The Electric MG Cyberster Starts At £54,995

After what seems like an endless campaign of concept cars, teasers and launches, the all-electric MG Cyberster is finally on sale, marking the brand’s return to the sports car market after over a decade’s absence.

The Cyberster, though, is a very different proposition to MG’s last two-seater roadster, the TF, production of which was briefly restarted in the early days of the company’s Chinese ownership. Firstly, the obvious: it’s electric. This we’ve known since day one, but we now have full confirmation on the two trim levels and powertrains it’ll be offered with in the UK.

The entry point is the Cyberster Trophy. Powered by a single motor driving the rear axle, it produces 335bhp and 350lb of torque. It’ll do 0-62mph in 5 seconds dead, and set you back £54,995 before any options. Spend an extra £5k and you can get the Cyberster GT. This one’s dual motor and four-wheel drive, and makes 496bhp and 535lb ft of torque. It’ll crack the 62mph sprint in a supercar-baiting 3.2 seconds.

As is often the way, the cheaper, less powerful car gets a longer range: the Trophy’s WLTP figure of 316 miles plays 276 for the GT. It may well prove the sweeter of the two to drive too, given its inevitably lower weight and less gut-punching acceleration.

No matter which one you go for, you’ll get four drive modes – comfort, custom, sport and track – and an electric fabric roof that folds away in 15 seconds, and at up to 30mph. You also get the Cyberster’s Lamborghini-style scissor doors; surely the cheapest car on the market you’ll find such things on – now that the Renault Twizy's dead, anyway.

All in all, it’s pretty far removed from your grandparents’ old MGB GT, but the modern MG isn’t really the same company that made that. It currently sits alone in the lower-end EV sports car class, but it won’t have things its own way for long, with the electric replacements for the Porsche 718 Cayman and Boxster not far off.

The Cyberster, meanwhile, is available to order now, with the first UK deliveries expected in August.