Budget electric carmaker MG has unified the on-road pricing of its MG ZS EV and MG4 cars, bringing price drops as high as $10,000 for some models.
The price drop sees the entry-level EV, the MG4 Excite 51, sit at $39,990 – a $1,300 price drop from its recent price increase, that shortly followed the repeal of EV rebates in NSW and South Australia.
The base-model Excite 64 now costs $44,990, matching original drive-away prices in Australia, while the slightly more techy Essence now costs $46,990 – a $1,000 price drop.
The most impressive price drops were reserved for the MG4 Essence Long Range, which now costs $52,990 (was $55,990), and the MG ZS EV Long Range, which now costs $46,990 – a more than $10,000 drop from the previous Western Australian price (per Drive), and nearly $9,000 from the NSW price.
The entry-level MG ZS EV Excite now costs $39,990 (previously $44,990 in NSW), while the slightly more techy Essence model now costs $42,990 (was $49,990).
It’s absolutely a welcome sight for the Australian EV market – it returns the MG4 Excite 51 to a price point below $40,000, and it brings the MG ZS EV Excite below that mark as well.
We’ve long raved about the MG4 – it was Gizmodo Australia’s Top EV of 2024, mostly due to its widely accommodating trims, its competitive range, and its low pricing. We also loved the MG4 XPOWER, the dual-motor AWD model that feels like a rocketship to drive, which now costs $59,990 nationwide.
We weren’t as confident about the MG ZS EV, which we reviewed in 2022 by taking it on a more than 1,000km road trip – however, at several thousand dollars cheaper, perhaps we can forgive the ZS EV for its lower-than-expected range, charging time, and performance. The car is certainly more competitive after 2023, with the ‘Long Range’ variant now available down under.
The pricing adjustment is another showdown between budget Chinese carmakers MG, BYD, and GWM, which have been fighting at the budget end of the Australian EV market. Earlier this year, GWM introduced a limited time offer that made its EV, the Ora, the cheapest option in the country. Meanwhile, the BYD Dolphin is still competitively priced against the entry-level MG4 in most states.
With the scrapping of EV rebates in NSW, Victoria, and South Australia, I’m hopeful that we’ll start to see price drops like this more often. Despite uptake rising, a big hurdle that electric vehicles need to overcome soon is accessibility, as most are still quite expensive at the entry point.
Regardless, good move MG. Please bring your electric station wagon to Australia.
Image: Zachariah Kelly/Gizmodo Australia
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