You’ve opened the MG4 page seventeen times this week. The Standard Range is £26,995. The Long Range? Nearly £37,000. That’s not pocket change. That’s a family holiday every year for five years. That’s your emergency fund finally looking healthy.
But here’s what’s really eating at you in the quiet hours: what if those 218 miles aren’t actually 218 miles? What if winter hits and you’re stuck at 140 miles, white-knuckling every motorway journey, second-guessing every weekend plan?
Most reviews throw numbers at you like confetti. WLTP this, kWh that. But nobody’s telling you what it actually feels like to live with 51 kWh when your neighbour’s laughing about their 77 kWh pack. Nobody’s admitting that the “budget” option might leave you with a different kind of debt: constant, exhausting range math.
Here’s what we’re doing together. We’re taking every fear you have about the Standard Range and testing it against real owner experiences, winter horror stories, summer wins, and the actual patterns of your life. Not theory. Not brochure fantasy. Reality.
By the end, you’ll know exactly which version of you needs this car and which version needs to spend more.
Keynote: MG4 EV Standard Range
The MG4 EV Standard Range delivers genuine value at £26,995 with its 51 kWh LFP battery providing 185 miles real-world range and 210-220 summer capability. Winter performance drops to 145-170 miles due to cold-sensitive LFP chemistry and absent heat pump. Fast charging reaches 117 kW for 39-minute sessions. Perfect for daily commuters under 50 miles with home charging, challenging for high-mileage or cold-climate drivers. Rear-wheel drive handling and 7-year warranty justify the compromises for budget-conscious buyers matching usage to capability.
The Number That’s Haunting You: What 218 Miles Really Means
That WLTP Figure Is Lying to Everyone (But Not How You Think)
The official WLTP rating claims 218 miles. It sounds reassuring. It sounds like enough for most people. And technically, under perfect laboratory conditions with gentle acceleration and ideal temperatures, the MG4 Standard Range can achieve those numbers.
But you don’t live in a laboratory.
Here’s what actually happens when you drive this car in the real world. Mixed driving conditions deliver between 160 and 200 miles consistently. That’s your motorway commute mixed with A-road cruising and some city traffic. When proper winter arrives and you’re blasting the heater, expect 145 to 170 miles. Summer brings redemption with 210 to 220 miles feeling genuinely achievable when temperatures cooperate and you’re not fighting headwinds on the motorway.
According to independent testing from EV Database, the MG4 Standard Range achieves an average real-world range of 185 miles at 275 Wh/mile combined efficiency. That’s the number you should tattoo on your brain, not the marketing figure.
The gap between official and actual range isn’t MG lying to you. It’s physics meeting reality. Every electric vehicle faces this same gap. The question is whether 185 miles as your baseline works for your actual life.
Why Winter Turns This Car Into Your Anxiety Generator
One owner on the MGEVs forum put it brutally: “At 100% in winter I’m seeing 145 to 160 miles. Had I known, I would’ve chosen differently.”
The MG4 Standard Range uses LFP battery chemistry from CATL. Lithium iron phosphate batteries are incredibly durable and can handle being charged to 100% every single day without degradation anxiety. But they hate cold weather more than you hate Monday mornings.
When temperatures drop below 5°C, LFP chemistry loses 30 to 35% of its efficiency. The Long Range with its NMC chemistry only loses about 25% in the same conditions. That difference matters enormously when you’re starting with less capacity.
Then there’s the heating system. UK-spec MG4 Standard Range models don’t get the heat pump that European Trophy versions receive. You’re relying on resistive cabin heating, which is essentially running a giant hairdryer powered by your battery. This can slash another 25 to 30% off your range instantly on a cold morning commute.
Real owners report needing a charge stop every 100 motorway miles in December. This isn’t a defect or bad luck. This is physics you need to plan for if you’re buying this car and living anywhere north of Birmingham.
The Summer Version of This Car Feels Like a Different Vehicle
Here’s where the Standard Range redeems itself completely. From May through September, owners consistently hit 210 to 220 miles without trying hard. Efficiency climbs to 4 to 4.5 miles per kWh in warmer months. City driving with regenerative braking actually beats the official numbers because you’re constantly recapturing energy every time you slow down for traffic or roundabouts.
