MG 4 v ZS EV comparison: Budget electric cars, spec to spec

The much-anticipated cut-price MG 4 electric hatch will soon arrive in Australia, but has it overshadowed the current ZS EV small SUV too much on paper?

The Chinese automaker will launch the budget-friendly MG 4 electric small car in August, with a sharp $38,990 price before on-road costs – positioning it as a direct rival to the equally new, value-packed BYD Dolphin.

But, MG has also discontinued the base ZS EV Excite in Australia – previously the most affordable electric SUV – in a move to encourage Australians to opt for the MG 4 instead.

Both electric vehicles are made in China, both appeal to budget-minded buyers, and both can be had with longer range batteries.

At first glance, the MG 4 has the advantage of being built on a dedicated EV platform, a more modern interior and, of course, the cheaper entry cost. Despite receiving a facelift last year, does the older ZS EV SUV still hold up well on paper?

July: MG 4 driven in Australia at last

Even in pre-production, UK spec, the MG 4 hatch proves the long wait for a good, affordable electric car may well be over.

Story continues...

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JUMP AHEAD

• Pricing
• Performance
• Driving range
• Charging
• Dimensions
• Boot space
• Features
• Safety
• Warranty and servicing
• 🤔 The MG EV dilemma…

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Discontinued ZS EV Excite pictured

Pricing

The MG 4 hatch is the cheaper option here, with a $9000 lower entry barrier. However, it has fewer features as standard.

Like-for-like Essence and Long Range grades, the MG 4 and ZS EV are identically priced – but the former has a larger battery for more claimed driving range.

All models are eligible for most state EV incentives, including the fringe benefits tax (FBT) exemption for company fleets and novated leases.

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MG4 v MG ZS EV: Performance

Both electric MG’s have similar power and torque figures, but the hatchback is slightly faster off the line.

While the base MG 4 variant is less powerful than the base ZS EV, it has a faster claimed 0-100km/h acceleration time. Stepping up the electric hatch’s line-up nets slightly more power as the batteries get larger and heavier.

In contrast, the flagship ZS EV Long Range offers less power than its smaller battery Essence variant.

MG 4’s single electric motor sends power to the rear with a claimed 50:50 weight distribution and one-pedal driving capability, whereas the ZS EV is front-wheel drive only with three weaker regenerative braking modes.

A hyper all-wheel-driven MG 4 X-Power hot electric hatch is under consideration for an Australian launch later this year, too.

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MG4 v MG ZS EV: Driving range

The MG 4 electric hatch offers more claimed driving range across the line-up, with slightly larger battery packs and a more aerodynamic body design.

It’s worth noting that only the base MG 4 51kWh Excite and ZS EV Essence use a lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) battery cathode – which is safer, longer-lasting, and less environmentally contentious – compared to other models’s lithium-ion nickel-manganese-cobalt (NMC) type.

The local division has also opted to name MG 4 variants by the gross (nominal) battery size – except for the base model – which isn’t representative since owner’s can only access the lesser net (usable) battery for health and safety reasons.

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Charging

The MG 4 electric hatch has the advantage of faster peak DC fast charging, whereas the ZS EV SUV provides a better AC slow charging rate as standard.

The MG 4 progressively ups its AC and DC charging capabilities with pricier variants, but the ZS EV has the same maximum speeds for both variants.

However, the MG 4 model range is mostly limited to a 6.6kW single-phase onboard AC charger, except for the top Long Range. This means charging off an installed home or public three-phase 11kW and upwards wall box will be speed-limited to a maximum of 6.6kW.

Both electric MG’s have different charging port positions, too.

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Dimensions

The MG 4 is shorter in overall length and height than the ZS EV, but has a longer wheelbase thanks to its ground-up Modular Scalable Platform (MSP).

This theoretically means more interior space, with an open flat floor at the front. The 4’s rear-wheel drive powertrain also means it could have a tighter turning circle.

However, while ZS EV is based on the regular ZS’s combustion engine platform that dates back to 2017, it can appeal to buyers with its height, width and, presumably, ground clearance advantage – being an in-demand small SUV. Its rear centre floor hump is quite minimal, too.

