Your questions answered: Which MG4 model variant should I buy?

We’re back in eco mode for this week’s carsales mailbox, with loads of EV interest.

From trying to decide which model of the MG4 – our 2023 carsales Car of the Year – to go for, to sizing up whether the BMW iX1 is the best battery-electric small SUV out there.

We’re also touching on EV charging stations and the taxes EVs do (or don’t) pay to utilise the road network (cue vigorous debate…).

And in the land of ICE, we have someone looking for a very economical petrol-electric hatchback with some luxury thrown in.

Question:

And how do I navigate choosing the best home charging system? I have three-phase electricity at home and not sure whether to opt for the bigger wattage hub and which brand to pick? There seems to be so many different battery hubs on the market!? – Ellie

Answer: The MG4 XPOWER is a very quick car, so if you like having fun and would enjoy the performance it’s a blast to drive. It is seriously quick when accelerating from a standstill. The cornering and braking isn’t quite as advanced, although it’s still a competent car if you’re not driving it hard.

As for deciding between the MG4 Essence 64 and the Long Range, it really comes down to how much more you value the extra range. The Long Range gets a bigger battery (77kWh versus 64kWh), which extends the claimed range from 435km to 530km. In everyday driving you can knock about 10 per cent off those figures if you want to be safe. And for a road trip at 100-110km/h, I’d be knocking more like 20 per cent off those range claims.

Don’t rule out other options, too. With the price you’d spend on one of the pricier MG4 EVs there are some other great options, including the new Tesla Model 3.

As for a home charger, most people will usually be fine with a single-phase charger producing 7.4kW (about 3.5 times more than your home power point); with the MG4, that would easily do a full charge overnight.

A three-phase charger can produce up to 22kW but the MG4 64 can only accept up to 6.6kW of charge, so there will be no advantage to fitting that three-phase charger. The MG4 Long Range can accept up to 11kW of charge, but again it’s nothing like the 22kW that the three-phase charger can put out, so the benefits will be minimal.

As for a brand of charger, we haven’t tested them. The Tesla charger is very popular and is apparently quite reliable (it’ll charge any EV, not just Teslas). But AmpCharge (by Ampol) also has a decent home charging option as well as Ocular and Zappi, among others. Check out retailers such as JetCharge and EVSE for options.

Question:

Answer: If you want the best fuel economy then an EV is your answer. You’ll obviously use no fuel! But you’d need some way of charging it, ideally at home.

If you want a hybrid, then Toyota and Lexus still lead the way. The Lexus UX 250h has an official fuel figure of 4.5L/100km so should use a fraction less fuel than your IS 300h.

If you are open to an EV then don’t bother with the EV version of the UX, though, because there are better options. They include the Volvo XC40 Pure Electric, Genesis GV60 and BMW iX1, or the Cupra Born. The upcoming Volvo EX30 also looks interesting, although we haven’t driven it yet.

That emphasis on EV is part of the reason most of the luxury brands aren’t bothering as much with hybrids. That’s also why alternatives to the Lexus are limited.

The Toyota Corolla Cross has a better hybrid system than the Lexus UX, mainly because the core vehicle is newer so it’s benefited from the latest tech. But, obviously, it doesn’t match all the Lexus luxury trimmings.

You’ve got various plug-in hybrid options, which use a larger battery to allow for electric-only running of between 40km and 100km (depending on the vehicle). But be aware that those PHEVs aren’t usually that good when running in EV mode (performance is typically modest) and are usually thirstier than regular hybrids when running in hybrid mode.

But if you’re keen, check out the Lexus NX 450h+ and Volvo XC60, each of which might be larger than what you’re chasing. The Cupra Formentor PHEV is also a decent option.

Question: I am interested, probably in the second half of 2024, in a small SUV. I live in a 1960s-built townhouse and the garage is relatively small by today’s standards. The garage door width is 2380mm. I currently drive a Subaru Outback which has a ‘mirror to mirror’ width of 2020mm. How does the BMW iX1 stack up? What other options should I look at? – Bob

Answer: The BMW iX1 is a great EV option that has a luxury car normality to it. Being based on the X1, it simply replaces the oily bits with electrical componentry. Any time you do that there are compromises (starting from scratch allows you to place the battery and motor in the perfect place) but BMW has minimised those with the iX1.

