Tesla Model Y v MG4 Trophy

[Camspeed]

Last year I looked at a Tesla but bought the MG4 ev demo car. But since then the Tesla price drop brought it back to my attension. Also stock is more available etc.
MG4 £32k Model Y £44k

Im pleased I had an hours test drive. Because it reminded me how good the MG4 is and what great value for money they are.
Most surprising was the seat base felt too narrow and uncomfortable, the ride was very crashy off the main roads.
The self drive was equally as average as the MG. The range much the same. Rear view was terrible.
Also seems like Tesla owners moan equally as much as MG4 owners do on here!!!

However the glass roof, display, sound quality and charging network is fantastic......but not worth the extra£12k.

Lastly.....the insurance.....OMG! A Tesla is Ferrari insurance group. My fleet policy provider really advised me strongly to avoid the Tesla as they cannot often be repaired in a crash and must be repaired by Tesla only.

Makes me thing the MG4 might not be the best looking car ive owned but it certainly is great value.....and Im keeping it.

So secretly I love my cheap chinese car........and the dealers pretty decent too. Always worth looking at the competition to remind you of whats good about what youve already got.

 

[kiwi]

Useful reflection, thanks.

You must have had some wonderful looking cars then to beat the looks of the MG4?

 

[salty]

Also seems like Tesla owners moan equally as much as MG4 owners do on here!!!

Never!

 

[Ian Key]

Also seems like Tesla owners moan equally as much as MG4 owners do on here!!!

Never!

Since a couple of members got banned we've lost the edge on moaning

 

[Camspeed]

Useful reflection, thanks.

You must have had some wonderful looking cars then to beat the looks of the MG4?

One has to realise that buying a car to use day to day has changed. its one step up from buying a dishwasher or a PC. They all do the same job. So with that mentality I bought the MG4,

Come the weekend Ive a choce of less environmentally friendly rides that have lots of cylinders and bark on command.......remember those days when cars had dials not screens? however lets gloss over reliability and fuel costs.........hence EV in the gargage....

 

[dsr]

”hence EV in the gargage”

Garage or garbage?

 

[Mannakin]

MG on the drive for me, the motorbike lives in my garage!

 

[wattmatters]

Base version of Model Y here is 42% more expensive than the MG4 64 Essence we bought, so not even close to being in the same price bracket. The MG was already at the upper end of what we wanted to spend while the Y is a larger car than we need (our needs changed last year).

As to moaning, I have my issues which are no different to most but learn to live with them. I had grumbles with our previous car too which was a Mercedes GLC250d. At least the Merc's highway cruise and auto steering was far far nicer and never tried anything stupid.

But with life changes it became too much car (and with some hefty upkeep costs rapidly approaching) and we needed something smaller that my wife would be comfortable driving (she only recently got her license, still on her Ps).

The biggest benefit of Tesla is their highway charging network, which here is superior to the public network. In time one hopes the public network will improve. But the price gap to even a certified pre-owned Model 3 is still far too large to make that worthwhile.

 

[JonnyG]

There's some interesting new chinese models coming in 2024 which (depending on price) could add a bit of compettion to Tesla - the BYD Seal and Geely Zeekr 001 and 007 look really good to me and the reviews so far seem slighlty in favour of the BYD Seal compared to Tesla Model 3. The only obstacle is the acceptance (and scepticism) of new Chinese EV brands in Europe IMHO.

 

[Grriff]

There's some interesting new chinese models coming in 2024 which (depending on price) could add a bit of compettion to Tesla - the BYD Seal and Geely Zeekr 001 and 007 look really good to me and the reviews so far seem slighlty in favour of the BYD Seal compared to Tesla Model 3. The only obstacle is the acceptance (and scepticism) of new Chinese EV brands in Europe IMHO.

Software is Tesla's strong point. I wonder how that will compare?

 

[Camspeed]

There's some interesting new chinese models coming in 2024 which (depending on price) could add a bit of compettion to Tesla - the BYD Seal and Geely Zeekr 001 and 007 look really good to me and the reviews so far seem slighlty in favour of the BYD Seal compared to Tesla Model 3. The only obstacle is the acceptance (and scepticism) of new Chinese EV brands in Europe IMHO.

,,,,,another good point......thanks.

