Thank you Sam. I don't even live in Australia but I still love seeing some of the current, best of, vehicles. Please plan on doing these lists more ongoing in the future as well. Thank you!
Keep up the good work Sam. Ex mechanic here. The internal combustion engines have barely changed in over 100 years. Glad to see the end of ICE cars. No more air filter, oil filter, fuel filter, oil changes, oil additives, radiator flushes, water additives,oil leaks, water leaks, blown head gasket, spark plugs, timing belt replacement, muffler replacement, exhaust gas filled workshops just to mention a few items. Mechanics wont need to do servicing but are still needed for repairing other parts on an EV. Also there are already free courses for electrical testing of EV vehicles that mechanics can enrol in. Yes mechanics will have to retrain but it is all for the better.
I’m a former mechanic and I know many mechanics currently working in various dealership and private garages. None of them are interested in a shift to working on EVs. They’ll just do something else as most have dual qualifications apart from motor mechanics. I’m hearing similar stories through friends that are TAFE instructors.
@@PropanePete Yeh the money and conditions have never been good as a mechanic and the fact that mechanics are always in demand is proof of that. I actually have a disease called Thrombocytopenia wich apparently is common in mechanics as well as a bad back and always felt ill if I breathed Diesel exhaust so I don't miss it. It is difficult to change any career and a lot of mechanics seem to love noisy complicated engines but hopefully they can adapt to the new ways but yes you need to be more of an electrician or electronic engineer now.
I think ICE power trains have changed a lot in 100 years. Some good some bad: 10 speed automatic transmissions , electronic fuel injection, PCMs, variable valve lift and timing, cylinder deactivation, turbos. A modern ICE powertrain looks to me like it's hooked up to life support -- because it is.
@@pgbpro20 Yes but they are just fine tuning the same basic idea. CVT transmission are an even better idea for a tranmission that hasn't been perfected yet but it is a better idea because it is simpler. Using turbos for efficiency is a great idea, Variable valve lift and timing just goes to show how terrible internal combustion engines are to get breathing properly. Cylinder deactivation is just carrying dead weight and friction. All EFI and computerization of ICE advanced it hugely and was a great boost for ICE as well as better fuel air mixing techniques but it could only put polish on a dirty noisy polluting engine with way too many parts.
@@pgbpro20 Actually… that’s quite funny, and yes, all those wires and hoses and tubes do look a bit like the Intensive Care Unit of a hospital. The difference between ICE cars and EVs is that anyone can lift the bonnet on an ICE car and see the tangle of worms. On an EV the mechanicals and electrics are all tucked away underneath hidden from view. You can’t see it. I’ve seen a damaged (written off) Tesla all stripped down and the sheer size of the “mechanicals” and the number of hoses and small radiators and fans and bypass hoses and thermostats and electrical gear and relays and sensors and wiring harnesses all trying to prevent that 500 kg battery from overheating makes an ICE car look as simple as a horse and cart.
MG4 - best car I’ve ever owned in 40 years. I’ve had no “issues” with mine at all over last 12 months. Truly a remarkable car for quality, price and ride quality.
My MG4 is two years old next month. Nothing has gone wrong, nothing has dropped off. The car works well, no complaints about the software. Would I have considered a Dolphin instead, not in the slightest.
Everyone I know who has actually gotten behind the wheel of a Dolphin and an MG4 says the same, including myself. I think Sam is just reading off a spec sheet and missing the actual driving experience of the MG4 vs the Dolphin.
Great video especially if you could do an update every 3 months (instead of 6 months) to highlight the best EV option per segment along with the special deals/discounts at the time in Australia. This is exactly what consumer want to know and will speed up the EV transition. I bet audience from different parts of the world would love for you to do the same type of video for their country too. Keep up the good work Sam and please take good care of yourself.
I've spoken to quite a few people about the MG4. Everyone has been really impressed with the car, and no quality control issues. The interior is not luxury, but neither is it really for the other 4 EVs under 40k. I think the next version of the MG4 will improve the interior somewhat.
As someone who drove both the MG4 and Dolphin and ended up picking the former I wholeheartedly agree with you. The Dolphin is a car that looks great reading off a spec sheet, but when you actually get behind the wheel the MG4 with all of the driver aids switched off is far better.
The only time I get a "service" (not really servicing but checking) is when I get my rego done and they HAVE to check it. In the last three years, every single time I've had it checked for rego, nothing needed to be done! #nobrainer #ev indeed!
I think you are right about the BYD Dolphin Premium I have got one in October last year and it is going really and giving me ~450km on a full charge. Also, with the new software update on the BYD phone App, I have now the "Vehicle position" option which allows me to locate my car, love it. Keep well and all the best to you and family.
Hi Sam, thanks for your videos, our MG4 LR and Kia Ev9 are our choice for Australia's best EV's, 1 year of MG ownership, 25000km no issues. EV9, excellent touring vehicle and will tow our caravan. Win/Win.
I'm really sorry to hear about your wife. We are in a similar boat, so I understand a bit of what it must be like for you. Don't be too hard on yourself mate, you're doing your best (which is pretty amazing - love your videos) - looking after yourself also includes cutting yourself some slack every once in a while. I learned that one the hard way. Thanks for this video too, very useful and lots of food for thought for us going into getting our first EV.
No dealers, no spare parts and no qualified mechanics to fix them and very few chargers ,let alone in the country. Only the brain dead or a moron would buy one
@@oldbloke204 because 99.99% of the sales are from those living in the capital cities. Losing 0.01% of your sales because you don't cater to the country areas is just a rounding error.
Agree with some of these at the budget end, but for the life of me cannot see how Xpeng or Zeekr can be recommended yet given they are not available yet in Australia; give it time for owners yet & even a cursory glance at overseas markets & reviews indicate these cars have a few teething problems etc. You left out the MG ZS EV & the lower end (great EV for me have owned two, zero issues). At the upper end, surely the Mach-E is worth consideration: I own it and love it (despite Ford Australia’s laziness). So much more than clone MYs.
