MG4 EV Urban: Essence 43 $29,990, Essence 54 $32,990 Drive Away @ MG Dealers

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MG4 EV Urban: Essence 43 $29,990, Essence 54 $32,990 Drive Away @ MG Dealers
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djkelly69 on 11/09/2026 - 17:14 mgmotor.com.au (5859 clicks)
Last edited 01/10/2026 - 11:02 by 2 other users

Fresh off winning Wheels Best Small Car (Electric) 2026, the MG4 Urban now has $2,000 "cashback" as well (read extra discount as far as I can tell).

So $29,990 drive away for the Essence 43 and $32,990 for the Essence 54.

Personally my pick would be the Essence 54. Plenty of contenders at the moment (hence the cashback I guess), but this has to be up there for those looking for a city or second car. Comments on the forums suggest the quoted 400km WLTP range is pretty accurate for the real world. Vinyl seats not looking ideal coming into summer however.

Edit - quoted WLTP ranges as requested:
Essence 43 - 316km
Essence 54 - 405km

Automotive Car MG Electric Vehicle

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Comments

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    • djkelly69 on 11/09/2026 - 17:26

      Added now

      • 8
      • King Tightarse on 11/09/2026 - 17:36

        They need to do something with the S5 EV price. It's starting to look overpriced with all the sub $30,000 range newcomers

        • 7
        • tonyjzx on 11/09/2026 - 17:38

          yeah its a bit slow and aint really all that competitive compared to the competiton

          it is rwd though but the power isnt there

          • 1
      • shxhshzhz on 11/09/2026 - 17:41

        No. $29,990 is the final price after $2000 cashback.

        Home page: Price includes $2000 cashback

        • 9
  • King Tightarse on 11/09/2026 - 17:20

    Makes sense. So many more models have/are dropping in the EV space in the ~$30,000 range.
    The Jaecoo J5 EV https://www.omodajaecoo.com.au/models/jaecoo-j5-bev has been a big break out success and no doubt is taking sales off them

    • 5
    • tonyjzx on 11/09/2026 - 17:35

      its $37k

      i'm sure all the $60,000 pa millionaires on ozbb will have no problem paying that

      i hear there is an updated 27 model for the MG4 Urban but most of the changes look like bullshit…eg bigger screen

      • -7
      • King Tightarse on 11/09/2026 - 17:38

        Yes, there's reallt a lot of action in that price range at teh moment.
        The latest two brands to drop 'Lepas' and 'Forthing' https://www.forthing.com.au/ !

        • 2
        • tonyjzx on 11/09/2026 - 17:42

          forthing is dong feng and i wouldnt even bother

          Lepas is Chery's 2nd tier brand

          The Leadmotor B05 looks tops but i'm guessing people would rather buy an SUV than an overgrown Golf

          https://www.leapmotor.net/au/b05

          • 3
          • King Tightarse on 11/09/2026 - 17:44

            @tonyjzx: Lepas is part of Chery group, who are sprouting sub brands like mushrooms at the moment

            • 5
            • tonyjzx on 11/09/2026 - 17:46

              @King Tightarse: yeah the thing about is that they would be just using the same tech ie. platform and just changing the shell so…

              that chery omoda e5 looks like a pile of shit… if they changed the shell to something not awful it could be ok

              • 1
          • cowboydev on 12/09/2026 - 11:50

            @tonyjzx: Thanks for that, this does look pretty good. Gonna check the specs and see if this will be my next car!

            • 0
          • mobzer on 12/09/2026 - 13:46

            @tonyjzx: That almost looks like a car I would buy. I wish someone made a bare bones minimal hatchback ev instead of trying to cram every luxury feature into it. I want cloth seats and a simple interior to maximise the room I get and so it doesn't get sticky and burn my skin in the summer

            • 1
        • djmm on 11/09/2026 - 19:07

          Damn more and more random brands I'd rather pay more for something with track record

          • 8
      • Autonomic on 11/09/2026 - 18:01

        You could get them for $35k-$36k quite easily through a broker.

        GWM Ora 5 is also a contender.

        For a few $k extra they're worth considering.

