MG IM6 Review 2026

It’s a 2026-appropriate analogy but the MG IM6 has a sense of being the result of market researchers inputting car buyers' favourite features into an AI system and clicking 'generate'. Yet what it lacks in originality, it makes up for in a number of other ways, including spaciousness, comfort and — rather ironically — a sense of mystique. Here’s a new electric SUV that tackles the Tesla Model Y head-on — find out if it gets the better of it in our full MG IM6 review.

Aside from the MG IM6's Tesla Model Y meets Aston Martin DBX styling mash-up, you're also likely to quickly notice something else about it — the complete absence of MG's traditional octagonal badge. In all the places they would ordinarily be found is an unfamiliar icon, reminiscent of a stylised mathematical symbol. That's IM's logo.

That MG label muddies the waters somewhat because in its Chinese homeland IM is a standalone brand. Both are owned by SAIC Motor, but whereas MG has a century of history behind it, IM was established in 2020, primarily to give the Chinese market an upmarket alternative to... You’ve guessed it — Tesla. Plus all the other fancy brands that make electric SUVs these days.

In non-Chinese markets, IM's cars are sold as MGs, albeit with just the two initials on the back rather than any nod to octagonal heritage. The MG association only does it reduce the marketing effort required to build  IM's brand awareness from the ground-up about, there are pragmatic advantages to be had in the showroom.

Customers walking into an MG showroom will discover the new selection of upmarket EVs and they might just think 'you know what, I could afford one of those exotic-looking electric cars with the padded dashboard, multiple screens and thick-pile carpets. In fact, yes, I’m gonna!'.

It's not just the Model Y that the MG IM6 has to contend with, of course, with the German Big Three all offering brand new or still-fresh opposition. Oldest of the trio is the Audi Q6 e-tron, while set to arrive in showrooms during the first half of 2026 are the latest BMW iX3 and the Mercedes GLC with EQ Technology.

Also going toe-to-toe with the IM6 albeit at more comparable price points are the well-regarded Kia EV6, the still-popular Polestar 2 and a fellow Model Y impersonator, the XPeng G6.

On paper at least, the MG IM6 is impressive. Here’s a vast electric SUV with a significant amount of rear  seat space, enough headroom for a giraffe, Lamborghini-matching power, lightning-fast charging speed and a  genuinely staggering amount of standard equipment. And all for less money than the much smaller, much older and much less well-equipped Mercedes EQA.

There are two levels of power available for the MG, both using the same large capacity battery. With 407PS available for the IM6 100 Long Range it's hardly slow, but a reserve of 751PS enables the 100 Performance to dart from 0-62mph some 1.9 seconds quicker at 3.5. It is a ridiculous amount of power in a car set up the way the IM6 is. Dynamically it’s... Well it’s bad. And not in a 'shamone!' sort of way. 

If you live out in the sticks and regularly drive on B-roads with enthusiasm, the MG IM6 is plainly not the big electric SUV for you. Twitchy steering and more body movement than a Cyber Goth when the Thomas The Tank Engine theme comes on make it decidedly un-sporty. Thankfully at both urban and motorway speeds, its wallowing nature, quiet refinement, lovely cabin ambience and its spaciousness make it superb.

There's a caveat, though. For whatever reason, only the range-topping Launch Edition — with Performance levels of, erm, performance — gets adaptive air suspension, which has a consequential impact on the IM6's ride and handling. How different it is from those with a conventional coil spring arrangement remains to be determined.

For us, a Long Range IM6 is all you will really need. At a shade under £48,000 it’s far from cheap, but attractive deals are available, we hear — in any event the equipment roster wouldn’t look out of place in a car costing two or even three times that amount.

Running to pages and pages, standard kit includes 20-inch wheels, triple display screens, massaging front seats that are also heated and ventilated, active noise cancellation, a super-fast wireless phone charging  pad (which is also ventilated), a cooled cubby beneath the front armrest... We could go on. In fact, we should mention that it can not only park itself, it will also reverse itself back out again.

Aside from being moderately less quick, the only significant area that the IM6 Long Range loses out to the Performance is that it's rear-wheel drive by dint of having a single motor at the back. The faster alternative has a second motor up front for all-wheel drive blessing it with superior traction.

Whichever version takes your fancy, the fundamental appeal of the car doesn’t change. The important issues of excellent range, soft comfort levels, useful interior flexibility and very rapid charging speeds make the MG6 easy to recommend.