If you do buy an MG4, just turn on "Towing Mode" It permanently disables "Random Emergency Braking" and "Lane Keep Assassination" You can then just jump into the car and drive without going through a "Pre Flight Routine" every time
@@Fomites because MG and byd just about kill you when they are working. Byd wrenches you to the right and often into oncoming traffic . Once you know you are more aware of it. Both crap lane keeping software. Got rid of mine 10 months ago
MG has a lot of issues with their cheap ICE cars, not so much with their EVs. Disappointed that a channel who normally does the research decided to listen to "rumors" without any real evidence to back them up. The MG4 is a much nicer car to drive than the Dolphin on account of being RWD, in fact, if you want the better driving experience offered by RWD cars the MG4 is the most affordable way to get it even vs ICE. It also charges much faster (even the cheaper Excite 51 with its LFP battery charges faster than the more expensive Dolphin Premium). If the Dolphin Premium was under $40K AUD to compete with the MG4 Excite 51, then I would say the Dolphin might be the better overall package if you don't mind the FWD and slow charging speed, but going up against the MG4 Essence 64 at $44K? The MG4 is hands down the better car unless you need a giant infotainment screen because you care about watching youtube more than you care about actually driving. I drove both the Dolphin Premium and the MG4 when picking a car to buy, and I ended up picking the MG4, the Dolphin had better gadgetry and nicer color options, but the MG4 was a much nicer car to drive.
I bought a MG Essence 64 a year ago and it is a superb car. Best handling of all the smaller EVs with RWD & 50-50 weight distribution. Very well made, not a single rattle, looks great & not a single issue in the 15,000km so far and another year to go till its first service. It didn't win a multitude of awards for being a bad car.
I think the warranty and availability of service is the most important thing. One minor issue could shut your car down. Best to know the warranty and service history of a company before recommending it. Don't want to buy the worlds largest paperweight.
Nearly half the cars on the road now are 4WD or All wheel drive ------------>>> Why are Electric Vehicle manufactures offering cars types from 40 to 50 years ago, Sedan, sedan, sedan two wheel drive, two wheel drive. Most of us would like to replace the car we use now with an electric equivalent... The SUV electrics available couldn't drive over a coke can with out scraping! Yeah lets go off road in that.
Wholeheartedly agree with you Sam. Your choices would be my choices too. Again, I looked at the MG4 and walked away feeling utterly unimpressed. I does have RWD which is a good point but otherwise, not a buy for me at all when comparing to other vehicles such as the BYD Atto 3 or BYD Dolphin. I've pre-ordered the Xpeng G6. I would never buy a sedan so out of the those you've mentioned, taking into account I already own (well, my wife drives it!) a BYD Atto 3 which is amazing, the Xpeng G6 is the logical progression to replace my Tesla MY destroyed in a no fault accident I had October 2023. I actually can't wait to get the G6. Your comments about servicing are also correct and the servicing side of things needs to be addressed by all manufacturers of EVs as it's a total rip-off.
im waiting for a company to make an updated ev smart car size vehicle to tow behind my campervan charging wont be an issue as the trailer will be a solar charging station
The current Seal with more range will be the only car available in Australia for some to come. The newer 2025 model won't be available in Australia until at least next year.
The Australian Federal Government passed the Treasury Laws Amendment (Electric Car Discount) Bill 2022 in December 2022. The changes are back-dated to 1 July 2022. Essentially this means EVs and plug-in hybrid EVs (PHEVs) under $89,332 financed through a novated lease will pay ZERO fringe benefits tax. This represents a massive and unprecedented saving. In fact, PHEVs and EVs will generally be cheaper to novated lease, even compared with paying cash up front. (This is possible because marginal tax rates are generally a lot higher than interest rates.) If you’ve been sitting on the fence regarding buying an EV or plug-in hybrid, and uncertain about whether to proceed because of the significantly elevated purchase price of these vehicles, the goalposts just moved - a long way. Essentially the new legislation means the cost of ownership, in terms of the impact to your take-home pay, of an EV like a Hyundai Kona Electric or Tesla Model 3 (ie, EVs costing $60-something thousand dollars) is now about the same as the cost of owning a $35k Toyota Corolla - provided you own them under a novated lease. EVs eligible for this FBT exemption include the Tesla Model 3, BYD Atto 3 (incl. the extended range version), MG ZS EV, Nissan Leaf (incl. e+), Hyundai Kona Electric, MINI Cooper EV, and Polestar 2.
You sort of lost me when saying not to buy the Seal based on the 2025 spec, which probably won't be available in Australia until well into next year. Then you lost me completely with the Zeekr X, its looks a bit cheap and nasty but at a high price.
The big problem for me is still the infrastructure. I park on the street and live in an apartment and there are about 2 charging spots (yes, chargers, not charging stations) within about 4km radius of my place and one of those is in an underground council pay-car-park. Hopefully there will be better infrastructure soon but I doubt it until there is a critical mass of EVs.
Strange advice: first you say MG has some negative experiences and a moment later you say XPeng is a great car with no risks!! Negative experiences for this car in Australia are impossible because there are NO experiences but there are in Scandinavia and guess what : the car does not sell there. Are you misleading or ????? It smells or become FAST more objective. Me, i would never buy a new entrance the first year and then watch, especially for an expensive car!!!! Remember when you had your Atto, perfect day 1 but sold quickly and never ever you did praise this car. Ask why, why, why!!! Who offers outstanding warranty? Who is fair on maintenance? Who can you trust??????
What specifically are people hearing about MG? They've upped their warranty to 10 years as of August 2024. I'm tossing up between the base MG4 (LFP) and the Dolphin Premium, which has a 7 year vehicle warranty but things like the screen (which does everything) was only 2 year warranty at launch? That's mildly concerning. I do love the BYD blade batteries though.