        • 4
        • tonyjzx on 11/09/2026 - 18:03

          to me the Ora and the Jaecoo J5 are both super powerful ugly and i couldnt even contemplate having that sitting on my drive

          i could do the B05 though

          • 6
          • Duff5000 on 11/09/2026 - 20:51

            @tonyjzx: I quite like the Ora 5 (and B05).

            • 0
            • OhNoUShiz on 11/09/2026 - 21:44

              @Duff5000: Only issue about Ora 5 to me is the gear selector on the right… Why…

              • 0
        • BargainHunterMYz on 11/09/2026 - 20:57

          Which broker do you use? How much is the potential saving? Do you know whether it's worth using a broker if try to get through novated lease? Thank you

          • 0
        • abadacus on 12/09/2026 - 12:21

          Ora 5 is the only car under 40k with ventilated and memory driver seat
          I got mine for 34500 drive away in green

          • 1
          • OhNoUShiz on 14/09/2026 - 19:48

            @abadacus: How do you find the gear selector on the right? How did you get $34500?

            • 0
    • acersaurus on 11/09/2026 - 18:20

      The Jaecoo is doing OK/decently in monthly sales but I thought it would do better.

      https://thedriven.io/2026/09/04/australian-electric-vehicle-…

      The MG4 Urban hasn't really caught fire. Maybe if it was an SUV.

      • 1
      • tonyjzx on 11/09/2026 - 18:32

        those BYD Geely Zeekr numbers are insane

        ok BYD we know they are everywhere but the relatively unknown geely and zeekr killing MG and the trads is just sad… for THEM

        • 3
        • BlueJay87 on 11/09/2026 - 20:57

          Yeah BYD as a group outsold BYD in EV sales last month!

          • 1
          • Duff5000 on 11/09/2026 - 21:04

            @BlueJay87:

            Yeah BYD as a group outsold BYD in EV sales last month!

            Say what now?

            • 4
            • BlueJay87 on 11/09/2026 - 21:24

              @Duff5000:

              Say what now?

              Look at the link and scroll to bottom where it splits it by manufacturers. Geely group includes Geely, Zeekr, Volvo

              • 0
              • djkelly69 on 11/09/2026 - 21:37

                @BlueJay87: They are referring to the fact you said BYD outsold BYD, which doesn't make a whole lot of sense.

                • 7
              • Duff5000 on 11/09/2026 - 22:15

                @BlueJay87: Polestar, Lotus and Smart as well. (polestar being the one that matters in a sales count)

                Oh sorry, i meant byd outsold geely

                That makes more sense :)

                • 1
                • BlueJay87 on 11/09/2026 - 22:17

                  @Duff5000: Yeah sorry forgot to include those too but in Australia the vast majority of EV sales are just Geely and Zeekr

                  • 0
                  • soan papdi on 11/09/2026 - 23:34

                    @BlueJay87: I own an ex5 and it’s a surprisingly good car. I thought it would be just okay but it has grown on me. Except the gear stalk on the right. Hate it.

                    • 0
    • Churna on 11/09/2026 - 20:53

      the main comp to this car at its price point is the GWM ora 5. but this has a bigger boot

      • 1
    • UltimateAI on 11/09/2026 - 22:30

      Very different cars though, J5 doesn't even have Connectivity or Scheduled Charging.

      • 1
      • coxymla on 11/09/2026 - 23:19

        Friend of mine bought a J5 and a normal dumb charger, had to return the charger to get a Tuya "smart" charger just to set it to charge during the correct time of day.

        • 2
  • tonyjzx on 11/09/2026 - 17:37

    the MG4 has HEATED seats but not cooled… maybe china isnt as hot as it is here…

    • -3
    • Rod M on 11/09/2026 - 17:51

      Heated seats are easier to implement imo, think a small electric blanket imbedded in the seat. Cooling requires ducting and fans etc

      • 17
      • bio on 11/09/2026 - 18:11

        Peltier cooling is a thing, but I'm not sure whether it's used in car seats.

        • -5
        • FuRyZ on 11/09/2026 - 20:55

          Running an AC duct under the floor and piping it into the bottom of the seat is far simpler than trying to implement a peltier cooled seat.

