MG Cyberster Review 2024

There are plenty of electric supercars on the market, but (almost) affordable EV sports cars are a very different proposition. With the MG Cyberster, MG aims to address that and do what its sports cars have done for a century – offer all the looks and fun of cars costing much more at a far keener price. Has it succeeded? Find out with our full MG Cyberster review.

For almost exactly the same price as an entry-level Porsche 718 Boxster, the MG Cyberster makes a compelling case for an electric sports car on every level. That we’ve referenced the Boxster indicates the MG Cyberster is no Mazda MX-5 alternative but could be cross-shopped against pricier versions of the BMW Z4.

The entry-point to the MG Cyberster range is the £54,995 Trophy model. It comes with a 77kWh battery pack and single electric motor that drives the rear wheels in traditional sports car fashion. It produces 340PS and offers a 0-62mph time of 5.0 seconds and a 121mph top speed.

For those who want to move the performance into the supercar sphere, there’s the £59,995 GT model that sports a second motor – and four-wheel drive – to raise overall power to 503PS. It weighs 100kg more than the Trophy but still dashes from 0-62mph in just 3.2 seconds, while the top speed is upped to 125mph.

You might think those top speeds are a bit underwhelming for a sports car, but when do you really need anything more than the national speed limit unless you head to a track day? If you do go on track, or enjoy the lure of a slithering back road, the MG Cyberster is more than able to entertain with superb balance, handling, braking and fine ride comfort.

In town, it’s just as able and the scissor doors will garner you plenty of looks every time you open them. They make entry to the cabin very easy even in jam-packed multi-storey car parks, while the interior is very well put together and comfortable. It’s just a shame the two auxiliary screens either side of the main dash are obscured by the steering wheel and driver’s hands.

MG may not have made a sports car in a long time but it's certainly back with a bang (or should that be a buzz) with the impressive MG Cyberster. Whether sports car buyers will be willing to fork out £55k on an MG remains to be seen though.

Its makers are keen to point out that the MG Cyberster has perfectly balanced 50/50 front-to-rear weight and it has traditional sports car suspension design, with double wishbones up front and a multi-link set-up at the rear. It needn’t have worried, as it’s mighty fine to drive.

Lying at the base of the MG’s structure is its battery pack, so even though it is heavier than a Porsche 718 Boxster you don’t really notice it as you corner at speed thanks to the low centre of gravity. 

The weight simply isn’t an issue in the way it can be in so many EVs. Instead, the MG Cyberster feels supremely sure-footed, stable and willing to let its driver make the most of its considerable grip and traction.

Its steering is quick-witted enough to let you know exactly what’s happening and respond accordingly, though it doesn’t have quite that last degree of communication that you get in a Porsche 718 Boxster. Then again, the MG is also very easy to potter about in around town and is unerringly stable on motorways.

Braking is also impressive in its power and feel, which is another area where MG makes other EVs seem dull – even detached – by comparison.

On 19-inch wheels, the Trophy deals with lumpy roads very well – we’ll need more time in the GT on its 20-inch wheels to pass a definitive judgement about which is the better of the two in this regard. 

There is a bit of sports car firmness but never any jolting or jarring, while body lean when cornering is present but only enough to tell you that you are beginning to push harder.

There’s a straight choice in the MG Cyberster range between the Trophy with its single 340PS (250kW) motor driving the rear wheels and the GT with twin motors producing 503PS (375kW) with additional traction courtesy of its four-wheel drive arrangement.

For some, the added acceleration and punch of the GT, which covers 0-62mph in 3.2 seconds, will be only one to have. However, our time with the Trophy, which takes 5.0 seconds to dispatch the 0-62mph benchmark, is more than swift enough for almost any driving situation.

Unlike some EVs that revel in a huge burst of speed off the mark, the MG Cyberster delivers strong, fuss-free performance that is very linear at all speeds. It makes this sports car easy to trust when judging an overtake or joining from a motorway slip road.

You can add to the sensation with piped-in engine sounds to the cabin but we quickly switched this off and enjoyed the gratifying experience of a soft-top that lets you hear the outside world clearly.

You can switch between four driving modes with the MG – Comfort, Custom, Sport, and Track. After trying them all, we found Comfort was the preferred option, with the occasional dip into Sport when the road began to snake in front of us.

Charging the Cyberster is hassle-free and MG’s claim it can go from 10% to 80% state of charge in 38 minutes with a 150kW charger was easily proven when we hooked it up. If anything, the Cyberster charged slightly quicker than this. 

The Trophy has a claimed combined range of 316 miles and that seemed about spot on during our time with the car. The GT has a slightly shorter range of 276 miles on a full charge.

