Best $40K electric car in Australia: 2024 MG 4 vs BYD Dolphin comparison review

11/12/2024 06:12 PM

These days it seems most things in life are more expensive than they were a few years ago – yet electric cars are cheaper to buy than ever.

New budget-priced models from Chinese car brands – powered by more affordable battery technology – are driving down the starting prices of electric vehicles (EVs) in Australia.

Five years ago, the cheapest new EV on sale from a major manufacturer cost close to $50,000 drive-away. Today, it's less than $35,000.

We crowned the MG 4 Essence 64 as the Drive Car of the Year 2024 – Best Electric Vehicle Under $50K – but not everyone's budget can stretch that far.

Here we've lined up our favourite two sub-$40,000 electric cars on sale in Australia today: the base models of the MG 4 and BYD Dolphin.

The MG 4 in these photos has been in the Drive garage for three months as a long-term test vehicle – while this is among our first opportunities to get behind the wheel of the base-model Dolphin, as much of the attention has focused on more expensive models.

Which is best? Let's find out.

How much do the MG 4 and BYD Dolphin cost in Australia?

On test are the cheapest versions of each car – the MG 4 Excite 51 and BYD Dolphin Dynamic – both of which cost about $40,000 drive-away… at the time of testing. That's an important distinction we'll explain in a moment.

The BYD Dolphin Dynamic is priced from $36,890 plus on-road costs, or $37,899 to $39,553 drive-away, depending on the state of registration ($39,241 drive-away in NSW, where this test was conducted).

There are no extra-cost options; four exterior paint colours are available, all offered for no cost, including the Sand White on this vehicle.

Meanwhile, the MG 4 Excite 51 was – earlier in 2024 – priced from $39,990 drive-away for Model Year 2023 stock, or $40,990 drive-away for 2024-plate cars, with our test car's Dover White paint the free base shade.

Since then, the price of the MG has changed twice – and will soon change a third time.

After nationwide drive-away prices were dropped in August 2024, they returned in September at a much lower sticker – $30,990 drive-away nationally until October 31.

From 1 November 2024, the MG 4 Excite 51 rose to $32,990 drive-away, a price valid until 31 January 2025 – but it still holds a $7000-plus cost advantage.

While the MG 4 is now much cheaper than the Dolphin, the BYD leaves the MG in the dust on equipment.

Standard in the MG are 17-inch alloy wheels with aero covers, LED headlights and tail-lights, a 7.0-inch instrument display, 10.25-inch touchscreen with wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, four speakers, a rear-view camera with rear sensors, fabric seat trim, single-zone climate control, leather steering wheel, autonomous emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, lane-keep and lane-centring assists, and traffic sign recognition.

The BYD only has 16-inch alloys, and a 5.0-inch instrument display, but it adds a rotating 12.8-inch touchscreen, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, satellite navigation, six speakers, wireless phone charging, panoramic glass roof, synthetic leather-look trim, heated power-adjustable front seats, a 360-degree camera, front sensors, blind-spot monitoring and front/rear cross-traffic alerts.

The Dolphin may be better equipped, but we're handing the win to the MG 4 in the value-for-money stakes.

How big are the MG 4 and BYD Dolphin?

The MG 4 and BYD Dolphin are both classified as 'small cars', but as the photos show, their proportions are quite different.

On one side, the MG is a traditional Toyota Corolla-sized hatch – about 4.3 metres long (4287mm to be exact), reasonably wide (1836mm) for a broad stance on the road, and quite low to the ground (1504mm tall), with 2705mm between the front and rear wheels.

The BYD is about the same length (4290mm), on a similar wheelbase (2700mm), but it's quite a bit narrower (1770mm wide), yet taller (1570mm) – giving it a Honda Jazz-esque 'tallboy' look.

That is felt most inside, where there's less room for the front occupants' elbows on the centre armrest, and not as much space in the middle-rear seat of the BYD.

Both cars offer enough space for transporting kids or shorter adults in the rear seats, but for a six-foot-tall (183cm) passenger sitting behind a driver of the same height, the MG offers comparable knee room yet, despite the lower body, more head room.

Should a taller passenger sitting in the middle-rear seat of the BYD lean forward to speak to the driver, they will whack their head on the sunroof structure – not a problem faced by the sunroof-less MG.

Neither car has rear air vents, but whereas the MG only has a USB-A port and seatback map pockets, the BYD has those plus a USB-C port, cupholder behind the centre console, a fold-down armrest, and smartphone pockets behind the front seats.