You might finally understand why some people absolutely love this car while others regret it. They’re essentially driving different vehicles depending on the season. If your usage patterns align with charging frequency and you’re not pushing maximum range constantly, summer driving makes the Standard Range feel like a brilliant bargain.
The car hasn’t changed between December and July. Your experience of it transforms completely.
Speed Kills Range Faster Than Battery Size Ever Could
Here’s the brutal truth about electric vehicle efficiency: aerodynamic drag increases exponentially with speed. At 70 mph on the motorway, you’re fighting significantly more wind resistance than at 50 mph on A-roads. The Standard Range’s smaller battery means you feel this physics lesson more acutely than Long Range owners.
| Driving Scenario | Expected Real Range | Your Stress Level |
|---|---|---|
| Gentle city driving, 30mph | 200-220 miles | Calm and happy |
| Mixed A-roads, 50-60mph | 170-190 miles | Comfortable |
| Steady 70mph motorway | 130-150 miles (winter) | Planning required |
| 70mph motorway with heater blasting | 120-140 miles | Math happening |
Gentle city driving with the MG4’s responsive regenerative braking can deliver 200 to 220 miles. You’re barely touching the friction brakes because the motor’s doing the work. Mixed A-roads at 50 to 60 mph keep you comfortable in the 170 to 190-mile range. But steady 70 mph motorway driving, especially in winter, drops you to 130 to 150 miles. Add the heater blasting and you’re doing mental math every junction.
The same journey that feels effortless in July becomes a calculated mission in January. That’s the Standard Range ownership experience in one sentence.
The £10,000 Question Nobody Answers Clearly
What You’re Actually Trading Money For
Let’s be brutally honest about what you’re feeling right now. There’s guilt about “settling” for the cheaper option when you could stretch the budget. There’s simultaneous resentment about potentially overpaying for battery capacity you might never actually need.
The Standard Range saves you roughly £10,000 compared to the Long Range upfront. That money could fund a decade of rental cars for the rare 300-mile trips to Scotland. It could be your house deposit boost. It could sit in savings earning interest while you drive a perfectly capable electric hatchback.
But here’s the psychological tax nobody mentions in the brochure. Every journey over 80 miles becomes a calculation. You’ll check your battery percentage more obsessively than your phone. You’ll start planning routes around charging infrastructure rather than the most direct path. Some people find this planning meditative. Others find it exhausting.
The money you save is real and spendable. The mental energy you spend is also real and costly. Which currency matters more to your actual happiness?
The Battery Chemistry Difference That Changes Everything
Think of battery chemistry like choosing between a sprint runner and a marathon runner. Both get you to the finish line, but their strengths live in different territories.
The Standard Range uses LFP chemistry. It’s incredibly durable with about 6,000 charge cycles versus 3,000 for NMC batteries. You can charge to 100% every single night without degradation anxiety. In fact, you should charge to full at least monthly to help the battery management system balance the cells accurately. LFP batteries are also safer with lower thermal runaway risk.
But LFP hates cold weather. Performance drops noticeably below 10°C. Charging speed slows when the battery’s cold. You’ll see this reflected in your winter range and in those early morning departures when the car’s been sitting overnight.
The Long Range uses NMC chemistry from the Nebula MSP platform. It handles cold better and maintains efficiency across wider temperature ranges. But you’ll limit charging to 80% most of the time to preserve battery health. That theoretical 64 kWh capacity becomes a practical 51 kWh in daily use anyway.
Ten years from now, the Standard Range battery might actually outlast its pricier sibling. The question is whether you can live comfortably with its cold-weather quirks for that decade.
When Spending Less Is Genuinely Smarter
Your daily commute sits comfortably under 40 miles return. Even with winter efficiency drops, you’re using maybe 50 to 60% of your battery capacity on a typical day. You have reliable home charging that happens every night without thinking. Just plug in when you arrive home, and wake up to a full charge every morning.
