2025 MG IM6 review

Is it another new Chinese electric car brand, or not?

It’s a logical question to ponder about the IM6, which is a mid-size luxury electric SUV that is part of MG’s stable in Australia.

Indeed, the brand is calling it “IM presented by MG Motor”, as if there is a clear understanding that new brands are getting lost in the wash.

No matter what you call it, though (and for what it’s worth, I think ‘SUV’ is a misnomer, too), the IM6 electric… thing is a very impressive bit of kit, and offers a convincing counterpoint to some of the other EVs in the market for similar money, or more.

How much does the IM6 cost?

If you have to ask, you can’t afford it. That’s the typical refrain for something that’s a luxury item.

But in this instance, you might be pleasantly surprised by the pricing, because the IM6 is competitively positioned against rivals from some established brands.

Consider those costs – you might be thinking, “yeesh, that’s a lot for an MG!”, but I’d suggest you need to change your mindset about the overall branding thing here.

That’s because IM should be considered like Lexus is to Toyota. It is a higher-end experience, with a completely different look and feel to the other products. And, also importantly, those prices don’t push it beyond what you’d pay for a Cupra Tavascan, Skoda Enyaq, Kia EV6, Hyundai Ioniq 5 or the top-selling Tesla Model Y.

Unlike some of those models, though, you need to pay extra for charging cables. The V2L cable costs $250, while the ‘Go’ 7kW Type 2 cable is $299, and the ‘Rapid’ 22kW cable costs $399.

Speaking of additional costs, there is a Dover Beige interior choice for all variants, for $990 extra. And if you want a colour other than the no-cost Athena White, such as Raphael Beige (seen here), Rembrandt Grey, Nevis Blue or Ares Black, you’ll need to add $1000 to the bill.

A number of accessories are available, including the usual things like floor mats ($219) and there is a sunshade for the glass roof ($109), but there’s also a Mag Pro bracket that allows you to attach MagSafe items in different spots around the car ($89), which could be good to chuck the iPad on for the brats when you hit the road.

What is the IM6 like on the inside?

Elegant, high-tech and sleek. But also very well appointed, comfortable and practical. As you’d expect of a modern SUV in a competitive part of the market.

The design won’t be to all tastes, though. There is no real leather, just ‘vegan leather’ (aka vinyl), but the seats are reminiscent of Citroen and DS models of years gone by. Comfy, quilted and pretty adjustable, too.

Though some taller drivers might wish they could sit a little lower, as not everyone wants the commanding position of an SUV. I can’t say if the IM5 sedan has a lower seat position, but hopefully it does.

The front seats tick the box for buyers otherwise, with electric adjustment, memory settings, heating and ventilation, and also massage functions, not to mention lumbar adjustment. They are quite adaptable.

With a broad screen spanning almost two-thirds of the dashboard landscape, it is a high-tech feeling space – and that display is high-res and very easy to learn, with the left portion for media and sat-nav, and the right side for driver information like trip computer, speed info and more.

The more, shall we say, intimidating part is the lower touchscreen, because there are ZERO physical controls where you might usually find them.

It has a few clever shortcuts, like a two-finger swipe up/down and left/right for fan and temperature controls, and the ‘scroll up’ on the right steering wheel toggle that allows you to quickly see a rear camera view. There’s a configurable toggle action to show the safety disablement control, too (more on those in the driving section).

As for the other parts of the screen, it has very similar layouts and functions to lots of other new vehicles from China, with an easy to learn index on the left panel, but also a simpler iconographic display for the home menu and major controls that you might need to use more regularly.

Honestly, I could write 10,000 words on all the functions of the screen, but it’s best if you just go and experience it yourself if you’re in the market for this car, because you’re going to get used to the screen-based controls.

And if you can’t, the voice control system can manage a whole host of things. It is better than many others, but you still need to learn the commands to get it to do what you want. It isn’t quite as intelligent as the version deployed in China, which uses a ChatGPT-like AI to learn and adapt, and even hold conversations… apparently.

Now, practicality-wise there are plenty of clever things, including a big storage area under the ‘bridge’ of the console area, a ventilated centre storage box, and big bottle holders plus additional stowage in the doors.

The back seat is spacious, as it should be for a car this large. At 182cm/6’0”, I could fit behind my own driving position with room to spare in almost all directions, except for foot room, which is tight.

There are the expected items like directional air vents, but you don’t get any controls for the climate settings in the rear, and nor are there buttons to control the rear seat heating – you need to ask the driver (or the car?) to do that for you.

Inclusions like map pockets, a drop-down armrest with cupholders, and large bottle holders in the doors make for reasonably good practicality, but there are no overhead grab handles, which is annoying.

