Which is the best electric vehicle under $50,000? BYD Dolphin v GWM Ora v MG 4
Which of these three bargain-priced EVs provides the best entry to electric motoring for first-timers, or offers the best money-saving alternative to the popular Tesla Model 3? This is Drive's comparison of the 2024 BYD Dolphin v 2024 GWM Ora v 2024 MG 4 small electric hatchbacks.
This time last year, electric vehicle shoppers with a new-car budget of $50,000 had just two choices: MG ZS and the BYD Atto 3, both small-to-medium SUVs. Today, there are six models on the market and more just around the corner.
That shouldn’t surprise anyone. EVs are in, and sales are skyrocketing – off an admittedly very low base.
Last year Australians bought 87,217 new electric vehicles. That is almost triple the 33,410 EVs we adopted in 2022.
We’ve gathered three of the newest and most interesting affordable EVs to see which is the best introduction to EV ownership, or perhaps for EV converts looking to trade their Tesla Model 3 on a smaller and more affordable alternative.
2024 BYD Dolphin – What is it?
BYD stands for Build Your Dreams, a car company building an impressive portfolio of electric vehicles for the Australian market.
First was the BYD Atto 3 mid-size SUV, which arrived in 2022. Now we have the BYD Dolphin small hatchback, which arrived in November 2023 – and December saw the arrival of the BYD Seal electric sedan, which is something of a Tesla Model 3 alternative.
If we were to draw a parallel with internal combustion engine cars, the BYD Dolphin is a new-age Honda Jazz, complete with conservative 1990s exterior styling.
The Dolphin is roughly the same length as the new MG 4 (roughly 4.3m) but is 70mm narrower and 70mm taller, which makes for a very different visual impression and also impacts internal space.
BYD insists that its decision to price the Dolphin exactly $100 cheaper than the MG 4 – thus making it the cheapest EV in Australia – was made months before MG released its pricing, and not a last-minute trumping. That may be true, but car companies also tell us pricing is not locked in until the 11th hour.
Whatever the reasons, the BYD Dolphin is currently Australia’s cheapest EV, with pricing starting from $38,890 plus on-road costs. Three variants are offered – Dynamic, Premium and Sport – with different equipment levels and powertrain performance.
The Dolphin Premium we’re testing here costs $44,890 plus ORCs, making it $100 cheaper than the MG 4 Excite and $1100 cheaper than the GWM Ora.
For a full rundown of the BYD Dolphin’s pricing and specifications, follow this link.
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BYD Dolphin Premium – What is it like inside?
Even though the Dolphin is cheaper than the other two, it is far better equipped.
Standard features on the Dolphin Premium include two-tone paint, 17-inch alloy wheels, a rotating 12.8-inch infotainment touchscreen, Apple CarPlay and wireless Android Auto, embedded satellite navigation, a panoramic glass roof, single-zone climate-control air conditioning, and a heat pump that uses wasted battery heat to warm the cabin, rather than taking electricity from inside the battery.
The Dolphin also offers wireless phone charging, heated power-adjustable front seats, synthetic leather- and suede-look seat trim, keyless entry and start, power-folding side mirrors, and a surround-view camera with parking sensors.
It receives a full suite of advanced safety technology, including autonomous emergency braking, lane-keep assist, blind-spot monitoring, front and rear cross-traffic alert, and traffic sign recognition. Those systems work well enough, although the traffic sign monitoring does default to an audible beep when you stray even a single km/h over the posted limit, which can become irritating.
The BYD’s interior is nicer than the MG 4’s and has more design flair to it, whereas the MG 4 leaves the style largely to its screens. That said, the BYD’s 5.0-inch driver instrument screen is smaller and less impressive, although the 12.8-inch infotainment screen’s ability to rotate between landscape and portrait more than makes up for it.
The Dolphin’s back seat has even more leg room than the MG’s, but under-seat foot room is tight, and the sunroof eats into head room. On that last point, you’ll only notice the intruding sunroof frame when you lean forward to talk to the front row.
The BYD has two USB ports in the back (one USB-A, one USB-C) but no air vents. It has three pockets on the back of each front seat, one magazine-sized and two phone-sized. Rear-seat occupants get a fold-down centre armrest with cupholders – something not found in the MG.
The BYD’s boot looks small at first sight, but there’s a deep space under the floor for storing charging cables, laptop bags, and anything else you want out of sight. BYD claims 345 litres all up, expanding to 1310L with the back seats folded.