MG4 is a much better car than the Dolphin to drive in my opinion. Sam seems to value the battery and range over what the car is like to drive. Personally I prefer the car that drives the best
Why dont you talk about insurance companies and EVs? Its a huge problem brewing as they write them off with minor damage. In Thailand you have insurance companies sending letters out to people saying that they need find a new company as they wont be renewing evs in the future. Its leaving people searching and settling for more expensive insurance for less coverage.
I live in the UK and am thinking of getting the Dolphin but the insurance group is high and my car insurance company won't insure it. Hopefully, the cost of insurance will decrease and its availability will improve.
@@oldbloke204 Sorry, but I don't agree with you. One reason for the high cost of insurance is the car hire cost because of the time taken in repairing the cars and this reason should reduce as the Chinese companies establish a good reputation for quickly supplying parts and manuals for repairing cars. Another component of the high insurance cost is the cost of the battery. Battery costs have been falling and will probably continue to fall leading to lower insurance costs. EVs are more expensive than equivalent ICE cars leading to higher premiums, hence as the cars become cheaper the insurance premiums will fall as well. Some batteries had a reputation for catching fire, even though the probability of doing this is low, it could be a factor in the high insurance costs. As safer batteries are being used, this could be a factor in reducing the insurance costs. Your argument of "as there are more on the road and claims increase" could be applied to any car.
Not sure about Xpeng but Zeeker should be seriously considered. I am a Model Y owner (We own two Teslas), I was in the Melbourne EV show and compared both Zeeker and Xpeng to our Teslas, I have to say both are better than my Teslas. While Xpeng is a very small company (VW owns a large of it?) Zeeker is growing very fast and its parent company owns Volvo and a few other brands. Zeeker has/ will develop more amazing EVs. Looking forward to replacing my Teslas with Zeeker in the next few years!
@@frankwei8691xpeng is slightly more popular than zeekr in china because its auto drive software，sadly you dont have other choice of the most popular ones
Viking, by saying that a super luxury EV is a waste of money. You omitted the part about giving an opinion on whether a super luxury fossil burner is a good value.
I would LOVE to be able to buy an EV (a good one I mean), and if I was VERY rich, I would only buy EVs, but I'm not, so I won't buy an EV anytime soon, and among several reasons for that, is what you "started" the video saying, something that it seems to me that you think is a good thing (in the present), but it's only a good thing for the future, but a HUGE handicap for EVs now: "the list will/might be diferent in 6 months" That's a HUGE deal with EVs! Imagine buying an EV today, and in 6 months to 1 year, a better version, and probably cheaper, will be for sale... Talk about buyers remorse! And let's not forget that, like you said in a previous video, there's a all bunch of battery tecnhology that's being tested, that will probably reach mass production in 4 to 5 years. Buy an EV now, for around 50k€, and that EV will be completely obsolete in 5 years or less... The continuous (and some times HUGE) advancemants in EV tecnhology is GREAT for the (near) future, but terrible for current EV adoption. *Unless you leave in China where EVs cost half the price of all other countries in the world because labor is almost free, materials are as cheap as rain, and if even with all that your company looses BILLIONS of dollars, the chinese governent will shower you with money...
You have been talking about EVs for months now but you did not mention a single decent sizeable SUV or 7 seater SUV , everything is small car or compact size not really SUV given the low ground clearance with prices between 50 k-80 k dollars . This Technology actually should be much cheaper given its not new and not complicated like ICE and its trying to compete with a technology been there for 138 years and takeover .
Have owned a MG4 for nearly a year. No quality issues at all. Economy right up to specs, great handling and acceleration. One faulty part when delivered, replaced under warranty. A couple of software issues, not big enough to take the car back for service, but apparently to be fixed at the one-year service.
Doubt firefighters share your enthusiasm: they attend lithium-iom fires on a daily basis. Scooters, ebikes and EVs up 13.5% on 2023. But that's OK I'm sure the public very eager to pay higher taxes to cover this. Great job! 🤪👍
Toyota RAV4s (combustion) in Australia start at $42 000 and go to $58 000. These are typical prices for ICE vehicles here. EVs have passed that price point on their way down. Maybe time to review prices?
Sedan's are great and sorry take Seal ver a tesla 3, personally better looking, much nicer interior particularly the new version coming and new version has much better charging, though do wish it came with newer battery tech.
An Australian road test of the Subaru Solterra revealed one of the big flaws in EVs. The energy consumption was way in excess of the claimed 14kwh/100km. It was over 20kwh/100km. The reason, the reviewer explained, was the testing was on rural roads and not in the the city where energy could be recovered by the stop-start traffic. So in the very environment where recharge range is important, the Solterra (and every other EV) will come nowhere near the claimed range. Add to that the usual EV lack of a spare tyre - a repair kit will not fix the sort of damage suffered on rural roads - and vast areas with no mobile phone reception, rural EV owners should make sure they have plenty of water and food because they might be spending a long time waiting by the roadside for rescue.
High speed uses more energy per unit distance according to the square of the speed, so not speeding is a good way to keep range reasonable. But most rural drivers don't not speed.
@Fomites Anything over 80kmh is speeding for an EV. I am a rural Subaru driver and 90% of my driving is 100/110 on cruise control. It is peak efficiency for my petrol Subaru and I average 6.8l/100km. There are huge disadvantages in trading it on at EV, starting with a third the distance between "recharges" and the lack of a spare tyre.
EVs are not relevant as electricity prices skyrocket. Gasoline is easier to refuel and has longer range and will not explode like lithium batteries and burn down the house causing insurance to not pay for a rebuild.
Congratulations on the new sponsorship agreement with China. Looks like the trip was time well spent 😉 They do make reasonably good cars for the pricepoint, but 4 out of 4 Cinese recommandations plus several Chinese honorable mentions means you loose any credibility you had. You even recommend cars that are not yet avaible for independant tests. Furthermore, you really should consider the regime you support when you buy them. I guess human rights, democracy and environmental issues are not really your thing.
