MG Cyberster Expert Review: A Budget-Friendly Electric Roadsters Arrives in India
The automotive landscape in India is undergoing a dramatic transformation, driven by electrification and consumer demand for more premium, design-forward vehicles. For years, the market has been dominated by practical SUVs and sedans, but a new breed of electric sports cars is starting to challenge the status quo. Among these, the MG Cyberster emerges as a compelling option for buyers seeking performance, style, and the allure of top-down motoring without the exorbitant price tag of traditional luxury roadsters.
After its highly anticipated debut in early 2025, the MG Cyberster has captured the attention of enthusiasts and industry observers alike. But does it live up to the hype? This expert review delves deep into the MG Cyberster’s performance, design, and practicality to determine if it truly delivers a premium electric roadster experience at an accessible price point.
Exterior: Eye-Catching Design and Refined Build Quality
The MG Cyberster makes an immediate impression with its striking aesthetics. Standing out in a market saturated with conventional designs, the Cyberster offers a breath of fresh air with its low-slung silhouette, muscular curves, and exclusive features.
Design and Build Quality
Upon initial viewing, the MG Cyberster commands attention, attracting envious glances wherever it goes. It is not often that a car successfully combines bold styling with the gravitas of an exotic vehicle, but the Cyberster achieves this with remarkable ease. The car’s roadster design, characterized by its long hood, short rear deck, and aggressive stance, instantly evokes a sense of sportiness and exclusivity.
One of the most distinctive features of the MG Cyberster is its powered scissor doors. These doors pivot upward and outward, adding a theatrical flair to the driving experience. In a public setting, opening these doors guarantees attention, effectively transforming a simple act into a statement. The mechanism is smooth and quiet, featuring sensors to prevent accidents during operation.
Front Design
The front fascia of the MG Cyberster exudes elegance and confidence. It features narrow LED headlights complemented by petal-shaped LED daytime running lights, creating a distinctive “smiling” face that adds significant character to the front design. The bonnet incorporates strong creases that make the front appear even longer and more substantial, reinforcing the car’s aggressive stance.
Side Profile
From the side, the MG Cyberster sits low and wide, a profile that accentuates its classic roadster proportions. The roofline flows gracefully into the rear, while the 20-inch wheels perfectly fill the arches, creating a balanced and proportioned look that commands attention and adds to the car’s overall muscularity.
Rear Design
The rear design of the MG Cyberster ties the overall aesthetic together cohesively. It features a full-width LED light bar that runs across the tail, adding a sense of width without appearing overdone. The car also sports arrow-shaped LED tail lights that are quite eye-catching, though they may be divisive among purists who prefer a cleaner design.
Build Quality and Materials
The overall build quality of the MG Cyberster is impressive. There are no noticeable panel gaps, and the doors feel robust and substantial. Both the bonnet and the boot lid feel strong and well-damped, indicating a focus on premium fit and finish that aligns with the MG Cyberster’s price point and market positioning.
Soft-Top Roof
The Cyberster features an electronically operated soft-top roof that folds neatly into the body. It can be opened and closed in approximately 10 seconds, operating smoothly and quietly enough for daily use. Crucially, the roof can also be operated at speeds of up to 50 kmph, making it practical for spontaneous drives on sunny days.
Exterior Color Options
The MG Cyberster is available in four distinct exterior color options, each offering a unique aesthetic:
Flare Red with black roof: A classic combination that exudes passion and sportiness.
Nuclear Yellow with black roof: Bold and attention-grabbing, this color perfectly captures the car’s playful personality.
Modern Beige with red roof: A sophisticated and elegant choice that combines timeless class with modern flair.
Andes Grey with red roof: A sporty and masculine option that emphasizes the car’s muscular lines.
While all color options are attractive, the Nuclear Yellow and Flare Red are particularly eye-catching and align best with the MG Cyberster’s bold personality.
