How an electric MG4 could slash your family's fuel bill

03/27/2025 01:00 AM

Thousands of Australians are saving a small fortune each month having switched from a petrol hatchback to an electric one, such as the new five-seat MG4. 

With electricity significantly cheaper than petrol, an electric vehicle (EV) like the MG4 is a cost-of-living game-changer when recharged at home – and is as close to free motoring as you can get, when paired with a home solar set-up. 

In a cost-of-living crisis, that's music to the ears of the busy Australian families who just need a second car for nipping down to the shops, or dropping the kids at school. EVs also enable you to always leave home with a 'full tank' of fuel – meaning no more unscheduled stops for petrol. And you can forget about worrying over petrol prices ever again. 

Prices of new electric cars in Australia have now reduced to the point that an MG4, at $34,888 drive-away, is effectively the same price as an equivalent Japanese-made petrol hatchback. The electric MG4, however, has the ability to save you thousands on your fuel bill – and could come with a (much) longer warranty. 

As the 2024 Drive Car of the Year Best Electric Car under $50K and Australia's favourite electric car in 2024 behind only Tesla, in this article, we explore how an MG4 could supercharge your family's savings – especially with a home solar set-up. 

RELATED: 10 reasons why the MG4 is the ideal second family car

How an MG4 could save the average Aussie $1071 in fuel each year

Owning an electric car and being able to charge it at home could slash your family's fuel bill from more than a thousand dollars to near zero. 

Let's compare an MG4 with an equivalent conventional combustion petrol hatchback for the average Aussie driver. 

Say a 2.0-litre petrol hatchback uses 5.9L/100km on the combined cycle. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the average Australian drives 12,100 kilometres per year. In the case of this petrol hatchback, that's 714 litres of fuel, for an annual petrol bill of $1249 at $1.75/litre. 

Consuming 18.4kWh/100km, the MG4 would use 2226kWh to cover the same distance. If you charged the car at home each night on an off-peak EV electricity plan, you could pay as little as 8c/kWh. That would mean an annual 'fuel' bill of $178. 

Extrapolate that over five years of ownership and assuming petrol and electricity prices remain the same, you're looking at $6254 of fuel for the petrol hatchback, versus $890 for the MG4, a saving of $5364. 

The more you drive, the greater the savings. Using our example above, someone who drives 30,000km a year could save up to $13,279 over five years in an MG4 versus an equivalent petrol hatchback. 

With an MG4, you can take advantage of special EV electricity plans. Some electricity providers offer EV plans with 'free' charging from 11am to 2pm (supply charges still apply). With a single-phase wall socket and the MG4's onboard 6.6kW charger, that's enough time to add more than 100km of range. 

An off-peak EV electricity plan could be as cheap as 8c/kWh between midnight and 6am. You can program your MG4 to charge at these times using MG's iSMART app, which connects your phone to your car. Charging for six hours from a normal powerpoint will be sufficient for most MG4 owners. 

Recharge your MG4 using a home solar set-up and you may simply no longer have to pay for fuel anymore; of course, after you have recouped the original costs of the solar hardware and installation. 

'Free fuel': how to combine an MG4 with home solar for zero-cost motoring

Forget petrol power – how about a solar-powered car? With the price of home solar set-ups plummeting in Australia over the last decade, and spurred on by government incentives, more than 30 per cent of Australian homes now have rooftop solar. In Queensland alone, the Sunshine State has more than a million homes now fitted with a solar set-up. 

As well as enjoying lower electricity bills, pairing an electric vehicle like the MG4 with rooftop solar is as close to zero-cost, emissions-free motoring as you can get. It will also help pay off your solar set-up quicker. 

For a 6.6kW, good quality home solar set-up with 15 panels, you can expect to pay approximately $3500 to $5000, fully installed by an accredited professional. Based on the savings to your electricity bill alone, this could pay itself off within seven years, or sooner with an EV charged during daylight hours. 

How EVs also save you money, and time, with less maintenance

A typical petrol hatchback could cost around $2200 for five services over five years. An MG4 is $1392 over the same time period, and requires servicing 50 per cent less often. 

Whereas most combustion cars require servicing every 12 months or around 15,000km, an MG4 goes two years and up to 40,000km between services. That means less time at a dealership, and more money in your pocket. 

Electric cars can have as few as 17 moving parts in their drivetrain, compared to the 200 or more in a typical combustion vehicle, resulting in significantly less maintenance and improved durability. No oil changes here, and regenerative braking means replacing your brakes less often. 

MG's 10-year new-car warranty, which also covers the battery, means you can make the switch to electric with confidence. MG also provides 10 years of complimentary roadside assistance, provided you continue to service your vehicle at an authorised MG dealership. 

Not just savings: why an MG4 is the ideal second family car

With between 350km and 530km of electric-only driving range to suit your individual needs, the MG4 has you covered for a full week of school pick-ups and drop-offs, commutes to work, trips to the shops, dog park and more. 

Its wide interior can comfortably fit a whole family – including two ISOFIX baby seats in the back. A relatively large boot easily accommodates a pram or 10 grocery bags, while you and your family are kept safe with a five-star ANCAP safety rating. 

With MG's iSMART app, before you get in the car, you can pre-heat the interior on chilly winter days, and pre-cool it on scorching summer ones. The MG4 is also fun and easy to drive around the city with instant electric torque that makes a petrol car feel sluggish. 

If you're looking for a second family vehicle, consider an MG4 and look forward to these benefits, as well as saving potentially thousands of dollars on your fuel bill. 

If your employer offers novated leasing, an MG4 could save you thousands again by allowing you to take repayments from your taxable income, and tap into the Australian Government's current fringe benefits tax (FBT) exemption for electric vehicles – one of its most generous EV incentives. 

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