Is it worth buying one of Australia's cheapest electric cars? How the 2024 MG4 stacks up against the BYD Dolphin

Electric vehicles (EVs) have come to Australia in a big way this year, but most still remain out of the budget and reach of many locals just looking for a set of wheels to get them to the shops and back home.

However, with the proliferation of technology also comes a reduction in cost, and nowhere is this more apparent than the affordable end of the electric car spectrum.

MG has long reigned as the budget EV champion with its ZS EV, but with that model now discontinued, the new MG4 will take up the mantle, and can be had from as little as $38,990 before on-road costs.

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However, another Chinese marque, BYD, has undercut the MG4 by just $100 with its $38,990 Dolphin.

So, that begs the question, is it worth spending money on these cheaper EVs compared to offerings from more established brands like the Tesla Model 3 (from $61,300), Nissan’s Leaf (from $50,990), the Kia Niro EV ($65,300) or Volvo EX30 ($59,990)?

Starting with the MG4 in its most affordable form, the Excite 51 offers up a 51kWh battery that is good for about 350km of driving range. The electric motor that drives the front wheels outputs 125kW/250Nm.

Over in BYD’s corner, the base Dolphin Dynamic has a 44.9kWh battery, enough for a driving range of around 340km, while its electric motor punches out 70kW/180Nm.

So, as you can see, driving range is close enough despite the differing battery sizes, but power outputs are nearly doubled in the MG.

Charging times will also be a factor, but it remains unclear the exact fast-charging specifications for the Australian MG4 Excite 51.

It means the MG looks like the clear-cut winner, offering more range and more power at just an extra $100, but that doesn’t mean it’s the better buy.

What you get for your spend in the MG4 is 17-inch alloy wheels, a four-speaker sound system, 7.0-inch driver display, fabric seats, and LED head- and tail-lights.

The MG4 was Australia’s cheapest electric car for about a day at just ,990 plus on-road costs, before being undercut by 0 by the BYD Dolphin.

There’s also a 10.25-inch multimedia touchscreen, as well as safety features such as a reversing camera and MG’s Pilot Driver Safety Technology suite that bundles adaptive cruise control, autonomous emergency braking (AEB), automatic highbeams and a door opening warning.

However, there’s no rear cross-traffic alert or blind-spot monitoring in the base MG4.

The Dolphin, meanwhile, has 16-inch wheels, a panoramic glass roof, a 5.0-inch digital instrument cluster, wireless smartphone charger, faux-leather seats, electronically adjustable front seats, heated front seats and a six-speaker sound system.

There’s also a 12.8-inch rotating multimedia touchscreen with satellite navigation.

BYD’s local distributor announced the Dolphin will launch on June 22.

For safety, the Dolphin also offers more, with tyre pressure monitoring, driver fatigue alert, a surround-view monitor, adaptive cruise control, AEB, lane departure warning, lane keep assist, traffic sign recognition, blind-spot detection, and rear and front cross-traffic alert.

So, it seems if you value equipment, the Dolphin has more to offer for less.

But perhaps sizing and practicality can split the two?

Well, the MG4 measures 4287mm long, 1836mm wide, 1504mm tall and has a 2705mm wheelbase.

Standard equipment in the MG4 includes a black fabric interior, connected car services, a 7.0-inch driver display, four-speaker sound system and a 10.25-inch multimedia touchscreen – the latter equipped with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto support.

This results in a 363-litre boot capacity, which can expand to 1177L with the rear seats folded down.

The BYD Dolphin however, is almost a direct match for the MG4’s dimensions, coming in at 4290mm long, 1770mm wide, 1570mm tall and with a 2700mm wheelbase.

This affords it a 345L boot capacity, swelling to 1310L with the seats folded.

Honestly, there isn’t much separating the two most affordable EVs in Australia, both in terms of specs on a page or pricing.

We'll have to wait until we get both in hand before we determine if one is clearly a better buy than the other, after all there are things like build quality, ride comfort, driving dynamics and how well all that equipment works to figure before a recommendation.

BYD Dolphin Sport Interior

But for now, know that the age of the attainable electric car is finally upon us.

This is especially evident if you look at the likes of the 110kW/320Nm Nissan Leaf, which only serves up a 270km driving range, not to mention the likes of the Tesla Model 3 that is around 50 per cent more than the asking price of the MG4 and Dolphin.