVs which do more, Kia Nero-EV will comfortably achieve 200 miles plus at 70mph but if you want range it comes with a cost.

[@PiefacePete46]

@alfamonk : Bit rough condemning all EV's based on one example! Like you, I found it hard to believe you can't save individual driver profiles. From the reviews I have watched, the MG4 includes a lot of "features" for a reasonable cost... missing this one out when all that is required is some one-off programming time, and NO extra hardware, is beyond belief! The promise of an over-the-air update has no tangible value... if it ain't there when you took delivery, good luck keeping the salesman to his promise. 🥴

[@alfamonk]

@@stuart_thomas I think that's the issue for me still, I can plan around a 150mile range, as long as that's a range that stays solid - even if I have to put some heavy acceleration in or go up to 75 here and there. It just worries me that you start throwing real-life scenarios at evs and the range just dies.

[@alfamonk]

@@PiefacePete46 I know but at the moment you really have to pay big bucks for a good range ev, while charging costs continue to rise, so for me it's not the answer at the moment. yeah it would be really easy to add a couple of profiles in the software. does make a difference and it would essentially cost the OEM peanuts.

[@stuart_thomas]

@@alfamonk bear in mind you have access to charging if required and to be fair as soon as the climate goes double figures the range will also go up

[@damiendye6623]

Should always use eco and max regen. It doesn't effect the drive of the car. And does regen work on cruise as it doesn't on the MK1 MG zs ev of 2019 it uses the brakes instead like a fossil

[@stuart_thomas]

Good question, not sure if it does or not use brakes instead of regen. I’ll check the next time I’m in it. I do use eco/max regen at all times, the MG4 will only let you have this config in eco mode. Sometimes I use adaptive regen as coming off the pedal will Engage regen when it isn’t needed and therefore the regen gained doesn’t replenish what you use to accelerate again. Great comment though Damien

[@goproracertv]

What do you think you’d get from a long range mg4

[@stuart_thomas]

I’d like to say, with better battery chemistry for colder conditions probably around 240 but I’d rather test it

[@typxxilps]

the cars weakest point is the chemistry or in particular a too weak battery heating. You have to know and you can check the spec sheets of LFP for the capacity versus temperature and if you check the specs you will find 100% or 50,8 kWh for 25°C It does not matter how cold or warm the environment is, only the battery matters. I guess the MG4 app should show you the battery temperature on the cooling / heating inlet and outlet of the battery. That is what counts really. If the app is not showing the temperature you might get an odb11 dongle to read these data with the app cause only there you will be able to track real progress. If you say preheating is on then this info is more or less worthless until we know the battery temperature cause in case of preheating we would need to know how long you had been preheating before you started but the real temperature that counts is that of in and out valve. Now the MG4 suffers a lot from the missing temperature and it also looks you will not even be able to achieve it with the current preheating. Why ? A german guy had been driving his MG 4 standaard at arrival from 90% down to 10% at full speed of 160 km/h and you need to know: MG4 is not capable of doing this Yes, you can drive 160 km/h but only for a short period of time before you get a warning of limited power or reduced power. So he was hammering down the road to empty the battery cause hammering means also heatin the battery. He also had turned battery heating on and when he had arrived to charge he had to realize that the car did not perform as promised, far awary, just 68 kW peak in the beginning. Another test after a 140 km/h run without hitting the reduced power warning but again preheating on did not show better charging speeds . So , most likely the battery heating is too small or too much heat is provided or restricted for the cabin heating if they share the heating system. The worst of all is that MG does not communicate the impact of temperature to the charging speed cause the 117 are not achieveable outside summer cause even in Novmeber with 19°C it had sucked with 90 kW, but far away from 117 kW It will not affect people that are charging at home only, but those who wanted to use it for long range rides with kids and family cause that will take a quite lon charging break(s) to get anywhere beyond 400 km. great test, but you might look for the battery temperature cause that cause low battery temperatures cause the issues.

[@stuart_thomas]

Thanks for tuning in and the great comments here. Lots of truth here. All EVs have thermal limitations. Despite sophisticated cooling every battery has a ceiling unfortunately. I recently did a charging video (check out how I heated the battery) and Although i wasn’t able to hit the peak charging speed, the curve is better than MG have advertised which is the best return however, I agree MG should be careful not to mislead consumers if the peak speeds aren’t achievable in sub 25c. I have an OBD reader and as soon as MG4 details are made available in full via car scanner I’ll be first to pick apart the bones😊

[@mik6190]

I’m thinking of getting one of the longer range mg4. From the normal efficiency achieved, would someone do me a cost comparison against using a petrol car, at the current cost of home charged electric please.