Also check out the Volvo XC40 Pure Electric and the upcoming Polestar 4, which we haven’t driven yet. The Volvo EX30 is also a fantastic-looking EV that should easily fit in your smaller garage, plus there’s the Audi Q4 e-tron.

Of course, there’s a whole bunch of new electric cars in the pipeline, so check out our list of the top 10 EVs coming in 2024.

Question: Can you point me in the direction of the EV/hybrid rebate that was passed last year and backdated to 1 July 2022? – Sean

Answer: There are various incentives and rebates for EVs around the country depending on where you live. They range from modest registration discounts to cash rebates and stamp duty exemptions worth thousands of dollars.

Some of the states (including Victoria and NSW) have wound back those cash rebates recently. But if you live in Western Australia or Queensland then you can still get some decent rebates. Check out our story that covers EV incentives for all states and territories.

The one you’re referencing sounds like the federal government’s fringe benefits tax (FBT) exemption, which is available wherever you live in Australia.

It applies to EVs first registered after July 1, 2022, so can be applied to second-hand vehicles. It allows you to package a car into your salary via a novated lease and pay for it out of your pre-tax income without attracting any GST.

There are various terms and conditions and eligibility requirements – including a price limit on the car that is equal to the luxury car tax threshold, which for EVs is currently $89,332 – which you can find on the ATO website.

And, obviously, it requires you to be earning a wage and to be able to take out a novated lease. If you can do that then the potential tax benefits can make an EV more affordable than a petrol-powered car costing tens of thousands of dollars less.

Question: Could we please put to bed the myth that EV owners do not pay for road building and maintenance?

In Australia, fuel excise is not hypothecated to road funding. That is, the funding for roads is not reduced if fuel excise drops, and if fuel excise increases, this does not mean that more roads can be built. Roads are paid for from general revenue.

Fuel excise is just a tax. When I bought my EV, it cost about $20,000 more than the equivalent combustion vehicle from the same manufacturer. The tax on that $20,000, and the tax on the electricity which powers the car, exceed the fuel excise which I would have paid if I had bought the ICE vehicle. That EV users don’t pay for roads is a myth – tax pays for roads. We EV owners pay tax – lots of it – so we pay for roads, just like every other taxpayer.

Answer: I agree that once you factor in the additional GST, stamp duty and (potentially) luxury car tax you would have made a fair contribution to the tax system that will then fund the road network.

But at the same time the tax system will need to adjust to account for less fuel excise in future. The obvious method seems to be a road user charge that taxes vehicles on how far they drive. But rather than the state-by-state system that was tried (before it was found to be unconstitutional in Victoria), it really should be implemented nationwide.

And rather than one-size-fits-all, let’s tax heavier vehicles more given they’re doing more wear and tear on the roads. That already effectively happens through the fuel excise because thirstier vehicles (which are usually bigger and heavier) use more fuel.

With any luck it’ll all be wrapped up in the delayed fuel efficiency standards that will hopefully be announced in the next few months.

Question:

The petrol pumps have a mile of room around the car, but the EV parking spot is so small you can hardly open your door to get out. It looks like it’s a case of “we need to do something, so we can do this, doesn’t matter if it’s good or not”. There needs to be more thought on the installations with the user in mind. By the way, we have used the charger at Macksville and it’s great! – Peter

Answer: There’s a lot that needs to be done to improve EV fast-charging when you’re on the road. We’ve just completed a few thousand kilometres of country electric car driving, further building on our experience – and the challenges.

In my view the number-one negative with public fast-chargers today is their reliability. We recently drove from Sydney to Brisbane and back, and while there are loads of fast-chargers – including the 350kW ultra-rapid chargers – quite a few of them weren’t working. It means you have to be careful with your planning (checking apps such as PlugShare) to ensure you’ll actually have electricity when you plug in.

Some chargers are also in less-than-desirable locations, although the one at Macksville you mentioned (which we also used) is great – the bird sanctuary behind it is fantastic. Don’t be worried about handling charging cables when it’s raining. They’re designed to operate in downpours and there are safety mechanisms in place in the case of a short circuit.

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