Australia has a new cheapest electric car: MG ZS EV now $44,990 drive-away
MG has settled the argument over the cheapest new electric car by shaving $2000 from the price of its updated ZS EV.
In March MG Australia announced the all-electric version of the revised ZS compact electric SUV would be priced from $46,990 drive-away, but at a media event today the company slashed $2000 from the price to make it $44,990 drive-away.
It means the ZS EV now comfortably undercuts the recently arrived BYD Atto 3, which sells from about $47,000 drive-away (prices vary slightly in each state and territory to account for different taxes and registration charges).
READ MORE: BYD electric hatchback set to become Australia’s cheapest EV
The price drop only applies to the new ZS EV Excite model, which sheds some equipment compared with the original ZE EV.
It is powered by a 130kW/280Nm electric motor driving the front wheels and is claimed to provide 320km of WLTP range.
The better-equipped Essence version – which picks up sunroof, roof rails, wireless phone charging, blind spot monitoring, rear cross traffic alert and fake leather trim – has had a $1000 price reduction to $48,990 drive-away.
“We have been successful in offering the Australian market unparalleled value and we are now entering a new phase of our growth with the new ZS EV,” said MG Australia CEO Peter Ciao. “This is the first step in our new journey to an electric future that’s here today.”
The updated ZS EV – which gets a fresh face and interior tweaks – also gets remote connectivity using a smartphone app and onboard SIM. Called iSmart, the connectivity allows the owner to remotely lock or unlock the doors and activate the air-conditioning, as well as perform over-the-air software updates.
“With improved range, smart design, superior technology and exceptional performance, the new 2022 MG ZS EV is a real game changer,” said Ciao.
MG also appeared to have a dig at BYD that is shaping up to be a formidable rival by ramming home its class-leading seven-year warranty; BYD recently reduced its warranty from seven to six years and also excluded various items from the full warranty coverage (suspension components and the multimedia system have less warranty coverage, for example).
“Our seven-year warranty is comprehensive across both ICE, electric and batteries with no hidden exclusions,” said Ciao, while also pointing out it had a broader service network than BYD.
“All of our 83 dealerships in Australian are trained to sell and service all our products and our customers appreciate this level of service and offering.
While the BYD offers an extra year of warranty for its high voltage battery – with eight years and 160,000km of coverage specifically for that component – the MG fights back with an unlimited kilometre offering, albeit for only seven years (the MG battery warranty is capped at 160,000km if you use it for commercial or fleet purposes.
As for sales, BYD could win that race; it says it already has 4500 orders for its Atto 3 and claims it can deliver them all within a couple of months.
MG, on the other hand, says it will only receive about 2000 ZS EVs by the end of 2022.
