I drove my first estate electric car, the impressive MG5. Earlier this year I got to drive the MG4 which has become a very big seller in Ireland, especially with taxi drivers. It came in a bright Volcanic Orange colour, while the MG5 I drove came in an attractive Dynamic red, which seems to be the colour most associated with MG cars.
This year MG has seen a 208% surge in new car registrations, amounting to 1,243 vehicles. This achievement has solidified MG’s position as a serious player in Ireland’s electric vehicle market, as its market share in the electric car segment has reached now reached 6.2%. During the month of July, the MG4 EV secured the position as the top-selling new electric car.
According to official SIMI figures, MG registered 725 cars in July alone, signalling the increasing popularity of MG’s range of affordable electric, and plug-in hybrid models and they are now one of the top five EV brands in the country.
With the 61.1kWh Long Range battery fitted to my MG5 test car, the driving range is an impressive 440kms, with regenerative braking proving itself to be a valuable resource in getting the most out of the available range.
It’s just like a regular estate, with plenty of space in the boot, but no spare wheel. Two silver roof rails add to the elongated look. A few years back, estates were very popular with farmers and shopkeepers who needed to visit cash and carry outlets, but there are very few independent newsagents or shopkeepers around now.
The MG5 has got a make-over for the switch to electric. Styling updates include a redesigned front and rear, enhanced LED headlights as standard, new alloy wheel designs and two new exterior colours.
That range of over 400km means very little ‘range anxiety’ for the driver and when you switch on the air conditioning or the button to de-mist the windscreen, you won’t see the range drop as happens in some electric cars
Inside, the dash is dominated by a 10.25-inch infotainment system. At first I thought great, it has a CD player as I got a message on the screen saying ‘no tracks available,’ but I think it was a message from a previous driver, who had been listening to BT Music. So I had to leave my CD’s at home!
MG cars are now imported into Ireland by the Frank Keane group and they are certainly in the Premier Division of electric cars sales right now.
Apart from the official SIMI monthly figures, I think a good barometer for knowing which cars are good value for money cars is by looking at what type of cars taxi drivers are using. A few years back many of our taxi drivers were switching to Skoda, now MG seems to be the taxi drivers car of choice.
And if you can get to a quick-charge point ahead of all the taxi drivers, the MG5 will charge very fast. I can safely say it was the fastest charging electric car I have driven.
Prices start at €35,895 for the Excite model, while the fancier Exclusive model will costs you €50,745. Road tax is €120. Take a test drive, I think you will be impressed. Check out www.mg.ie for more information.
