MG Cyberster Review & Prices

The MG Cyberster is a small electric sports car that’s the futuristic, zero-emission successor to classic MG roadsters of the past. It’s a bit like the modern Eurofighter Typhoon is to the Spitfire.

Driving enthusiast-focused electric cars are few and far between, and those that exist – the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N, for example – certainly do not follow the Cyberster’s drop-top recipe. It’s something of a zero-emission alternative to the likes of the BMW Z4 or Porsche 718 Boxster, then, or a more expensive, more powerful Mazda MX-5, perhaps. You could even consider a used Porsche Taycan if you’re looking for a similar electric option.

All of this is to say there’s not a lot else like the MG Cyberster, and this extends to the way it looks. It’s a bit awkward at the rear, with the area around the boot looking rather bulbous to accommodate the folding roof, but it looks brilliant from the front. It’s got that classic low-slung two-seater shape, with sleek lines and cool details, such as the arrow-shaped rear lights. It’s cleverly packaged to hide its dimensions – it looks MX-5-sized but it’s similar to a Porsche 911.

The party piece is the doors, which swing up and away and give the car real dramatic flair. It can get annoying waiting for them to do their thing if you want to jump out quickly, but there’s no denying it’s a cool bit of theatre.

Once you’re inside things are similarly classy. The interior quality is impressive, and feels like a good step up on the likes of the MG4 EV. Poke and prod the dashboard and things aren’t quite as satisfyingly squishy as the likes of a Porsche Taycan, but the Alcantara-like seat upholstery in particular is nice and comfortable.

MG Cyberster: electric range, battery and charging data

Range: 276 miles / 316 miles
Efficiency: 3.3-3.7mi/kWh
Battery size: 77kWh
Max charge speed: 144kW
Charge time AC: 10hrs 30mins, 10-100%, 7kW
Charge time DC: 38mins, 10-80%, 144kW
Charge port location: Left side rear
Power outputs: 340hp / 510hp

The most prominent material inside, though, is glass, because there are no less than four screens ahead of you. It’s an ergonomic mess, to be frank. The lower central screen for the climate controls is clunky and tricky to use on the move, and of the trio ahead of you, the outer two are partially blocked by the wheel and your hands, which isn’t ideal when you’re trying to figure out where your next turn is on the sat nav.

It’s pretty spacious, at least, though storage isn’t great – there are no door bins, but you do get a couple of cupholders, a small space beneath the armrest and a glovebox, while a shelf behind the seats has some netting, making it a useful spot for a backpack or handbag. The 249-litre boot is okay but you’ll struggle to pack for more than a weekend away.

Fortunately things improve out on the road – but you do have to tune your expectations. If you’re looking for a proper electric driver’s car that will delight on a twisty road, you’ll probably be better off waiting for the electric Porsche Boxster. That’s because while the MG is fast – particularly the dual-motor version – it’s quite easily unsettled by bumps, which knocks your confidence in corners. Grip is excellent though, even in the wet.

Stop driving it like a performance car and things start to make sense. The suspension is comfortable on a rough road and feels much better-suited to a relaxed driving style. Think beach-side cruising on a sunny day rather than hardcore track day weapon.

As such it’s easy to drive around town, even if visibility is compromised out of the rear, and comfortable on a long drive, despite quite a bit of road noise entering the cabin.

All cars get the same 77kWh battery, which offers up to 316 miles in the entry-level Trophy, or 276 miles in the top-spec GT. The Trophy has a single motor powering the rear wheels, but it’s just an extra £5,000 for the dual-motor, all-wheel drive, 510hp GT, which is temptingly close, even if that model’s power output feels wholly unnecessary.

As a package, there’s a lot to love about the MG Cyberster. It’s not an out-and-out performance car, but if you’re looking for a drop-top cruiser it does a fantastic job of being comfortable, offering punchy performance when you need it, and feeling largely high quality inside.

Find out how much you can save with Carwow’s MG Cyberster deals, or get a great price on other MG models. You can also browse the latest used MGs from out network of trusted dealers, and when the time comes, you can sell your car online on Carwow, too.

MG Cyberster prices start at around £55,000 for the Trophy and rise to nearly £60,000 for the high-performance GT version, which feels pretty good value given the big hike in power. It’s tough to compare it to anything on price, but that’s a bit more than the starting price of a petrol-powered Porsche 718 Boxster, but less than an all-electric Porsche Taycan.

Aside from the extra motor that increases the power output and provides all-wheel drive, equipment levels are identical between the two trims, though GT models get 20-inch alloy wheels compared with 19 inches on Trophy cars.

Comfortable and rapid, but the MG Cyberster is easily unsettled by bumps when you’re attacking a twisty road

In town

The MG Cyberster is composed and relaxing to drive around town. You get the EV-typical instant response of the electric motors and near-silent propulsion, as well as a one-pedal mode to make traffic even easier. The Cyberster also handles bumps well at lower speeds – sure, it jiggles about a bit, but you never get any wince-worthy pothole crunches. It’s low, though, so large speed bumps can hit the bottom of the car, which never feels nice.

Because of the battery pack beneath the car, you sit fairly high. This can be annoying when you’re going for a sporty drive, but around town it’s great because the low dashboard means you have good visibility ahead of you. Rear visibility is poor, but standard-fit parking sensors and a 360-degree reversing camera help in a tight spot.