BYD Dolphin Premium – What is it like to drive?
The BYD Dolphin Premium that we’re testing here upgrades to a 150kW/310Nm electric motor and 60.5kWh battery said to deliver a WLTP claim 427km driving range, and 0–100km/h in 7.0 seconds.
For some reason, the Dolphin has been designed as a front-wheel-drive car, which made sense for cars with internal combustion engines, but provides almost no cost or packaging advantages for electric cars.
The Dolphin’s strong electric motor is easily capable of overpowering the front wheels if you get overzealous with the accelerator or you have some steering lock on going through a corner. Luckily, the car’s stability control jumps in quickly to calm things down, but it does compromise the car’s ability to use its power – a problem it would suffer from less if it were rear-drive like the MG.
The Dolphin’s ride and handling are the least engaging of the three, even though the Premium grade gets an independent rear suspension upgrade compared to the cheaper Dolphin Dynamic’s torsion beam rear end. In isolation, the Dolphin is perfectly acceptable, but when driven back-to-back with the other two it comes across as less refined and less involving.
For starters, the Dolphin’s ride is busier, which means occupants feel more of the road’s bumps and lumps. The suspension also doesn’t do as good a job resisting body roll in corners, which can at times make the Dolphin feel ponderous and heavy – not surprising given it is the heaviest of the three.
Steering is light to the point of emptiness, providing very little feedback to the grip levels of its Linglong tyres. These tyres are noisier than the MG’s and have less grip in the dry.
Another area where the BYD lags is battery charging speed. Whereas the MG 4 can charge at speeds up to 140kW, the Dolphin Premium (and the GWM Ora, to be fair) maxes out at a rather embarrassing 80kW.
All of these criticisms are relative, so don't read into them that the BYD is somehow unacceptable. In isolation, the BYD is competent, but when doing a comparison like this, it's all about how they measure up to the others.
Overall, the BYD Dolphin is a benign and competent daily commuter. If that’s all you want, then go for it, and enjoy the Dolphin’s stronger value equation and longer equipment list. Anyone looking for more engagement or excitement from their daily driver, however, will be better served elsewhere.
During testing the BYD Dolphin averaged 17.1kWh per 100 kilometres, the worst of our three, but only 1kWh off the best and still a good result for a small EV.
If you’d like to know more about the BYD Dolphin, read our comprehensive launch review.
2024 BYD Dolphin Premium | |
Price | $44,890 plus on-road costs $47,656 drive-away (Mel) |
Options fitted to test car | None |
L / W / H / Wheelbase (mm) | 4290 / 1770 / 1570 / 2700 |
Boot space | 345L |
Powertrain | 150kW / 310Nm Single-speed, front-wheel drive |
Battery | 60.48kWh |
Max charge rate | AC: 7.2kW DC: 88kW |
Charge time | 38min from 10–80% (claim) |
Performance | 0–100km/h: 7.0sec |
Driving range | 427km WLTP claim |
Kerb weight | 1658kg |
Power to weight | 90.5kW/t |
Turning circle | 10.5m |
Energy consumption | 15.9kWh/100km claimed 17.1kWh/100km tested |
ANCAP rating | Five stars |
Warranty | Vehicle: Six years, 150,000km Battery: Eight years, 160,000km, State of Health (SOH): ≥70% |
Servicing | 12 months / 20,000km $748 (3 years) $1384 (5 years) |
2024 GWM Ora – What is it?
When the Great Wall Motors Ora launched at $44,490 drive-away back in February 2023, it held the mantle of Australia’s cheapest electric car. Since then, it has been overtaken first by the MG 4 and then by the BYD Dolphin, which shows just how keen Chinese brands are to own this space.
Today’s pricing has the GWM Ora range starting from $39,990 for the Ora Standard Range, $45,990 for the Extended Range we’re testing here, $48,990 for the Ultra, and $51,990 for the GT. All prices are before dealer delivery and other on-road costs (ORCs).
All four variants share the same 126kW/250Nm electric motor driving the front wheels. The Standard Range has a 48kWh battery with a claimed 310km driving range, whereas the other three have a bigger 63kWh battery promising 420km of driving range.
The other major difference between the four are equipment levels, which I’ll get to shortly. If you can’t wait, then follow this link.