I just told my dad that a byd seal would be good and he said no I want a car more like the C-max cos its batter for him to get in as he is an old dude He always seems to have an excuse not to get an EV and yes it pisses me off big time
its really depends on the charging infrastructure in your country innit？in china i can charge in home，go shopping，for dinner，motoway ， countryside， in the mountain
Too early to talk about reliability? Time will tell if the looks and price will be paired with reliability. If there’s a reason i would not buy BYD or Chinese EVs, it is about reliability. No matter how small the amount I’m throwing, it’s still a throwaway.
Just a few points. My wife is into breeding Shire horses. Some of her friends, who are also breeders lost their stables. The fire started in solar panels on the roof. Battery powered cars are too heavy. The carbon balance over 10 years of an EV Vs gas car is probably similar. A plug in hybrid is the way forward with current battery technology.. These days the driver could be severely punished taxwise if they were using the car on gas only. Most people don't do more than 50 miles a day. You could make 7 plugins for one EV. Battery fires are going to become common. Say your laptop caused a fire in an EV and that EV was parked near to another EV. Batteries will improve, selenium sulphur lithium can deliver up to 500 wh kg in prototype. Sodium will never be a success for mainstream vehicles as a result of energy density. Form energy has Bill Gates among others as backers.
I’ve nothing against EVs, which I feel offer many advantages for people who can charge conveniently at home, more so if they have home solar or live in Norway with its cheap hydro. What I don’t understand is how anyone can be in favour of EV mandates, which, by forcing manufactures to make EVs at a faster rate than consumers demand, is not only causing them to lose billions, but is also causing a backlash against EVs which is hindering their progress rather than helping it. Am I missing something here?
There is no mandate in AUS or the US. There are very little subsidies in AUS too. At the end of the day if you want to buy a petrol, diesel, hybrid, EV you want
@@dcartier1692 I don't agree that mankind's contribution to CO2 is a problem Many scientists feel that we need more of it to increase food production and that net zero is a scam designed to reduce our freedoms. th-cam.com/video/A24fWmNA6lM/w-d-xo.html
@@philipbrown9006why do American politicians lie? Because they are incentivised to as full time 🤡 in search of the next 💵 masquerading as "campaign donation"
All Chinese! Sickening. You arer recommending the equivalent of buying a VW in 1938. I have Outlander plugin and new Kia EV9. Amazing vehicles. And made in democracies without slave labour, pollution and IP theft.
@@gregbrown81 10 year old Canadian made solar panels. Dunno if my Samsung is made in China but the current model isn't. Some consumers like to use their choice to drive outcomes. I sincerely wish China becomes more democratic, fairer, actually looks after its poor and not destroy its environment. For its population's sake. Like USA, China hasn't shared the spoils of globalisation fairly enough.
The best solar company in Australia just installed my new solar system.
Check them out here: www.resinc.com.au/electricviking
Keep doing what you're doing Sam, and pace yourself to what's manageable. You're doing a great job and always uplifting to see your videos.
Keep up the great work Sam, love your work, and God bless your family.
Thank you Sam. I don't even live in Australia but I still love seeing some of the current, best of, vehicles. Please plan on doing these lists more ongoing in the future as well. Thank you!
Great presentation Sam, especially on the "SERVICE" need/costs aspect - EVs are a no brainer and,,,, don't forget CC mitigations.
Daughter got a BYD dolphin Son got a BMW mini and We got the BMW ix --> all awesome
Keep up the good work Sam. Ex mechanic here. The internal combustion engines have barely changed in over 100 years. Glad to see the end of ICE cars. No more air filter, oil filter, fuel filter, oil changes, oil additives, radiator flushes, water additives,oil leaks, water leaks, blown head gasket, spark plugs, timing belt replacement, muffler replacement, exhaust gas filled workshops just to mention a few items. Mechanics wont need to do servicing but are still needed for repairing other parts on an EV. Also there are already free courses for electrical testing of EV vehicles that mechanics can enrol in. Yes mechanics will have to retrain but it is all for the better.
I’m a former mechanic and I know many mechanics currently working in various dealership and private garages. None of them are interested in a shift to working on EVs. They’ll just do something else as most have dual qualifications apart from motor mechanics. I’m hearing similar stories through friends that are TAFE instructors.
@@PropanePete Yeh the money and conditions have never been good as a mechanic and the fact that mechanics are always in demand is proof of that. I actually have a disease called Thrombocytopenia wich apparently is common in mechanics as well as a bad back and always felt ill if I breathed Diesel exhaust so I don't miss it. It is difficult to change any career and a lot of mechanics seem to love noisy complicated engines but hopefully they can adapt to the new ways but yes you need to be more of an electrician or electronic engineer now.
I think ICE power trains have changed a lot in 100 years. Some good some bad: 10 speed automatic transmissions , electronic fuel injection, PCMs, variable valve lift and timing, cylinder deactivation, turbos.
A modern ICE powertrain looks to me like it's hooked up to life support -- because it is.
@@pgbpro20 Yes but they are just fine tuning the same basic idea. CVT transmission are an even better idea for a tranmission that hasn't been perfected yet but it is a better idea because it is simpler. Using turbos for efficiency is a great idea, Variable valve lift and timing just goes to show how terrible internal combustion engines are to get breathing properly. Cylinder deactivation is just carrying dead weight and friction. All EFI and computerization of ICE advanced it hugely and was a great boost for ICE as well as better fuel air mixing techniques but it could only put polish on a dirty noisy polluting engine with way too many parts.
@@pgbpro20 Actually… that’s quite funny, and yes, all those wires and hoses and tubes do look a bit like the Intensive Care Unit of a hospital. The difference between ICE cars and EVs is that anyone can lift the bonnet on an ICE car and see the tangle of worms. On an EV the mechanicals and electrics are all tucked away underneath hidden from view. You can’t see it. I’ve seen a damaged (written off) Tesla all stripped down and the sheer size of the “mechanicals” and the number of hoses and small radiators and fans and bypass hoses and thermostats and electrical gear and relays and sensors and wiring harnesses all trying to prevent that 500 kg battery from overheating makes an ICE car look as simple as a horse and cart.