Most of your trips stay within an 80-mile radius throughout the year. The occasional 120-mile journey to visit family requires zero planning because you can charge at their house or stop for 30 minutes at services. You own or can access a second vehicle for the rare 250-mile journey to Scotland.
If this describes your life, the Standard Range rewards you with genuine savings and satisfaction. You’re not compromising. You’re matching the tool to the job perfectly. That £10,000 stays in your account earning interest or funding experiences instead of sitting as unused battery capacity in your driveway.
When You’ll Lie Awake Regretting Your Savings
This will be your only car and you regularly drive 150-plus mile return trips. That puts you right at the edge of winter range capability, meaning every cold-weather journey involves charge planning and possibly a stop. The spontaneity disappears.
You can’t charge at home or work with any consistency. You’re relying on public charging infrastructure and fitting it into weekly schedules. The Standard Range’s smaller buffer makes this juggling act significantly harder than the Long Range would.
You live somewhere properly cold where winter lasts five months. You’re not dealing with occasional cold snaps. You’re managing reduced range from November through March as baseline reality. Those summer redemption months feel too brief to offset the winter stress.
Your personality type obsesses over numbers and worst-case scenarios. You know yourself. You’re the person who checks the fuel gauge three times before a long journey even when it’s full. The Standard Range’s tighter margins will feed that anxiety daily.
These aren’t weaknesses. They’re honest self-assessments. If any of these describe you, the Long Range costs more because peace of mind has actual, quantifiable value to your quality of life.
Living With 51 kWh: The First Three Months Nobody Warns You About
Month One: When Every Journey Feels Like a Science Experiment
You’ll plan routes like you’re launching a moon mission, complete with backup plans for your backup plans. The range display becomes more important than your speedometer. You’ll watch those predicted miles drop and feel a small spike of panic even when you’re still at 70% charge.
Every little drop in predicted miles triggers a mini crisis. You drove up a hill and lost 15 miles of range? That feels personal. You ran the heater for 20 minutes and watched the efficiency plummet? You start questioning every comfort decision.
This is normal. This is uncomfortable. And for most people, this is temporary.
The car hasn’t betrayed you. Your brain is recalibrating from decades of petrol car thinking where the next station is always five miles away. Electric vehicle ownership requires a different mental model, and building that model takes time and repetition.
Month Two: The Learning Curve Starts to Flatten
You begin recognizing your actual patterns instead of imagining disasters. You’ve done your commute 20 times now. You know it uses 35% of your battery in winter and 25% in spring. The numbers stop surprising you because they’ve become predictable.
Charging becomes routine rather than an event that requires mental preparation. You plug in on Monday and Thursday nights. That’s it. No drama. No calculations. Just muscle memory.
The car hasn’t changed between month one and month two. But your confidence either grows into comfortable competence or cracks completely under the sustained awareness of limits. Some owners reach zen-like acceptance. Others start Googling Long Range prices and calculating part-exchange values.
Which direction you go depends entirely on whether your actual usage patterns align with the Standard Range’s capabilities. The car will be honest about this. The question is whether you’ll be honest with yourself about what that feedback means.
The Rear-Wheel-Drive Secret That Makes Everything Better
Here’s something that doesn’t show up in range calculators or charging time comparisons. The Standard Range is roughly 100kg lighter than the Long Range. It might not sound like much, but you feel that weight difference every time you turn the wheel or accelerate from a stoplight.
Being rear-wheel drive with 168 bhp turns boring commutes into small joys. The MG4 has proper 50:50 weight distribution. Plant your foot and the rear motor pushes you forward with that instant electric torque. The car rotates naturally through roundabouts. Wet weather grip feels predictable and balanced because the weight’s not all up front.
Better weight distribution means sharper handling through corners. This isn’t just marketing talk. The Standard Range genuinely feels more playful and engaging than the heavier Long Range. It reaches 62 mph in 7.7 seconds, which is properly quick enough to make overtaking effortless and merging stress-free.
That smile when you accelerate from a traffic light? It helps offset the range anxiety. The driving experience matters. A car you enjoy driving makes planning charge stops feel less like a burden and more like an acceptable trade-off for the entertainment value.