To stick with our ‘similar cars’ analogy, think of the GWM Ora as the electric lovechild of a Mini and a Volkswagen Beetle. Unlike the other two, the Ora plays a strong hand aesthetically with its funky styling. I wouldn’t say I love it, but opinions will differ, as with any adventurous styling.
That offbeat look continues inside the cabin and also has its tentacles in the way the Ora drives, in a good way.
GWM Australia has shown some conservatism with the Ora, although it's not obvious at first glance. It's the name, you see. In GWM’s home market of China, this car is called the Ora Good Cat – Ora being the brand and GWM relegated to an uncredited parent company. There’s also the Ora Ballet Cat, Lightning Cat, Cherry Cat and Punk Cat, none of which are confirmed for Australia at this stage.
GWM Ora Extended Range – What is it like inside?
After the dare-to-be-different exterior styling, the Ora’s interior design is an unexpected mix of conservative and classy – with just a dash of clunky thrown in. Faux-leather flanks a softer material on the seat bolsters, which is also stitched to look more upmarket than its rivals, and it works. That same material is used to line the doors, and there’s a suede-look synthetic panel on the dash that also elevates this cabin.
The dashboard itself has conservative lines that subtly incorporate the air vents and a row of aircraft-style chrome toggles for air con and demisters. The chrome rotary transmission selector looks like a twin to the MG’s, and there's a wireless charging mat discreetly positioned under the centre armrest.
As for the ‘clunky’, that’s the steering wheel, which looks like a child’s interpretation of Mini’s retro two-spoke unit. The steering boss has a huge Ora badge on it that looks like a child’s interpretation of an exclamation mark, which in turn is flanked by two banks of ‘hidden’ buttons in the spokes.
Overall, it’s a cabin with character and personality. Like it or not, it all works well and doesn’t look like any other car.
The Ora cabin’s digital additions are two 10.25-inch screens that do the job of infotainment touchscreen and driver instrument cluster, and the former can be slow to respond to touches. Weirdly, GWM has housed these in a much bigger unit that leaves large black borders around the screens. Initially, I thought that was because more expensive Ora variants get bigger 12.3-inch screens, but that’s not the case. All Ora grades have these same 10.25-inch screens with overly large black borders.
Both Android Auto and Apple CarPlay are catered for – wired – but the factory inclusions beyond that are lacklustre. There’s no satellite navigation or digital radio, and the sound system is a pretty basic six-speaker set-up – although that is on par with the other two cars in this test. It also has single-zone climate control and a wireless charging mat.
Stepping up to more expensive variants doesn’t bring any improvement in speaker count, or yield digital radio, satellite navigation or multi-zone climate control. All variants have the same sparsely equipped infotainment system.
Jumping into the back, the outboard back seats look more sculpted than the other two cars. The Ora has a fold-down leather-look armrest with built-in cupholders. There are no air vents in the back, but there are bottle holders in the doors and a single USB-A port. This back seat is not as generous with leg room as the other two, but still has more than enough for average-sized adults. Head room, too, is more than adequate.
As for the boot, the Ora’s compact dimensions hurt it here with the smallest cargo space on test. Just 228L puts it a long way behind the other two, and the flimsy floor and token cargo shelf feel like afterthoughts.
For a full rundown of the GWM Ora's pricing and specifications, follow this link.
GWM Ora Extended Range – What is it like to drive?
Is spritely the right word? Spritely with a touch of untamed?
The GWM Ora is not the most potent of our trio, but it sure does leap like a cat when prodded. With ‘only’ 126kW and 250Nm on call, the Ora still has the grunt to overpower its Giti-tyred front wheels, especially if you’re turning the steering wheel at the same time.
The Ora’s ride quality is workman-like, not bothering to isolate occupants from rough roads but rather get over the bumps with a minimum of effort and fuss. It’s not uncomfortable, just busier than the other two.
That said, there’s a sprinkling of dynamism in the way it handles on the road. Not enough to get sporty types excited, but enough to stop the Ora being called boring.
The Ora’s active safety suite is commendable. It has adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go, intelligent cornering control, lane assist with emergency lane keep, AEB, forward collision warning, traffic sign recognition, rear cross-traffic alert, and camera-based driver drowsiness detection.
The Ora Extended Range has rear parking sensors but no front parking sensors. Nor does it get front cross-traffic alert, but at least it has a 360-degree camera.
The Ora has been evaluated by ANCAP and awarded five stars for safety.
