Testimonial – After 48,000 km with the MG4 electric vehicle, Jean-Charles shares the condition of his battery and his overall experience.

In Grasse (06), Jean-Charles has been driving an electric vehicle since 2020, starting with a Renault Zoé 52 kWh, which was replaced after the end of the exemption period with an MG4 in Luxury trim. Although this plug-in compact isn’t perfect, its performance has improved over time with several updates. Still enjoying driving it, our reader plans to use this vehicle for a few more years.

Reasons to adopt electric vehicles

Jean-Charles switched to electric vehicles for environmental reasons: “I became aware of the issue, and it troubled my conscience to drive gas-powered cars.” At 43, and over the past two decades, he hasn’t owned many cars, let alone large ones: “Before the Renault Zoé 52, I had a Nissan Micra with a manual transmission. Even earlier, since I got my driver’s license, I drove a series of Renault Super 5s, Clio models, and a Twingo that I kept for 12 or 13 years.”

Other reasons for switching to electric power came into play in our reader’s considerations: “I teach physics and chemistry at a high school about fifteen kilometers from my home. Gas wasn’t as expensive as it is now, but there was also the idea of saving money. In my neighborhood, I have a parking spot right in front of my house. This allowed me to install a reinforced outlet in the garden. After benefiting from an EDF Tempo subscription, I signed up for an Octopus plan that offered a 20% discount on the regulated rate.”

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In addition, there’s a feeling that becomes clear with regular use: “Today, it would be difficult for me to go back to a gasoline car. The Renault Zoé convinced me that an electric vehicle is easier to use and more pleasant to drive—there are no engine noises or jerks anymore. By 2020, electric vehicles were already well-developed and suitable for road trips. Although we don’t have children, the Nissan Micra was a bit too small. Since we only have one car for the two of us, we’ve been driving electric vehicles exclusively for six years now.”

Traveling Far Without Fast Charging

While the Renault Zoé 52 kWh provided enough range for vacations and weekends during the three years of the LLD, it lacked one feature that didn’t prevent its use or diminish the enjoyment of driving an electric vehicle: “I only had 22 kW of AC charging. At the time, I didn’t opt for fast charging because it cost around 1,000 euros. Looking back, if I could do it again, I would choose it. Even for vacations, we accepted that our car charged quite slowly.”

This didn’t stop us from going far with this Renault Zoé: “From where we lived to Rennes, there are about 1,200 km that we covered in two days. Since we knew we would need to take our time, I set myself the challenge of only charging at free stations along the way, especially those in supermarket parking lots. I succeeded! However, on the return trip, we didn’t do it again because there were quite a few constraints. It was also then that we noticed that charging stations in public areas don’t always work properly.”

This first electric vehicle for the couple had an anomaly that Renault never managed to eliminate, and it was independent of the battery’s charge level: “Randomly, regenerative braking would stop, leaving us with no braking for a few seconds. The problem might not occur for several days before appearing quite frequently afterward. At Renault, they told us it was a very rare occurrence, and nothing could be done to fix it.”

The Choice of the MG4

There are no rental options for the electric car that replaced the Zoé: “We wanted to buy our new model, preferably a sedan, with a budget of up to 25,000 euros. That’s why we looked at Tesla Model 3 and Renault Megane E-Tech. But with similar equipment and range, the latter was 6,000 to 7,000 euros more expensive than the MG4. Additionally, we found it very pleasant to drive very quickly. In its top-tier Luxury trim, it was priced at 34,000 euros according to the catalog.”

After deducting the subsidies, the amount of the check to sign fit within the budget: “In 2023, we received a 6,000 euro bonus and 5,000 euro from the department. All that was left for our MG4 Luxury was 23,000 euros. At the dealership, I asked to have the test model for a day, but they told us it wasn’t possible due to too many requests. In the end, we could only use it for an hour, testing it a bit on the highway as well as in the city. We were the only ones in the car.”

One hour is still far too short to truly get to know a new car: “I drove it for about forty minutes, and my partner drove it for fifteen minutes. We mainly noticed that the MG4 is much more dynamic than our Zoé. We weren’t able to spot any flaws in this electric car, which had only been on the market in France for a few months. The issues mainly related to the driving assistance features and the entire software system. Things have improved with updates, but it still has a long way to go.”

“We would have liked a major update to fix everything.”

Jean-Charles tells us he has experienced some scares due to driving assistance features: “Especially on departmental roads and in rural areas where the road markings were not clearly visible. We sometimes encountered sudden sharp turns and the feeling that the MG4 was about to send us crashing into something. There were also sudden hard brakes, either because a car coming from the opposite direction was positioned too far to the left, or on the highway when a vehicle ahead was too far to the right on the left lane. This happens much less frequently these days, but these phenomena haven’t completely disappeared.”

If only it were simple to disable these features! “When you forget to turn them off before leaving, it’s difficult to do so while driving. You have to navigate through inconvenient menus. It would be much better managed on the new MG4 in Premium trim. We also have to deal with software bugs. We’re having connection issues with Android Auto. Half the time, the smartphone isn’t recognized. Sometimes it cuts off while driving. In that case, you have to unplug and replug the device.”

The voice assistant isn’t much clearer either: “Sometimes the car speaks to you and interrupts your conversation with other people in the car, saying things like, ‘I think you asked me…’. Over time, you get used to it, but navigating the system through the screen remains very confusing—it’s neither logical nor well-designed. We would have liked a major update that fixed all the problems at once, but the updates we’ve had only correct some of them, if not create new issues.”

