One of Britain’s most popular electric cars has a “potentially dangerous” problem that could put drivers and other road users at risk, according to a consumer watchdog.
The Which? product testing group says it identified the problem with the UK’s second best-selling electric vehicle, the MG 4, during repeated, controlled tests it carries out on more than 100 different cars each year.
It found that the £27,000 electric vehicle’s lane assist system, which is designed to keep the car in its lane and prevent drivers from swerving over white lines, pushed the vehicle onto the wrong side of the road, which potentially puts drivers at risk of driving. facing oncoming traffic.
Concern over electric vehicles: consumer watchdog Which? has detected a possible safety problem in the second best-selling electric car in Great Britain in 2023…
The electric vehicle in question, the MG 4 EV, has been widely considered one of the best electric cars on the market today.
Last year, 21,715 were registered in Britain. Only the Tesla Model Y sold in greater numbers in the electric vehicle market.
The findings go against the MG4’s five-star rating awarded by Euro NCAP, the crash testing body which provides scores for new models entering the market depending on how much protection they offer to occupants, pedestrians and other road users when a collision occurs.
But which one? Tests have found that it could have a major technological flaw.
During the course of testing, lab testers noticed “unusual behavior” in the vehicle’s lane departure warning and lane keeping assist systems, which they warn could be a ‘potentially important problem’.
“On one occasion, when the tester was driving on a narrow country road and had to overtake another car traveling in the opposite direction, the MG4’s lane-keeping assist system moved away from the nearest edge of the road and headed towards the center, and the other vehicle,’ Which? saying.
The tester was forced to intervene manually to prevent the MG4 from getting too close to the car traveling in the opposite direction, he said.
The electric vehicle in question is MG’s 4 EV, which has been widely considered one of the best electric cars on the market today. Last year, 21,715 were registered in Britain.
While driving on a narrow country road with another car traveling in the opposite direction, the MG4’s lane-keeping assist system moved away from the near edge of the road and toward the center, and the other vehicle, the group said of consumers.
On another occasion, this time on a wider road with a clearly defined center line (similar to the one pictured), the lane-keeping assist technology twice decided that the car had left its intended lane and steered it onto the wrong side of the road.
Which? said the tester at the time had to use a “sufficient amount of force” on the steering wheel to pull the car back to the correct side of the road.
‘On another occasion, this time on a wider road with a clearly defined center line, the lane keeping assist technology twice decided that the car had left its intended lane and took it to the wrong side of the road.
“Our test vehicle had to use enough force to manually turn the car backwards,” which one? says.
The three incidents were detected during the course of tests it is carrying out on around 100 of the latest new cars coming onto the market, not just electric vehicles but also petrol, diesel and hybrid models.
These tests are carried out on public roads rather than in controlled laboratory conditions, and Which? claims that none of the problems experienced by testers could be repeated in subsequent road tests.
Testers said they had not seen behavior like what they experienced with the MG4 EV before, which they say was “significant enough for us to investigate further.”
The three incidents were detected during the course of testing it carries out on around 100 of the latest new cars coming onto the market – not just electric vehicles but also petrol, diesel and hybrid models.
Testers said they had never before seen behavior like what they experienced with the MG4 EV, which they said was “significant enough for us to investigate further.”
When Which? asked Euro NCAP, it did not comment specifically on the MG4, but said: ‘Vehicle manufacturers have a responsibility to ensure that vehicle performance seen on a test track is also reflected in road driving.
‘In recent years we have seen that not all manufacturers devote the same effort to the evaluation of their systems on the road. For this reason, Euro NCAP has already taken a first step in 2024 regarding the acceptance requirements for lane keeping systems.
‘This will be followed by on-road assessment procedures for 2026 and beyond, which Euro NCAP is currently developing.’
What has MG said about the possible ruling?
Money contacted MG Motor UK for comment on the issues raised by Which?, although he was told the company had no further comment on those provided to the watchdog itself.
This statement said: ‘We are aware of some inconsistencies related to the lane departure warning system that may make the system overly sensitive in certain conditions.
We have been working on a continuous improvement program with the supplier and relevant regulatory authorities.
“This has resulted in improved calibration of the ADAS (Advanced driver assistance systems), which we are close to approving. Once this is complete, we will implement it as a full software update at no cost to the customer.
MG says it is aware of a potential issue and is currently developing an improved calibration of the lane-keeping assist system, which it says is “close to being approved”. Once completed, customers will be able to access it via a free software update, it says.
An MG spokesperson said customers who find the feature too sensitive can disable it via the touchscreen menu, but cautioned against the suggestion, saying “we reiterate that we have not received any customer reports related to security.”
Do you have an MG4 EV?
Which? asked MG Motor UK what actions owners of existing MG4 EVs should take if they experience similar in-car behavior to that recorded by their test team.
A spokesperson said: “If a customer feels this feature is too sensitive on their current calibration, it can be disabled via the touchscreen menu, but we reiterate that we have not received any safety-related reports from customers.
“A software fix to resolve the issue is very close to being completed and the MG dealer network will carry out the work at no cost to the customer.”
Do you have an MG4 EV and have you experienced the same problem? Then get in touch by emailing rob.hull@thisismoney.co.uk
Some links in this article may be affiliate links. If you click on them we may earn a small commission. That helps us fund This Is Money and keep it free to use. We don’t write articles to promote products. We don’t allow any commercial relationships to affect our editorial independence.