MG Cyberster - long-term review

Service due!

So said the warning on the Cyberster’s dashboard. I’d done 3,500 miles in it… and the MG came to Top Gear with 6,500 miles under its wheels, so as it cracked five figures it wasn’t supposed to be electronically demanding TLC. I checked the handbook. ‘Service interval: 15,000 miles...’ Aha!

Then I carried on reading ‘…or one year’. Ah. Happy birthday, Cyberster. You’re one year old.

The idea of an e-service intrigued me. After all, we’re told one of the great advantages of an electric car is that they have fewer moving parts than scissors, and far fewer pesky fluids, filters or pumps that might need refreshing.

So what does an EV service entail? Were they just going to wipe a dishcloth over the bodywork, plug in an update-o-matic to the touchscreen and go to the pub?

Well, the car disappeared for a week but when it arrived back I was pushed to tell what’d gone on. The lid of the driver’s side door bin – which fell off a few weeks ago – was still loose.

The Apple CarPlay connection continues to be confused by changes in wind direction. The multiplex screens persistently have a mind of their own when it comes to selecting an appropriate brightness, and the automatic high-beam headlights remain coded specifically to dazzle oncoming drivers like it’s some sort of sadistic retina-burning game. Updates? Erm…

So, I gave MG a bell and asked what exactly they’d been up to. They responded both quickly and comprehensively to explain the Cyberster had been off for what they call a ‘Type A’ service, which seems pretty forensic.

Washer fluid jets and wipers tested. Seatbelts inspected. Parking brake and heater tested. All door hinges and locks lubed. Brake and washer fluid had been topped up, the coolant system inspected for any leaks (none found) and even the motor mounts are looked at for any signs of stress.

They inspect bearings, the steering system, and apparently pick over the high-voltage electronics to make sure it’s still compliant with all safety parameters. A nice feeling, given I am basically driving around in a mobile lightning bolt.

Reading the service sheet is an exercise in learning new jargon because it doesn’t feature much of what you’d usually expect to see – oil filters, spark plugs, endoscopic cylinder exams – that kind of thing. But even if you can’t sense a new lease of life sheen around an EV after it’s been back to HQ for a spruce up, I was pleased to learn it hadn’t simply been glanced at and had its tyres kicked.

The price? An MG Cyberster’s Type A service at Donald’s MG Peterborough comes in at £151.20. So I had a ring around to see what you’d pay for an annual main dealer service on some ‘rival’ cars – not that the Cyberster really has any true direct competitors…

According to Porsche Reading’s service desk, a minor service on a 718 Boxster sets you back £845.54 – but that’s recommended every two years, instead of annually unless yours has moon-mileage. Also needed every two years is the £185 brake fluid change. Averaged out, that’s a £515 bill every year. Ouch.

My local BMW dealer quoted £130.55 for a BMW Z4 M40i service… but it turned out that only covered the biennial brake fluid change. You’re also going to need an engine oil and filters swap every two years. £366.87 for that at a main dealer. So, servicing costs over a year average out at close to £250.

A huge win for the MG on running costs there – except for one thing. Someone forgot to reset the service indicator. So for a week after the service, every time I jump in, what’s the first thing that bongs onto the dashboard?

Service due!