The BYD's sunroof brings loads of light in – MG rear passengers don't even get a dome light on the roof lining – while both cars have bottle holders in the doors, and the requisite child-seat anchors (three top tethers, two ISOFIX).

Move up front and it's clear these cars do things differently.

Simplicity is the name of the game in the MG 4, with two freestanding displays for the infotainment and instruments, a shelf at knee level for the rotary gear-shift dial, and a huge open storage area for phones, wallets, and two drinks in cupholders.

There is no start button – just sit in the MG, close the door, place your foot on the brake pedal, and the car comes to life. The order is important, as pushing the brake before closing the door can confuse the car, but another double-push on the pedal fixes the issue. Switching the car off is as simple as getting out and locking the doors.

The steering wheel is large for a small car, but it has height and reach adjustment, while the front seats are trimmed in fabric, manually adjustable, and offer a pleasant blend of comfort and support.

Space for front occupants doesn't feel cramped, but taller drivers will find their left knee hitting the gear selector shelf – and there's a lot of black plastic around the cabin, albeit well assembled without any obvious squeaks or rattles.

In contrast, the BYD's cabin is far more extroverted, with plenty of dolphin-inspired touches – including flipper-like door pulls – and a mix of soft-touch leather-like, and colour-contrast coverings on the dashboard and doors.

The instrument display is mounted to the height and reach-adjustable steering column, while the infotainment touchscreen is larger than the MG's, and can rotate from portrait to landscape (more in the next section).

BYD fits a normal start button on the dashboard, and the gear selector is a small, slightly fiddly rocker switch beside the driver's left knee.

The front seats are trimmed in synthetic leather-look upholstery – coloured black and beige in this Sand White test car – and offer power adjustment (six-way driver and four-way front passengers).

They are lacking in side support compared to the MG, and we didn't quite gel with them in terms of comfort – my 6ft 1in (186cm) frame experienced some irritation around my shoulder blades – but your mileage may vary.

The BYD is much better equipped than the MG inside, with a wireless phone charging pad, heated front seats, and the sunroof, as well as power-folding mirrors. It feels more worthy of its price as a result.

There's a reasonable amount of storage in both cars, but it's the MG's that is more useable. The Dolphin has room under the screen for wallets and keys the MG 4 lacks – rather than letting them roll around in the open area – but the centre armrest is fixed, so the storage area below it can only be accessed from the side.

Both cars have gloveboxes and door pockets with more space for storing items, as well as two USB ports (one USB-A and one USB-C each), a 12-volt socket, single-zone climate control managed through the touchscreen, and keyless entry/start.

Claimed boot capacities are similar, at 345L for the Dolphin and 363L for the MG 4. The BYD has a removable divider that raises the boot floor height, but has a frame that prevents a full-sized, hard-shell suitcase from being laid flat.

The MG's load area is a more useable rectangular shape, and can easily fit a large suitcase laid flat, beside a smaller carry-on suitcase on its side. There's a light in the MG's boot, and no bag hooks or power outlets in either cargo area.

The rear seats in both cars fold 60:40, the BYD featuring a flat floor with the divider in place. Neither car has a storage area under the bonnet, nor any dedicated slots to store the charging cables, and as with most EVs, there is only a puncture repair kit, not a spare tyre.

Do the MG 4 and BYD Dolphin have Apple CarPlay and Android Auto?

Both the BYD Dolphin and MG 4 are fitted with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and a full suite of FM and digital DAB radio, but there's where the similarities begin to end.

The MG has a 10.25-inch screen with wired smartphone connectivity, but no embedded satellite navigation or AM radio. The icons are big and the screen is clear, but it's not the quickest to respond, and the graphics look basic.

The wired Apple CarPlay connection on test was not smooth sailing, often requiring a disconnection and reconnection if the phone was plugged in before the screen had a chance to initialise after getting into the car.

In contrast, the BYD's screen is the centre-piece of its cabin, a 12.8-inch touchscreen – with satellite navigation, AM radio and a voice assistant that can be activated with 'Hey BYD' – which can rotate between portrait and landscape.

BYD's infotainment screen is based on Android – the operating system for phones and tablets, not the Android Auto app – so it is quick to respond, easy to use after you get your head around the system's sheer number of menus, and the display is high resolution.

Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto is available in the latest software update, but unfortunately the car supplied to us by BYD ran older software with wired connectivity only.

Our experiences in other BYD models with wireless CarPlay and Android Auto, as well as our time in this Dolphin with wired versions, tells us the connection will be stable and reliable. Either way, though, you can only run Apple CarPlay and Android Auto with the display in landscape mode.

