Best small electric car announced and it’s not a BMW, Kia or Mercedes

Renowned motoring publication What Car? has named the best small electric car as part of its annual awards celebrating the best electric cars on sale in the UK

Despite the popularity of SUVs, other body types remain popular in the UK, including small hatchbacks and city cars. In the world of electric cars, this has created an interesting sub-category: small electric cars that enable you to drive around big cities with greater ease than large electric SUVs, but without any of the emissions.

With this in mind, the motoring journalists at What Car? recently held their Electric Car Awards, where the best small electric car was announced – a version of which Reach plc drove earlier this year.

The car in question is the Anglo-Chinese MG 4 Urban Long Range Comfort, with a list price of £25,495, a range of 258 miles and a 0-62mph (100kph) time of 9.5 seconds. A rival to the also award-winning Renault 5, the car is capable of going, on paper, rather a long way.

It was praised not only for its range, but also for the space inside and its value for money. Discussing the car, the What Car? reviewers said: “The MG 4 Urban is as keenly priced as it is accommodating.”

They added: “The Urban isn’t a more city-oriented version of the pricier MG 4; it’s a separate model that’s a bit larger than its sibling and indeed most other small EVs. As a result, it’s far more practical than similarly priced rivals such as the Renault 5 (R5).

“Don’t think MG has achieved this by compromising on boot space, either. The Urban can accommodate an astonishing eight carry-on suitcases.”

I’ve driven a version of the MG 4 at Goodwood’s Media Day earlier this year. I thought that, whilst it didn’t drive as well as its French rival, the aforementioned Renault 5, it was better than other MG products such as the HS. It left me thinking that MG was catching up with Renault.

The MG’s victory comes as more and more people are choosing to go electric, with figures from the SMMT showing the UK’s new car market recorded a ninth consecutive month of growth, with the number of new battery electric vehicles growing too.

In a statement, the SMMT said: “Battery electric vehicles (BEVs) increased 27.7% to claim 29.8% of overall uptake.

“This was the second highest monthly share of the year so far, following a recurring seasonal spike seen every August since 2023 and helped by lower overall volumes amplifying percentage shifts.”

The positive data was reflected by the SMMT’s chief executive Mike Hawes, who remarked: “August was a bright spot for the new car market and another strong month for electric car uptake, showing that motorists are responding to the huge choice and compelling offers available.

“But August is a low-volume month, so September will be the acid test. The industry is doing everything it can to help drivers switch, but mandate targets must be grounded in the reality of demand.”