MG Cyberster tackles Rob Roy Hillclimb and takes third in the EV class

A return to Rob Roy, this time electric

CarExpert returned to the Rob Roy Hillclimb in Victoria's Yarra Valley with the MG Cyberster, after the publication failed to obtain an electric MG for the inaugural EV class at the 2025 event. That first running, sanctioned by Motorsport Australia, was described by the federation at the time as the first MA-sanctioned EV motor racing event in the country. This year MG Motor Australia shipped its only available Cyberster to Melbourne for the event, following a showing at the Everything Electric show in Sydney where it was on public display. ¹

Rob Roy was first run in 1937, when the only other purpose-built hill climbs were the UK's Prescott and Shelsley Walsh venues, according to CarExpert's account of the event's history. Past competitors include three-time Formula 1 world champion Jack Brabham, touring car legends Lex Davison and Norm Beechey, and Stan Jones, father of Australia's most recent Formula 1 world champion Alan Jones. The sealed course measures 607 metres in its standard layout, with the 2026 run adding around 10 metres via a chicane near the top to help counter increasingly quick machinery. ¹

The car: MG's electric roadster in numbers

The Cyberster AWD competing at Rob Roy is MG Motor Australia's top variant. Per the company's Australian product page, both variants carry a 77 kWh ternary lithium battery. The AWD uses two electric motors for a maximum output of 375 kW and 725 Nm, a claimed 0-100 km/h time of 3.2 seconds and 443 km of WLTP range, with a kerb weight of 1,985 kg. The rear-drive variant produces 250 kW, runs 0-100 km/h in 5.2 seconds, and claims 507 km WLTP range at 1,885 kg kerb weight. MG's page states the range figures are from the WLTP combined laboratory cycle and that real-world results will vary. ²

Independent Australian specification data compiled by CarExpert matches the two-motor AWD output of 375 kW/725 Nm and the rear-drive 250 kW/475 Nm, and lists the dimensions as 4,535 mm long, 1,913 mm wide and 1,329 mm tall on a 2,690 mm wheelbase. CarExpert's data also records that the Cyberster is built in China and shipped to Australia, and that the heaviest variant has a gross vehicle mass of 2,210 kg. ⁴

NRMA's Open Road review of the 2026 Cyberster, published after the model's Australian release, describes three driving modes (Comfort, Sport and Super Sport), an 11 kW AC and up to 144 kW DC charging capability, and around 45 minutes from zero to 80 per cent on a 150 kW public fast charger. The review also notes both variants use Brembo brakes and Pirelli tyres, with the AWD adding 20-inch wheels and Alcantara upholstery over the RWD's 19-inch wheels and Nappa leather. ³

Up the hill: launch, lines and a fluffed start

CarExpert's Deputy News Editor Damion Smy drove the Cyberster in Super Sport mode with launch control engaged for the first run, having charged the car to 97 per cent overnight and arrived with 350 km of indicated range after a journey of roughly 55 km. The car launched without wheelspin up the one-in-three incline, but the first run was compromised: Smy unknowingly crossed the timing beam before his intended start, recording a debut time of 33.75 seconds, well off the quickest time of 29.71 seconds. ¹

For the second run, Smy abandoned launch control because it requires switching off the stability control, which does not re-engage at speed, and instead worked on line and throttle discipline. That run produced a 29.58-second time, followed by a 29.79, and a final run of 29.46 seconds that stood as his personal best. That was enough for second in the regularity contest, in which the worst of four runs is dropped, and third in the EV class. The winning EV recorded 27.97 seconds and second place 28.78 seconds, both Tesla entries. ¹

The Cyberster's 126 km/h speed at the finish line was the fastest recorded on the day across all categories, including the Teslas, according to CarExpert's report. For context, the same writer's best time at the 2025 event in a 1936 MG SA Saloon on the identical layout was 49.78 seconds, more than 20 seconds slower over the same course. The Cyberster's performance earned an MG Car Club of Victoria bronze medal. ¹

The EV field and the rest of the entry list

The 17-car EV field was topped by two Tesla entries, one a Model 3 brought from Canberra by a driver named Kitt who indicated his car carried some form of performance upgrade. Other electric contenders included several MG 4 XPower hot hatches, a Nissan Leaf, a BYD Atto 1 and a Deepal E07, which CarExpert described as surprisingly quick. Petrol-powered entries ranged from a Mazda RX-4 coupe and a 454ci V8-powered Holden HX Kingswood station wagon to numerous MGAs, MGBs, Minis and Subaru WRXs. ¹

Event regular Mike Ellsmore, who has competed at Rob Roy around 150 times in his 1957 MGA with a personal best of 25.98 seconds on the short track, advised that a fast rear-wheel-drive time depends on launching without wheelspin, which rarely happens on a first run with everything cold. Fellow Cyberster owner Peter Varley, attending in his own red example, warned that the drop before the climb's sudden rise is where many cars run into trouble. ¹

Price, position and what the run says about the car

In Australia, the Cyberster RWD is priced at $99,900 before on-road costs and the AWD at $115,000 plus on-road costs, figures cited by CarExpert in its hillclimb report. CarExpert's showroom data separately lists a Sydney-based drive-away price of $122,868 for the 4WD variant, a basis that includes delivery, registration, plates and applicable road taxes, and which the company notes varies between states and territories. ¹⁴

NRMA's Open Road review positions the Cyberster as having few like-for-like competitors in Australia, noting the BMW Z4 and Audi TT convertible have been discontinued locally, the Porsche 718 Boxster starts at $135,000 and the electric Maserati GranCabrio Folgore sits far higher at $475,000, per CarExpert's hillclimb report. NRMA's review, published around a year after the model's Australian release, praised the power delivery, composure in corners and road presence while criticising the wrap-around screen design, body movement over bumps at speed from the comfort-biased rear suspension, and aspects of the interior finish. The review also notes the Cyberster has not been crash-tested and carries no ANCAP rating. ¹³

CarExpert discloses in its report that the Cyberster used at the event was supplied by MG Motor Australia for evaluation, meaning the publication's driving impressions come from a manufacturer-provided vehicle rather than an independently purchased one. ¹