Weekend Trips: Where Reality Either Clicks or Cracks
Here’s the moment of truth for Standard Range ownership. One owner reported leaving home with 80% charge showing 215 miles predicted range. After just 10 miles on the motorway, that prediction dropped to 190 miles. The car’s gauge-of-miles (GOM) system was recalculating based on actual motorway consumption versus the gentler driving that built the initial prediction.
Plan for one charging stop every 100 to 120 miles in colder months when you’re maintaining motorway speeds. That 150-mile journey to visit family? You’ll want to charge somewhere around the 80 to 90-mile mark to arrive comfortably rather than pushing the car to its absolute limit.
Summer long trips with good planning feel surprisingly manageable. Charging infrastructure along major routes is genuinely good now. A 30-minute stop aligns perfectly with a coffee break and a stretch. You’ll charge from 20% to 70% in about 25 minutes, which gets you another 90 to 100 miles down the road.
The car will take you anywhere in the country. The question isn’t capability. The question is your tolerance for planning those stops and whether that planning feels like smart logistics or annoying micromanagement.
The Charging Reality: From Drama to Routine
Home Charging Is the Superpower You Can’t Buy Later
One owner told me: “Waking up to a full charge every morning completely eliminated my range anxiety. The car’s always ready. I never think about it.”
A 7 kW wallbox delivers a full charge overnight while you sleep. Your 51 kWh battery can go from 0 to 100% in about 7 to 8 hours. But you’re rarely charging from empty, so most nights you’re topping up 30 to 40% over 3 to 4 hours.
Home electricity costs roughly £14 for a complete fill-up on a standard tariff. With an EV-specific overnight tariff, that drops to £7 to £8. You’re paying about 3 to 4 pence per mile versus 14 to 18 pence per mile for petrol equivalents.
This ritual becomes as automatic as charging your phone used to be. You don’t think about it. You don’t stress about it. You just plug in, go inside, live your life, and unplug in the morning. The Standard Range’s smaller battery actually makes this easier because you’re cycling through full charges more frequently, which is exactly what LFP chemistry prefers.
Without home charging, the Standard Range becomes significantly harder to live with. You’re now managing public charging schedules around your life rather than charging adapting seamlessly to your routine.
Public Charging Speed: Not the Fastest, But Fast Enough
The MG4 Standard Range peaks at 117 kW DC fast charging. The Long Range hits 135 kW. On paper, that sounds like a meaningful difference. In practice? You’re looking at 10 to 80% in roughly 35 to 40 minutes for the Standard Range versus 35 minutes for the Long Range.
Target the 20 to 70% sweet spot for quickest sessions on road trips. Charging speeds are fastest in this range before the battery management system starts tapering power to protect the cells. You’ll add about 90 to 100 miles of range in 25 to 30 minutes, which aligns perfectly with a coffee break and a toilet stop.
The charging curve drops off after 80%, so stop there unless you truly need more range for the next leg. Charging from 80 to 100% takes nearly as long as going from 20 to 80%. You’re waiting for physics that doesn’t care about your schedule.
This speed beats sitting at petrol pumps for weekly fills in terms of total annual time. Most petrol car owners spend 15 to 20 minutes per week filling up and detouring to stations. EV owners with home charging spend zero minutes on that weekly task. The occasional 30-minute rapid charge on a long trip is far less time than 52 weekly petrol stops add up to over a year.
The Apartment Dweller’s Honest Assessment
| Your Situation | Weekly Charging Needs | Stress Level | Verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| Two reliable workplace chargers | Twice weekly, 30 mins each | Low | Workable |
| Supermarket with rapid chargers | Weekly shop plus one gym session | Medium | Requires discipline |
| Street parking only, inconsistent bays | Three-plus visits to public chargers | High | Consider alternatives |
If you’ve got two reliable workplace chargers, the Standard Range becomes workable. You’re charging while you work anyway. The car’s ready when you leave. The smaller battery means you’re cycling through charges more frequently, but it’s not adding any time to your actual day.
