MG Motor UK S6 review

What is it?

A big car with a short name. Not even a space wasted between the manufacturer and the model. MGS6. It's the top of MG's electric range. It's genuinely roomy, to the point where you'll only want more if you carry not just a tent but a whole campsite with your family. It can be had with masses of kit and dual-motor power.

MG's push upmarket will probably end with this. For buyers who can't do without insane power, four-wheel steering and air suspension, there's now IM, a brand that's semi-detached from MG back in China but comes through the same importer here.

To be more specific, The S6 is usefully bigger than the MGS5 launched early in 2025. But they're related under the skin. It's basically rear-drive, although you can have an additional motor between the front wheels if that's your thing. Having driven both, we're not sure if it's ours. 

Yeah but it doesn't replace any other car so give me more clues

Prices start at £38,000, and it's roomy for that money. Slightly more so than all those VW Group crossover EVs – ID.4, Enyaq, and the related Ford Explorer. It also gives more range per £ than some of those. But the French can either offer similar range for less money – the Citroën ë-C5 Aircross, or more range for similar cash – Renault's Scenic. The Kia EV5 is a very stern rival.

Looks… Chinese doesn't it?

Yeah, that's an issue. Scan around the websites of Geely and XPeng and Leapmotor and BYD and Nio and you'll find plenty of these soft-surfaced and relatively featureless shapes. That said, take many of the new premium German crossover EVs, chisel off their grilles, and you're not so very far away. We struggle to see the demarcation between 'on-trend' and 'the result of the same AI prompt'.

Indoors, the twin-screen layout has an air of familiarity too. But the screens are responsive and generally easy to use, there are quite a few actual switches hurrah, and it's all nicely trimmed. An abundance of finesse makes up for a want of inspiration.

OK. Give me the EV stats now

All versions have a 74.3kWh (net) battery slab, but it's unusually thin so steals little foot room. Chemistry is NMC not the LFP MG uses for its weaker packs.

The rear-drive one has 244bhp, and the twin-motor brings a 161bhp front motor too. But you can't just add their power because the battery can't feed both at once at full grunt. So the two-motor one has 361bhp max. The front motor only powers up when the rear is at 80 per cent of max torque, or there's wheelslip. Certainly it mostly feels rear-drive.

Acceleration for the single-motor is 7.3 seconds 0-62, dropping to 5.1 for the twin-motor. You definitely feel the difference on overtakes, but the slower one is no slug.

Range is 329 miles WLTP for the single-motor, and 301 for the twin motor. Some rivals eke out better mileage. The MG isn't so great at charge speed either. It peaks at 144kW (so a 150kW charger is fine) and the 10-80 per cent time is a sluggish 38 minutes.

We got just 2.5m/kWh out of the twin-motor on a brisk-ish non-motorway mixed drive, which equates to 185 miles. But it was cold. The single-motor did 2.7, for 200 miles. But it was cold and windy, so that's pretty much worst case.

How is the drive?

Among electric crossovers – a low bar admittedly – it's quite engaging. The accelerator and brake calibrations make it easy to be smooth, and the steering's nicely geared. The S6 feels lighter on its feet than many rivals and at 1,900kg for the rear-drivers it actually is lighter too. You feel the rear wheels pushing you along so there's no understeer powering out of a bend. 

The ride is a little sproingy but noise is well under control, so it feels like a quality item.

It's big and the interior is well-laid out and has a quality ambiance. The design outside, and the badge, are perfectly respectable. The warranty's long. MG now sells through the country's biggest dealer chains. This is a well-targeted car that won't frighten mainstream buyers.

To be fair it's also pretty good to drive. That's not just because the handling and performance are up there, but because the stuff that has driven us mad on earlier MGs and compatriots – the brutal driver 'assist' – is now thoroughly house trained.

The S6's problem, strangely, is the price. At the time of writing MG doesn't get subsidies like Europeans, and so it finds itself undercut by rivals that go as far on a charge and are just as good on the road.