MG4 - best car I’ve ever owned in 40 years. I’ve had no “issues” with mine at all over last 12 months. Truly a remarkable car for quality, price and ride quality.
Respect for your story Sam. Take good care of yourself. ❤ to you and your family.
My MG4 is two years old next month.
Nothing has gone wrong, nothing has dropped off.
The car works well, no complaints about the software.
Would I have considered a Dolphin instead, not in the slightest.
Everyone I know who has actually gotten behind the wheel of a Dolphin and an MG4 says the same, including myself. I think Sam is just reading off a spec sheet and missing the actual driving experience of the MG4 vs the Dolphin.
Thanks Sam - and all the best with your family.
Thank you too!
Great video especially if you could do an update every 3 months (instead of 6 months) to highlight the best EV option per segment along with the special deals/discounts at the time in Australia. This is exactly what consumer want to know and will speed up the EV transition. I bet audience from different parts of the world would love for you to do the same type of video for their country too. Keep up the good work Sam and please take good care of yourself.
Standard Range Tesla M3 with 513km range and the supercharger network is very good value.
charging circle is very less then the byd so choise is yours😄
I've spoken to quite a few people about the MG4. Everyone has been really impressed with the car, and no quality control issues. The interior is not luxury, but neither is it really for the other 4 EVs under 40k. I think the next version of the MG4 will improve the interior somewhat.
As someone who drove both the MG4 and Dolphin and ended up picking the former I wholeheartedly agree with you. The Dolphin is a car that looks great reading off a spec sheet, but when you actually get behind the wheel the MG4 with all of the driver aids switched off is far better.
The only time I get a "service" (not really servicing but checking) is when I get my rego done and they HAVE to check it. In the last three years, every single time I've had it checked for rego, nothing needed to be done! #nobrainer #ev indeed!
What vehicle do you have?
I think you are right about the BYD Dolphin Premium I have got one in October last year and it is going really and giving me ~450km on a full charge. Also, with the new software update on the BYD phone App, I have now the "Vehicle position" option which allows me to locate my car, love it. Keep well and all the best to you and family.
Hi Sam, thanks for your videos, our MG4 LR and Kia Ev9 are our choice for Australia's best EV's, 1 year of MG ownership, 25000km no issues. EV9, excellent touring vehicle and will tow our caravan. Win/Win.
Great video format, Sam. Keen for more like this, thank you!
I'm really sorry to hear about your wife. We are in a similar boat, so I understand a bit of what it must be like for you. Don't be too hard on yourself mate, you're doing your best (which is pretty amazing - love your videos) - looking after yourself also includes cutting yourself some slack every once in a while. I learned that one the hard way. Thanks for this video too, very useful and lots of food for thought for us going into getting our first EV.
BYD distributor in Australia imposes ridiculous regular services.
Zeekr and Xpeng are great
Have owned a Tesla model 3 LR since Oct 21..driven 86k kms..every drive is a pleasure..looking forward to an upgrade to the Highlander, but no rush.
Great video and very informative for us dummies, thanks.
Glad you enjoyed it
The big problem with BYD in Australia is they don,t have a dealer network in country areas in Australia.
that's not a big problem.
If you have issues in Victoria, only Dandenong fix them. What happens if you don't live nearby? 🥶
@@rcast3763 what issues?
No dealers, no spare parts and no qualified mechanics to fix them and very few chargers ,let alone in the country. Only the brain dead or a moron would buy one
@@oldbloke204 because 99.99% of the sales are from those living in the capital cities. Losing 0.01% of your sales because you don't cater to the country areas is just a rounding error.
Can't wait for the impending dual cab utes! Hope the prices are accessible! 🤞
Agree with some of these at the budget end, but for the life of me cannot see how Xpeng or Zeekr can be recommended yet given they are not available yet in Australia; give it time for owners yet & even a cursory glance at overseas markets & reviews indicate these cars have a few teething problems etc. You left out the MG ZS EV & the lower end (great EV for me have owned two, zero issues). At the upper end, surely the Mach-E is worth consideration: I own it and love it (despite Ford Australia’s laziness). So much more than clone MYs.
Thanks!
Welcome!
My first service for our BMW IX was $62 our insurance is 2k a year through BMW
Thanks for the video. Do you have any experience what the real world range is in Australia driving at 110km/hr on the freeway vs the published range?
If you do buy an MG4, just turn on "Towing Mode"
It permanently disables "Random Emergency Braking" and "Lane Keep Assassination"
You can then just jump into the car and drive without going through a "Pre Flight Routine" every time
Those terms 😂 ps this sounds like a great tip!
Must be same software as byd. Both crap
Why would one want to disable emergency braking?
@@Fomites because MG and byd just about kill you when they are working. Byd wrenches you to the right and often into oncoming traffic . Once you know you are more aware of it. Both crap lane keeping software. Got rid of mine 10 months ago
Great content
Great update. Hope you can one every 6 months for Australian drivers
MG has a lot of issues with their cheap ICE cars, not so much with their EVs. Disappointed that a channel who normally does the research decided to listen to "rumors" without any real evidence to back them up. The MG4 is a much nicer car to drive than the Dolphin on account of being RWD, in fact, if you want the better driving experience offered by RWD cars the MG4 is the most affordable way to get it even vs ICE. It also charges much faster (even the cheaper Excite 51 with its LFP battery charges faster than the more expensive Dolphin Premium). If the Dolphin Premium was under $40K AUD to compete with the MG4 Excite 51, then I would say the Dolphin might be the better overall package if you don't mind the FWD and slow charging speed, but going up against the MG4 Essence 64 at $44K? The MG4 is hands down the better car unless you need a giant infotainment screen because you care about watching youtube more than you care about actually driving. I drove both the Dolphin Premium and the MG4 when picking a car to buy, and I ended up picking the MG4, the Dolphin had better gadgetry and nicer color options, but the MG4 was a much nicer car to drive.