Relying on supermarket rapid chargers requires genuine discipline. You need to align your charging stops with shopping trips or gym sessions. The car’s charging while you’re doing something else, so it’s not wasted time. But you’re now constrained by needing those stops twice weekly regardless of whether you actually need groceries.
Street parking with no reliable charging access makes the Standard Range genuinely difficult. You’re visiting public chargers three or more times weekly, potentially waiting for available bays, definitely paying premium public charging rates. At that point, the Long Range’s larger buffer or honestly reconsidering EV ownership makes more sense than fighting the Standard Range’s tighter margins.
Standard Range Versus Everyone Else: The Comparison You Actually Need
MG4 Standard Range Versus Long Range: The Math That Decides It
| Feature | Standard Range | Long Range | Does It Matter? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | £26,995 | ~£36,000-37,000 | That’s a decade of holidays |
| Battery | 51 kWh | 64 kWh | 25% more capacity |
| Real winter range | 145-170 miles | 200-230 miles | Huge peace-of-mind difference |
| Real summer range | 210-220 miles | 260-280 miles | Less dramatic gap |
| Charging speed | 117 kW | 135 kW | Slightly faster stops |
| Battery type | LFP (charge to 100% daily) | NMC (limit to 80% usually) | Different trade-offs |
That £10,000 price difference isn’t just money. It’s flexibility and options and experiences. But the 25% more battery capacity isn’t just numbers either. It’s the difference between winter range that keeps you comfortable versus winter range that keeps you calculating.
The real winter range difference matters enormously. If you’re starting journeys with 200 to 230 miles versus 145 to 170 miles, you’ve got breathing room for detours, traffic delays, and that unexpected errand. The Standard Range keeps you on a tighter leash during cold months.
Summer narrows the gap significantly. Both cars deliver genuinely usable range from May through September. The Long Range still wins with 260 to 280 miles versus 210 to 220 miles, but neither car has you sweating range anxiety in warm weather with typical usage.
Battery chemistry differences matter for charging behavior. LFP in the Standard Range wants to see 100% regularly for cell balancing. You can charge fully every night without guilt. NMC in the Long Range prefers living between 20 and 80% most of the time. That 64 kWh capacity becomes 51 kWh usable in practice anyway when you’re following best practices.
MG4 Standard Range Versus the Competition
The MG4 Standard Range undercuts the VW ID.3 Standard (58 kWh) by over £10,000 for comparable equipment levels. Yes, the VW has the heat pump that helps winter efficiency. Yes, the interior materials feel slightly more premium. But you’re paying an enormous premium for those refinements. The MG matches the ID.3 for rear legroom, boot space (363 liters), and Euro NCAP 5-star safety rating while beating it comprehensively on value.
BYD Dolphin offers similar range with its 60.5 kWh battery but the driving experience feels less engaging. The MG’s rear-wheel drive and proper weight distribution make it genuinely fun through corners. The Dolphin prioritizes practicality and efficiency over driving enjoyment.
Renault Megane E-Tech has a genuinely nicer interior with better materials and a more sophisticated infotainment system. It also costs significantly more and can’t match the MG4’s driving dynamics. The Megane feels more mature and refined. The MG feels more playful and eager.
The MG4 Standard Range wins on pure pounds-per-mile value while delivering proper driving enjoyment. You’re not buying a penalty box that happens to be electric. You’re buying an engaging rear-drive hatchback that happens to save you money on running costs.
Where Reviewers Love It and Where Owners Grumble
Automotive journalists consistently praise the genuinely fun rear-wheel-drive handling. The MG4 drives like a proper sports hatchback, not an appliance. The 7-year/80,000-mile warranty provides peace of mind that premium brands can’t match at this price point. The honest pricing strategy means you’re not paying inflated costs for badge prestige.
Owner complaints center on software that can feel clunky compared to Tesla’s slick interface or VW’s more intuitive system. The lack of a heat pump increases winter range anxiety more than it should given the LFP battery’s existing cold sensitivity. MG finished last in the 2024 What Car? reliability survey, though the comprehensive warranty cushions that risk significantly.
