Should you buy one?

If you’re after a practical and relatively affordable family hatchback that just so happens to be unbelievably swift in a straight line, the MG4 XPower is well worth considering.

If you prefer to have your fun in the bends rather than the straight bits, this probably isn’t for you. The additional motor ruins the playful balance of the standard car, with the XPower feeling scrappier and less confidence inspiring the faster you go.

In fact, we had more fun in the regular MG4 than we did the XPower, with the Abarth 500e also putting a bigger smile on our faces. If you don’t mind going for petrol power, a Hyundai i30 N beats them both for entertainment and certainly isn’t slow.

What we like  

It’s ridiculously fast in a straight line and remains liveable day to day thanks to it chunky driving range per charge and generally comfortable ride. Despite being well equipped, it still undercuts most far slower rivals on price as well, making it ridiculously good value.

What we don’t like 

The MG4 XPower just isn’t as fun as it is fast, and the visual changes are so minimal it’s difficult to distinguish from the regular version. So if you’re looking for a true electric hot hatch, this isn’t it.