Every MG Cyberster comes with a suite of airbags and the MG Pilot array of safety systems that encompasses lane-changing and lane-keeping assist, adaptive cruise control, blind spot detection, automatic emergency braking with pedestrian and bicycle detection, traffic jam assist, intelligent headlight control and speed assist. You also get a 360-degree surround-view parking camera system.

The MG Cyberster is not currently rated to tow any capacity of trailer.

The MG Cyberster’s scissor doors, which are similar to those of a McLaren or Lamborghini, are much more than just a gimmick. Given the MG is on the wide side, it means you can get in and out easily even in the most tightly packed car park spaces.

Dropping into the cabin is simple and the seats offer good support for long drives and short blasts. Folding the electrically-powered roof is quick and simple and the MG is very refined with its top closed. There’s little wind disturbance with it lowered, so you won’t need a hat or have to shout to be heard by your passenger.

At 249-litres, the boot is similar in size to most superminis but it is quite shallow, so you’ll need to pack soft bags for a weekend away. However, there is some added storage behind the seats for another bag or two, plus there are door pockets and cupholders for smaller items.

The MG Cyberster costs the same as a Porsche 718 Boxster and you won’t feel any twinge of regret at choosing the MG when you come into contact with its cabin and materials. Every surface is clad in either leather or metal, giving an impression of specialness and it’s all fitted together very well.

During our time with the MG Cyberster on some very bumpy roads, there was never a squeak or creak to be heard, unusual given convertibles are more prone to bodywork flexing than fixed-roof cars.

If anything, the MG feels a little more upmarket inside than the Porsche does with the Cyberster’s mix of materials and the design of the centre console which wraps around the driver.

With three screens in front of the driver and a fourth in the centre console for the climate control, the MG Cyberster’s dashboard looks technology-rich. 

The main 10.25-inch dash display is very good and easy to read but the two 7.0-inch screens that flank either side of it are hampered by the steering wheel and driver’s hands. Their positioning also makes it tricky to select menus and functions.

The infotainment’s operation, though, is quick and the MG Cyberster is a huge step forward in how well the menus are arranged and respond compared with its more mainstream models. Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, an eight-speaker Bose stereo, DAB radio and voice recognition are all included as standard across the range.

The MG Cyberster Trophy costs £54,995, which is £805 less than an entry-level Porsche 718 Boxster that offers near identical acceleration from 0-62mph. Some might feel an MG could struggle against the might of the Porsche’s attraction but the Cyberster’s styling soon puts that argument to bed. 

Factor-in its zero emissions and the tax implications of that for company-funded drivers and the MG becomes even more compelling thanks to its value for money.

To move up to the MG Cyberster GT costs an additional £5000, which gets you a good deal more power and acceleration, along with twin motors and four-wheel drive. It’s notably cheaper than a Porsche 718 Boxster S by almost £6000 but the GT offers a great deal more than the Trophy beyond its greater turn of speed.

The only options for the MG Cyberster are a red-coloured hood in place of the black one for £500 and alternative paint finishes: metallic paint for £545 and a tri-coat for £695.

As an EV, the MG Cyberster has zero tailpipe emissions, so VED road tax is free and company car drivers will pay Benefit in Kind at just 2%. That goes a long way to making the P11d values look superficially high as it’s a great value two-seater sports car choice for a company car driver.

Service intervals come every 12 months or 15,000 miles, so you won’t need to see your dealer too often and the MG Cyberster has a seven-year, 80,000-mile manufacturer warranty.

Starting point for the range is the MG Cyberster Trophy model that comes with 19-inch alloy wheels, Brembo brakes and Pirelli P Zero tyres. It also has an electrically-operated fabric soft-top that goes up or down in 15 seconds and can be worked at up to 30mph, plus a wind deflector. 

The Trophy has four driving modes – Comfort, Sport, Track, and Custom – and there’s a 10.25-inch main dash display with twin 7.0-inch screens on either side, with a further centre console screen for the climate control. 

There are heated leather seats with six-way electric adjustment, heated steering wheel with paddles to vary the regenerative braking strength and alloy pedals. 

The infotainment uses Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, has a DAB radio and voice recognition and an eight-speaker Bose audio system.

Move up to the MG Cyberster GT version and you gain 20-inch alloy wheels and four-wheel drive courtesy of its second electric motor mounted in the nose.

Five exterior colours are available with solid New English White being the only free-of-charge hue, while the leather interior is finished in two-tone grey or a red and black combination. The fabric soft-top is black as standard, with a red alternative optionally available for £500.