          Peltiers are glorified heat pumps, and their ability to cool is only as good as your ability to keep the hot side of the peltier under control. You typically use large heatsinks and noisy fans to keep that hot side of the peltier, temperature stable. I dont think anyone wants a fan blowing hot air out from under the seat just so you can cool the surface of the car seat.

          But you could solve this peltier heat problem by ducting cooled AC air to the peltier… then why not just send that cooled air straight to seat… like every other cooled seat does. See how this solution makes no sense.

          • 4
          • bio on 12/09/2026 - 15:53

            @FuRyZ:

            Running an AC duct under the floor and piping it into the bottom of the seat is far simpler

            Running a flexible AC duct with a large cross-section into an adjustable car seat, which is usually sold as an option, is far simpler than an electric wire with a solid-state module, plus a fan? Wow.

            ducting cooled AC air to the peltier… then why not just send that cooled air straight to seat… like every other cooled seat does

            Lol, you are so confident. Can you give an example of a car with AC-cooled seats? Because I couldn't find any. Apparently no one has ever manufactured a seat with a duct from the AC unit.

            Manufacturers seem to have exclusively used peltier-cooled seats, even though this solution makes no sense.

            https://gentherm.com/en/mobility/climate-comfort/

            • 1
    • SoTightEcoLPI on 11/09/2026 - 19:15

      Wouldn't touch cooled seats with perforated seats. I have 3 kids would be filled with KFC mashed chips by weeks end.

      • 5
      • plmko on 11/09/2026 - 19:27

        Normally cooled seats are for the driver….unless you get them to drive to KFC.

        • 4
      • Nom on 11/09/2026 - 19:45

        You let your kids eat KFC in your car ?

        May the force be with you !!

        • 10
      • nikoris on 11/09/2026 - 19:47

        Normal people wouldn't give food to kids in the car if that was an issue.

        • 8
      • FuRyZ on 11/09/2026 - 20:58

        The solution here seems pretty obvious. Sell the kids and enjoy the silence in your cooled seats.

        • 6
    • JIMB0 on 11/09/2026 - 23:06

      It snows up north. But then again it also snows in Japan and my old Toyota has heated and cooled seats.

      • 0
    • Hinee on 12/09/2026 - 18:21

      So does my new Rav4

      • -1
  • node modules on 11/09/2026 - 17:40

    Would this one or mahindra impress the ladies?

    • 6
    node modules on 11/09/2026 - 17:40 (Collapsed - Offtopic. Show)
    • tonyjzx on 11/09/2026 - 17:43

      i'd put it like this… i put $120 for 60 litres of fuel into my SUV and that's considered cheap

      that wont get me… 2 weeks

      an EV?

      the ladies would be impressed i have more money in my pocket that fer sure…

      • 12
      • djmm on 11/09/2026 - 19:10

        You rely on money in pocket to pick up ladies?

        • 0
        • Xizor on 11/09/2026 - 21:23

          Probably cheaper in the long run :D

          • 4
    • Rod M on 11/09/2026 - 17:47

      You’re trying to impress chicks with a car?

      • -4
      • tonyjzx on 11/09/2026 - 17:50

        its a joke.. these kids who cant afford nice cars and drive their mum's camry love a laugh

        • 1
        • zoza on 11/09/2026 - 18:05

          Camry are expensive now

          • 4
          • plmko on 11/09/2026 - 19:35

            @zoza: And desirable. SL model is just ace.

            • 1
    • zoza on 11/09/2026 - 18:05

      Impresses the guys

      • 0
    • acersaurus on 11/09/2026 - 19:24

      The car oozes elderly femininity (though I would still buy it if I needed a car, based on non looks factors)

      If you want to buy a car that oozes toxic masculinity, as well as disregard for climate change - buy a RAM.

      • -3
      • Lets Make Sandwiches on 12/09/2026 - 06:36

        Yes I wouldn't be seen dead in one of these. C200 coupe daily driver and m3 toy.

        • 0
    • Spets on 11/09/2026 - 20:05

      That depends, if she's from the sub continent or not.

