MG4 or Nissan LEAF: we crunch ALL the important numbers. A surprise winner? / Electrifying
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Published 2023-02-20
MG4 review: www.electrifying.com/reviews/mg/4/review
Nissan LEAF review: www.electrifying.com/reviews/nissan/leaf/review
Whenever we talk about electric cars, there’s one thing that always comes up. It’s not charging, it’s not range - it’s price. There’s no getting away from the fact that electric cars are a lot of money. While there are cars at the more affordable end of the market, such as the MINI and the Fiat 500e, they aren’t much good as practical family vehicles. If you want space, range and practicality, you’ll be looking at a price tag in excess of £30,000.
Or will you? Despite rampant inflation and price hikes, there are still two five-door, five seat family cars that can be picked up for less than £30,000. Say hello to the Nissan LEAF and the MG4. The Nissan may be the elder statesman of the electric car market these days, but that doesn’t mean that it has lost any of its appeal. Spacious, loaded with kit and decent to drive, it still makes a great buy. As does the one of the newest arrivals on the market, the MG4. This award-winning five door has redefined what buyers can expect in the sub-£30,000 sector with its sharp looks and great range.
But is the MG still the winner when you look at ALL the figures? Join Nicki and Mike as they crunch the numbers and compare every detail to work out which makes the best buy. Which would you choose? As always, we love to hear your opinion, so leave your thoughts in the comments below.
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All Comments (21)
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Surprised (or not...?) that warranty wasn't mentioned - 3 years for the Leaf and 7 years for the MG.
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The MG having a thermally managed LiFePO battery is another major advantage and why it can charge so quickly.
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Range, price and long warranty, MG4 for me.
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Great video guys, it’s good to demonstrate how much car you can get for your money. My observation is that as the Leaf is £29k, you could fairly have compared it to the MG4 SE Long Range which is just £500 more. Then you’d be comparing a 39kWh battery car with a 64kWh battery car - that would have been a slam dunk win for the MG4 - 80 miles more real world range and 85kW higher charge speed
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I have just purchased a 6mths old Nissan Leaf N Connecta. More spec than the Acenta. Lovely car and got it for less than £20K with 2000 miles on the clock. Delighted with it, lovely to drive. PLUS THE LEAF IS BUILT IN THE 🇬🇧.
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There’s no real contest here! Leaf is past it, sadly due to Nissan’s failure to upgrade it sufficiently to take on the competition. MG4 is currently probably the best value EV you can buy.
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ChaDeMo is the Betamax of the car charging world, if the Leaf had CCS I would have stayed in one. Why would you buy or lease a new car that uses a different standard to the vast majority of the charging network?
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No comparison, the Leaf is yesterday's car and still lacks a thermal management system despite costing more than the MG which also has an LFP battery.
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If the MG4 had been out the same time as the leaf in 2018, there would have been no contest in my purchase. The MG4 would have been in my garage.But as it wasn’t, the LEAF was the right car for me.
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Chademo in the Leaf is the big weakness, finding a working Chademo unit is hard, and slow. The MG is the winner, but I worry about dealer support and long term reliability.
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Nissan Leaf is more heavily discounted which makes them both around 26k. This makes the leaf a good deal, as long as you’re happy with rapid gating, lack of battery thermal management and higher rate of battery degradation.
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New cars and PCP are a con! Unless you're into literally throwing 1000s away. If you want an actually affordable car buy a used car instead, saves you way more and you can do what ever you want with it 😊
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That chademo charger is a deal breaker.
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Between those two the decision is absolutely easy: it is the MG4 in absolutely aspects. Although I would go for the comfort trim...
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I think the MG's biggest advantage is the London design studio. The nice lines and clean design goes a long way, meanwhile the Leaf looks utilitarian and basic.
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We've had our mg4 for 3 weeks now and LOVE it! The daily commute is about 7 miles each way, in Greater London traffic (half an hour + ) and even with the so-called 'granny' 3pin 13amp domestic socket charger, we only need to plug in once a week over night. We have an 8kW wall charger too but barely use it. Happy bunnies
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When does the MG4 performance edition arrive in the UK?
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Whats the MG like in the wet and winter conditions being rear wheel drive?
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Not a mention about the two biggest deal-breakers for the Nissan LEAF - Chademo and lack of active battery thermal management. Unfortunately Chademo is dying a slow death outside of Japan, and CCS2 has emerged as the standard. Lack of thermal management also leads to much greater battery degradation and inability to fast charge after two or more legs. As a LEAF owner I would say never buy a new LEAF. However second hand ones are very good value. MG4 for me all the way!
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We have the Nissan Leaf 40kw and are currently awaiting for end of March delivery for our MG4 Trophy. Whilst the Nissan is a good car, the rapid gate and limited fast charging speed is a big low point. The Nissan is perfect for a city and local journeys. Anything further where you need to charge it twice on rapid charger then you need a lot of time to waste waiting for it to charge due to rapid gate. MG4 is a better car with more standard equipment and longer warranty. It’s a no brainer that MG4 is the winner. Nissan (and others) take note.