The only real compromises you have to accept are an occasionally frustrating infotainment screen and a dynamic experience that's less than optimal. That's okay. 

MG IM6: Range and charging times

All MG IM6s have a 100kWh gross capacity battery — hence the 100 in the model name — which equates to a usable capacity of 96.5kWh, making it one of the largest currently available in an EV.

As you would logically expect, the less powerful 100 Long Range has the greatest potention to maximise the driving range. According to the official WLTP Combined cycle it's 388 miles. All-wheel drive and increased power outputs see the 100 Performance's range figure drop to 313 miles. In real life, chop about 25% from those figures, and a little more during winter or if you’re on the motorway a lot.

Using an AC Type 2 connection, the MG IM6 can handle a charge rate as high as 11kW. Plugged in to a typical 7kW domestic wallbox a 10-100% recharge will take around 16 hours.

For those occasions when you have no choice but to use expensive DC public charging points, the IM6 impresses. It can manage a DC charge speed of 396kW, which is more than any such unit in the UK can currently deliver to it. 

Using a 350kW DC charger working at full pelt, a 10-80% top up could be completed in just 17 minutes.

If you are considering the MG IM6 because you fancy a sporty SUV, you’re going to be more disappointed than when Robinho turned up to train with his new Manchester club and was handed a sky blue jersey rather than a red one. 

This is a big, pillowy soft car that feels distinctly out of its depth on a windy, undulating B-road. The caveat is that we have only tested a Launch Edition version which features adaptive air suspension. Less expensive IM6s feature conventional coil springs which will feel different.

Nonetheless, the Launch Edition is... hilarious. None of its five driving modes do much to change the MG’s character. Its steering is lighter than air and very quick to respond, meaning it changes direction almost as quickly as it accelerates, while very loose body control ensures that it never quite settles down.

Its nose also dives under braking, while during hard acceleration it seems almost as if the headlights are pointing skywards. Try the Long Range model before signing on the dotted line.

The yang to a B-road’s ying is that this big soft lump of a car is absolutely lovely at both town and motorway speeds. Standard-fit double glazing and noise cancellation technology help make it as quiet as can be, the body remaining serene as you make your way along. Complete with the heavily padded, Andrex-soft seats, it all feels luxurious in a way that most sub-£50k cars do not.

Rear-wheel steering is standard, which is part of the reason the IM6 responds too quick to direction changes on B-roads, but it’s a brilliant tool for low-speed manoeuvrability at town speed, with a pleasingly tight turning circle is surprisingly tight. Useful.

Two levels of power are available for the MG IM6, with the more moderate of the two likely to provide more than is ample for the majority of buyers.

For the IM6 100 Long Range a single electric motor is located under the boot floor propelling the rear wheels. It produces 407PS and 500Nm of torque, all of the latter being available the instant you press the accelerator.

That's enough to get this 2320kg lump of car from a standstill to 62mph in just 5.4 seconds, running on to a top speed of 146mph. It’s more than enough, particularly given that this is a car best driven non-enthusiastically. 

For the IM6 100 Performance alternative, a second motor is installed under the bonnet providing all-wheel drive traction in an attempt to rein-in its elevated outputs. Together they produce 751PS and 802Nm, the latter figure exceeding the Ferrari SF90 Stradale’s — a plug-in hybrid supercar with a twin-turbo V8 engine and three electric motors. That tells you just how silly this MG actually is.

Despite all-wheel drive, the IM6 doesn’t deal with the Performance’s power very well, despite its 0-62mph time of 3.5 seconds and a 148mph top speed.

It frequently scrabbles for grip, albeit correcting itself quickly, but the before you know it you’re doing significant speeds and are very aware of a distinct lack of communication from the tyres beneath you. It’s not necessarily a recipe for fun, although it is hilarious in its own way.

Given the amount of equipment and technology the MG IM6 has, it follows that there’s also an enormous amount of safety gear — a lot of it very useful day-to-day.

Before the good stuff, a couple of significant issues to highlight. Firstly, the rear windscreen is very shallow and virtually useless in the dark, which makes reversing out of a parking space quite difficult, especially given the sheer size of the car. However, the IM6’s rear camera display is very crisp and it’s accessed quickly by thumbing one of the scroll dials on the steering wheel.

