An online driving personality has shared his views on the best and worst electric cars that are made in China.
Matt Brand runs the YouTube channel CarSauce and regularly posts videos reviewing the latest models and offering tips that can help drivers looking for their next car.
In a recent video, Matt ranks all of the electric cars produced in China that he has tested, stating that the best choice is the MG4.
He advised: “If it were my money, I’d buy the MG4 every day of the week. The MG4 was probably my favourite car of 2023 and, like I said, the regular MG4 is very different to the MG4 XPOWER I had right at the bottom end of this list, and that’s because MG have made one of the most dynamic, cheap electric cars ever.
“We actually drove the poverty-spec MG4 SE, which comes with a surprisingly punchy motor, boasting 125kW (167bhp) of power and 250Nm of torque. And on a wet day we timed a 0-62mph [time] of just 7.95 seconds.”
First introduced to the UK market in September 2022, the MG4 is one of the cheapest full-sized electric cars currently on sale, with prices starting at £26,995.
Whilst Matt was not keen on the high-performance XPOWER version, noting that, whilst the performance is impressive, it does not handle as well as cheaper models and a smaller range.
Instead, the YouTuber recommended buyers interested in a Chinese electric car go for the MG4 SE Long Range, the entry level model with a slightly larger battery, offering a range of 281 miles per charge for under £30,000.
However, drivers looking to pay even less for their next car were advised by Matt to choose a BYD Dolphin, currently the cheapest electric car on the market, stating it shares a lot of technology with the larger Atto 3 SUV.
He added: “Think of the Dolphin as a slightly scaled down version of the BYD Atto 3, and that means you get better driving dynamics overall, thanks to it’s lower profile, while retaining much of the same functionality.
“And, yes, that means it’s faster than the Atto 3, actually quite significantly. The 0-62mph [time] is just 6.98 seconds when we timed it, and that’s despite having the exact same motor as the Atto 3 at the front axle with 150kW (201bhp) of power and 320Nm of torque.”
Nevertheless, whilst Matt suggested that there are a lot of Chinese cars offering incredible value for money, he recommended that drivers avoid the MG ZS EV, stating it is not as nice to drive as the company’s more recent model.
He continued: “I want to stress that the MG ZS EV is not inherently a bad car but it’s definitely my least favourite because, frankly, it’s the oldest on this list and it’s feeling it’s age.
“We reviewed the Long Range which is new and it comes with a 72kWh battery offering a range of 273 miles, and that’s pretty good but because it’s not built on a bespoke EV platform like pretty much all of it’s competition, it simply doesn’t have the same efficiency. So real world range is closer to 235 miles.”
