What Car? data reveals MG 4 is top EV for UK buyers
MG's market share in the UK almost tripled between 2020 and 2022
Electric hatchback, priced from £25,995, generates most leads for three months running
Affordable electric cars such as the MG 4 are attracting significant interest from car buyers, according to Autocar Business sibling publication What Car?.
The MG 4, priced from £25,995 (or £276 per month on a PCP finance contract), has generated the most leads from users of What Car?’s New Car Buying service for the past three months.
Buyer interest in the Chinese-built hatchback has eclipsed that of more expensive models from established brands. In total, the MG 4 generated 673 leads between 10 October 2022 and 10 January 2023. Meanwhile, the Nissan Leaf (priced from £28,995) generated 59 leads; the Volkswagen ID 3 (from £37,140) generated 51; and the electric Fiat 500 (from £26,195) generated 50.
The MG 4 was the only electric car to feature in the top 10 for leads during the past three months. The next-best electric car for lead generation, the Kia EV6, placed 14th with 249. Even the Nissan Qashqai – the UK’s best-selling car during 2022 – could not displace the MG for interest. It ranked third over the past three months, with 554 leads.
“Clearly the idea of going green in an affordable, five-star electric car appeals to our readers,” said What Car? in its latest Insight report, downloadable exclusively via Autocar Business.
Of course, some interest in the MG 4 will be due to it being a new model in a hotly contested market, having only gone on sale in September. “I'd be surprised if it’s not our best-seller next year,” MG commercial director Guy Pigounakis told Autocar in November.
However, buyer interest in the MG 4 alone was insufficient to propel its manufacturer to the top of What Car?’s brand rankings. It placed eighth for leads by brand over the past three months with 924 leads, meaning the MG 4 comprised 72.8% of the brand’s interest.
The next most in-demand MGs were a pair of crossovers: the HS (95 leads) and the petrol-powered ZS (71). The ZS EV, meanwhile, generated 66 leads, followed by the ageing MG 3 supermini with 21, and the MG 5 with 19.
The MG 3 is due to be replaced by a new model, continuing with petrol power – expected to use a hybrid system to reduce CO2 emissions – by the end of 2024. It is sure to be one of the cheapest combustion superminis on the market, as rivals such as the Volkswagen Polo face the axe (or significant price hikes) due to new Euro 7 emissions rules.
For reference, the Volkswagen brand generated the most leads over the past three months, with 1617. It was followed by Kia with 1546 and Audi with 1517.
That MG finished within the top 10 brands for lead generation – whereas big names including Honda, Mercedes-Benz and Peugeot did not – reflects its meteoric rise in the UK sales chart. MG's market share almost tripled from 1.13% in 2020 to 3.16% in 2022, placing it ahead of rivals including Citroën, Skoda and Renault. The company also crossed the 50,00-sales milestone in the UK for the first time in 2022 and, if interest in the MG 4 is any yardstick, appears poised to break its record once again this year.
