Base car has 51kWh battery and just over 300kms’ range.

THE race to price a new electric car below $40,000 has been won by MG Motor - with $25 to spare.

The Sino-Brit says the lowest-priced version of its new MG4 hatchback, the 51kWh Excite, will price at $46,990 - which, when the Clean Car rebate applies, comes to a $39,975 buy in.

That’s not with the $8625 rebate that applies today but with the $7015 assist that comes into effect on July 1, because the car, which debuts a new platform, won’t be on sale until after that date.

Exactly when has to be shared; for now MG New Zealand is saying the new model is here late in the third quarter.

The price, advised tonight, doesn’t include on-road costs.

MG’s announcement intensifies competition with two other budget-themed brands out of China, BYD and Ora.

Their cheapest offers are respectively the Dolphin, with a 45kWh battery, and the Good cat, with a similar-sized unit to the base MG4. Both cost $3000 more than the MG.

The MG4 also represents with a 64kWh battery in Excite and Essence specification, the first for $51,990 and the second for $54,990, and also in Essence, with a 77kWh battery, for $63,990.

Cheaper price will mean lower range. Whereas the 64kWh models have cited a range of 435 kilometres, and the 77kWh model will exceed 500km, data from overseas suggests the 51kWh car will need replenishment after clocking 305kms at most.

Arek Zywot, newly-appointed country manager for MG New Zealand, says the local office is incredibly proud to be able to offer the most affordable new fully electric vehicle to Kiwis who want to adopt zero-emission motoring.

“MG has been leading the charge with attainable electric vehicles since the launch of the local award-winning ZS EV and, with the debut of the dynamic new MG4 and the sub-$40,000 post rebate 51KWh model, we maintain our leadership position in this space.”

MG4 is the first MG built on a new bespoke electric Modular Scalable Platform (MSP), which will be used as the basis for a whole future line-up of EVs ranging from hatchbacks to medium sports utilities provisioned by Shanghai Automotive (SAIC), the parent of the MG brand.