Australian EV adoption rates are rapidly increasing, but is still missing from the EV landscape is a wide choice of affordable electric vehicles that are readily available.
That’s about to change with the launch of the new MG 4 this coming weekend at the Fully Charged Live event in Sydney.
It will be the first time a ground-up electric car is on offer at an expected $40,000 price point.
To set the stage for what’s to come, today I look at what we can expect from this all-electric hatchback and what it ultimately means for Australia’s EV adoption in 2023.
The MG 4 has been tested on Australian roads for many months now. It was spotted by an EV enthusiast Greg, who posted some photos of the car on social media back in December.
He described the all-electric hatchback as: “Just spotted behind Sydney city MG. Looks like the MG4 that just got NCAP 5 star, keen to see them in Australia”
At that time, the spotted car was in extensive camouflage but the iconic headlights still stood out. The looks also give it a broader appeal.
Back in December, it had also been given a five-star safety rating by Europe’s EuroNCAP safety regulator. The EV scored highly in several areas receiving:
- 78% for Safety Assist features
- 83% for Adult Occupant protection
- 80% for Child Occupant protection
- 75% for Vulnerable Road User protection
In the UK, the MG 4 which arrived in September 2022 has been gaining popularity. It has won multiple awards since its launch including:
- Top Gear – Bargain of the Year
- DrivingElectric – Best Value Electric Car, Car of the Year, Reader’s Favourite Electric Car
- Electrifying.com – Best Small Family Car, Best Value Car, Car of the Year
- carwow – Car of the Year
- Scottish Car of the Year Awards – Best EV under £40,000
Over there, this electric hatchback is offered in two variants:
- SE
- Trophy
The SE model is broken into either standard or long-range versions. The standard version is powered by a smaller 51 kWh battery pack while the extended version comes with a much bigger 64 kWh pack.
The Trophy version only comes with the bigger battery which delivers up to 435 km of WLTP range.
On the charging front, 11 kW of AC charging and 135 kW of DC fast charging is available. It can be topped up from 10 – 80% in about 34 minutes which would be one of the fastest-charging EVs under $50,000.
The MG 4 powertrain includes a 150kW motor located in the rear for the larger battery pack version. There is also a 51 kWh version that has 125 kW of power with a top speed of 160 km/h.
The MG 4’s UK starting price comes under the MG ZS EV with starting prices at about 10%. With the new MG ZS EV starting originally at $44,490 driveaway, we can expect the MG 4 starting prices under $42,000 in Australia.
That would make it eligible for most state and territory incentives. This is quite a good price for an EV that is ground-up electric and not an ICE car converted to an EV.
MG’s other EV has been doing better in 2023 with a ramp-up in sales. During February, MG sold over 387 MG ZS EVs which shows that there is good trust in the brand for buyers looking at an electrified future.
With this high level of credibility of the MG brand in Australia and affordable EVs being in such high demand, the new MG 4 with its sleek design will do quite well when it finally lands at Fully Charged Live next weekend.
The Driven’s view: In late 2022, The MG 4 was one of The Driven’s top EV picks for 2023. It’s great to see the EV nearly here for its local launch.
One of the main reasons why we expect it to do well apart from the expected affordable price is the fact that it’s a hatchback. Hatchbacks still do quite well in Australia in a segment that has not had many all-electric options apart from the iconic Nissan Leaf.
The Cupra Born and the ORA Funky Cat are yet to be delivered to Australian customers so it’s a good time for MG to unveil the MG 4 in the mix of things.
We can’t wait to see the MG 4 in person at Fully Charged Live and will bring the initial impressions of this very important EV that will help drive Australia’s EV adoption to new levels this year.
Riz is the founder of carloop based in Melbourne, specialising in Australian EV data, insight reports and trends. He is a mechanical engineer who spent the first 7 years of his career building transport infrastructure before starting carloop. He has a passion for cars, particularly EVs and wants to help reduce transport emissions in Australia. He currently drives a red Tesla Model 3.