      • 0
    • mr_asstight on 11/09/2026 - 20:50

      Anything indian is a hit with the ladies. But you need to be a Brahmin not a dalit

      • -1
    • abadacus on 12/09/2026 - 16:55

      It's the caste that matters, not the car!

      • 0
  • MrZ on 11/09/2026 - 17:45

    I heard an ad on radio the other day advertising the new "MG 35 (pronounced as three-five)" . I've never heard of this model before, any idea what it was talking about?

    • 0
    • Gojkins on 12/09/2026 - 01:14

      Its the MG 3 Vibe, but the way he says vibe and it being straight after a 3, brain registers "three five".

      • 3
      • MrZ on 12/09/2026 - 03:32

        Ah, thanks!

        • 1
  • dollarone on 11/09/2026 - 17:46

    The 0-100 time is good for a cheap EV, looked it up and actually the same as the most popular Commodore V6 (the VT) at 9 seconds.

    • 6
    • macca on 11/09/2026 - 18:06

      Good to put it in perspective, the "old" commodores then felt pretty fast at the time, now everything's slow if it's over 5 seconds to 100

      • 3
      • tonyjzx on 11/09/2026 - 18:27

        well i mean remember the senator 185kW… they were never that fast…

        until 1998 or so when the first LS1 powered commodes came out

        but I mean… for a grocery getter, getting to work school car i mean 0-100 in 9 secs is fine

        • 0
        • BusMan247 on 11/09/2026 - 18:38

          It’s funny my seal performance does 3.8sec, but being on holiday I’ve been driving a 900cc Renault RWD rear engine little slug. Probably 0-100 in about 14 secs. I loved it and having buttons was great.
          Fuel is a stinger in Europe (€2.12 ltr) but honestly sometimes I think I miss just having a manual and actual buttons and no (profanity) iPad would be great. Nissan Z?!

          • 4
          • Funky Kong on 11/09/2026 - 22:32

            @BusMan247: My son has a z350 manual and it's fast, but my daughter bought a 660cc turbo Daihatsu copen 5 speed manual and it's so much fun ripping through 5 gears everywhere you go.

            • 3
        • nikoris on 11/09/2026 - 19:48

          I mean

          • 2
    • horseshoe on 11/09/2026 - 20:36

      I bought a Jaecoo J5 and the acceleration is shockingly good. To the extent that I understand why some EVs are expensive to insure. Some of these cars are in supercar levels of acceleration, because we as customers have no real reference point for how powerful an EV motor needs to be, so bigger number = better.

      • 3
      • coxymla on 11/09/2026 - 23:21

        I look forward to 2036 where people actually take off from lights and accelerate up to the speed limit on onramps, as opposed to slowly dawdling everywhere.

        • 3
    • Duff5000 on 11/09/2026 - 20:54

      We have a MG HS PHEV which is just under 7 seconds. Makes the kids sick if you floor it to pull into a gap or similar.

      Not sure how they will cope if we ever get anything faster.

      • 0
      • Darayus on 14/09/2026 - 10:16

        mine IM6 is under 3.5 and it zooop like a rocket

        • 1
    • UltimateAI on 11/09/2026 - 22:47

      True but EV's are not just about the 0-100 times, you get insane responsiveness and torque at any speed.
      You could be driving up Mt Ousley at a decent speed, then decide to overtake and bam crazy acceleration.

      • 3
    • MrZ on 12/09/2026 - 03:34

      On what planet is 0-100 in 9s "good"??

      • -3
  • scotty on 11/09/2026 - 17:59

    From the specs there does not appear to be any difference in equipment level between Essence 43 & 54, other than the battery size? For pure city driving, 300+km is plenty so it's probably better to save $3,000 and get the Essence 43 instead.

