MG increases prices of Australia’s cheapest electric car

Prices for the 2023 MG ZS EV electric car from China have gone up across Australia – just four months after prices were cut.

MG's website shows price rises ranging from $205 to $4140 – depending on the model, and which state or territory the vehicle is sold.

The base-model ZS EV Excite has gone up by an average of $2324 across the country, while the average increase for the higher-grade ZS EV Essence is $1411.

In September 2022, MG cut prices of the ZS EV just before it was due to arrive in local showrooms, with the Excite available from $44,990 drive-away and the Essence from $48,990 drive-away.

For those in the Northern Territory, the cheapest ZS EV Excite is now $46,195 drive-away, while the Essence has increased to $49,195 drive-away.

Meanwhile, eligible buyers in Western Australia are paying $49,130 and $52,518 drive-away respectively.

There's less incentive for Victorian buyers to purchase a ZS EV Excite, with the State Government's $3000 electric-car subsidy overshadowed by MG's price increase of $3426.

The MG ZS EV Essence has gone up by $2552 in Victoria, leaving buyers with $448 from the government subsidy, compared to those who took advantage of its $48,990 drive-away pricing of the past four months.

MORE: Chinese brand MG outsells Hyundai and Mitsubishi for first time in Australia

While the MG ZS EV remains the cheapest electric car on sale in Australia, the gap has been reduced between it and the BYD Atto 3, which is listed from $48,611 drive-away to $52,030 drive-away (prices vary depending on registration and stamp duty in each state and territory).

The MG ZS EV isn't the only model to be hit with higher prices – November 2022 marked the fourth time prices for the MG HS Plus EV plug-in hybrid had increased in the 2022 calendar year, with the company citing "rising material costs and continued global supply-chain bottlenecks".

Drive-away prices sourced from MG website.