MG4 EV Urban Navigation and Charging Planner Test: How Smart Is MG's Affordable Electric Car?
I took the MG4 EV Urban out again and focused on its 12.8-inch screen: built-in navigation with charging stops, live traffic, climate menus, the 360-degree cameras and how practical the cabin is day to day.
I have already covered the efficiency and charging of the MG4 EV Urban in my first real-world test and in the battery preheating test. This time I put the numbers aside and spent more time with the screen. I wanted to know how easy it is to plan a long trip with the car's own navigation, how quickly the system responds, and whether the cabin lives up to the price. The test car was the best-equipped version.
The 12.8-inch screen: simple and quick
According to the Romanian importer's spec sheet, every MG4 EV Urban gets a 12.8-inch HD centre screen, a 7-inch digital driver display, built-in navigation and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The home page is split into tiles for navigation, music, climate, weather and phone mirroring. Tap one and it opens exactly where you left it. I liked the clean layout and the fact that you don't get lost in sub-menus.
Music plays from radio, Bluetooth or USB. With Android Auto, the phone's apps fill the whole screen, which is not something every car manages. The weather tile shows a forecast for the next few days; on the day I filmed it read 36°C (97°F).
Putting the charging planner to work
My first test was a route to Câmpina, a town in southern Romania, starting with only 49% charge. The route was calculated quickly, and the car asked on its own whether I wanted a charging plan. It suggested a stop at a supermarket charger to go from 20% to 57%, then a second stop, arriving with 25%. The estimated arrival charge sits in a corner of the screen at all times, and tapping it shows the full plan. The system also warned that part of the route "requires a special permit", without explaining why.
In the second video I tried the same trip starting at 66%: a single stop of about 10 minutes and I would arrive with 25%. One drawback: the route didn't use the new motorway, so the maps were probably out of date. I then asked for a route to Vienna. The plan included seven stops, most of them 10 to 12 minutes long, with roughly an hour or more of driving between them. For a battery of about 53 kWh that strategy makes sense: short, frequent stops in the range where charging is fastest. You are free to ignore the plan and stop wherever you know there are chargers.
Live traffic and a 3D map
From the navigation menu you can add stops, build multi-point routes, see a route summary or switch to a 3D view that draws the buildings. The app says live traffic comes from HERE, and the list of incidents showed real roadworks I knew about in town. For a car at this price point, that is more than I expected.
Climate, 360 cameras and physical buttons
The climate controls are one tap away from the home page, with auto mode, recirculation and three fan levels in auto. One setting made me smile: the air conditioning has a "dry" mode that keeps the fan running briefly after you switch off, to prevent a musty smell. According to the spec sheet, heated front seats and a heated steering wheel come only on the top Exclusive trim.
The 360-degree camera with the "transparent" body view is also Exclusive-only. The side view from the mirror cameras is very wide and reaches far back. One useful option: when you indicate at low speed, the 360 view switches on by itself, so you can see the kerb as you turn. On the steering wheel, one button cycles the drive modes (Normal, Sport, Snow, Eco and Custom) and another jumps to the regenerative braking setting. One Pedal driving is standard on every version.
The cabin: lots of space, decent materials
In the back, with the driver's seat set for me (I'm 1.80 m, about 5 ft 11 in), there was a lot of legroom and the floor is flat. The official wheelbase is 2,750 mm on a 4,395 mm long body. Rear passengers get air vents, a USB-C port and electric windows, though the rear head restraints are not height-adjustable. The ISOFIX points have covers that come off easily, so fitting a child seat is quick.
The materials mix soft-touch surfaces and hard plastic, but the build felt solid. The centre armrest reminded me a lot of the one in my Tesla. The boot has an adjustable floor for a flat load area with the seats folded, plus a deep compartment underneath for the repair kit and Type 2 cable. The official figure is up to 1,364 litres with the rear seats down. Parked next to an Opel Astra, the MG4 EV Urban looks noticeably bigger.
What it means for drivers
If you want an affordable EV and take the occasional long trip, the MG4 EV Urban's charging planner is a real selling point: it tells you where to stop, for how long and with what charge you will arrive, without relying on your phone. Do check the route, though, because the maps may lag behind new motorways. The 360 camera, heated seats and heated wheel are reserved for the top trim, so choose the version based on how much those matter to you. Prices and equipment vary by market, so check your local MG dealer's current offer.