Both cars hide their air-conditioning controls through the touchscreen, but equally each has a software workaround to make key functions easier to access.

In the Dolphin, a three-finger swipe up and down will control the temperature, while a three-finger swipe left and right will vary the fan speed. This is part of the latest software update that wasn't loaded to this vehicle, but that we've tested extensively in other BYDs.

Meanwhile, a pair of star buttons on the MG's steering wheel can be set to control different vehicle functions, including climate control. Doing so lets the driver use one of the joysticks on the wheel to change fan speed with left and right movements, or temperature with up and down movements, without needing to exit CarPlay or Android Auto.

The BYD lacks the MG's physical home button for easily exiting Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, but users can swipe up from the bottom of the screen to open a menu bar that gives easy access to the home screen.

The MG wins points over the BYD for a larger driver’s display (7.0-inch vs 5.0-inch) that displays more information and is easier to control, but loses marks for two fewer speakers than the Dolphin (four vs six).

Parking cameras are higher-resolution in the BYD – and cover front, rear, and top-down views – against the MG's single, grainy rear-view camera.

Both cars offer smartphone companion apps for remote control and monitoring of vehicle functions, but the BYD's version offers more features.

Are the MG 4 and BYD Dolphin safe cars?

The MG 4 and BYD Dolphin are both covered by five-star ANCAP safety ratings, based on testing conducted by sister organisation Euro NCAP.

But whereas the MG was tested in 2022 – against about-to-be-replaced 2020–22 crash-test criteria – the Dolphin was evaluated against more stringent standards in 2023.

That means it was subjected to tougher tests, including how well it can prevent collisions with motorcycles, or allow occupants to escape in the event the vehicle becomes submerged.

Yet the Dolphin still managed to earn higher scores in two of the four test categories (adult occupant protection and vulnerable road user protection), and match the MG in one other criterion (child occupant protection).

What safety technology do the MG 4 and BYD Dolphin have?

Both vehicles are fitted as standard with autonomous emergency braking (AEB) with pedestrian/cyclist detection and intersection support, lane-keep assist, lane-centring assist, adaptive cruise control, and traffic sign recognition.

Only the BYD is fitted with blind-spot monitoring, front and rear cross-traffic alert, low-speed rear-facing AEB for car parks, front parking sensors, child presence detection (which warns of kids left in the back seats when the car is turned off), and a door exit warning for oncoming cars or cyclists.

It is also fitted with a centre airbag between the front occupants to prevent heads clashing in severe side impacts, which is lacking in the MG's six airbags (dual frontal, front-side, side curtain) it shares with the Dolphin.

While the BYD has a longer list of equipment, our testers found the technology the MG does have to be more intuitively calibrated.

Neither car is perfect, but the lane-keep assist is less intrusive in the MG 4, its lane-centring assist wanders slightly less between the white lines – though the MG still doesn't quite hold the centre of the lane as we'd like – and its adaptive cruise control can be easily adjusted in 1km/h increments.

The BYD has a front cross-traffic alert system that is overzealous and prone to beeping in roundabouts – even when the driver's view of oncoming cars is clear.

As with many other new cars, the Dolphin has an overspeed alert that sounds when the vehicle exceeds the speed limit it has detected, accompanied by a 'Speeding' message on the instrument display. It can be turned off in the touchscreen, but it re-activates when the car is restarted. The MG doesn't have this feature.

How much do the MG 4 and BYD Dolphin cost to run?

The MG 4 is covered by the longest new-car warranty in Australia: 10 years or 250,000km, whichever comes first, applicable to the vehicle and its high-voltage battery – up from seven years/unlimited kilometres prior to August 2024.

Meanwhile, the BYD Dolphin is covered by a headline six-year/150,000km warranty on the vehicle, or eight years/160,000km on the high-voltage battery.

Digging deeper into the terms and conditions reveals many of the BYD's components are not covered by the headline time and distance limits. The touchscreen, shock absorbers and even the interior USB ports have only three years/60,000km of coverage, while the tyre pressure monitoring system has four years/100,000km.

The MG also carries exclusions in its warranty terms, but some (although not all) are longer than the BYD.

For example, the 12-volt battery has a 12-month/20,000km warranty in the BYD, against 24 months/unlimited kilometres in the MG – but the bulbs inside and outside the car have a three-month/5000km warranty in the MG against six months/20,000km in the BYD.