[@stuart_thomas]

It’s too hard to do an exact comparison as there’s so many variables to consider. There’s a few EV home tariffs for 12p p/kWh so you can multiply that by the size of the battery pack for maximum charge cost. If an MG4 LR over the course of a year does 240 miles on a full charge you’d be looking at £7.30ish per charge based on the 61kWh pack size. I guess the equivalent petrol will cost £45ish for the same range.

[@mik6190]

@@stuart_thomas thank you. Very helpful.

[@anynamethatsleft2153]

Very informative. So much so I will stick to my ICE car which has so so much more range.

[@paulhayes2189]

Is yours a 50kw or 60kw battery?

[@stuart_thomas]

50 ; )

[@bargeonline]

Interesting, get much more range in a warmer climate.

[@fredscratchet1355]

More to the point will it stop?😮

[@CakeFine]

Why do manufacturers think its a good idea to NOT remember settings from previous drive/use. Its bloody annoying and its 2023!

[@stuart_thomas]

I agree 👍

[@gzcwnk]

3.6miles/kwh = 5.7km/kwh which seems disappointing as my Leaf does >7.4km/kwh

[@林振华-t4v]

Bigger battery pack, heavier car. My old civic can put up hybrid fuel consumption because it has only 1089kg curb weight.

[@stuart_thomas]

Your leaf is lighter and front wheel drive that makes a lot of difference so it’s not surprising your leaf is more efficient. You have to weigh up the pros and cons with every EV.

[@tz6414]

Interesting to see at a normal cruise like 75 rather than crawling at 60.

[@stuart_thomas]

I have a 70mph test as well. Unfortunately, I can’t publicly on camera do 75 mph

[@oliverskinner8962]

It seems like the HVAC system used up more power at the beginning of the test next time why not heat the car up while plugged in and setting up your equipment so you set off with a warm car at 100%

[@stuart_thomas]

Hi Oliver, fortunately, I did do this. It was activated an hour before the trip but clearly LFP pack is hard to warm up unlike driving it harder on a motorway. Once I can get more data through my OBD connector I can officially identify how much everything uses and how hot the pack gets in both pre-conditioning and via driving.

[@oliverskinner8962]

@@stuart_thomas possibly the heating (HVAC) element cooled down in that time and used more power when you got in and started up the HVAC system. That's all I can think of for why the HVAC used more in the beginning than the rest of the trip combined.

[@richardhowlett9424]

Wow you’ve got a car that can drive down the motorway 🤣🤣. How about a proper drive to Lowestoft, the most easterly point of the UK , and back in a day ? It’s the sort of drive I would do 😀

[@stuart_thomas]

It’s incredible!

[@richardhowlett9424]

@@stuart_thomas Thanks ! As you might have gathered I am a dinosaur petrolhead, with a fairly ordinary Accord 2.4 estate . From Bury I think nothing of going to a car meet on the south coast and back , or driving my favourite roads to Edinburgh and returning home the same day . Breaks are taken at picturesque locations not awful motorway services . I’m not against electric cars at all , if you can charge at home , not possible for me , journeys within the limited range it would be ideal . I notice most of your followers are the converted , I intend to keep my Honda for as long as legislation allows.

[@stuart_thomas]

@@richardhowlett9424 I've only just let go of my VW for the MG4. Definitely charging from home is the key, it makes it more financially viable. We have a Tesla model 3, and I've spent a couple of trips in Scotland around Edinburgh, some amazing roads and scenery. No pressure to give up on gas for the moment. It's not going to be for everyone right now but we'll get there ; )

[@bshah4831]

Why 100%? Advice is to only to charge to 80%? And not go below 20%

[@stuart_thomas]

Hi thanks for tuning in. This vehicle has an LFP battery so it can be happily charged to 100% regularly. If you have different chemistry like NMC then it’s advisable to daily charge up to 80%. The happy place for a battery is mid battery ie 50%. However, I give you 100%, 80% and so on so consumers can understand what the vehicle is capable of and can help make better decisions with their EV ownership etc

[@OnurKula]

