MG ZS EV could be Australia's cheapest electric SUV

The all-electric MG eZS SUV will be priced at $NZ49,990 when it arrives in New Zealand next year, meaning it could become Australia's most affordable electric SUV when it also hits showrooms here in mid-2020.

With a direct currency conversion at the time of writing, the NZ price for the MG ZS EV, as it’s known there, equates to $A46,820.

However, only 50 Kiwis will be able to secure the compact electric SUV for the special sub-$NZ50K pre-sales price, before MG New Zealand’s incentive is removed and the price increases after December 2019.

The cheapest EV available in Australia right now is the Hyundai IONIQ liftback ($44,990 plus on-road costs).

Although the new Chinese-built MG eZS is unlikely to go that low, it will almost certainly become Australia's cheapest electric SUV by undercutting the Hyundai Kona Electric ($59,990), Jaguar I-PACE ($124,100) and Tesla Model X ($116,500).

It will also likely undercut other electric cars like the new Nissan LEAF ($49,990) and Tesla Model 3 ($66,000), as well as the quirky Renault ZOE ($47,490).

MG Australia wouldn't be drawn on pricing this side of the ditch when contacted by carsales.com.au, but did confirm local pricing will be announced in October ahead of first deliveries from mid-2020.

The MG eZS is based on the regular MG ZS compact SUV, which is priced from $22,990 drive-away. But it swaps out its petrol engine for an electric motor that cranks out 105kW/353Nm, giving the machine a 0-100km/h sprint time of 8.5 seconds (claimed).

Range is claimed to be 262km on the combined cycle or as much as 371km in city driving. In New Zealand, a full charge using a 7kW charger will take around seven hours, while a rapid charge to up to 80 per cent can be achieved in 40 minutes using a 50kW fast-charger.

The Chinese brand’s first EV will come to NZ backed by a competitive seven-year/130,000km warranty for both the vehicle and battery.

Sales of the MG ZS have skyrocketed in Australia -- up 158 per cent from 789 sales in the first seven months of 2018 to a total 2036 for the same period in 2019.

The addition of a flagship EV variant priced below $50,000 will give the MG ZS even more visibility appeal as Aussies consider more environmentally-friendly options.