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ZS EV boot

Boot space

Despite the exterior dimension differences, both electric MG’s are closely matched for boot space.

When the rear seats are in place, the MG 4 Excite variants have a touch more boot volume, but pricier Essence models have less (likely due to hardware for the six-speaker sound system).

The ZS EV provides more cargo room when the rear seats are folded down due to its longer length, despite not being as wide nor using a dedicated EV platform as the 4.

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Overseas MG 4 model pictured

Features

To achieve the sub-$40,000 price tag, the MG 4 Excite misses out on some features, but the pricier Essence is closely matched to the comparable ZS EV.

The MG 4 Excite models notably miss out on features, such as electric folding mirrors, blind-spot monitoring and a 360-degree camera.

Although all MG 4’s have a more modern interior than the ZS EV, they both have a similarly-sized touchscreen (wide versus square display aspect ratios respectively), wired smartphone projection, and LED headlights.

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Discontinued ZS EV Excite pictured

Safety

Both MG electric cars remain unrated by the Australasian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP).

MG 4

But, the MG 4 electric hatch did receive the full five-star safety rating by overseas counterpart Euro NCAP under its 2022 testing criteria, with marginal to good results.

It comes with most active safety assistance systems as standard, including; front auto emergency braking (AEB) with car/pedestrian/cyclist detection, adaptive cruise control, lane-centring, lane-keep assist, traffic sign recognition, and a reversing camera and sensors.

Buyers will need to step up to the Essence grades in order to have; blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, a 360-degree camera system, and door open alert.

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MG ZS EV

Meanwhile, the pre-facelifted version of the ZS EV electric SUV did obtain a five-star safety score by ANCAP in 2019 – which bettered the petrol-powered twin’s 2017-tested four-star rating.

While the pre-update ZS EV is structurally similar to the latest model, ANCAP considers the older model’s rating as expired and does not apply to the current ZS EV.

As it now only comes with high-spec Essence and Long Range variants, it includes all available safety assist features as standard, as per the MG 4. On paper, the ZS EV only lacks door open warning compared to the newer 4.

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Warranty and servicing

Both MG EVs are covered by a seven-year/unlimited kilometre vehicle and battery warranty.

For commercial buyers, the warranty is limited to seven-years/160,000km for both the vehicle and battery.

Unlike other brands, such as Tesla and Polestar, it doesn’t cover for abnormal battery degradation.

Other warranties for manufacturing defects include; three months/5000km for lamps and light bulbs, 12 months/unlimited kilometres for the key fob battery, and six months/10,000km for the wheel alignment and balance.

Seven years of roadside assistance is also included, provided owners service it on time at a MG dealer.

While the Chinese carmaker hasn’t detailed servicing costs for the new MG 4 yet, the ZS EV does require logbook maintenance every 24 months/40,000km. For the first five visits, it averages to $616 per service for the small SUV.

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🤔The MG EV dilemma…

The MG 4 is the better choice in almost every criteria on paper, except if the ZS EV’s small SUV body style is a priority for you.

The electric hatch offers a newer platform and design, more driving range and similar boot space – with the critical choice of cheaper variants that allow Australians to switch into a full EV for less than $43,000 drive-away.

However, the MG ZS EV still has the advantage of the popular higher-riding crossover SUV style and a faster AC charging capabilities as standard.

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Of course, we’ll reserve our full judgements until we properly test the forthcoming MG 4 in real life, but it’s stacking up quite well at first glance.

After a decade of electric hatches dominated by the Nissan Leaf, the segment is finally moving. The upcoming BYD Dolphin provides more standard features – albeit with less power and an odd shorter warranty – than the base MG 4, whereas the GWM Ora has quirkier styling and cheaper servicing expenses. The top-selling BYD Atto 3 is also a solid alternative to the ZS EV.

Ahead of the federal government introducing landmark vehicle emissions standards, the choice of attainable electric cars in Australia is finally growing – and all currently coming from China.

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