Up to 1,000 km per day

During the holidays, Jean-Charles’s MG4 covers long distances in a single day: “The farthest trip was about a thousand kilometers from our home to the Morvan. With our MG4, we’ve already made several trips of 800 to 1,000 kilometers. I can prepare a bit in advance using ABRP or Chargemap’s planner, or I can set off right away. For long trips, the time difference between electric and gasoline vehicles becomes increasingly negligible.”

Our driver only once encountered a fully charged charging station upon arriving with his MG4, which has a 61.7 kWh usable battery capacity: “I simply went to the next station where chargers were available. By charging the battery to around 30% capacity, I make sure I don’t run into trouble due to a fully charged station or broken chargers. It’s just my cautious side. But if I were more adventurous, it wouldn’t be a problem either. Once I saw cables that had been cut and stolen, but I didn’t need to plug in my car.”

For roadside charging, Tesla remains a reliable choice: “I like to go where things work well and efficiently. Since there are often plenty of chargers, I’ve always found a spot at Tesla, and the prices are usually attractive. Sometimes it’s the offers that convince me to use certain providers. For example, this summer, I used Atlante. I prioritize convenience and ease of use. It’s less straightforward with public AC chargers, where charging doesn’t always start right away and the steps to follow aren’t always in the same order. You need to be patient.”

Range and Energy Consumption

Jean-Charles’s MG4 can achieve relatively low fuel consumption: “On mixed routes including highways, departmental roads, and urban streets, with outdoor temperatures between 15 and 20°C and without aiming for eco-driving records, my consumption is around 12 kWh per 100 km. In winter, it’s more like 14 to 15 kWh. On the highway at 110 km/h, I observed a consumption of 18 kWh per 100 km, which can rise to 25 when driving at 130 km/h. However, it’s during multiple short trips of 4 to 5 km that the MG4 consumes the most fuel.”

On the highway, with only 30 to 80% of the battery’s energy being used, the range is quite limited: “I can expect around 180 km, stopping after 1.5 to 2 hours. My partner prefers shorter and more frequent stops. After 15 to 20 minutes, we’re already on our way again. On longer trips, when I’m tired, she takes the wheel. Electric vehicles suit her very well too, and she can’t imagine going back to gasoline cars. We now go on more vacations since we drive electric vehicles compared to our old noisy and vibrating gasoline cars.”

What about daily commuting? “With a 100% charge and keeping the level above 10-15%, we get 450 km of range in good weather and 350 km in winter. The regenerative braking is decent, though not extremely powerful. Since our MG4 doesn’t have one-pedal driving, I don’t really think about it. If this feature had been offered as an option at least, I would have chosen it, as I think it would be very convenient in the city. As of now, the odometer reads around 48,000 km, and the battery’s health status is at 97%.”

Other electric cars at the college

The MG4 isn’t really a spacious electric car: “The trunk isn’t very large, and if I push the seat all the way back, it’s best if the person sitting behind isn’t very tall. For a couple with two or three children, the MG4 would be far too cramped in a single car.” As for the service at the dealership where he purchased it, “it was truly the bare minimum! The staff were neither friendly nor sales-oriented during the purchase, and I didn’t get much explanation. I received a much better service at other MG dealerships.”

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Jean-Charles has observed the rise in electric vehicles among his colleagues: “When I had a Renault Zoé, one of my colleagues owned an older model with a 22 kWh battery. Since I got a MG4, others have come to me. I seem to have convinced one of them to switch as well, and they bought an MG4 too; two more have a Fiat 500e as their second car. The rising fuel prices are a strong incentive. Among the 150 ninth graders at the school, five or six come in Citroën Amis.”

Our reader doesn’t think he’ll be parting with his MG4 any time soon: “Given the current prices of electric vehicles and the six to twelve month wait times to receive them, I prefer to stay with this car that I’m satisfied with, which hasn’t given me any major problems, and which still brings me joy when driving. If I were to buy a new model today, a more affordable Tesla Model 3 might interest me, but there’s not much space in front of my house, and that car wouldn’t be practical for commuting in the city. I’d be more attracted to a versatile city car like the Renault 5 E-Tech or the Volkswagen ID. Polo.”

Automobile Propre and I would like to thank Jean-Charles greatly for his excellent hospitality, great responsiveness, and for sharing his experience after we asked our readers for their feedback.

To avoid discouraging our readers from sharing their experiences in the future, any offensive comments directed at our interviewees, their lives, choices, and/or ideas will be removed. Thank you for your understanding.

Author’s Note

For many drivers, spending too much on switching to electric vehicles is not an option. In such cases, the used car market offers a wide variety of models today. There are also new electric vehicles available at a reasonable budget, especially when significant purchase assistance is available. In 2023, for Jean-Charles, the already well-equipped MG4 was very attractive.

Most of our readers are well aware that this model has some drawbacks, but these can be overcome considering what it enables one to experience. For example, going on vacation without breaking the bank. Jean-Charles experienced this during his trip to Rennes by finding free charging options. Though such options are becoming increasingly rare, they still exist.

In this testimony, we once again see the three main reasons that encourage people to adopt electric vehicles: environmental awareness, cost savings, and the pleasure of driving.

Philippe SCHWOERER