Interior: Driver-Focused Luxury and Premium Finishes
The interior of the MG Cyberster takes the sporty theme established by the exterior and elevates it with a driver-centric layout and premium materials. The cabin wraps around the driver like a proper cockpit, with everything angled toward the driver to enhance focus and control.
Design and Build Quality
The cabin is clearly designed to appeal to enthusiasts who prioritize performance and driver engagement. You sit low, the dashboard sits high, and the triple-screen layout curves inward, keeping all essential information within easy view. The screens are crisp and readable in most conditions, but when the roof is down and sunlight is harsh, the brightness may feel lacking, making it difficult to see some information.
Steering Wheel
The MG Cyberster features a flat-bottomed steering wheel with a dual-tone suede leather finish. This choice of material enhances grip and adds a touch of luxury. The steering wheel includes a red circular ‘Super Sport’ button that provides quick access to MG’s version of launch control, allowing drivers to launch the car without navigating through menus.
Cabin Materials
Similar to the dashboard, the rest of the cabin feels rich with a blend of leather, suede, and soft-touch plastics. While most functions are controlled via the screens, the MG Cyberster also includes a few physical toggles and switches for essential functions like drive modes and regenerative braking levels. These controls have a satisfying, tactile feel, bridging the gap between modern tech and traditional driving feel.
Seats
In typical roadster fashion, the Cyberster offers only two seats. These are snug and supportive sport seats, perfectly suited to the car’s performance-focused nature. For drivers around six feet tall, the driving position is spot on, with adequate legroom and just about enough headroom even with the roof up.
However, drivers exceeding 6.5 feet may find it difficult to get comfortable. Their knees might brush against the steering column, and their heads might brush against the roof. This is not uncommon for compact sports cars; even models like the Porsche Cayman/Boxster can feel cramped for exceptionally tall users.
The cushioning is firm but comfortable, making it suitable for longer drives. The seats come with a good list of features, including powered adjustment, ventilation, heating, and memory functions with a welcome retract feature. Visibility is fairly good for a low-slung car, though the thick pillars at the back limit the rearward view, making the 360-degree camera system essential for parking and reversing.
Storage and Practicality
This is not a car built for utility, and it does not pretend to be. Cabin storage is minimal, limited to the essentials. There is a small glovebox that opens via a button, a cubby hole on the central tunnel, a pair of cupholders, and some space under the armrest. Given the way the scissor doors open, the only storage area is a small pocket with a closable lid that can store only small items like a wallet or power bank.
Charging Options
While it skimps on practicality, the MG Cyberster’s charging options are more than adequate. It features a wireless charging pad placed conveniently in the central console, which holds the phone securely even during spirited driving. Additionally, both USB Type-A and Type-C ports are available for both occupants, allowing for both wired phone charging and media connectivity.
Features
The MG Cyberster boasts a driver-focused triple-screen setup inside the cabin. This setup includes a 10.25-inch screen in the center, flanked by two 7-inch screens on either side. While the layout looks modern, the side screens are partially obscured by the steering wheel, which makes it tough to see some information while driving.
Infotainment System
The leftmost of the three screens is a 7-inch infotainment system with a sharp display that supports wired Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. While the system functioned smoothly during my review, the MG Cyberster user interface (UI) is not particularly intuitive. I often found myself searching through different menus to find basic settings, and it took some time to get used to it.
Utility Screen
Unlike the other two screens, the third screen feels far more purposeful. Tucked to the side, it displays genuinely useful information such as weather updates, charging status, range, and even time-related details like the current time, how long the car has been charging, and how much time is left for a full charge. The interface is clean and easy to read, with a layout that makes sense at a glance.
Climate Control
A separate touchscreen sits below the infotainment system to control the climate inside the car. This layout keeps the dashboard tidy and minimalistic, but I found it tricky to use. Simple tasks like adjusting the temperature or fan speed proved challenging while driving, highlighting how physical buttons would have