Most owners report the driving experience outweighs the frustrations. The car’s dynamic strengths are tangible every time you drive it. The software limitations are annoying but workable. The winter range challenges are predictable and manageable with planning. The value proposition makes the compromises feel acceptable rather than insulting.
The Brutal Self-Assessment: Should You Actually Buy This?
The Perfect Standard Range Owner Profile
Your daily driving rarely exceeds 50 to 60 miles total. Even with winter efficiency drops, you’re comfortably within the car’s capabilities. You’re using maybe 40 to 50% of your battery on a typical day, leaving plenty of margin for unexpected detours or errands.
Home charging happens automatically every night or every other night. You’ve got a dedicated wallbox or at minimum a reliable 3-pin socket. The ritual is effortless. Plug in when you arrive home, unplug in the morning, go about your life.
Most regular trips stay comfortably under 100 miles return. Your parents live 60 miles away. Your favorite weekend escape is 80 miles. The office commute when you go in is 35 miles. These journeys never trigger range anxiety because they’re well within your comfort zone.
You’re comfortable with planning one charging stop for occasional longer journeys. You don’t see this as a burden. You see it as a forcing function for breaks you should be taking anyway. That coffee stop at services actually improves your road trip experience rather than detracting from it.
You value saving £10,000 more than eliminating all range consideration forever. That money has tangible uses in your life right now. The peace of mind from extra battery capacity is real, but so is the financial flexibility from spending less upfront.
Red Flags That Scream “Spend More Money”
Your typical commute pushes 70 to 80 miles return and happens five days weekly. You’re already using 50 to 60% of your winter range just getting to work and back. There’s no margin for deviation or running errands. The tightrope walk becomes exhausting over months.
No reliable home, work, or convenient public charging exists in your routine. You’re cobbling together charging opportunities wherever you can find them. The Standard Range’s smaller buffer makes this juggling act exponentially harder than the Long Range would.
You live in Scotland or northern England where winters are long and brutal. You’re not managing occasional cold snaps. You’re living with reduced efficiency as baseline reality from October through April. Those are the months that define ownership satisfaction, and the Standard Range suffers most during them.
You know yourself well enough to admit: range anxiety will poison ownership joy. You’re the person who triple-checks the fuel gauge even on familiar routes. That personality trait doesn’t disappear with an EV. The Standard Range’s tighter margins will feed that anxiety daily rather than calming it.
This must be your only car for all purposes including family road trips. You can’t access a second vehicle for the rare 250-mile journey to Scotland. You need this car to handle absolutely everything, including edge cases that push range limits. The Long Range’s buffer becomes essential rather than optional.
The Three-Question Decision Framework
Do I regularly drive more than 180 miles in a single journey without flexible stops? If your honest answer is yes more than monthly, the Standard Range will create genuine stress. Those journeys become logistics exercises rather than spontaneous adventures.
Can I charge reliably at home or work at least three times per week? If the answer is no, the Standard Range’s tighter margins become genuinely difficult to manage. You’re constantly thinking about charging rather than just driving.
Will I genuinely obsess over range numbers to the point of daily stress? If you know yourself and the answer is yes, don’t fight your personality. The Long Range costs more because it matches your psychological needs, not just your practical ones.
Reading Your Own Answers Without Lying to Yourself
Mostly comfortable “no” answers to the stress questions? The Standard Range rewards you with savings and satisfaction. You’re not compromising. You’re choosing intelligently based on your actual usage patterns and realistic needs.
Several honest “yes” answers creating doubt? The Long Range costs more because peace of mind has actual value. There’s no shame in choosing the option that lets you sleep better at night and drive without constant mental arithmetic.
The real win isn’t choosing Standard or Long Range. The real win is making a choice based on your actual life, not internet bravado or FOMO. The person who buys Standard Range to save £10,000 while genuinely needing Long Range’s capacity will be miserable. The person who overpays for Long Range to avoid range consideration they’d never actually experience is wasting money on unused capability.