I read that Tesla is switching the build of the Model Y to China this year, but more noticeable is a suggestion they are going to use BYD battery packs. So I would expect there to be a price reduction in Europe if they are not having to ship components twice around the world.

What I do struggle with is the pricing for the UK. China sells EV's for £10k that we pay over double for. Thats got to change if they want the UK to buy more EV's.

 

[siteguru]

What I do struggle with is the pricing for the UK. China sells EV's for £10k that we pay over double for. Thats got to change if they want the UK to buy more EV's.

Apparently the spec and quality of the China models is far lower than EU/UK models - they're built down to a price. Plus there's no shipping charges, import duties, VAT etc.

 

[tsedge]

Apparently the spec and quality of the China models is far lower than EU/UK models - they're built down to a price. Plus there's no shipping charges, import duties, VAT etc.

Plus exchange rates and the cars are re-engineered for the EU/UK so typically have different ride/handling characteristics and a host of equipment that the Chinese cars don't get (all the annoying driver assistance systems) because they want to achieve the EuroNCAP ratings.

 

[siteguru]

Plus exchange rates and the cars are re-engineered for the EU/UK so typically have different ride/handling characteristics and a host of equipment that the Chinese cars don't get (all the annoying driver assistance systems) because they want to achieve the EuroNCAP ratings.

That's what I was meaning re. Spec and quality.

 

[tsedge]

That's what I was meaning re. Spec and quality.

Indeed, I just expanded on what you said.

 

[JustAnotherMidlifeCrisis]

Give it ten years and Chinese EVs will be commonplace. Check out the Xiaomi revealed recently. Hundreds more to come!

 

[JonnyG]

....What I do struggle with is the pricing for the UK. China sells EV's for £10k that we pay over double for. Thats got to change if they want the UK to buy more EV's.

The BYD Seal Excellence is not bad value at £48,695 considering it's spec - with AWD and 3.8s to 60mph. It's far less than a Tesla Model 3 Performance but slightly higher than a Tesla AWD Long Range (both are the old style Tesla models). Give it a few months and there could be some great lease deals - they know that nearly all salary sacrifice drivers are going for EV's here in the UK.

The Geely Zeekr 007 spec is amazing ... range and performance in particular :-

ZEEKR | Pure Electric Vehicle Brand

ZEEKR selects global premium EV segment markets in due course. With support from global partners, ZEEKR is able to produce the best-in-class vehicles with leading dynamics, connectivity, intelligence and shared functionality, bringing premium zero-emission transportation...

zeekrglobal.com

I hope we get it in the UK like the BYD Seal. The Electric Viking on Youtube is a big fan :-

 

[Buster72]

Give it ten years and Chinese EVs will be commonplace. Check out the Xiaomi revealed recently. Hundreds more to come!

I have to agree with you. They have a huge advantage over the traditional manufacture in that they, very cleverly, invested heavily in battery manufacturing. That is how BYD first ventured into EV Car making.
Whereas the traditional manufacturers are having to change from ICE to EVs, the bulk of the Chinese makers are starting out as EV makers.

 

[Rob Smart]

,,,,,another good point......thanks.

I read that Tesla is switching the build of the Model Y to China this year, but more noticeable is a suggestion they are going to use BYD battery packs. So I would expect there to be a price reduction in Europe if they are not having to ship components twice around the world.

What I do struggle with is the pricing for the UK. China sells EV's for £10k that we pay over double for. Thats got to change if they want the UK to buy more EV's.

Part of that cost will be due to Import Taxes and VAT. Another part may be the extra bits they have to add on to make the cars complient with EU requirements, which not all Chinese made cars have for the home market.

 

[tsedge]

Part of that cost will be due to Import Taxes and VAT. Another part may be the extra bits they have to add on to make the cars complient with EU requirements, which not all Chinese made cars have for the home market.

Indeed.

Additional costs for UK:

• UK/EU specification: usually considerably higher including driver assistance tech for EuroNCAP testing.
• Exhange rate conversions.
• Shipping.
• Port Fees and Import duties.
• VAT and other taxes.
• Building in cost of the Warranty (essentially you pay for what they expect it to cost over the lifetime and this is added to the car).
• Building in the profit margin for UK dealers (franchise model).

When you think about it, it is surprising the cars don't cost even more here.

UK/European buyers have quite different expectations in terms of features, service and maintenance experiences.