The MG4 is currently one of Australia’s most popular electric cars available for a relatively affordable price. I have borrowed media loan cars of Essence 77 pre-production spec as well as Essence 64 (see my likes and dislikes article) and this week I’ll borrow an Excite 51 spec to compare.
There are quite a few things you can do for free or by spending varying amounts of money to improve the MG4.
Rear Visibility
These change options cost nothing, however they should only be done if you never have:
- any backseat passengers (remove all headrests),
- any centre back seat passengers (remove back centre headrest only)
Doing either of these greatly increases rear window visibility while driving. Follow the link to learn more.
Remove Aero Covers
This change costs nothing. Personally I wouldn’t do this because the plastic covers protect the alloy wheels from damage and increase efficiency when you’re driving at highway / motorway speeds.
However some people prefer the alloy wheel look so it’s your choice what to do.
Make Boot Space Flatter & Store Cables Underneath
This change costs nothing. Watch the videos below to see how you can adjust the boot floor to store cables below (Essence only) and take out the floor spacer to make the full boot with seats lying flat easier to use.
Should You Store Items Under MG4 Hood/Bonnet?
The photo below is courtesy of MGEVS forum admin Rolfe. Many other MG4 owners may be tempted to store items under the hood/bonnet so I asked MG Australia’s main spokesperson what their official advice was and the response was:
“We don’t recommend storing anything in the frunk [under bonnet area]”.
This is sensible advice. The MG4 wasn’t designed to have an official storage area under the bonnet. Engineering designs for heat flow, crash testing etc will have been done assuming no 3rd party plastic frunk storage units or cable storage bags kept under the bonnet.
Upgrade Internal Lights to LED
The MG4 only has internal ceiling lights for the front two seats and for some reason MG has chosen to use old fashioned incandescent relatively dim bulbs.
Australian MG4 buyer MrHankey said he followed the instructions in the video below after buying these 90 lumen LED bulbs from Super Cheap Auto. Just be gentle pushing them into the sockets.
“Today I installed LED bulbs into the reading lamps. Such an improvement. Such a quick and easy swap, the hardest part was getting the light cover off”.
“I bought some from supercheap for around $20. There are much cheaper ones on Amazon and there are much more expensive ones. But I had seen reports that the cheap ones can be a tight squeeze into the holders leading to issues. So didn’t want to risk getting the absolute cheapest”.
Touchscreen Protector/Anti Fingerprint Cover
Personally I don’t feel the need for this but if fingerprints on the two MG4 screens annoy, you then it’s a relatively cheap upgrade at about $22 incl shipping at time of writing for the Aliexpress protector shown in the video below.
Car Mats
Some buyers get carpet car mats included for free as a bonus from the MG dealer they bought the car from. Use them as a negotiating tactic eg: I’ll buy it now if you include car mats for free.
Otherwise you have the option of buying carpet car mats from your MG dealer or more weatherproof ones from a 3rd party like EVfloormats or a guy named Alex Mozghovyi, both are sponsors of MG4 Owners Australia Facebook group.
Buy V2L Adaptor
One way electric cars are superior to fossil fuel cars is they can have the cool feature of one or more V2L (vehicle to load) reverse charging sockets.
In normal language this means you can plug in 240V devices or charge the battery of electrical gadgets big and small directly from your car.
I recently tested the official MG V2L adaptor on an MG4 Essence 64 as pictured above.
You can buy the official adaptor from an Australian MG dealer for $249 or from a 3rd party site for less money eg EVchargers.
Reader Chris sent in a tip:
“I have the EV Chargers V2L cable for the MG and can confirm they work fine and are cheaper than the official MG ones”.
“They’ll also make them up to specs you require. I got one with a 15 amp socket and 5m of quality cable for $155”.
Reader Alex made a video which you can watch below of him testing V2L to power a heater, using the new MG4 he purchased recently.
Install Dashcam
If you’ve just bought a new EV like the MG4 and don’t think you need a dashcam, take a minute to watch some example dashcam footage recorded by Aussie drivers recently.
I have previously explained why I think if you’re going to buy a dashcam then a 4K one is recommended.
The video below shows an example of DIY installing a 4K dashcam in an Australian MG4.
Personally I’d pay an auto electrician at an MG dealer to hardwire a dashcam because badly done DIY dashcam wiring can potentially block airbag deployment which is obviously a bad thing.
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