Be honest about which scenario describes you. The car doesn’t care about your ego. It only cares about physics and chemistry. Match your needs to its capabilities and you’ll be satisfied. Mismatch them and you’ll be frustrated regardless of which version you chose.
Long-Term Reality: What Happens After the Honeymoon
The Warranty That Lets You Sleep at Night
The 7-year or 80,000-mile warranty in the UK provides genuine peace of mind that matters more than initial reviews suggest. The battery and drive unit are covered for the entire ownership period for most buyers. MG’s reliability might not match Toyota’s reputation, but the comprehensive warranty coverage transforms that risk into manageable concern.
Maintenance costs average £1,200 to £1,300 over the first four years according to MG Motor UK specifications. You’re looking at basically nothing beyond tires and windscreen washers. No oil changes. No timing belts. No clutch replacements. No exhaust system repairs. The simplicity of electric drivetrains means dramatically fewer opportunities for expensive component failures.
The warranty coverage matters enormously for first-time EV buyers feeling vulnerable about expensive battery pack replacements. That fear is largely unfounded with modern EVs and LFP chemistry’s 6,000-cycle durability, but the warranty transforms abstract confidence into contractual protection.
Resale Value and the Uncomfortable Future
Entry-level EVs typically depreciate faster as battery technology advances quickly and newer models offer better range for similar prices. The MG4 Standard Range will likely follow this pattern. However, the low entry price attracts budget-conscious second-hand buyers who value low running costs over maximum range.
Real-world depreciation data is too limited for definitive predictions on 2025 models. The EV market is still finding equilibrium between rapid technological advancement and stable second-hand values. What seems certain is that the Standard Range will retain value proportionally to its distance from competitors, not its absolute capabilities.
Factor depreciation as a lifestyle cost, not an investment, for clearest thinking. You’re paying for transportation and enjoyment over ownership years. The money’s gone whether it evaporates through depreciation or goes up in petrol smoke. The difference is you’re getting lower running costs and driving a more engaging car while you own it.
Running Costs That Actually Make You Smile
| Cost Category | MG4 Standard Range | Equivalent Petrol Hatchback |
|---|---|---|
| Fuel/electricity (12,000 miles) | ~£500-600 (home charging) | ~£1,800-2,000 |
| Servicing (4 years) | ~£1,200-1,300 | ~£1,600-2,000 |
| Road tax (4 years) | £0 (currently) | ~£600-800 |
| Total 4-year difference | Save £2,000-3,000+ |
These savings are real money that stays in your account rather than vanishing into running costs. Over four years, you’re saving enough to fund a significant holiday or build an emergency fund. The Standard Range’s lower purchase price combined with minimal running costs delivers genuine financial breathing room.
Home charging at overnight EV tariff rates brings electricity costs down even further. Some owners report under £400 annually for 12,000 miles when optimizing charging times. That’s transformative compared to petrol costs that dominated monthly budgets.
The smile when driving past petrol stations at £1.45 per liter never gets old. That small satisfaction compounds monthly into genuine appreciation for the financial decision you made.
Your Decision Moment: The Final Clarity Check
If You’re Still Torn, Here’s Your Action Plan
Drive both Standard and Long Range back-to-back on your actual longest regular route within the next 48 hours. Not a 10-minute test drive around the dealer’s neighborhood. Your actual 80-mile journey to see family or your typical weekend escape to the coast.
Check the battery percentage when you arrive, then decide based on that real number. Did you arrive at 45% with the Standard Range feeling stressed the entire way? Or did you arrive at 30% feeling comfortable because you passed three charging stations along the route?
Calculate your genuine weekly mileage from calendar patterns, not guesses. Look back at the past three months. Add up actual journeys, not hypothetical ones. Most people overestimate their long-distance driving by 30 to 40% because we remember the occasional 200-mile trip more vividly than the 50 daily commutes between them.
Ask yourself: would I rather fund unused battery capacity or actual experiences? The £10,000 difference isn’t abstract. It’s real money with real alternative uses. But constant range anxiety isn’t abstract either. It’s genuine daily stress with real quality-of-life costs.