RWD but also rear engine, so more like a Beetle than a Holden (MG would prefer to say like a Porsche I imagine). Not really the same experience.
I bought a MG Essence 64 a year ago and it is a superb car. Best handling of all the smaller EVs with RWD & 50-50 weight distribution. Very well made, not a single rattle, looks great & not a single issue in the 15,000km so far and another year to go till its first service. It didn't win a multitude of awards for being a bad car.
But you can't buy the Zeeker or xpeng in Australia?
I think the warranty and availability of service is the most important thing. One minor issue could shut your car down. Best to know the warranty and service history of a company before recommending it. Don't want to buy the worlds largest paperweight.
Nearly half the cars on the road now are 4WD or All wheel drive ------------>>> Why are Electric Vehicle manufactures offering cars types from 40 to 50 years ago, Sedan, sedan, sedan two wheel drive, two wheel drive. Most of us would like to replace the car we use now with an electric equivalent...
The SUV electrics available couldn't drive over a coke can with out scraping! Yeah lets go off road in that.
Wholeheartedly agree with you Sam. Your choices would be my choices too. Again, I looked at the MG4 and walked away feeling utterly unimpressed. I does have RWD which is a good point but otherwise, not a buy for me at all when comparing to other vehicles such as the BYD Atto 3 or BYD Dolphin. I've pre-ordered the Xpeng G6. I would never buy a sedan so out of the those you've mentioned, taking into account I already own (well, my wife drives it!) a BYD Atto 3 which is amazing, the Xpeng G6 is the logical progression to replace my Tesla MY destroyed in a no fault accident I had October 2023. I actually can't wait to get the G6. Your comments about servicing are also correct and the servicing side of things needs to be addressed by all manufacturers of EVs as it's a total rip-off.
Interesting!
@@LouDeVere One of the selling points about EVs is no maintenance. So what mandatory maintenance are the dealers demanding. I've not heard about this.
As you said they don't really need servicing but you should have it checked every 12 months at a garage you trust
really great👍👍 idea
Thank you! Cheers!
You’re a good mate
im waiting for a company to make an updated ev smart car size vehicle to tow behind my campervan charging wont be an issue as the trailer will be a solar charging station
A good fit for a fairly regular Sydney Newcastle round trip, with LFP?
Has to be seal or Tesla I guess
Dolphin long range would do it. Remembering that range in freeway km can be an issue
Good video Sam
sure, LFP is safe to be charged at 100%..... in NMC you've lost 20% to start with
@@simon-c2yJust don't speed and you'll get much better range and less risk of killing or injuring others.
The current Seal with more range will be the only car available in Australia for some to come. The newer 2025 model won't be available in Australia until at least next year.
The Australian Federal Government passed the Treasury Laws Amendment (Electric Car Discount) Bill 2022 in December 2022. The changes are back-dated to 1 July 2022.
Essentially this means EVs and plug-in hybrid EVs (PHEVs) under $89,332 financed through a novated lease will pay ZERO fringe benefits tax.
This represents a massive and unprecedented saving. In fact, PHEVs and EVs will generally be cheaper to novated lease, even compared with paying cash up front. (This is possible because marginal tax rates are generally a lot higher than interest rates.)
If you’ve been sitting on the fence regarding buying an EV or plug-in hybrid, and uncertain about whether to proceed because of the significantly elevated purchase price of these vehicles, the goalposts just moved - a long way.
Essentially the new legislation means the cost of ownership, in terms of the impact to your take-home pay, of an EV like a Hyundai Kona Electric or Tesla Model 3 (ie, EVs costing $60-something thousand dollars) is now about the same as the cost of owning a $35k Toyota Corolla - provided you own them under a novated lease.
EVs eligible for this FBT exemption include the Tesla Model 3, BYD Atto 3 (incl. the extended range version), MG ZS EV, Nissan Leaf (incl. e+), Hyundai Kona Electric, MINI Cooper EV, and Polestar 2.
Indeed absolutely true. This changes everything.
The Funky Cat 🐈 😎
Hi, I would like to know which EV can tow my boat and trailer.
Xpeng G6 and Tesla Model Y can both tow 1500 kg (actually I think the Tesla can tow 1600).
You sort of lost me when saying not to buy the Seal based on the 2025 spec, which probably won't be available in Australia until well into next year. Then you lost me completely with the Zeekr X, its looks a bit cheap and nasty but at a high price.
Some EVs losing 25 to 45 % of their value in the first year. Please do a video on which ones hold their value the best
Premium dolphin should be under 40k driveaway imo i think its 5k to much
Still waiting for an EV version of a GT Falcon Police Interceptor.
Can be done
Why?
@@Fomites Because it would be cool! I love The Road Warrior.
Sam’s the man,he understands the plan 😃
The big problem for me is still the infrastructure. I park on the street and live in an apartment and there are about 2 charging spots (yes, chargers, not charging stations) within about 4km radius of my place and one of those is in an underground council pay-car-park. Hopefully there will be better infrastructure soon but I doubt it until there is a critical mass of EVs.
Insurance for our BMW IX is 2k a year
Strange advice: first you say MG has some negative experiences and a moment later you say XPeng is a great car with no risks!!
Negative experiences for this car in Australia are impossible because there are NO experiences but there are in Scandinavia and guess what : the car does not sell there.
Are you misleading or ?????
It smells or become FAST more objective.
Me, i would never buy a new entrance the first year and then watch, especially for an expensive car!!!!
Remember when you had your Atto, perfect day 1 but sold quickly and never ever you did praise this car.
Ask why, why, why!!!
Who offers outstanding warranty? Who is fair on maintenance? Who can you trust??????
Good insight
Sam what do you say about polestar 4 ?
