MG 5 long-term test: report 8

The car MG 5 EV Exclusive Long Range Run by Kiall Garrett, senior videographer

Why it’s here To see whether an electric estate car can support the practicality needs of What Car?’s videographer while getting him around the country with relative ease

Needs to be Spacious, have enough range to travel to far-flung film shoots, and be comfortable to drive

Mileage 8809 List price £31,995 Target Price £31,679 Price as tested £30,495 Test range 167 miles Official range 250 miles

14 October – Tyre consequences

In my previous report, I described the joy of witnessing my MG 5 going flat out on a disused runway as part of a big test of £30,000 electric cars in a drag race, along with the subsequent wheel-spinning traction issues it faced. You can read the results of that test in the latest issue of What Car?, but it was fantastic to see my MG keeping up with its rivals in almost every area.

In this report, I must address the dire consequences of this relentless testing of the MG 5’s full performance.

Because each drag race was performed multiple times, the MG 5’s front tyres spent most of the day squealing over chewed-up tarmac, and by the end of the day the front tyres were, shall we say, a little worse for wear. Two replacements were therefore required.

We set out to find two new tyres that were of the same make as those fitted to the car. The trouble with this, though, is that the Bridgestone Ecopia H/L 422 Plus rubber is a little hard to find – and £150 a corner. 

But if you own an MG 5 and need to replace the tyres, I can heartily recommend going for the Bridgestone Ecopia EP150 205/60, which is almost identical to the original tyre but, crucially, £50 cheaper, which, given the current cost of living crisis, was good news for me. With the tyres found, I phoned my local Black Circles retailer and had the tyres delivered to my local garage a few days later – and the process of getting them fitted was beautifully simple.

I was only in the garage for about 20 minutes, while the mechanics quickly removed the old front tyres. They didn’t ask directly what had happened to them, but I could see they were a little confused as to how I had managed to ruin the tyres to this extent in such a short time frame.

Still, with some fresh rubber on the front, I’m interested to see if I can notice a difference in the car's ride, handling or fuel economy over my remaining time with the MG 5.

For all the latest reviews, advice and new car deals, sign up to the What Car? newsletter here

Read more on our long-term MG 5 >>

Read about more long-term test cars >>