The MG4 – another low-cost EV from China with lots to like

The MG4 may be the cheapest electric vehicle on the market, but it isn’t the worst.

The hot hatch MG4 is a big step up from the pedestrian MG ZS EV, which has been the previous frontrunner for the now-Chinese brand.

The price for the well-specced Excite 51 entry-level model is $46,990. Knock $7k off that for the clean-car rebate, and you are within range of the Toyota Corolla Hatch GX Hybrid. I can tell you which one to buy, and it isn’t made in Japan.

Plus, it is better specced than the Toyota.

To ram home how cheap it is: it's nearly $10k cheaper than an entry-level petrol-powered Honda Civic.

MG has been building into a substantial brand in New Zealand since its reinvention as a Chinese brand. Year-to-August figures show 3340 MGs were sold from its 18 dealerships. Giltrap's new MG yard in Newmarket takes that number to 19.

This is part of a new generation of Chinese vehicles, which now outsell Korean cars in Australia. At this rate, they’ll do the same in NZ within a few years. MG parent SAIC sells more than 5.3 million cars a year around the world.

The MG4 was designed to be an EV from the ground up rather than a petrol-motor conversion job like the ZS EV, using SAIC’s new modular, scalable platform (MSP), which has a 50:50 weight distribution.

Interestingly, the MSP is built for 64kWh and 77kWh batteries, which makes me suspect the entry-level 51kWh is just a throttled version of the 64kWh variant.

Arrival: MG expects to sell many, many MG4s. (Image: Supplied)    

Not convinced yet? The MG4 has a seven-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty for the car and battery. Plus, it does 01-00km/h in 7.7 seconds, whereas the Toyota takes about an hour. (The top-level Long Range 77 model will do 0-100km/h in 6.5 seconds.)

And, bizarrely, it seems it actually reached its stated range of 353km on the motorway north of Auckland and the hills of the Kaipara district. Rechanging it from 10% to 70% took just 20 minutes at Kaiwaka – hardly long enough to choose the right cheese at the local Dutch delicatessen.

The charge port can also be used to power home electronics, such as a fridge or laptop, when necessary.

Sure, there are a few niggles, but fewer than I’d have expected for a first-generation EV. 

The heater controls are fiddly to access, and I had to keep the temperature set at 27 degrees to make the car bearable. The dashboard screen makes poor use of space, with the power/regen data a tiny spec in the lower right-hand corner, and it took a few days to get the seat/steering wheel pairing right.

More importantly, the centre console, where my left knee naturally rested, was a hard plastic and uncomfortable. I’d like to see a bit of padding there. While we’re at it, there is also no natural rest for my right elbow, which was tiring.

For $40k, these are piddling inconveniences.

The MG4 has plenty of acceleration in any of its modes, and it benefits from sporty, tight turning. I really enjoyed driving it. 

The super quick X-Power all-wheel-drive MG4 is also a possibility for NZ next year. It has 320Nm of power and 600Nm of torque, with a 0-100km/h time of just 3.8 seconds. Wowsa.

The MG4 is smaller than most of the EVs on the market at the lower cost end, such as the BYD Atto 3 and Tesla Model 3, but as a second car for mostly city trips, it is a winner for price and drivability.

The three top models can charge at up to 140kW, giving a charge time of only 28 minutes from 10%-80% of a fast charger.

All get a $7015 rebate – at least until the election.

I think the MG4 should be firmly within the consideration set for anyone looking for a small to mid-size EV.