There’s also no shade for the glass roof, which the brand reckons is super insulated against heat ingress. Hard to tell in winter!

And one other thing that might not please some is that the configurable ambient lighting is only on the front doors. If your kids are like mine, that’ll be a bone of contention!

There are the requisite ISOFIX child seat anchor points in the window seats and three top-tethers, and it’s a broad and roomy cabin that should fit three people across if you need to. But if you’re a middle passenger without a child seat, you might find the centre spot a bit uncomfy.

Boot space is generous, with a claimed 665 litres in the RWD variants and 646L in the AWD flagship, because the air suspension hardware takes away a little bit of space. The numbers for the seats folded are 1640L and 1621L, respectively.

It’s easily large enough to cope with a heap of luggage, and there’s a hidden underfloor storage area with space to fit a carry-on 20L bag.

There is a frunk with 32L of capacity, which is where your tyre repair kit is located. It’s also where you’d probably want to keep your charging cables – once you’ve pay extra to have them!

What’s under the bonnet?

There are three different IM6s to pick from, and all have different powertrains.

*Green Vehicle Guide data

If you’re a frequent rapid-charger, the claimed top-up speeds are good for all models, and 11kW onboard for AC charging is good too. Plus the standard 6.6kW V2L capability might be handy if you find yourself in a blackout or out-and-about.

None of them are slow, though clearly if you think you need to spend extra to get the fast one, it’ll smash that target. It must also be noted that it is a big step to get the dual-motor AWD, as is often the case in electric SUVs like this.

Those official numbers for efficiency and range are something to be mindful of, too. On my test, I saw an estimated driving range of just under 400km. And no, I wasn’t doing face-melting acceleration tests every time I drove somewhere.

But that was clearly related to the higher overall efficiency of the Performance range-topper, which wasn’t as good as I hoped it would be.

The average I saw on my test was 24.1kWh per 100km, which isn’t terrible for a dual-motor AWD with this much grunt, but it’s certainly not as good as some others out there. For example, I’ve seen 18.1kWh/100km in the Hyundai Ioniq 5 N, and 17.9kWh/100km in the Kia EV6 GT.

And for reference, I drove in a mix of freeway, highway, urban and stop-start situations.

How does the IM6 drive?

It’s a pretty likeable thing, the IM6.

As mentioned, the top-spec Performance AWD delivers an epically fast and dramatic acceleration experience, but it also possesses generally good throttle response, meaning you won’t accidentally hit the go-pedal and launch into the back of a semi-trailer. Hopefully.

It is rapid, no doubt, but you can really drive it gently if that’s more your thing, and part of that also comes down to the braking and accelerator pedal response. It doesn’t have a full ‘single-pedal’ driving mode, meaning the regenerative braking system is a more measured and relaxed experience, with less of an airy feeling to the pedal, too.

Those finer controls align nicely with the rest of the drive experience, which is somewhat intriguing – and nothing like any other MG that I’ve tested.

The air suspension does a terrific job of doing away with little inconsistencies in the road surface, while also handling roll-over speed humps and sharper edges pretty well. It has 21-inch wheels with staggered Pirelli tyres (235/45/R21 front; 265/40/R21 rear), so there is a very good amount of grip, and the mechanical traction is unflappable.

But for the keener driver, there’s an interesting conundrum here.

There is a terrific four-wheel steering system as standard, and it makes for supreme manoeuvrability around town. For a near-five-metre-long SUV, this thing can turn around in some very tight spaces, as the rear wheels offer up to 12 degrees of steering action, making for a turning circle of just 10.18 metres… which is not that much more than a Suzuki Swift!

Despite that, the driving manners of this car can be a little hard to judge when you change directions at higher speeds. It is something you get used to, but the first time you try to hustle through a hairpin, you might overestimate the amount of angle you need.

It’s remarkably agile, but you might in fact feel somewhat disconnected from the experience as a result. There’s no meaningful feel through the steering wheel, despite variability to the weighting of the steering when you change drive modes.

There are some other things that must be pointed out, too.

The visibility from the driver’s seat is greatly aided by safety technology, with a set of cameras to display the blind-spot monitoring view, an A-pillar view mode when you’re turning at lower speeds, and a switch to turn on a rear camera view.

But the rear-view mirror is one of the worst I’ve come across – even IM clearly knows it’s a bad solution, as it made it possible to fold it away! A digital camera mirror would be a better option than having to look down at the infotainment display to see (a still limited view) of what’s behind you.

Further, while the ability to disable the majority of annoying bing-bong chimes through a favourite setting is welcome, the “new speed zone” chime should be added to it, because if you drive where the zones change a lot (in my area, there are dozens of 40, 50, 60, 80, 90 and 110km/h zones!) the alert noise can be annoying. Like the other stuff, you can switch it off, but you have to do it every time you get back into the car.

