MG4 EV vs VW e-Golf

The MG MG4 EV is £850 cheaper to buy. Running costs are almost identical - about £168 a year either way, at 8,000 miles on an off-peak home tariff. Add 5 years of charging and the MG MG4 EV comes out roughly £730 cheaper overall. These figures cover list price and home charging only - insurance, servicing, tyres and depreciation will move the real total.

EVcarsguide estimates a real-world motorway range of about 181 miles for the MG MG4 EV and 71 miles for the VW e-Golf - both below their WLTP figures, because sustained high speed is the hardest case for an EV. The MG MG4 EV goes roughly 111 miles further between charging stops. Both rapid-charge to 80% in a similar time, around 22-25 minutes.

The VW e-Golf is the easier car for tight UK car parks: it is 37 mm narrower than the MG MG4 EV. In a standard 2,400 mm bay that leaves about 601 mm of total clearance for the VW e-Golf and about 564 mm of total clearance for the MG MG4 EV. The MG MG4 EV also turns in a 0.4 m tighter circle, which helps with U-turns and multi-storey ramps.

Over a 8-year ownership window EVcarsguide's degradation model projects roughly 90% battery health for the MG MG4 EV and 84% for the VW e-Golf. That gives the MG MG4 EV a modest edge in retained real-world range. The MG MG4 EV's LFP-type pack tolerates daily 100% charging, while the VW e-Golf's NMC-type pack lasts longest kept to about 80% for everyday use. Both batteries carry a 8-year manufacturer warranty.