What specifically are people hearing about MG? They've upped their warranty to 10 years as of August 2024. I'm tossing up between the base MG4 (LFP) and the Dolphin Premium, which has a 7 year vehicle warranty but things like the screen (which does everything) was only 2 year warranty at launch? That's mildly concerning. I do love the BYD blade batteries though.
You can’t beat the feeling of rear drive of the MG4
MG4 is a much better car than the Dolphin to drive in my opinion. Sam seems to value the battery and range over what the car is like to drive. Personally I prefer the car that drives the best
Why dont you talk about insurance companies and EVs? Its a huge problem brewing as they write them off with minor damage. In Thailand you have insurance companies sending letters out to people saying that they need find a new company as they wont be renewing evs in the future. Its leaving people searching and settling for more expensive insurance for less coverage.
BYD Insurance coming ...
I live in the UK and am thinking of getting the Dolphin but the insurance group is high and my car insurance company won't insure it. Hopefully, the cost of insurance will decrease and its availability will improve.
@@oldbloke204 Sorry, but I don't agree with you. One reason for the high cost of insurance is the car hire cost because of the time taken in repairing the cars and this reason should reduce as the Chinese companies establish a good reputation for quickly supplying parts and manuals for repairing cars.
Another component of the high insurance cost is the cost of the battery. Battery costs have been falling and will probably continue to fall leading to lower insurance costs.
EVs are more expensive than equivalent ICE cars leading to higher premiums, hence as the cars become cheaper the insurance premiums will fall as well.
Some batteries had a reputation for catching fire, even though the probability of doing this is low, it could be a factor in the high insurance costs. As safer batteries are being used, this could be a factor in reducing the insurance costs.
Your argument of "as there are more on the road and claims increase" could be applied to any car.
My insurance on BYD Song EV (RAV4 size SUV) is 3700¥(520USD) a year in China
That includes total damage in accidents and natural disasters like floods etc
Would stay away as far as I can from Zeekr or X Peng. Will be very hard to get critical mass for these brands
Not sure about Xpeng but Zeeker should be seriously considered. I am a Model Y owner (We own two Teslas), I was in the Melbourne EV show and compared both Zeeker and Xpeng to our Teslas, I have to say both are better than my Teslas. While Xpeng is a very small company (VW owns a large of it?) Zeeker is growing very fast and its parent company owns Volvo and a few other brands. Zeeker has/ will develop more amazing EVs. Looking forward to replacing my Teslas with Zeeker in the next few years!
@@frankwei8691xpeng is slightly more popular than zeekr in china because its auto drive software，sadly you dont have other choice of the most popular ones
Hmm, no mention of a Smart #3 or #1 ?
Details haven't been revealed for these for Aus yet
Does Australia have a good infrastructure and emission-free power grid?
No
If I could buy an eclectic car it would be an Xpeng. Since we have tariffs in the US Tesla is our best choice.
Viking, by saying that a super luxury EV is a waste of money. You omitted the part about giving an opinion on whether a super luxury fossil burner is a good value.
No Service at all is not safe either. Grease for drive gear, breaks and tyres should have a service schedule
i love your EV related news but recommending them when they are not even released to our market isn't great move
I would LOVE to be able to buy an EV (a good one I mean), and if I was VERY rich, I would only buy EVs, but I'm not, so I won't buy an EV anytime soon, and among several reasons for that, is what you "started" the video saying, something that it seems to me that you think is a good thing (in the present), but it's only a good thing for the future, but a HUGE handicap for EVs now: "the list will/might be diferent in 6 months"
That's a HUGE deal with EVs! Imagine buying an EV today, and in 6 months to 1 year, a better version, and probably cheaper, will be for sale...
Talk about buyers remorse!
And let's not forget that, like you said in a previous video, there's a all bunch of battery tecnhology that's being tested, that will probably reach mass production in 4 to 5 years.
Buy an EV now, for around 50k€, and that EV will be completely obsolete in 5 years or less...
The continuous (and some times HUGE) advancemants in EV tecnhology is GREAT for the (near) future, but terrible for current EV adoption.
*Unless you leave in China where EVs cost half the price of all other countries in the world because labor is almost free, materials are as cheap as rain, and if even with all that your company looses BILLIONS of dollars, the chinese governent will shower you with money...
How about EV vans?
Byd dolphin 🐬 nice car but try selling it is the drama resale on all evs tough sell tbh
I’m loving my Dolphin Premium. Can’t wait to replace our second car with an Atto type EV.
I rather wait a little bit more for Zeekr 7X:)
Missed the BMW i4. WHOOPS
Go sam.
Byd forces services
You have been talking about EVs for months now but you did not mention a single decent sizeable SUV or 7 seater SUV , everything is small car or compact size not really SUV given the low ground clearance with prices between 50 k-80 k dollars . This Technology actually should be much cheaper given its not new and not complicated like ICE and its trying to compete with a technology been there for 138 years and takeover .
Have owned a MG4 for nearly a year. No quality issues at all. Economy right up to specs, great handling and acceleration. One faulty part when delivered, replaced under warranty. A couple of software issues, not big enough to take the car back for service, but apparently to be fixed at the one-year service.
95% of all EVs are on the road. The other 5% made it home.
Doubt firefighters share your enthusiasm: they attend lithium-iom fires on a daily basis. Scooters, ebikes and EVs up 13.5% on 2023. But that's OK I'm sure the public very eager to pay higher taxes to cover this. Great job! 🤪👍
Really the Dolphin? That sort of assessment suggests you are not much of a judge at all. It may be an entry level but it’s NOT best.
I noticed the dark circles around your eyes and could tell you are tired. Be well Electric Viking! Great job but slow down please!
Good Evening brother
Cheers Sam
Mr bot
I’m simply stunned and surprised by the way he randomly selected cars from the companies that paid for his trip to China 😂
BYD dolphin premium today costs AUD 45,584.45 drive away.
The 'affordable' EV doesn't yet exist outside China.
MG4 excite 51 is $31k AUD drive away now, that's pretty good. Will we see sub $20k brand new EVs in the next 12 months??
