MG ZR Reviews

MG Australia has revealed more details of its MG4 Urban budget electric hatchback, and it could be one of Australia's cheapest EVs.The Urban will enter the Australian market as a closer competitor to other affordable EV offerings such as the BYD Atto 1, Dolphin and GWM Ora.It will also have to contend with the incoming Geely EX2, which is also speculated to launch with a sharp price point.There is still no news on price for the Urban, but it is expected to be a step down from the standard MG4, which starts from around $36,000 (drive-away) until the end of March 2026. The brand said it plans to offer pricing comparable to similar internal combustion vehicles. The petrol-powered MG3 hatch currently starts in the early $20K bracket, excluding current promotions, meaning the MG4 Urban could be priced around the same.It's unclear if it will undercut the current cheapest EV in Australia, the smaller BYD Atto 1 Essential that's priced from $23,990 before on-road costs. But it's likely to be closer to $30k than $20k.The anticipated budget-oriented price tag for the MG4 Urban could help MG reclaim sales in the electric hatch space from its previously cheaper rivals.Unlike the standard rear-wheel-drive MG4 currently on sale in Australia, the Urban is a front-wheel-drive only variant, but it is also noticeably bigger. The car gets the same battery as found in the United Kingdom spec models. The 43kWh battery has a driving range of 323km (WLTP), while the 54kWh battery bumps the range up to 415km.This sees it line up with the driving range available on the Dolphin and Ora, but it should be noted that both models of GWM's hatch get a larger 58kWh battery.Power output for the Australian version of the MG4 Urban is still to be revealed, but there are variants producing 109kW, 117kW and 120kW overseas.It will come with 17-inch alloy wheels as standard along with a full-width rear light bar. The brand said the car will offer a high level of practicality, including 382L of luggage space, with substantial rear legroom and headroom, even for tall rear passengers.

Fuel prices in Australia are soaring, meaning fuel efficiency in vehicles is a more important consideration than ever. Hybrid cars offer the potential for superior fuel efficiency compared to internal combustion power without the big price premium if fully electric or plug-in hybrid options. This makes them an increasingly attractive option for buyers given the current global climate. Hybrid sales are already booming in Australia, but will increases in fuel prices accelerate the shift away from pure internal combustion cars? NRMA spokesperson Peter Khoury said that while hybrid sales are increasing, an even swifter transition is less than clear. “If you’re driving a standard vehicle with a 55-litre tank, compared to what we were paying before the war began to now, it’s a $45 increase on one tank of petrol. That applies regardless of whether it’s hybrid or petrol,” Khoury said. “Historically speaking, looking at what happens after an oil shock, it certainly opens up their consideration. “No doubt that if this crisis continues and these prices hang around for weeks or months, Australians will look at those alternatives more seriously.” Below is a comparison between popular petrol and hybrid choices in each segment to see how they stack up in a changing fuel context. Fuel cost has been calculated using current data from the New South Wales’ government’s average fuel price for unleaded 95 petrol and diesel. Toyota’s Corolla hybrid hatch offers superior fuel efficiency and driving range compared to the Kia K4 petrol model. The Corolla is also cheaper to fill up with fuel thanks to its smaller tank and offers a substantially bigger driving range. The Kia Seltos is a petrol-only variant, but despite its bigger fuel tank, it has less driving range than the Toyota Corolla Cross, courtesy of the hybrid powertrain. The bigger fuel tank means the Seltos is also more expensive to fill up. The mid-size CX-5 has a non-turbo charged petrol engine, which sees it offer an impressive estimated driving range of more than 800km, but once again the Toyota competitor’s fuel efficiency wins out in the RAV4 hybrid. The Toyota Kluger continues the Japanese juggernaut’s fuel efficient theme, with a hybrid set-up offering a driving range of more than 1122km, which is significantly more than the MQ QS, despite both cars costing a similar amount to fill up at the bowser. Utes are some of the worst affected by the fuel price increase as many of them are powered using diesel engines, with diesel fuel rising more than petrol. It has now risen to well beyond the $2.60 mark per litre. The BYD Shark’s plug-in hybrid set-up uses petrol, which makes it an affordable option, given the price of diesel. It should be noted that the Shark 6’s fuel efficiency is significantly reduced when the battery is not charged. It’s a similar story for the GWM Cannon Alpha, which should be noted is no longer on sale, but remains one of limited plug-less hybrid utes in Australia. 