On the motorway

That comfortable suspension, soft seat upholstery and relatively spacious cabin mean that long distances are no trouble in the MG Cyberster. It’s a bit noisy at 70mph, with wind and road noise naturally higher than you’d get in a non-convertible car, but it’s nothing unbearable.

MG Pilot is included as standard, which brings kit such as lane-keeping assistance and blind spot detection, while adaptive cruise control is also fitted to both versions. This maintains your speed as well as distance to the car in front, and takes the strain out of long motorway drives.

On a twisty road

When you look at the sleek, sporty styling and 510hp output of the GT model, it’s easy to think this is a proper performance car. However, the MG Cyberster never feels happy being driven hard – there’s loads of grip, particularly in the GT with all-wheel drive catapulting you out of corners even in the wet – but the suspension struggles with bumpy roads at speed and the steering doesn’t tell you much about what the front tyres are doing.

As a result, it’s better to rein it in and just enjoy the scenery, at which point the Cyberster feels much more enjoyable to drive and less seat-of-your-pants. If you want something to attack a twisty road, a Porsche 718 Boxster is still your best bet, or you can wait for the imminent electric version…

The cabin is spacious by two-seater standards, though the boot is quite small

The MG Cyberster isn’t as small as it looks – in pictures or in real life – which means it’s actually fairly spacious inside. Even taller drivers should be able to find a comfortable driving position, though the seat doesn’t go very low, which is mildly frustrating.

There are no door bins, but you do get a couple of cupholders between the front seats, as well as a small glovebox and an area beneath the armrest. There’s nowhere for a wireless charging pad, but you do get USB-A and USB-C slots for phone charging and infotainment connection.

Space in the back seats

The MG Cyberster is a two-seater, but there is a shelf behind the seats with a net to hold your items in place. It’s just about big enough for a couple of backpacks, handbags or somewhere to put a light shop. It’s also designed to hold the wind deflector when you don’t want to use it.

Boot space

The boot isn’t particularly big at 249 litres, though there’s enough space for a weekly shop for a small family, or some bags for a weekend away. Access isn’t easy though, with the opening not being particularly big and sitting up high meaning you have to lift items over the rear bumper.

Convertibles such as this never have huge boots, but the Cyberster does have a bit less than the Porsche 718 Boxster (275 litres) and BMW Z4 (280 litres).

Quality is decent overall, but there are some cheap switches and the screens are poorly positioned

On the whole, interior quality is great and feels like a big step up on anything you’ll have seen from MG before. Dashboard materials and seat upholstery look and feel just about posh enough for the price tag, and the design is simple with a hint of classic roadster.

It’s far from perfect, though. The upswinging doors are cool, but they’re not particularly quick and it can become tiresome if you want to quickly jump in or out, while the chunky switches for this and the fabric roof feel a bit cheap and plasticky.

It’s the array of screens that are the bigger complaint, though. All have a clear resolution and respond quickly to your inputs, but they’re a bit of an ergonomic mess. The central climate screen is positioned well, but the process of scrolling through different temperatures is wholly unintuitive.

There are no complaints about the 10.3-inch instrument display ahead of you, but the 7.0-inch displays either side are partially obscured by the steering wheel. The one on the right has some largely uninteresting information about your charge state and energy flow etc, but the one on the left has your maps, so you’ll often find yourself leaning to the side to see when the next junction is or check your ETA.

There are two versions of the MG Cyberster – an entry-level single-motor version and a more powerful dual-motor.

Single-motor Trophy cars make 340hp, which is sent to the rear wheels. The 0-62mph time of 5.0 seconds proves this is hardly a ‘slow’ version though, being near enough identical to an entry-level Porsche 718 Boxster.

If you want the performance-focused GT, you get all-wheel drive from the dual-motor setup, providing 510hp and a 0-62mph sprint of just 3.2 seconds – that’s proper supercar pace. To keep the Porsche comparison alive, that’s not far off a £130,000 911 GTS…

Both Cyberster models get the same 77kWh battery, so as you’d expect all the GT’s extra power limits range somewhat. The official distance between charges for Trophy cars is 316 miles, compared with 276 miles for the GT. Those are respectable figures, though if you’re regularly enjoying all 510hp you can expect the range to drop quickly – on a spirited drive in the Scottish Highlands we saw efficiency of 2.5mi/kWh in the GT, which would equate to a range of about 200 miles, though you could probably eke another 10-20 miles in more typical driving scenarios.

The maximum charge rate is fairly good at 144kW, which MG claims should take you from 10-80% in 38 minutes, while a 7kW home charge will top the battery up in just over 10 hours. There’s no Vehicle Excise Duty to pay on electric cars, and there are ultra-low Benefit-in-Kind rates for company car drivers, too.

The MG Cyberster has not been safety tested by Euro NCAP, though the MG4 EV scored the full five stars when it was tested in 2022, which should be reassuring, particularly as the Cyberster gets a lot of assistance kit as standard.

Whichever model you go for you get all the same safety and security systems, which includes MG Pilot (lane-keeping assistance, blind spot monitoring and more) as well as tech that disengages the keyfob’s signal for keyless entry when not in use, making keyless car theft impossible.

The MG Cyberster is an all-new model, so reliability data isn’t readily available. However, the manufacturer performed badly in the 2023 Driver Power owner satisfaction survey, coming in last place.

As such, it’s fortunate that the Cyberster gets the same warranty as MG’s regular models, which means you get seven years or 80,000 miles of cover, which is one of the best in the business.