MG IM6

Having swept up sales in the bargain basement, MG is heading upmarket

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China's best-known automotive export brand, MG, is now unashamedly gunning for the UK car market's big fish.

Right now, our shores typically support between five and eight manufacturers with 5% market share or more. As 2025's year-to-date sales chart has it, none of Renault, Toyota, Land Rover, Hyundai, Mercedes-Benz, Nissan or Peugeot is among them. But MG clearly wants to be, and 20% more growth for the brand – not a figure beyond the bounds of credibility, given its performance to date – will do the trick.

It will be looking to the subject of this road test to get it part of the way there. The MG IM6 is one half of a two-pronged attack from its maker on the lower reaches of the market for premium electric cars. A 4.9m-long crossover, it is big for its class – notably longer than a Tesla Model Y or a Polestar 2 – and has a lower-roofed, fastback saloon sibling, the IM5, that could be considered an alternative to anything from a BMW i4 to a Volkswagen ID 7.

These are the first members of what, to European eyes, would appear to be a new sub-brand from MG – called IM, short for 'Intelligence in Motion' – that wants to become renowned for advanced, innovative, high-performing EVs of a particularly refined and 'elevated' kind.

Now to find out how much credibility MG can muster as it bids to lay hands on a whole range of new, stronger opponents.

DESIGN & ENGINEERING ★★★★☆

PROS High-end EV powertrain tech for mid-market money; four-wheel steering as standard; air suspension available

CONS Derivative looks give the lie to its premium positioning; it's heavy