Buyers are abandoning their supposed skepticism of Chinese carmakers, with affordability proving a key factor in buying decision-making. According to The Next Gear - Australia in Motion data from Gumtree Group (owner of CarsGuide), which surveyed more than 4000 prospective car buyers, 57 per cent of respondents said the country of origin for a car is an important factor in the purchasing process.Further, 42 per cent of respondents said they were unlikely to consider buying a vehicle from a brand originating in China. Unlikelihood to consider buying car from brand originating in following countries Sales data tells a different story. For February 2026 sales, China became the biggest country of origin for new-car sales in Australia. Gumtree Group's data also shows 11 Chinese-owned brands appear in Australian consideration sets. Brands BYD, GWM and Chery were all in the top 10 best-selling carmakers for February 2026, combining for nearly 15,000 sales for the month. China overtook Japan, which 71 per cent of respondents said they would likely consider buying a vehicle with that country of origin. China’s dominance in Australia is only going to increase from here, with many manufacturers offering budget EV options in a market where EVs are increasing of interest to buyers. Mainstream car makers are also starting to shift production across to China, either re-badging Chinese cars or manufacturing cars there.This offers brands the potential to build for and import cars to Australia cheaper, enabling more competitive prices. For example, the highly-anticipated Mazda 6e launching soon in Australia, is a re-skinned version of the Deepal L07, while many of Tesla’s popular EVs are built in China. This comparative cheapness is driving buyers to abandon their brand origin preference.Chinese-made cars are among some of the cheapest on the market, especially in the EV space, such as BYD’s Atto 1, Atto 2 and Dolphin, which are three cheapest new EVs in Australia. It is a similar story for internal combustion powered cars, with the MG3 currently available for under $20K as one example.

MG’s three-row QS has launched in plug-in hybrid form in the UK with the long-promised hybrid SUV taking one step closer to Australia.

In 2026 it appears two ‘new’ new challenger brands have overtaken a pair of ‘old’ new challenger brands in the Aussie new car market.Two of the earliest automotive disrupters from China, LDV and MG, have been heading backwards in terms of year-on-year sales performance in recent months while relative newcomers BYD and Chery continue to grow at a spectacular rate.For context, MG suffered something of a false start here with the MG6 in 2013, distributed by private importer Longwell Motor (operating as MG Motor Australia).But the MG brand (re)launched here as a SAIC factory subsidiary in 2016, with the first cars registered - a bunch of elderly MG6s as well as the new MG GS and MG3 - in early 2017.MG’s SAIC Motor Corporation cousin LDV entered the Aussie new vehicle market way back in 2013. At first, the focus was the V80 van range before independent importer/distributor Ateco Group broadened the brand’s scope with the addition of the G10 van, T60 ute and D90 SUV through 2017.And looking at the annual sales volumes for these brands from 2017, the parallels are striking, with both growing impressively thanks to increasing awareness, new models and sharp positioning, until they reach a turning point in 2024.MG went from 600 registrations in 2017 to no less than 58,346 in 2023; perilously close to a 10,000 per cent rise in six years! Meanwhile, LDV rose from 2580 to 21,298, an increase of only 725 per cent for the same period.So, what happened in 2023? Two words… Chery and BYD (well, four if you include Build Your Dreams).Chery had re-started its Aussie efforts as a factory subsidiary after a less than stellar run with the J1 hatch and J11 compact SUV from 2011-2015 (with Ateco as distributor).And BYD had landed with the Atto 3 compact electric SUV which made an immediate impression on the sales charts.Since then, each has added more and more new model options that have found their way onto a huge number of Aussie driveways.  As MG sales softened 29 per cent from 58,346 units in 2023 to 41,298 in 2025, LDV followed suit dropping 34 per cent from 21,298 sales to 14,108 in the same period.So far in 2026, to the end of February, MG is down 14.7 per cent year-on-year (6377 vs 7479), while LDV is 9.4 per cent lower (2125 vs 2346).And the current superstars? Chery is up 91.2 per cent (7718 vs 2875 - hello, Tiggo 4) and BYD is a staggering 161 per cent ahead (10,324 vs 3956). Nothing like competition to shuffle the new car pecking order. And it will be fascinating to see how Chery and BYD fare as even more newcomers like Denza, Forthing, JMC, Lepas, Wey and others make their mark in the near future.