During testing, the GWM Ora averaged 16.1kWh/100km, the best of the three.
To read more about the GWM Ora, check out our comprehensive launch review and our Ora Standard Range seven-day test.
2024 GWM Ora Extended Range | |
Price | $45,990 plus on-road costs $48,835 drive-away (Mel) |
Options fitted to test car | None |
L / W / H / Wheelbase (mm) | 4235 / 1825 / 1603 / 2650 |
Boot space | 228L |
Powertrain | 126kW / 250Nm Single-speed, front-wheel drive |
Battery | 63kWh |
Max charge rate | AC: 11kW DC: 80kW |
Charge time | 50min from 10–80% (claim) |
Performance | 0–100km/h: 8.4sec |
Driving range | 420km (WLTP claim) |
Kerb weight | 1580kg |
Power to weight | 79.7kW/t |
Turning circle | 11.2m |
Energy consumption | 14.0kWh/100km claimed 16.1kWh/100km tested |
ANCAP rating | Five stars (tested 2022) |
Warranty | Vehicle: Seven years, unlimited kilometres Battery: Eight years, unlimited kilometres |
Servicing | 12 months / 15,000km $297 (3 years) $495 (5 years) |
2024 MG 4 – What is it?
Think of the MG 4 as the Toyota Corolla of EVs.
The MG 4 electric hatchback is offered in five specification levels with pricing ranging from a razor-sharp $38,990 plus on-road costs for the entry-level MG 4 Excite 51 to $59,990 for the high-performance MG 4 XPower flagship.
For those unfamiliar with the MG 4, it is a rear-wheel-drive electric hatchback roughly the same size as a Corolla. It has five seats inside and a decent-sized boot.
The MG 4 Excite 64 we’re testing here is nearer the bottom of the range and costs $44,990 plus ORCs.
MG 4 Excite 64 – What is it like inside?
The MG 4’s cabin makes a very strong first impression with its practical yet minimalist layout. Apart from the rather important steering wheel, there are two digital screens – a 7.0-inch screen for the driver and a 10.25-inch central touchscreen for infotainment, the latter with a few hardcoded buttons for adjusting volume, powering the climate control and demisting windows.
The MG 4 Excite 64 has a large phone tray (but no wireless charge pad) immediately below the screen that also houses the chrome rotary transmission selector and electric park brake.
Standard features on the Excite model include 17-inch alloy wheels with Continental tyres, LED headlights, a 10.25-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, four speakers, a reversing camera, fabric seat upholstery, and safety features such as autonomous emergency braking and lane-keep assist.
Single-zone climate control works well enough, but there are no air vents for back-seat passengers, nor is there a fold-down centre armrest. No matter, they get the roomiest rear of our three with good head room and leg room, and space under the front seat for feet.
The MG’s boot is the biggest on test – just – at 363L, expanding to 1177L with the back seats folded. It’s a decent-sized boot with lights and a single shopping bag hook, but there are no tie-down points.
Back up front, adaptive cruise control is standard, although the minimalist buttons for setting and adjusting it are counterintuitive: short-press to jump in fives, long-press to jump rapidly in singles.
The MG’s traffic sign recognition and lane-keep assist systems are well-calibrated to assist rather than annoy.
However, blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert – which are standard on cheaper MG petrol cars, and a $30,000 Isuzu D-Max work ute – are not standard on the MG 4 Excite. If these systems are important to you, then they are equipped to the $3000 more expensive Essence grade.
Both the BYD Dolphin and GWM Ora tested in this comparison include both those safety systems in their price.
Lastly, the MG 4’s infotainment system – while better looking and easier to use than older versions found in MG SUVs – still has its problems. Even though it has wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, it sometimes refused to connect outright and was also glitchy at times when it did connect. We experienced “Spotify not working” errors, glacially slow map screens, and a number of one-way phone calls where the recipient could not hear us.
For a full rundown of the pricing and specifications of the MG 4 range, click here.
MG 4 Excite 64 – What is it like to drive?
Of our three cars, the MG 4 is the most enjoyable to drive and the most refined. The powertrain is muscular and generous, and never afraid to accelerate heartily – remember, though, this is a Corolla-sized car with 150kW, which is about 35 per cent more power than the actual Corolla, so it should be strong.
