Why are dealers making it so hard to test drive and buy a car?
MG, Geely, BYD, often don't respond to telephone calls, don't listen, don't respond to web enquiries for days or weeks even.
Just spoke to a dealer who asked what time we would like to book a test drive for next week, when I said "noon" he came back with "I'll book you in for 1pm then".
No. I asked for noon, at least ask me if 1pm suits.
Amber has launched its "Amber for EVs" service with MG, XPeng and Audi alongside existing Tesla support. It uses five-minute wholesale spot prices and CSIRO-developed forecasting to schedule charging up to 24 hours ahead, with three control modes: charge by a deadline, charge on a fixed schedule, or charge only when the price drops below a threshold you set. Wholesale prices can go negative, meaning Amber pays you to charge.
One limitation worth knowing: MG, XPeng and Audi can only be told to start or stop charging, not to vary speed. Tesla owners get full speed control, including the ability to throttle charging in real time to match rooftop solar output.
This also not the same as Amber's V2G trial. Amber for EVs is one-way smart charging only. The V2G trial (BYD Atto 3 only, currently 50 vehicles with a 4,000-person waitlist) allows the car to send power back to the home or grid.
Does anybody here use the Amber for EVs service? How has your experience been so far?
Hi everyone!
I’m looking to buy my first car and I’m between considering the BYD atto 2 or the GWM ora 5.
I really like the look of the Ora 5 but I liked the drive of the BYD more. The BYD drive feels similar to a petrol car which is what I like, but it also looks a bit bland for me. BYD also has less driving range.
I haven’t seen a lot of people buy Ora 5 which also makes me hesitant knowing that BYD is more established as a brand.
Theres some pros/cons to both and I’m stuck on which to go with.
I would appreciate owner insights please.
Thank you!
While EV technology is constantly evolving, we've seen range and performance, and to some degree, internal quality fitout and ride quality all be 'democratised" into levels not seen with ICE vehicles. If you wanted cars that did sub 4 second 0-100 while still being comfortable and featureful, you used to have to pay $200k. Now it's available for ~$80k with many EV brands.
Also range is well accepted with EV's able to do big laps of Australia without too much hassle, and low cost.
Everyone seems to have the same warranty now though. 5 years on the car, 8 years/160k km on the battery. The outlier is Volvo who seem to be coming up with their EX60 of 10 years/240k km on the battery - as well as bidrectional charging support up to 3000kWh/365days - on their website, interesting if that makes it into Australian warranty statements though.
Do we think we'll start to see others follow suit with longer battery warranties? What is the next item to get an uplift that continues to take arguments away from people buying EV's?
| Model | Price (before ORC) | WLTP range |
|---|---|---|
| BYD Atto 1 Essential | $23,990 | 220km |
| Geely EX2 Complete | $26,490 | 252km |
| BYD Dolphin Essential | $29,990 | 340km |
| GAC Aion UT Premium | $31,990 drive-away | 430km |
| MG4 Urban Standard | $31,990 drive-away | 316km |
Which one do you think represents the best value?
I've never owned an EV before, but have been quite impressed with the IONIQs when I've been in them as a passenger.
I've been keeping an eye on the one in the photo. It's been on the lot for a while (not much interest in these?) and the dealer has dropped the price to the point where it's a fair bit below the Carsales valuation (~$25k).
Are these older IONIQs still worth it if they don't have many kilometres? They are so much cheaper than the newer ones. Obviously the battery is much smaller, but I would be using it as a runabout, not for long trips.
Is there any way to assess whether the battery is still in good condition?
Hi r/AustralianEV!
I’m John Ricca from Jaric Air Conditioning and Electrical, a licensed electrical and air conditioning company based in South East Queensland. We install home EV chargers and help customers work out what their car, home and switchboard actually need before they buy.
We’re hosting an AMA on Tuesday 18 August at 10:30am AEST, where I’ll be here to answer your questions about:
We’re happy to answer both basic and technical questions — from “do I really need a wall charger?” through to switchboard capacity, solar charging, tariffs and QLD installation requirements.
This isn’t a sales pitch. We’re here to share practical electrical advice and help clear up some of the confusion around home EV charging. For anything specific to your own property, a licensed electrician would still need to inspect it properly.
Drop your questions below ahead of time and we’ll start answering them when the AMA begins at 10:30am.
Looking forward to chatting with you all.