The Truth Most Dealers Won’t Admit
The Standard Range rewards people who genuinely know their driving patterns and accept their limits. Self-awareness is the prerequisite for satisfaction. If you’re honest about your needs and they align with 51 kWh of LFP capacity, you’ll be thrilled with your savings and competent daily range.
The Long Range rewards people who value never having to think about range at all. That peace of mind has tangible value that shows up as reduced stress, increased spontaneity, and elimination of charging consideration from daily decision-making. For some people, that’s worth every penny of the premium.
Neither choice is wrong, but one fits your actual life while the other fits your fears. The expensive mistake isn’t choosing Standard when you needed Long Range, or Long Range when Standard would suffice. The expensive mistake is choosing based on imaginary scenarios instead of real data about your actual driving patterns.
Most dealers won’t tell you this because they earn more commission on the pricier trim. They’ll push the Long Range as “peace of mind” without helping you calculate whether your usage actually requires that peace. Do the math yourself. Trust your data over their sales pitch.
Conclusion: Your New Reality With the MG4 Standard Range
You started this journey sweating over whether 218 miles was code for “too small.” Now you’ve got the unvarnished truth: it’s 145 to 170 miles in winter misery, 210 to 220 in summer joy, and somewhere in between most of the year.
For someone with a 40-mile daily commute, reliable home charging, and realistic expectations about seasonal performance, those numbers mean freedom. You’ll charge twice weekly, save £10,000, drive past petrol stations with genuine satisfaction, and actually enjoy the car’s rear-wheel-drive character. The Standard Range isn’t a compromise. It’s a calculated match between your reality and the car’s capability.
But if you’re stretching to convince yourself that 145 winter miles is “probably fine” when your commute already eats 70 of those miles, you’re buying daily stress. The Long Range costs more because eliminating range consideration from your mental load has tangible value. That’s not weakness, that’s self-awareness.
Your single action for today: Open your calendar and map your actual driving from the past month. Count the days when you drove more than 100 miles. Count the journeys over 150 miles. If those numbers are rare, the Standard Range is your confident yes. If they’re frequent, spend more and sleep better.
The MG4 Standard Range rewards honest self-knowledge. The only question left: do you really know your limits, or are you still negotiating with fear?
Range of MG4 EV (FAQs)
Is 218 miles enough range for MG4 Standard Range?
Not always. Real-world range is 185 miles average, dropping to 145-170 miles in winter with heating on and 210-220 miles in summer. If your daily driving stays under 50 miles and you charge at home, this works perfectly. If you regularly push 100-plus miles daily without charging access, expect genuine stress during cold months.
How does MG4 Standard Range perform in winter cold weather?
Honestly, it struggles. LFP battery chemistry loses 30-35% efficiency below 5°C, plus the lack of heat pump means resistive cabin heating drains significant range. Expect 130-150 miles on motorways with heating on. Real owners report needing charge stops every 100 miles in December. Summer brings complete redemption with 210-220 miles feeling easy.
What is the difference between MG4 Standard Range and Long Range batteries?
Standard Range uses 51 kWh LFP chemistry that charges to 100% daily without degradation but hates cold weather. Long Range uses 64 kWh NMC chemistry that handles winter better but should limit to 80% charging most days. Price difference is roughly £10,000. Real winter range gap is massive: 145-170 miles versus 200-230 miles.
Does MG4 Standard Range charge slower than Long Range?
Slightly, but not dramatically. Standard Range peaks at 117 kW DC charging, hitting 10-80% in 39 minutes. Long Range peaks at 135 kW, hitting the same range in about 35 minutes. The four-minute difference rarely matters in practice because you’re grabbing coffee anyway. Both charge fast enough for realistic road trips.
Should I charge MG4 LFP battery to 100 percent regularly?
Yes, absolutely. LFP chemistry in the Standard Range actually prefers regular 100% charges for cell balancing. Charge to full at least monthly, ideally weekly. This prevents the inaccurate range predictions and sudden drops that owners report when neglecting full charges. This is opposite advice from NMC batteries, which prefer 20-80% daily cycling.