Toyota RAV4s (combustion) in Australia start at $42 000 and go to $58 000. These are typical prices for ICE vehicles here. EVs have passed that price point on their way down. Maybe time to review prices?
Good to see different EVs than boring old Teslas.
Side back windows and front view of older cars look much better than most Electric cars
Have you seen the Volvo EX90
The battery EV shrinks the mans gonads and then may not have children with battery currents deadly!
Sedan's are great and sorry take Seal ver a tesla 3, personally better looking, much nicer interior particularly the new version coming and new version has much better charging, though do wish it came with newer battery tech.
Zeekr is funky looking not in a good way . I’m not sure the majority of the population agree with your taste .
How silly is this guy Sam. Recommendations determined by fluff.
An Australian road test of the Subaru Solterra revealed one of the big flaws in EVs. The energy consumption was way in excess of the claimed 14kwh/100km. It was over 20kwh/100km. The reason, the reviewer explained, was the testing was on rural roads and not in the the city where energy could be recovered by the stop-start traffic. So in the very environment where recharge range is important, the Solterra (and every other EV) will come nowhere near the claimed range. Add to that the usual EV lack of a spare tyre - a repair kit will not fix the sort of damage suffered on rural roads - and vast areas with no mobile phone reception, rural EV owners should make sure they have plenty of water and food because they might be spending a long time waiting by the roadside for rescue.
High speed uses more energy per unit distance according to the square of the speed, so not speeding is a good way to keep range reasonable. But most rural drivers don't not speed.
@Fomites Anything over 80kmh is speeding for an EV. I am a rural Subaru driver and 90% of my driving is 100/110 on cruise control. It is peak efficiency for my petrol Subaru and I average 6.8l/100km. There are huge disadvantages in trading it on at EV, starting with a third the distance between "recharges" and the lack of a spare tyre.
EVs are not relevant as electricity prices skyrocket. Gasoline is easier to refuel and has longer range and will not explode like lithium batteries and burn down the house causing insurance to not pay for a rebuild.
Congratulations on the new sponsorship agreement with China. Looks like the trip was time well spent 😉
They do make reasonably good cars for the pricepoint, but 4 out of 4 Cinese recommandations plus several Chinese honorable mentions means you loose any credibility you had. You even recommend cars that are not yet avaible for independant tests.
Furthermore, you really should consider the regime you support when you buy them. I guess human rights, democracy and environmental issues are not really your thing.
I just told my dad that a byd seal would be good and he said no I want a car more like the C-max cos its batter for him to get in as he is an old dude He always seems to have an excuse not to get an EV and yes it pisses me off big time
Your dad sounds sensible.
Learn from him.
its really depends on the charging infrastructure in your country innit？in china i can charge in home，go shopping，for dinner，motoway ， countryside， in the mountain
Australia you can't speak the truth or you end up in prison. But you can buy a Chinese EV. Australia used 1984 as an instruction manual.
What?
Nonsense.
Too early to talk about reliability? Time will tell if the looks and price will be paired with reliability.
If there’s a reason i would not buy BYD or Chinese EVs, it is about reliability. No matter how small the amount I’m throwing, it’s still a throwaway.
Just a few points. My wife is into breeding Shire horses. Some of her friends, who are also breeders lost their stables. The fire started in solar panels on the roof.
Battery powered cars are too heavy.
The carbon balance over 10 years of an EV Vs gas car is probably similar.
A plug in hybrid is the way forward with current battery technology..
These days the driver could be severely punished taxwise if they were using the car on gas only.
Most people don't do more than 50 miles a day.
You could make 7 plugins for one EV.
Battery fires are going to become common. Say your laptop caused a fire in an EV and that EV was parked near to another EV.
Batteries will improve, selenium sulphur lithium can deliver up to 500 wh kg in prototype.
Sodium will never be a success for mainstream vehicles as a result of energy density.
Form energy has Bill Gates among others as backers.
I’ve nothing against EVs, which I feel offer many advantages for people who can charge conveniently at home, more so if they have home solar or live in Norway with its cheap hydro. What I don’t understand is how anyone can be in favour of EV mandates, which, by forcing manufactures to make EVs at a faster rate than consumers demand, is not only causing them to lose billions, but is also causing a backlash against EVs which is hindering their progress rather than helping it. Am I missing something here?
There is no mandate in AUS or the US. There are very little subsidies in AUS too. At the end of the day if you want to buy a petrol, diesel, hybrid, EV you want
@@dcartier1692 I don't agree that mankind's contribution to CO2 is a problem Many scientists feel that we need more of it to increase food production and that net zero is a scam designed to reduce our freedoms. th-cam.com/video/A24fWmNA6lM/w-d-xo.html
@@ellWayify I'm puzzled. Why would Trump say he was going to remove these if they don't exist?
@@philipbrown9006 Because he lied. Google it. The US has subsidies making EV's cheaper but there is no mandate. You can buy what ever car you want
@@philipbrown9006why do American politicians lie? Because they are incentivised to as full time 🤡 in search of the next 💵 masquerading as "campaign donation"
This dude said that EVs will take over Australia, check the statistics, its 7 percent. He is a joke, talks a lot o nonsense.
All Chinese! Sickening. You arer recommending the equivalent of buying a VW in 1938.
I have Outlander plugin and new Kia EV9. Amazing vehicles. And made in democracies without slave labour, pollution and IP theft.
Amazing how the democratic system somehow makes lithium mining pollution-free.
hand back your Apple phone then, plus your TV and just about everything else in your house, plus your solar panels
well said keyboard hero， chicken for tonight？😂😂😂
@@gregbrown81 10 year old Canadian made solar panels. Dunno if my Samsung is made in China but the current model isn't. Some consumers like to use their choice to drive outcomes. I sincerely wish China becomes more democratic, fairer, actually looks after its poor and not destroy its environment. For its population's sake. Like USA, China hasn't shared the spoils of globalisation fairly enough.