I’ve been getting quotes from a few different insurers and the difference is crazy.
For me:
- BYD Sealion 7 Performance: around $120/month
- Tesla Model Y RWD: around $320/month, even with a high excess
I’m 35M, no accidents and no previous claims.
I don’t think it’s just because of performance either, because the Sealion 7 Performance is much more powerful than the Model Y RWD, but it’s still way cheaper to insure. Budget Direct quoted me around $120/month for the Sealion 7 Performance, while the Model Y RWD was around $320/month
Does anyone know why Teslas are so much more expensive to insure in Australia?
I really love the Model Y Long Range AWD, but at these insurance prices, it removes almost all the savings you get from driving electric.
I am. I have been into cars and motorcycles since I was a teen 35+ years ago. I bought an EV about 3.5 years ago after selling my WRX. Yes, I miss the noise and shifting but I love the instant torque. One thing I have noticed though, people who buy EVs just don't seem to be into cars etc. they can't even change a tyre or put windscreen washer fluid in.
I am thinking between those 2 options right now. Ome is used, slightly more expensive but its a proven brand while the other is new, long "warranty" but completely unproven. Need opinions from people here. Thanks.
Looking at purchasing an MG4 for $31990. Good price and really good value, will do everything i need but friends say MG is not reliable and has too many problems and breakdowns. Is this true? Should i buy a BYD instead? Will i waste my money if i get the MG? Thanks in advance.
What’s the best luxury EV within $85k. We are considering buying an EV for a new family car (upgrading from Audi a1) and I’ll be the one driving it 90% of the time. I’m on my P’s for the next 2 years, so we can’t get p plate prohibited vehicles like the Tesla Model Y, or BMW iX3. (NSW P-PLATE LEGAL) Looking for something with a luxurious interior, good backseats, that’s pretty flashy with some bells and whistles given the price point. Main preference is a bright interior, anything but black. Also really good speakers. Not opposed to buying used. Good handling and practicality would be a bonus. Can be a car that will arrive to Australia later, since we’ll be buying later down the year.
Current considerations are the: Mercedes CLA shooting brake, Tesla model 3 rwd, Cadilac Optiq, Xpeng new G6 LR, and the upcoming Xpeng L03 and G9L.
Please let me know if you have any vehicle suggestions.
Anyone have some insight into what the AWD G9L will cost, when it lands in Australia?
So i am in the search for a new car, and my price range is only around 20-24 thousand. Here in wa i have been looking at demo evs to try and save some $$
2023 MG ZS EV Excite Auto MY23
-2023 model
-low kms (2500 kms)
-320 km range
vs
BYD ATTO 1 Essential
-2026
-220 km range
My situation is , im single and car would moslty be just me and 1 other passenger, work from home (so can home charge without issue) and probably only do 250 kms a week . However i do want the occasional long range trips 1-2 a year (300-400kms)
obviously the range is a big difference, but what are peoples opinions on actual features/drives
What’s everyone’s experience here? Is there a hard and fast policy across different dealerships?
My experience
BYD. Accompanied. Described as policy. Decent length test.
Tesla. Go yourself. Easy.
Geely. Go yourself.
Zeekr. 15 minutes on a couple of streets. Felt like my first learner drive. Half of that 15 was the salesperson driving.
Hi all, just weighing up trickle charging at home vs installing hard wired 7kw charger.
Trickle charging would be fine for our driving needs.
BUT our home has old wiring and I have heard that trickle charging can be risky for wiring damage?
When do you think our glacial pace of EV charging stations here in Australia compared to China, will ever improve?
MG4 brochure states it’s a 64kwh battery, with a range of 452km and efficiency of 176wh/km (17.6kwh/100km). Those numbers don’t stack up.
A 64kwh battery with a range of 452km should be about 14.2kwh/100km
A 64kwh battery with 17.6 efficiency would be 363km of range.
A 77kwh battery (the old long range) at 17.6 gives close to 450km
What am I missing?
BYD Atto 3 price is lower than expected, much lower than New Zealand. Shows how competitive the Australian market is.
| Variant | Drive | Battery | WLTP range | DC charging | Price (before ORC) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dynamic | FWD | 60.48kWh | 420km | 110kW | $41,990 |
| Premium | RWD | 74.88kWh | 510km | 220kW | $46,990 |
Key Changes
Standard equipment: Guitar strings
How do you think it is priced? Will Atto 3 sales make a comeback?