The MG ZS EV, its electric compact SUV, continues to maintain its position as the second-most popular electric vehicle in Australia, according to new figures supplied to The Driven.
Officially the most affordable all-electric vehicle in Australia, the MG ZS EV with 230km real-world driving range is the battery electric equivalent of the MG ZS and is priced at $43,990 drive-away.
It first took the title of most popular EV – after the Tesla Model 3 – in the first quarter of 2021, revealing an interesting thing about the Australian EV market: that apart from the paradigm-shifting Tesla, the most popular vehicles are at either end of the price spectrum.
Figures released by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries last Thursday revealed that at the other end of the spectrum, the $190,000 Porsche Taycan has also been selling strongly with 326 sold to date in 2021.
MG has now sold 536 ZS EVs in 2021, showing that a short-range vehicle can tick the box for Australian drivers once they acknowledge that for city driving and the daily commute this is more than enough as long as there is somewhere to top up overnight, or while at work or shopping.
Other figures supplied to The Driven reveal that as of end May 2021, Hyundai has sold 162 Kona EVs (which in 2020 held the title of #2 and has since undergone a design refresh), and 109 Ioniq EVs, which means that BMWÂ sold 98 of the Mini Cooper SE electric hatch.
Bridie Schmidt is associate editor for The Driven, sister site of Renew Economy. She has been writing about electric vehicles since 2018, and has a keen interest in the role that zero-emissions transport has to play in sustainability. She has participated in podcasts such as Download This Show with Marc Fennell and Shirtloads of Science with Karl Kruszelnicki and is co-organiser of the Northern Rivers Electric Vehicle Forum. Bridie also owns a Tesla Model Y and has it available for hire on evee.com.au.