MG has released official images and basic specifications for its pure-electric MG4X compact SUV, including the new model’s ‘liquid-solid state’ battery system.Underpinned by the same ‘Modular Scalable Platform’ and featuring the same ‘E3’ electronic architecture as the upcoming, second-gen version of its MG4 sibling, the MG4X SUV shares the hatch’s 2750mm wheelbase but its crossover-style design looks to add additional length, width and height.Due to ramp up to full production in the second quarter of this year, it also shares what MG positions as “the world’s first mass-produced semi-solid-state” battery.The battery, which was unveiled at last year’s Chengdu Auto Show, is a 53.95kWh semi-solid manganese-based lithium-ion unit which delivers a claimed 530km range in the MG4 to the more lenient CLTC test protocol. Claimed 30-80 per cent charge time is 21 minutes.Broadly similar in looks to the MG4 hatch, the MG4X brings a unique front fascia treatment with reshaped headlights, a full-width DRL strip and broad two-tier grille below the bumper.A generous glasshouse sits above smoothly sculpted flanks with a rear roof spoiler topping a tailgate that sprouts a pronounced deck in the centre section.While no interior pics have been released, it’s safe to assume the MG4X will feature a version of the MG4’s ‘smart cockpit’ co-developed with global smart device specialist Oppo.In the case of the MG4 hatch, a digital instrument cluster is paired with a central multimedia screen ranging up to a 15.6-inch display, powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8155 chip.A ‘Hand-Car Interconnection’ system is designed to establish a smooth, lag-free smartphone to vehicle connection with high-speed ‘Navigate on Pilot’ and automated parking functions also onboard.Domestic pricing for the MG4X is yet to be confirmed, but the semi-solid-state battery Anxin Edition version of the new MG4 hatch is positioned at ¥102,800 which equates to around A$20,818 on a direct currency conversion.Add import and distribution costs as well as extra standard specification likely for the Australian market and a before on-roads cost in the mid-$30K bracket is more likely. That would position the car below the MG S5 (from $40,490, drive-away) and in line with the BYD Atto 2 (from $31,990, before on-road costs), Chery E5 (From $36,990, BOC) and recently released Leapmotor B10 (from $38,990, drive-away).When contacted for comment on the MG4X’s potential for local sale an MG Motor Australia spokesperson told CarsGuide, "We do not speculate or comment on future models or product details. "We are always evaluating updates across our line up to ensure we offer the best possible experience for customers and will provide further information once future models are formally confirmed," they said.But with the second-gen MG4 hatch (dubbed the MG4 Urban) due here within the next few months it’s highly likely the MG4X will join it in local showrooms before the end of the year.

Japan has lost its crown as the number one source of new cars for Australia - and it could be for good.

Here's what ANCAP has to say on a range of trendy but potentially dangerous new car features which were just banned in China.

MG is seemingly plotting an SUV version of its upcoming MG4 Urban hatchback, with a mystery new crossover SUV spotted in China.

The Australian market hasn’t truly revolved around a sedan since I was a kid. These days it’s all about SUVs, and anything low-slung is easy to overlook when it comes to family hauling. Add to that the current fixation on hybrid and electric powertrains, and a mid-size petrol sedan feels almost out of step.And yet, here’s the MG7.It’s a mid-size fastback with a turbo-petrol engine and just one trim level. Its sharp styling is matched by an even sharper price, and it doesn’t seem particularly concerned about not fitting the current mould.It lines up against the Toyota Camry SL, Skoda Octavia Sportline and Hyundai Sonata N Line and raises an interesting question. Is this the sedan comeback nobody saw coming? And could it remind modern families why sedans were once king?