170mil = 273km

[@typxxilps]

WRONG. SOMETHING IS WRONG, cause 45 kWh used means 5,8 kWh left cause net capacity should be 50,8 kWh. 5,8 kWh left means 5,8/50,8 = 11,4% left and not just 3%. if 45 kWh is right, then your 165 miles would mean 265,5 km which would equal 45 kWh / 2,655 hkm = 16,9 kWh / hkm which is quite impressive for wintertime or a 6°C journey. Did you turn on battery heating before and during the ride. The rangs ist astonishingly high if 45 kWh used is right. If you 3% SOC would be right which usually would be recognised by rectricted power where you mentioned you had not the impression the picture would look quite different cause 97% used out of a 50,8 kWh battery equals 49,3 kWh used which then would equal 49,3 kWh / 2,655 km = 18,56 kWh / hkm Not so much worse but quite a difference of 1,66 kWh per hkm or roughly 10% more. There is something wrong and I guess the SOC is a guessometer cause the 45 kWh must have been measured at the battery as kWh going out. That is how the cars usually work and how they do count. I guess you also need to the test and you have to charge afterwards to get a glimpse if the SOC meter is right or not. Something is wrong considering that you had said the miles per hour were right compared to gps which would mean that the miles would also be miles. And the issue has to been found in the area of the SOC or the total consumption, not in the miles cause 45 kWh and 5,8 kWh left do not fit to 3% if the 50,8 kWh net capacity is right. If the 45 kWh should be true and the 3% should also be true the net capacity has to be 46,4 kWh cause 97% used would then equal 45 kWh. In that case the netcapacity would be 4,4 kWh lower than the 50,8 kWh net they had said somewhere on MG website which aalso would fit to LiFeP4 chemistry that can be used from 0,1% to 99,9% . I am not sure about the gom figures you had displayed even though I had converted all miles to km to avoid any conversion mistakes.

[@stuart_thomas]

Thanks for the comments. Some great suggestions here. Without an OBD reader it’s hard to pick apart the data as I can only go by what’s presented by the car. I do believe, either the LFP cells weren’t balanced correctly, the car is misrepresenting ie the car may have used more energy for HVAC, or it could be battery degradation but I think it’s more likely the first two. However, as the car showed no evidence of reduced power through the pedal I’m also confident there was more energy available. RE: GPS speed. Even if the vehicle is 1 mph out either way you’re only talking at the most a kWh of energy. This is the first time in testing this has happened but someone else has reached out to say they too also had experienced the same.

[@oliverskinner8962]

It's very simple Stuart traveled 165 miles on 45kwh 165÷45= 3.66 that is your efficiency 3.66m/kWh which is close to what the car said so either the car is lying about the amount of energy used or there is a big buffer below zero. If it used the full 50kwh 165÷50=3.3 3.3m/kWh which seems too inefficient at 60mph even with heating on and 5-8°c temperatures. At least the GOM wasn't far off at the start and got more accurate towards zero unlike other EV's which go from 15% to 6% in 3 miles of driving making you worried if you'll make the charger !

[@bikeman123]

70 mph would be more useful. Last thing we need are ev drivers clogging up our motorways in their quest for range.

[@stuart_thomas]

Already have done one on the channel. Clogging up roads? If we’re all on the road anyway it makes no difference. Bizarre comment sorry. I think the issue is people who don’t have motorway etiquette, that’s where you should start point fingers (middle lane worshippers)

[@darrencox150]

70mph is a limit, not, a target.

[@rizevnarastek]

You're a road hazard, for christ sake. Who drives 60mph on the highway? Can you do normal 130 and 160kmh test like most people drive? That's 80mph and 100mph FYI.

[@bikeman123]

Where do live where its ok to cruise at 100mph?

[@stuart_thomas]

We don’t have highways in the UK sorry. I assume it’s a race track? 😉

[@rizevnarastek]

In Slovenia highway speed limit is 130kph, so 80mph. 100mph is not allowed but that doesn't mean majority of people don't do it. :)

[@robertcollins1371]

Not sure 100mph would be wise but an 80mph range test would be interesting

[@davidspencer7254]

uk speed limit is 70. Over the last 5 years there's been a change and most people drive at it. Gone are they days where you had to cruise at 80. Why the change, I don't know, cost of living crisis? Anyhow, do be a sensible chap and don't ask people to do something illegal for them.