The race for Australia’s cheapest electric car in 2023

The ‘affordable’ electric-car market in Australia is set for a major expansion next year, with the arrival of a range of five new contenders in the next 12 months expected to cost in the region of $45,000.

Five new electric cars – four from China, and one from Europe – are due in Australia between this month and the middle of next year, with expected price tags between $35,000 and $50,000.

For the last 18 months, Australia’s most affordable electric passenger vehicle has been the MG ZS EV small SUV, priced from $43,990 drive-away at launch in late 2020, before rising to $44,990 drive-away last year.

But an imminent mid-life upgrade for the ZS EV will push the starting price to $46,990 drive-away – opening the door for cheaper competition within MG’s own model range, as well as Chinese rivals Great Wall Motors (GWM) and BYD.

Australian pricing has only been locked in for one of the five cars – which comprise the Chinese MG 4, Ora Good Cat and BYD Dolphin hatchbacks, BYD Atto 3 SUV, and Italian-built Fiat 500e city car – however they’re all expected to cost within a few thousand dollars of each other.

First of the five to launch will be the BYD Atto 3 (above), the first mass-produced model sold in Australia by BYD, short for Build Your Dreams – one of China’s largest electric vehicle makers, distributed in Australia through local company EVDirect.

EVDirect says it has received more than 4000 orders for the Atto 3 – and the ability to source up to 3000 examples from China each month – ahead of the first customer deliveries, due to begin this month.

The BYD Atto 3 is priced from $44,381 plus on-road costs, or $44,990 to $47,932 drive-away – up to $2000 less than the entry-level MG ZS EV Excite in most states (except NSW, Victoria and Western Australia).

Due next year are four small hatchbacks, all expected to cost from around $40,000 to $45,000 drive-away – but of varying sizes, from the city-sized, 3.6m-long Fiat 500e, to the four-metre-long, five-door BYD Dolphin (or Atto 2), and larger, 4.2m-long Ora Good Cat and MG 4 EV.

If overseas prices are a guide, the BYD Dolphin – alternatively slated to wear the Atto 2 badge – may be the cheapest of the bunch, at about $37,000 plus on-road costs (or $40,000 drive-away) for a top-of-the -range version.

This flagship variant is powered by a 44.9kWh battery and either a 70kW or 130kW electric motor, good for up to 400km of claimed driving range under lenient Chinese testing procedures.

With a smaller 30.7kWh battery fitted – for 300km of claimed driving range – Chinese prices suggest an entry-level model could slot in below $35,000 drive-away, however Australian details are yet to be confirmed.

Due at a similar time is the MG 4, available in the UK with 51kWh or 64kWh battery packs and 125kW or 150kW electric motors, delivering between 350km and 452km of driving range according to more realistic European WLTP test protocols.

Using UK prices as a guide, an entry-level MG 4 with the smaller battery pack and less potent motor could cost just over $40,000 drive-away in Australia – a mild price premium over mid-grade versions of petrol cars, such as a Toyota Corolla SX Hybrid ($34,500 drive-away in NSW).

A flagship MG 4 with all features and the longest range could cost about $49,000 drive-away – undercutting the top-of-the-range ZS EV Essence, which offers a higher seating position, but 320km of claimed driving range.

It remains to be seen how the Ora Good Cat – the first right-hand-drive model in a new brand of electric cars from China’s Great Wall Motors, and sized similarly to the MG 4, or a Volkswagen Golf – is priced in Australia.

While some industry estimates placed it below $40,000 drive-away – based on Thai pricing, where the Good Cat is 20 per cent cheaper than a ZS EV – it could cost closer to $50,000, as in the UK its price matches the MG ZS EV variant equivalent to Australia’s $49,990 Essence model grade.

That price gets UK buyers a 48kWh battery pack and 126kW/250Nm electric motor, claimed to be capable of 311km of driving range, and an 8.3-second 0-100km/h time. A larger 63kWh battery capable of covering 420km on a charge is available overseas.

The smallest of the five cars is the Fiat 500e, the successor to the petrol-powered 500 – launched in 2007 as a resurrection of the iconic 1950s Fiat 500 (Cinquecento) – due in showrooms sometime next year.

Despite its size – and lack of rear doors – the 500e may prove to be one of the most expensive of the upcoming ‘budget’ electric cars, with UK pricing suggesting flagship versions may nudge $48,000 drive-away.

If this estimate proves true, it would be the most expensive Fiat ever sold in Australia – excluding the large Ducato van – and close to double the price of the current petrol-driven 500, which starts from about $27,000 drive-away (in NSW) .

While a mid-grade version with fewer features could cost closer to $43,000 drive-away, it’s still higher than even the Abarth 695 hot-hatch version of the current 500, which starts from about $40,000 drive-away after a recent price rise.

Of the two powertrains available in Europe, most likely for Australian showrooms is a 42kWh battery pack and 87kW electric motor, which are said to enable up to 320km of WLTP driving range and a nine–second 0-100km/h acceleration time.

The first of Australia’s new ‘affordable’ electric cars is due this month (BYD Atto 3) – with the MG 4 and Ora Good Cat due to follow early next year, the BYD Dolphin/Atto 2 between March and mid-year (though orders are due to open this year), and the Fiat sometime in 2023.

Other new small electric cars set for Australian launches next year include the Cupra Born hatchback and Renault Megane E-Tech small SUV – but these are likely to cost in excess of $55,000 plus on-road costs.

stay tuned to Drive for full details of pricing and specifications for four of the five cars detailed earlier, as their launches approach next year.

Note: All prices in the list above are drive-away