Its rear-drive chassis is evident in the way it drives. There’s an element of sportiness and spirit to its demeanour not found in its two front-drive rivals. Its suspension also strikes a very good balance between occupant comfort and roadholding, and does a great job taking the edge off rougher roads.
One trade-off seems to be an amount of rumble and drone from the tyres and suspension, which suggests MG could have done with more sound deadening to reduce the noise invasion.
But that statement needs to be kept in perspective. This is still an EV, so its cabin is inherently quieter than the equivalent petrol hatchback.
The MG 4 Excite 64 has a 64kWh battery paired with a 150kW motor driving the rear wheels. MG claims the Excite 64 has a driving range of 450km.
During our test we averaged 15.8kWh/100km over a mix of city and country driving, dropping as low as 12.8kWh/100km for one predominantly 80km/h motorway commute.
The MG 4 has proper one-pedal driving that maximises energy recuperation and allows you to bring the car to a stop without using the brake pedal.
MG says it can charge at speeds up to 140kW on a DC outlet, and can re-energise from 10–80 per cent charge in 28 minutes. During our testing, we saw 144kW for brief periods, which tailed off considerably above 75 per cent to around 40kW.
Conversely, plugging into a 22kW AC charger yielded a glacial 5.4kW down the cable instead of MG's claimed 6.6kW.
If you want to read more about the MG 4, we have the following: MG 4 Excite 51 review, MG 4 Essence 64 review and MG 4 range launch review.
2024 MG 4 Excite 64 | |
Price | $44,990 plus on-road costs $45,690 including options $49,031 drive-away (Mel) |
Options fitted to test car | Metallic paint – $700 |
L / W / H / Wheelbase (mm) | 4287 / 1836 / 1504 / 2705 |
Boot space | 363L |
Powertrain | 150kW / 250Nm Single-speed, rear-wheel drive |
Battery | 64kWh |
Max charge rate | AC: 6.6kW DC: 140kW |
Charge time | 28min from 10–80% (claim) |
Performance | 0–100km/h: 7.2sec |
Driving range | 450km (WLTP claim) |
Kerb weight | 1648kg |
Power to weight | 91kW/t |
Turning circle | 10.6m |
Energy consumption | 13.0kWh/100km claimed 15.8kWh/100km tested |
ANCAP rating | Five stars |
Warranty | Vehicle: Seven years, unlimited kilometres Battery: Seven years, unlimited kilometres |
Servicing | 24 months / 40,000km $296 (2 years) $1203 (4 years) $1499 (6 years) |
Which small electric vehicle should I buy?
All three of our combatants are fantastic entry points into the EV world, and would also be a worthwhile money-saving alternative to a Tesla Model 3 for anyone whose budget doesn’t stretch to sixes and sevens.
But, all three have their issues, which means the perfect sub-$50K EV is still somewhere in the future. In one, the driving dynamics hold it back, in another it's the flawed infotainment system, and the third carries a 'style price premium' and needs a bigger boot.
Even so, we set out to discover which of these three is the best for first-timers and Tesla downsizers, so that's what we'll do. Let's start with a question for you, dear reader: do you want a car that gives you more for your money or a car that’s more enjoyable to drive?
All three cars are close, but there are differences if you're prepared to look closely. One car has to come third, and in this comparison it is the GWM Ora. It’s fun and funky on the outside, elegant on the inside, and is perfectly suited to urban life, although the boot is tiny. Equipment levels trail the BYD, which means it’s not the pragmatic choice, but bottom-dollar servicing costs of $99 per year make that decision closer than it otherwise would be.
The Ora’s driving range is the shortest of the three and it’s the slowest to recharge (equal slowest with the Dolphin), so you’ll need a good charging solution to make this car work. But, if you're willing to accept those challenges and you like the Ora's extroverted nature, then go for it.
So, which car comes second and which one wins? Let’s end the suspense…
The BYD is the better equipped, but the MG 4 is the better car.
There’s no escaping the fact that the BYD Dolphin gives great value for money. Faux-leather with sunroof, a comparo-leading safety suite and loads of interior space for its size make it the pragmatic choice.
But if driving dynamics matter to you, then the MG 4 is not far behind in value terms and yet is the more refined, more comfortable and more enjoyable EV to drive every day.
MG has made huge advances with the first of its second-generation EVs, and it shows. The MG 4 is not perfect, though, particularly in the area of infotainment. Once those bugs are ironed out, there’s really no reason to avoid the MG 4.