    • 3
    • tonyjzx on 11/09/2026 - 18:02

      yeah thats it

      your entire choice is COLOR and battery

      it depends on your point of view.. some guys have said that $3,000 for an extra 100km is cheap as and must have…

      • 5
      • stumo on 11/09/2026 - 18:05

        Not to mention resale value

        • 2
      • Shiroi Okami on 11/09/2026 - 18:05

        how many years will the extra battery capacity buy you when the battery is degrading and is the $3k worth it

        • 0
        • tonyjzx on 11/09/2026 - 18:11

          hey as long as this thing lasts out the 10yr warranty i could give a shit

          its a $30k car

          i mean i'd look at it like this… if i buy now it runs out halloween 2036

          could give a shit what happens then… my last kid will be hitting university and who knows what the world will be like

          • 4
        • Eragus on 14/09/2026 - 23:03

          The battery degrades by around 1% each year. After 10 years, the 54kwh battery is still larger in capacity than the 43kwh battery when it is new.

          • 0
    • UltimateAI on 11/09/2026 - 22:52

      True, but worth noting with all LFP batteries, to maximise battery life they work best in the 20-80% range with a monthly charge to 100% to maintain an accurate SOC.
      The extra battery size, may also mean less frequent charging (convenience) and extend battery life through requiring less cycles.

      • 1
      • soan papdi on 11/09/2026 - 23:41

        Geely ex5 has LFP and the manual recommends 100% charge at least once a week.

        • 3
      • ChickenA on 12/09/2026 - 10:23

        worth noting with all LFP batteries, to maximise battery life they work best in the 20-80% range with a monthly charge to 100% to maintain an accurate SOC

        My EV5 is LFP, and the manual states that it should be charged to 100% at least once a month, and the computer would pop up saying charge to 100% if I don't do it after a while.

        There is no problem with charging to 100% with LFP batteries.

        • 4
        • UltimateAI on 12/09/2026 - 12:34

          Perhaps you are on a mobile and missed where I said "monthly charge to 100% to maintain accurate SOC.
          You could also state, don't worry these are LFP they deteriorate more with age, but some of us like to preserve battery health over an accurate state of charge. With LFP 20-80% is the optimal range for SOH. SOC is NOT health. Even with the monthly charge to 100%, it's best for health if you use the car immediately. Storing long-term < 50% reduces degradation.

          Manuals are designed the best mix of user experience and longevity. The Tesla manual basically says plug-in all the time. It's not wrong, but not the best for battery health.

          Don't get me wrong, it's absolutely safe to charge an LFP to 100% daily and the battery will likely stay within the warranty specs. I'm just calling out the best practice to optimise battery health for LFPs. As I said earlier, LFPs deteriorate more with age than your usage pattern, so don't stress too much.

          • 0
          • scotty on 12/09/2026 - 14:02

            @UltimateAI: Keeping the battery within 20-80% even with LFP is a great advice for minmaxing the battery health. For average Aussie drivers like us that do 12,000km a year and replace cars every 5-6 years, the benefit might be minimum though. I do tell my parents (who drive an Atto 2) to keep the battery at around 50% whenever they go away for holidays, but that's about it…

            • 2
            • UltimateAI on 12/09/2026 - 14:32

              @scotty: 100% true, majority of degradation from LFPs results from age not use. Yet some of us (myself) focus on health to brag in 10years about having 2% more health.

              • 3
  • team teri on 11/09/2026 - 18:05

    I wonder when we will get close to this in terms of value for money again. 2 years on, still the best EV deal we've ever had in Australia.

    Different car. More fun to drive.

    Insurance renewal just came, still valued at $27500, which is exactly what it cost back then, after the $3500 WA state government subsidy.

    • 4
    • Ozybargdias on 11/09/2026 - 18:20

      That was a great deal. But factoring inflation, $30,990 in 2024 is equal to around $33,500 today — so this deal is on the Essence 54 is comparable.

      In any case, great to hear the value of yours has held up. The “EV depreciation” doomsayers have been awfully quiet lately.

      • 7
    • oscargamer on 11/09/2026 - 19:53

      I bought one of these when is was 29990. Or that was my memory of the price. Was i wrong?

      EDIT - not wrong . Found Nov Lease paperwork, $29990.65 on the road

      • 1
    • UltimateAI on 11/09/2026 - 22:59

      I have the same car in Red, been monitoring the market, no way you will get $27k now, prices have dropped since the new model and lots of good NEW options around $30k

      Agree though car is too fun to drive, need something a bit slower.

      • 0
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