Secondly, this is yet another Chinese car whose driver attention monitoring system is just plain vexing. It constantly tells you to keep your eyes on the road, sometimes on occasions when your eyes are actually on the road. That feature can be easily turned off, thankfully.

The IM6 is quantifiably a very safe car. It has always-on radar pedestrian and vehicle detection — in the Tesla style, unsurprisingly enough — and its blind-spot cameras are also very good.

It has all manner of self-driving assistants, including being able to reverse parallel park itself and back itself out of a space again — MG calls that One Touch Pull Out. Quite. It’s unnervingly fast in operation, especially when you can’t see what it's hurtling towards properly through the little rear window.

Euro NCAP awarded the MG IM6 its full five-star rating in 2025, including a 90% score for adult occupant protection, 85% for child occupant protection, 83% for vulnerable road users and 87% for its safety assist systems. Great scores and proof that this is admirably safe family transport.

All versions of the MG IM6 rated to tow braked trailer loads up to a maximum of 1500kg.

That’s decent for an EV, albeit a little under the 1600kg limit of the Tesla Model Y can haul. Regardless, 1500kg means it should handle medium caravans, trailers and boat trailers comfortably.

At 4904mm long you would expect the MG IM6 to have a decent amount of practicality — and it does.

The roof feels especially high from the inside — not always a given when it's glazed — plus there’s lots legroom for rear seat passengers. Its flat floor is welcome because it makes life that little bit easier for the poor person sat in the middle-rear seat.

Generally, the IM6 feels more spacious and airy than other electric family SUV, including the Tesla Model Y that it’s quite obviously immitating and the Kia EV6. That’s especially true if you spec yours with the white rather than grey interior.

Boot capacity for Long Range models is 665 litres with the seats up, expanding to 1640 litres with the 60/40-split folding rear bench down. There's a slight reduction in those numbers for the IM6 Performance at 646 litres and 1621 litres respectively.

The loading floor is flat and in the Launch Edition with its adaptive air suspension, you can press a button to lower the car making it easier to load heavy or bulky stuff.  There’s also a 32‑litre frunk under the bonnet which is big enough for your charging cables.

Storage in the centre console is only average in size, while it's particularly sub-par when it comes to the glovebox because there isn’t one. Weird but true.

Whether the MG IM6's white leather-style interior looks wonderful or not is a matter akin to 'Live, Laugh, Love' living room wall art. Liking it is neither right or wrong — it's purely a personal choice thing. 

It’s certainly different, with even more whiteness involved than with Tesla’s equivalent decor, and it all feels several levels above the quality you will find in typical family SUVs, let alone the other cars nearby in the showroom, save for the MG IM5 saloon. 

The grey finish is less divisive, but regardless of colour your IM6 will come with those deep, plush carpets. Oof, the carpets. It’s difficult not to be immediately impressed by the lovely, soft squidginess of the MG's plastic mouldings either.

Despite the richness of the IM6's interior, there's a sense of various fixtures and fittings being cribbed from other brands. Not direct copies, obviously, but seemingly closely inspired by. This needn't bother you in the same way being happy to pay 80p for a Meatster stick instead of £1.20 for a Peperami causes no concern, but it's fun for nerdier car enthusiasts to spot the inspiration points.

The steering wheel scroll buttons? They're very Tesla, while the centre console touchscreen is Porsche-like, the digital door handles have an air of Lexus about them, the safety radar graphics arecalso Tesla-ish, while the interior trim panels are reminiscent of your nan’s old parquet flooring).

The mildly vexing thing about the MG IM6’s infotainment setup is that it’s a few minor adjustments away from being very good indeed.

Most of the IM6's functions are controlled on the Porsche Taycan-style centre console touchscreen where it’s mercifully easy to switch off all the warning bongs. The issue is, this screen’s homepage consists mostly of a picture of the car with some menu icons underneath.

If MG had instead used that space for large shortcuts for the climate control, audio volume, radio station favourites and so on, all of which could be accessed quickly and easily, it's suddenly a top-notch system.

Incidentally, it does actually have an unseen swipe function for fan speed adjustment, but it just doesn’t work very well.

That said, as with all these systems, you soon get used to the quirks and will almost certainly bypass much of it by using the Android Auto and Apple CarPlay smartphone mirroring that’s baked into it anyway.

The MG IM6 is pitched as an upmarket electric SUV with a relatively affordable price tag. The line-up is nice and simple, starting at £47,995 for the rear-wheel drive IM6 100 Long Range.

