MG4 named 2023 carsales Car of the Year

The new MG4 electric hatch has today been crowned the 2023 carsales Car of the Year, proudly presented by Bingle.

Australia’s premier automotive consumer award recognises excellence in the new-vehicle market and awards just one winner from the long list of new models released in Australia every year.

To determine the 2023 carsales Car of the Year and two Highly Commended models, a multi-stage judging process whittled down a field of more than 100 eligible candidates to 30 contenders and then just 10 finalists plus two wildcards.

Once again, carsales readers had their say via an online poll, from which the new second-generation Hyundai Kona was determined our 2023 carsales Car of the Year People’s Choice earlier this week.

carsales COTY uniquely combines the industry’s best consumer-focused automotive data, which was employed at each stage of the judging schedule, with the expertise of our most senior road testers, who cast their votes following a full week of closed and public road testing.

The MG4 defeated a field of both electric and conventionally powered finalists after receiving a dominant eight first-place votes and two second-place votes from our 10 judges, and a solid cost of ownership ranking from the experts at RedBook.

Forming 50 per cent of each finalists’ score, judges’ votes were based on four assessment areas including safety, innovation and technology, practicality and presentation, and driving performance.

RedBook’s unique and comprehensive cost of ownership, residual value and specifications data determines the other half of each finalist’s score.

To calculate its cost of ownership score, RedBook not only evaluated each vehicle’s purchase price within its market segment, but also standard equipment levels, aftersales provisions (warranty, roadside assist, etc), finance costs, deprecation, insurance, service and running costs (tyres, fuel/electricity, etc) over three years or 45,000km.

In addition to being one of Australia’s cheapest and best-value electric cars, the MG4 fulfilled our testing criteria more comprehensively than any other finalist this year, offering advanced and intuitive safety and multimedia technology along with a practical, high-quality and attractive design.

Making it stand out from the pack even further, all versions of the MG4 offer a driving range long enough for most Aussies and exemplary overall handling dynamics, with accurate and well-weighted steering, a genuine sense of agility and finely-tuned electronic aids making the MG4 genuinely enjoyable to drive.

The upcoming MG4 XPOWER hot hatch will soon add another feather to the Chinese EV’s cap by offering 320kW of power and all-wheel drive for less than $60,000.

In addition to awarding the MG4, carsales judges recognised the Polestar 2 and Hyundai Kona as standout performers in this year’s field, with the Sino-Swedish electric fastback and the Korean car-maker’s second-generation small SUV both scoring Highly Commended awards.
 
To be eligible for carsales Car of the Year, vehicles must be:

2023 carsales Car of the Year finalists:
BMW X1 sDrive18i
GWM Tank 300 Ultra
Hyundai Kona Premium 1.6 T-GDi N Line AWD
Mahindra XUV700 AX7L
Mazda CX-90 G50e Azami Takumi
Mercedes-Benz GLC 300
MG4 Excite 64
Nissan X-TRAIL Ti-L e-POWER
Polestar 2 Long Range Single Motor
Range Rover Sport D300 Dynamic SE

2023 carsales Car of the Year wildcards:
Ford Mustang Mach-E Premium
Honda CR-V e:HEV RS