Right now, my instinct and experience tell me that the growing range of Chinese cars on the Irish market is going to fundamentally change that market. Many buyers cite the initial cost of an electric car as the biggest disincentive to buying one. That has now changed. MG’s estate car has already become popular with Irish taxi drivers and any one of them I’ve asked about their experience with them so far has been positive. Most of them cite the incentivised pricing and the amount they are saving on petrol or diesel. They learn to manage their range to sit their charging options. It was a comfortable experience - unlike that of driving other similar cars with similar capacity - and an economical one.

The 4 is a car that continually surprised me. Starting with the price, obviously. I was impressed by the styling, which is sharp and includes elements like the two wings that extend slightly over the rear windscreen to form a split spoiler, very nice LED light clusters and a perfectly acceptable side and front profile. We offer full seat cover sets or just the two front seats, so you can choose the right seating option to suit you. As well as simple seat protectors, you can splash out a bit more and get a premium option like a heated cover that can keep you warm on those ice-cold winter mornings. Padded car seat covers and waterproof covers The 10.25 inch infotainment screen that controls things like navigation, radio and climate controls is decent but the graphics are certainly not the sharpest and can he hard to read on a bright day. The sat. nav was also limited and overly sensitive but it did the job eventually, even if it could not distinguish between a road and an avenue with the same name. Within the next few months there will be at least three Chinese car brands on the Irish market and they are likely to pile on the pressure on other manufacturers on a number of fronts but, most importantly, in terms of price.It’s not all about the adults, we also provide baby car seat covers and pet seat covers to protect your car from damage from two-legged and four-legged favourites. The entry level version of the MG 4, on the other hand, is coming in at €27,495. Both prices include grants. Even the Renault Zoe EV has a price of €33,995.

The boot is an adequate 363 litres but this can obviously be extended when the rear seats are folded down, making for a total capacity of over 1,000 litres. Does this mean that the MG 4 must, by definition, be a cheap option where everything has been sacrificed to keep the cost down - a bargain basement alternative ? The answer is emphatically no. What also surprised me about the car was how well it handled, absorbing bumps easily and giving a driving experience that made it feel like a more expensive car. It’s a matter of economies of scale. Tesla has already produced one million cars in China and the chances are if you’re reading this on a Mac product, it was made in China.My average consumption was about 16.3 kW per 100 kilometre. I’ve driven other similar cars that consumed well over 20 kW in the same kind of driving conditions.