MG also reduces the vehicle and battery coverage to seven years/160,000km for cars deemed to fall under "commercial" use – such as Uber ride-sharing or food delivery – but in the case of the overall vehicle warranty, it's still longer than the BYD's full-time assurance.

Service intervals in the BYD Dolphin are every 12 months or 20,000km, whichever comes first, while the MG 4 quotes double: 24 months or 40,000km.

Four years/80,000km of servicing costs $1463 in the Dolphin Dynamic, or $1203 in the MG 4 Excite 51. Over six years/120,000km, the cost difference extends to $627, at totals of $2126 for the BYD and $1499 for the MG.

A year of comprehensive insurance coverage is quoted as $2250 for the Dolphin, and $1966 for the MG, based on a comparative quote for a 35-year-old male driver living in Chatswood, NSW. Insurance estimates may vary based on your location, driving history, and personal circumstances.

Does the MG 4 have a longer range than the BYD Dolphin?

On paper, the BYD Dolphin Dynamic is one of the most efficient electric cars money can buy, with claimed energy consumption of 12.6kWh per 100 kilometres – against a thirsty 18.4kWh/100km quoted for the MG 4 Excite 51.

It means that despite a smaller quoted battery capacity – 44.9kWh useable in the BYD, and 50.8kWh useable in the MG – the Dolphin's 340km claimed driving range in European WLTP lab testing is only 10km behind the MG (350km).

If you're wondering why the battery capacity divided by the energy consumption (and then multiplied by 100) doesn't equate to the claimed driving range, it's because the energy use and range ratings were measured under slightly different test procedures.

Over a test loop comprised of suburban, motorway and enthusiastic country-road driving, the two were closer on energy consumption – 15.8kWh/100km in the MG, and 13.3kWh/100km in the BYD.

This translates to a projected 338km real-world driving range in the Dolphin, against 322km for the MG 4 Excite 51.

After this testing was completed, we timed each vehicle's charging performance from 10 to 80 per cent, then subjected them to a highway driving-range test – over the same 110km/h return loop on the Hume Highway south of Sydney.

The results may surprise you. Whereas the BYD was more frugal around town, the MG used less energy on the freeway, returning energy consumption of 16.6kWh/100km – beating its on-paper claim – against the Dolphin's 16.9kWh/100km.

Combined with the difference in battery capacity, it means the BYD has an estimated full-charge highway driving range of 265km – or just 185km if driving the car from 10 to 80 per cent charge – against the MG's 305km full-charge, or 215km 10 to 80 per cent range.

On paper, the MG should also comfortably win the charging battle, hitting peak power of 88kW on a DC fast charger, against the BYD's 60kW.

In reality, the MG charged its battery from 10 to 80 per cent full just 20 seconds quicker than the BYD, at 34min 50sec against 35min 10sec.

But because it is more energy efficient – based on our data – if both vehicles were plugged in with their batteries at 10 per cent, it would take the MG 31 minutes to gain 200km of highway driving range, against 39 minutes for the BYD.

Both vehicles can accept AC home charging – at a maximum of 6.6kW for the MG, and 7kW for the BYD.

What are the MG 4 and BYD Dolphin like to drive?

The differing approaches taken by BYD and MG in designing these two small electric cars are clearest on the road.

If YouTube videos of Tesla drivers scaring passengers with super-quick acceleration are what come to mind when you think of an electric car, the Dolphin Dynamic's performance may disappoint.

With just 70kW on tap, it's one of the least powerful new cars on sale – and at the bottom of the electric list – but the 180Nm torque rating means it keeps up with city traffic happily, with instant response off the mark. High-speed overtakes need plenty of planning, however.

There is a Sport mode, but it only makes the accelerator pedal response a little sharper – rather than unlocking any more power.

The Dolphin excels around town, with soft, floaty suspension that soaks up potholes and speed bumps reasonably well, super-light steering, and good front and side visibility (but limited out the rear).

There are Normal and High regenerative braking modes, though neither is strong enough for our tastes, nor is there a 'one-pedal' setting that can bring the car to a halt without the need to touch the brake pedal.

The BYD's weaknesses are found outside city limits. It wears the 'Dynamic' badge, but the soft suspension translates to lots of body roll for such a small car, the steering isn't the most direct, and the basic torsion-beam rear suspension of the base Dolphin (compared to the Premium variant, with multi-link rear suspension) can be flustered by mid-corner bumps.

The base Dolphin wears 195/60 R16 Linglong Eco Master tyres. If you've never heard of Linglong, you may not be surprised to learn these tyres don't deliver a lot of grip – though in most situations, the Dynamic rarely has enough power to break traction.

