I decided to do something stupid. Drive my MG4 XPOWER from London to Edinburgh (650km / 400 miles) with as few charging stops as possible. Here's exactly what happened.
The car: MG4 XPOWER. 64kWh battery. Dual motor AWD. Rated WLTP range 385km.
The attempt:
Started at 6am from South London at 99% charge. Target: Edinburgh in 2 stops max.
Stop 1 — Leicester Forest East (M1)
After 170km. Battery at 41%. Pulled into the Pod Point rapid charger. 45 minutes to get to 80%. The XPOWER charges at max 140kW DC — I got 135kW in practice. Impressive.
The M6 slog
Motorway driving at 70mph (UK limit) is actually very efficient. I was averaging 4.2 miles/kWh — much better than the city driving I normally do. The car was genuinely comfortable for 2+ hours of motorway.
Stop 2 — Gretna Green (Scottish border area)
After another 250km. Battery at 32%. Quick 25-minute charge to 70%, just enough to cover the final 110km to Edinburgh with buffer.
Edinburgh arrival:
Arrived at a friend's place in Leith at 2:45pm. About 8.5 hours including both charging stops. Total charge time: 70 minutes. Driving time: 7.5 hours.
Verdict:
The WLTP range is not too far off in real life on the motorway. In city driving I typically see 250-270km. On the motorway at a sensible speed, I was getting closer to 320km. Two comfortable charging stops to do 650km is absolutely fine for a road trip.
The car held up perfectly. Zero drama. The charging network (Osprey + Gridserve + Pod Point) is getting good enough in the UK for this to be stress-free.
Would I do it again? Already planning the next road trip.
