MG Comet EV: India’s electric vehicle market is accelerating, and carmakers are experimenting to grab a share of it.
This is the MG Motor, not the maker of connected SUVs you know but the brand of the MG Comet EV – a compact city car which rolls futuristic design, small proportions and urbanability into one package.
With the Comet EV, MG isn’t fighting larger EVs in power or range. It’s more focused, instead, on addressing the problems of daily city commuting — congestion and parking woes and expensive fuel. Here’s a quick look at what this little electric car has to offer.
MG Comet EV A Bold and Quirky Design
“The design of the MG Comet EV features a unique and bold boxy silhouette, years away” from the traditional hatchback form design. Even though the I.D.
shows a diminutive design, it’s a futuristic take with full-width LED light bars at the front and back, split front headlights, and tall vertical windows.
It’s deliberately small, actually — at just under 3 meters in length — but has been designed cleverly for small city spaces, so can be nimble and easy to park.
In the young colors with optional dual tone shades, the Comet looks smart and attracts college goers, urban professionals, young enthusiasts and may be fleet operators.
Inside – Small Car, Big Tech
Step into the Comet EV and you will be pleased at how modern and techie everything is. It has a double 10.25-inch screen set-up — one for infotainment and one for the digital instrument cluster — more common in cars that are twice its size.
That’s complemented by the minimal dashboard, the rotary drive selector and the practical storage options that only serve to make the cabin feel usable and open.
The front seat is broad and accommodating, if limited for space at the rear. It’s great for two adults up front with occasional access to the back for short city trips.
Small it may be, but features such as wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, voice commands, over-the-air (OTA) updates, power windows and keyless entry means it’s also one of the most equipped EVs in this price bracket.
Performance and Driver Experience
The 17.3 kWh lithium-ion battery and 42 hp electric motor battery MG Comet EV. It doesn’t look mind-blowing on paper but for a city car it’s muscular enough.
The torque is delivered instantaneously, and that makes it nimble in traffic and fun to zip around congested streets.
Its high-speed limit of about 80km/h makes it close to useless on the highway. But it’s a great 4.2 metres turning radius, so you can easily make U-turns and navigate down narrow laneways.
Range and Charging
On a single charge, MG promises a claimed range of up to 230 km (ARAI certified). In practical use, 160-180 km should be achievable, depending on how much the AC is used, etc.
This is enough juice for 2-3 days of daily commuting for city users.
AC charging at home using a 3.3 kW built-in charger, the full-battery charge time for the vehicle is about 7 hours with a regular 15A wall socket.
There’s no quick charging, but the range and intended use case makes the slower setup more acceptable.
Safety and Practicality
Safety features: Dual airbags, ABS with EBD, rear parking sensors and reverse camera.
The car features a high strength steel body and meets simple crash norms (although it’s not designed for high speed impacts).
There’s not a huge amount of boot space – the car is quite small, after all – but the back seats can be folded up to extend the this somewhat. For quick city errands, from groceries to office commutes, it’s plenty.
Pros:
Small and perfect for city driving
High-tech and futuristic interior with giant touchscreens
Decent real-world range for city dwellers
Easy to park and maneuver
Cheap to run and low-maintenance
Tech-loaded for a small car
Cons:
Not recommended for highway use
Cramped rear seat Both space and comfort said to be lacking
No fast-charging support
Small boot space
Top speed is limited
MG Comet EV Final Verdict
The MG Comet EV is a refreshing take on urban transportation. It’s not for everyone, but for city slickers who are just looking for a clean, techy and affordable electric car for their daily commute, it makes a lot of sense.
If your driving is primarily city-based, and convenience is more important to you than size, the Comet EV will be the perfect constant companion.