My Year with the Electric Chauffeur: An MG M9 Ownership Log
Month 1-3: The Honeymoon & 'MG Select' Experience
Walking into the MG Select showroom in South Mumbai felt different from your regular dealership hustle. This is where the M9 lives, priced at a cool ₹69.90 lakh ex-showroom, translating to roughly ₹74.2 lakh on-road in Mumbai. The promise? A 548 km range from a 90 kWh battery and a lounge on wheels to replace our ageing diesel MPV . As a tech-obsessed early adopter, the spec sheet was seductive: 242 BHP, 350 Nm torque, Level 2 ADAS, and a 5-star Euro NCAP shell. Delivery day was an event. The sheer size—over 5.2 metres long—commanded attention in our building's parking, a recurring theme. The first charge at home via a newly installed 11kW AC charger was seamless, taking about 10 hours for a full top-up, cementing the routine .
Month 4-6: The Reality of Size & The Comfort Cocoon
The initial thrill gave way to practical adjustments. Driving this behemoth through narrow Colaba lanes or tight Malad gallis is an exercise in patience. You rely heavily on the excellent 360-degree camera and the auto-sliding doors, which are lifesavers in cramped spaces . However, this is not a driver's car; it's a passenger's paradise. My family's verdict was unanimous: the second-row 'Boss Mode' seats with ventilation, deep recline, and 8-way massage are transcendental. On a weekend trip to Lonavala, with the panoramic sunroof open and the 13-speaker JBL system on, the cabin was a serene bubble, isolating us from the chaos of the Mumbai-Pune Expressway. The low-speed ride is firm, as noted in reviews, and you feel every patch and pothole on our city's battered roads—a trade-off for its stable highway manners .
Month 7-9: The EV Math & Infrastructure Check
This is where the 'early adopter' calculus comes in. The claimed range is optimistic; in Mumbai's stop-start traffic with the AC blasting, a realistic figure is 400-450 km. It's ample for a week of city commutes but requires planning for longer getaways. Using MG's charger locator tool, I found the network around Mumbai and on major highways to Maharashtra is decent and growing, but not as carefree as the petrol pump ecosystem . A 10-80% charge at a 160kW DC fast charger takes about 30 minutes—perfect for a coffee break . The real saving, however, is in running costs. Compared to the ₹14-15/km of a diesel MPV, the M9 runs at a fraction, even with Maharashtra's electricity tariffs. The silence and linear surge of power are addictive, making the move back to an ICE vehicle feel archaic.
Month 10-12: The Verdict & The 2026 Market Perspective
After nearly a year, the M9 isn't just a car; it's a statement of a specific lifestyle choice. In January 2026, with economic sentiment being cautious, its price is a monumental ask . You're paying for a niche, all-electric luxury experience that rivals the space and comfort of a Toyota Vellfire but with futuristic tech and zero tailpipe emissions . It is not for everyone. The single, fully-loaded 'Presidential Limo' variant means a high entry ticket with no cheaper options . For a tech-savvy Mumbai family with a dedicated parking spot for home charging, seeking the ultimate in passenger comfort and willing to embrace the EV journey with its minor planning overheads, the M9 is in a league of its own. It foreshadows a future where luxury MPVs are silent, smart, and sustainable.
Final discussion: A spectacular, tech-laden electric sanctuary that redefines family travel in supreme comfort, provided your wallet and your parking space are equally spacious.
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Suresh Mohanty 1 month ago
As a Pune-based owner who also uses it for Mumbai trips, your notes on the Expressway comfort are spot-on. The cabin is an oasis from the truck chaos. The growing DC fast charger network on the Mumbai-Pune-Bengaluru corridor means planning a lunch stop is all you need. It's redefined "luxury travel" for my clients and family.
jitendra rawat 1 month ago
Your range figures expose the engineering compromise. A 90 kWh battery achieving only 400-450 km in city traffic indicates a poor efficiency rating of roughly 4.4 - 5.0 km/kWh. For comparison, a Hyundai Ioniq 5 with a 77 kWh pack achieves similar real-world range due to superior aerodynamics and thermal management. The M9's slab-sided MPV form is fundamentally inefficient, making its large battery a crutch, not an innovation.