In contrast, if you love driving – and value enjoyable handling and straight-line acceleration – the MG 4 Excite 51 will appeal to you like no other EV at this price point.

The MG 4 is rear-wheel drive, and you can feel that in the way it pushes, not pulls, the car out of bends. It loves to be driven quickly on a winding country road, with accurate steering, quality 215/50 R17 Continental PremiumContact C tyres, and enough power to have fun behind the wheel.

It's a lot more powerful than the Dolphin – 125kW/250Nm – so there's a lot more power on tap for pulling out of junctions, or in motorway overtakes, with an accelerator pedal that's tuned to be more responsive for a 'zippy' feeling that makes even city driving fun.

It is not as supple as the BYD around town – particularly over potholes – but it feels more composed at higher speeds, and the body settles faster after hitting speed bumps, with less of the Dolphin's occasional pitching and diving motions akin to a boat cresting a wave.

The MG's steering is light like the BYD, but it is more direct and intuitively weighted the more the wheel is turned. There are more drive modes to choose from in the MG 4, including a full 'one-pedal' setting that we used much of the time.

While the Dolphin can be noisier on some poorly surfaced country roads, over rough roads around town there is an annoying boom or resonance that reverberates through the MG's cabin that got on our nerves quickly.

Neither of these EVs is a sports car, but we strapped VBox satellite timing equipment to each vehicle to test their acceleration and braking performance, as an indicator of their abilities.

MG claims a 0–100km/h acceleration time of 7.7 seconds for the Excite 51, while the Dolphin Dynamic claims a leisurely 12.3 seconds. Both cars have four-wheel disc brakes.

In our testing, we recorded a 7.8-second sprint for the MG, just shy of its claim – but smashed BYD's claim with an 11.5-second run in the Dolphin. That said, it still makes it one of the slowest hatchbacks on sale, and on par with the pace of a 1.2-litre Suzuki Swift.

Braking distances from 100km/h to zero were 38.2m for the MG – an above-average result for a car of its size, no doubt helped by its German-branded tyres – and 40m for the BYD, which is a below-average result for its size, but not as bad as we were expecting given the unknown brand name on the tyres.

If you like a weekend drive into the country, the MG 4 is the car for you – but if you're an urbanite, and you're not too fussed about having a sporty car, then the Dolphin will be fine for you.

Can the MG 4 and BYD Dolphin tow?

The MG 4 can tow up to 500kg – braked or unbraked – while the BYD Dolphin is not rated to tow.

Both vehicles claim a payload in the low-to-mid-400kg range, which should be enough for four adult passengers and some luggage without exceeding each vehicle’s gross vehicle mass, at which point they become illegal to drive on the road.

Should I buy an MG 4 or a BYD Dolphin?

A few months has proved to be an eternity in the electric-car world in 2024.

When we planned this comparison test, these two electric cars were a similar price – both about $40,000 drive-away – and the MG was covered by a seven-year warranty, against the BYD's six years of coverage.

Today, the MG is $6000 cheaper than the BYD, with a warranty that's four years longer (now 10 years across the MG line-up).

For most Australian buyers, the BYD Dolphin Dynamic will be a better fit. It is far better equipped, more comfortable over bumpy city streets, uses less energy, its cabin technology is better, and it is not much smaller inside than the MG 4.

But is it worth an extra $6000? Customers will ultimately decide, but in our view, it is difficult to justify.

The MG's shorter equipment list is less of a detriment at its lower price, but it is quicker, more enjoyable to drive, roomier inside, and costs less to service, with a longer warranty to give customers unsure about an emerging brand peace of mind.

Although the MG 4's list of advanced safety technology is shorter, the features it does have are calibrated better than the BYD – although neither car is excellent in this area, and elements such as of the MG's cabin technology feel basic.

If MG can continue to sell the Excite 51 for base-model Toyota Yaris money – let alone a Corolla – it will remain the winner of this test.

How do I buy an MG 4 or BYD Dolphin? The next steps.

Both car makers have stock of their entry-level electric cars. To find your nearest MG dealer, click here, while to search for BYD showrooms near you, click here.

You can also find MGs and BYDs for sale on Drive Marketplace.

To stay up to date with everything that’s happened to the MG 4 since this comparison was published, you’ll find all the latest news here – while for the Dolphin, you’ll find it here.

The post Best $40K electric car in Australia: 2024 MG 4 vs BYD Dolphin comparison review appeared first on Drive.