Upgrading to the MG IM6 100 Performance costs £50,995, adding all-wheel drive with the much more powerful dual-motor setup. Spending £52,995 gets you an IM6 100 Launch Edition, with the same power as the Performance, but with extra kit including, signifcantly, adaptive air suspension. The only option you can pay extra for, regardless of version, is a choice of paint colour.

And as per a lot of new Chinese cars, MG dealers are already offering substantial discounts and very low finance rates to lure customers away from more well-established brands. There are bargains to be had.

The MG IM6 100 Long Range is the cheapest version to live with day-to-day — expect around 3.0mpkWh if you drive carefully and mainly on urban roads.

On an EV-friendly electricity tariff at 7p/kWh, a flat-to-full charge will cost about £6.75, theoretically returning more than 300 real-world miles. Public rapid charging at 70–85p/kWh pushes that closer to £70 for a full charge, though most owners rightly only rely on those occasionally. The Performance version uses more energy, thanks to all-wheel drive and higher power.

Be mindful that since April 2024 electric cars are also subjected to both annual VED car tax charges — currently £195 per year — and the Expensive Car Supplement. Only the entry-level IM6 100 Long Range costs less than the £50,000 threshold for EVs and avoids the extra £425 annual bill owners will otherwise face between years two to six of ownership.

The IM6 is extremely attractive for company car drivers. As a zero-emissions EV, all versions fall into the 3% Benefit-in-Kind (BiK) tax band. Even on the Performance model, monthly tax bills remain dramatically lower than any petrol or diesel SUV of similar size and power. Insurance premiums won’t be cheap, but they’re broadly in line with rivals like the Tesla Model Y Performance.

MG keeps servicing costs low with simple EV servicing schedules — they are mainly inspections, with brake fluid and cabin filter changes. Regenerative braking reduces brake wear significantly making pads and discs last longer than with combustion-engined cars.

The IM6 is covered by MG’s seven-year/80,000-mile warranty, with the battery covered for eight years or 100,000 miles, which massively reduces long-term risk. All in all, a far more sensible purchase than something with this much power, space and equipment should be. 

While there are no trim levels in the conventional sense for the MG IM6 line-up, there are a handful of differences between the Long Range, Performance and Launch Edition versions. Brace yourself, there’s a lot of equipment coming your way...

Standard features for the MG IM6 100 Long Range include:

• 20-inch Aero wheels
• Automatic LED head, daytime-running, tail and fog lights together with scrolling indicators
• Electrically adjustable, folding and heated door mirrors with Auto Tilt Down in reverse
• Keyless unlocking/locking
• Automatically retracting flush exterior door handles
• Electrically operated hands-free tailgate
• Automatic windscreen wipers
• Laminated glass in front and rear doors
• Dark-tinted rear privacy glass
• Double-glazed, thermally insulated glass roof
• Front and rear parking sensors
• 360-degree parking camera system with Transparent Chassis function
• 26.3-inch combined driver's display and infotainment screen
• 10.5-inch centre console-mounted touchscreen
• IM voice control system
• DAB+ digital radio
• Integral navigation system
• Wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay smartphone connectivity
• 20-speaker audio system
• Road noice cancelling software
• 2x USB-C charging ports
• 2x 12V sockets
• Ventilated wireless smartphone charging pad
• 12-way electrically adjustable driver's seat with heating, ventilation and massage functions, memory and easy entry automatic slide-back
• Six-way electrically adjustable front passenger seat with heating and ventilation functions
• Manual backrest adjustment and central armrest for rear seats with heating for outer two positions
• Ultra-soft leather-style upholstery in Grey
• Heated, leather-wrapped multifunction steering wheel
• Dual-zone automatic climate control
• Climate-controlled cubby below front central armrest
• Heat pump
• 256-colour LED interior ambient lighting
• Vehicle-to-Load (V2L) charging
• Adaptive cruise control
• Five driving modes — Super Eco, Eco, Comfort, Sport and Custom
• Intelligent four-wheel steering with Crab Mode
• One Touch automatic park assist functions

Aside from a second electric motor and all-wheel drive, additional equipment for the MG IM6 100 Performance comprises:

• 21-inch Sport wheels
• Six driving modes — Super Eco, Eco, Comfort, Sport, Snow and Custom

The only upgrade with the MG IM6 100 Launch Edition is:

• Active Damping Control with Advanced Air Suspension