MG4 priced from $44,990 plus on-road costs as $3000 discounts offered on ZS EV

The hotly anticipated MG4 all-electric hatchback will be priced from $44,990 in Australia when it arrives around August or September 2023.

The first ground-up EV from the Chinese-owned British brand – the MG ZS electric SUV is build on the architecture of a petrol vehicle – the MG4 could be a major player at the entry-level end of the EV market.

However, the MG4 appears to be arriving in Australia with a price premium compared with other parts of the world, including Europe.

In the UK, for example, the MG4 sells from £26,995, which is 11.5 percent less than the MG ZS EV (from £30,495). That is for the version with a smaller 51kWh battery, which isn’t initially offered in Australia but is on the way. An MG spokesperson told us that “we are going to be bringing the 51kWh battery pack to Australia but the pricing is likely to be announced at launch or closer to launch date”, which is scheduled for September 2023.

MG Australia says it will also bring the X-Power dual-motor all-wheel drive version at some stage.

However, the MG4 with the 64kWh battery that is being offered here is still around 3 percent more affordable than the ZS EV, at £29,495.

In Australia the MG4’s official starting price is identical to the MG ZS EV, at $44,990 before on-road costs.

However, MG is offering $3000 discounts on the ZS EV, further highlighting the pricing discrepancy between the two.

We asked MG for an explanation and it said “each market is different and local pricing takes into consideration exchange rates, taxes and tariffs as well as other factors that dictate the local market and pricing structures”.

The MG4 will be offered in three guises in Australia.

The entry-level model will be the MG4 Excite with a 64kWh battery and a claimed WLTP range of 450km. It is powered by a 150kW/250Nm electric motor driving the rear wheels and claimed to reach 100km/h in 7.9 seconds.

Charging can be done at up to 140kW on a DC charger, which MG claims will charge it from 10 to 80 per cent in as little as 28 minutes.

It gets 17-inch wheels, black seat fabric, four-speaker audio, a suite of active safety systems, a 7.0-inch digital instrument cluster and a 10.25-inch central infotainment screen.

That same 64kWh battery pack and 150kW/250Nm motor is used in the MG4 Essence, which picks up 18-inch wheels and tyres that reduce the range to 435km. It is priced from $47,990 plus on-road costs.

The MG4 Essence also gets fake leather trim, an additional two speakers, 360-degree camera, height-adjustable boot floor, wireless phone charging and auto dimming rear vision mirror. There’s also Bluetooth connectivity for those who don’t want to use the standard Apple CarPlay and Android Auto systems.

The MG4 Essence Long Range gets the same feature set but a larger 77kWh battery that increases the range to 530km. It also unleashes more power, with the electric motor able to produce up to 180kW, in turn lowering the claimed 0-100km/h time to 7.0 seconds.

MG will no doubt be expecting big things from the MG4 in terms of sales.

The car has been well received overseas and is at the pointy end of the EV market from a pricing perspective.

Plus MG will no doubt be keen to steal some sales from rival BYD, which is comfortably outselling the brand on EVs with its Atto 3.

BYD is also gearing up to launch the Dolphin electric hatchback later in 2023, a car expected to be close to (or under) $40,000.