And finally, for the highway commuters out there, the adaptive cruise control leaves a very large gap to the car ahead, even in the ‘closest’ distance setting. There’s also no regular cruise control, only adaptive, Pilot (start, stop, steer, following speed signs), or off.

What do you get?

As mentioned above, the IM6 range is split into three model variants, but there are significant differences between them beyond just spec.

2025 MG IM6 Premium equipment highlights:

• Single-motor RWD (217kW/450Nm)
• 75kWh LFP battery (400V architecture)
• 11kW AC charging
• 153kW DC charging
• 450km WLTP range
• Vehicle-to-load charging – 6.6kW
• 20-inch aerodynamic wheels with Pirelli tyres
• LED exterior lighting
• Keyless access
• Power tailgate
• Panoramic glass roof
• Self-parking system
• Ultra-soft synthetic leather seats
• 12-way power driver’s seat
  • 4-way power lumbar
  • Memory
  • Easy Entry
• Heated front seats
• Ventilated front seats
• Heated rear outboard seats
• 256-colour adjustable ambient lighting
• 26.3-inch “Immersive” touchscreen with driver info display
• 10.5-inch central touchscreen
• Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
• Ventilated wireless charging pad
• Surround-view camera
• iSMART Connectivity app
• Embedded modem with connected services
• Four-wheel steering with Crab Mode
• Road Noise Control (RNC)

IM6 Platinum adds:

• Single-motor RWD (300kW/500Nm)
• 100kWh NMC battery (800V architecture)
• 396kW DC fast-charging
• 550km range
• 21-inch wheels

IM6 Performance adds:

• Dual-motor AWD (572kW/802Nm combined)
• 505km range
• Air suspension
• Continuously controlled damping system

Is the IM6 safe?

There is no independent safety rating for the MG IM6 from either Euro NCAP or ANCAP as yet, but the brand has stated that it has built this model lineup to meet five-star requirements

Standard safety equipment includes:

• Autonomous emergency braking
  • incl. car, pedestrian, cyclist, junction detection
• Driver monitoring camera system
• External pedestrian warning system
• Blind-spot monitoring
• Lane change assist
  • auto lane-change with Pilot adaptive cruise system on
• Lane departure warning
• Lane centring
• Lane-keep assist
• Rear cross-traffic assist
• Adaptive cruise control
• Speed limit monitoring
• Intelligent speed limit assistance
  • when cruise control active
• Parking sensors – front, side, rear
• Auto Park Assist (APA)
• 360-degree surround-view camera
• Tyre pressure monitoring system

There are 12 ultrasonic sensors, nine HD cameras, three millimetre-wave radars and all of it is controlled by an NVIDIA Orin N pilot system.

There is a clever menu control that allows you to disable the majority of the ‘audible warnings’ for these systems if you don’t want them on. It’s simply a matter of setting that up as a favourite, triggering it on the steering wheel, and tapping the screen to confirm it. Way easier than diving into multiple menu screens (a la Hyundai or Kia).

The safety tech is further enhanced by clever things like Rainy Night Mode, which provides better vision from the camera systems by using AI to brighten up the imagery.

Further, while there is a terrible rear-view mirror setup, there is a quick ‘scroll up’ option on the right steering wheel control to show up a rear-view camera, though it’s not quite as clever as some other cars that have a digital rear-view mirror with a camera view integrated into it.

I do love the A-pillar view camera though, as when you’re turning right at an intersection it means you can see ‘through’ the pillar, potentially stopping you from surprising pedestrians crossing the street.

How much does the IM6 cost to run?

MG’s IM models are claimed to be covered by a “complete and comprehensive” seven-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty for the vehicle. But you really need to read the fine print…

Because the brand actually offers a five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty as standard, but owners who service within its own network of locations will get an extra two years of cover. And if you’re using it for commercial purposes, the warranty is capped at five years/160,000km.

The battery warranty is eight years, 160,000km no matter how you use it. MG says the air suspension and four-wheel steering system are backed by a five-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty.

There is a capped-price servicing program that spans five years/100,000km – and yes, that means your servicing intervals are every 12 months or 20,000km.

Roadside assistance is included for the duration of the new-car warranty.

CarExpert’s Take on the IM6

Aside from the inherent riskiness of choosing a newly-branded electric vehicle, the IM6 seems like a reasonably complete and compelling option in the popular mid-size electric SUV sector.

It is luxuriously appointed, the tech is easy to get along with, and the drive experience in the top-spec variant delivers in the ways that you’d expect.

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