MG4 X-Power - thinking to buy one

[CrossBones]

Hi

I am looking at this car. New they are selling for 899k on promotion. Regular price 1.2m

I have not owned an EV before. I live in a rented house they said i can charge at 7kw with one phaze electric but i need to upgrade the electric meter. I am not sure if landlord will allow it.

Otherwise i will be stuck using the portable charger which i believe is 3.5 kw? That would take about 20 hours to fully charge - I can live with this, i dont use the car too much and as long as I plug it in every time i park at home it shouldnt be an issue at all. Are there any problems with always using the portable charger? Any reason why this isnt a good solution?

 

Can i use public charging stations around the country? The charging socket on MG is the same as other manufacturers? I ask this because i was looking at after market chargers on lazada and they dont seem to support MG.

 

Can anyone give me any feedback on this car, owning one in Thailand? What is MGs service like? Anything to look out for?

 

It seems like a steal for 899k. Ive never owned a new car before and i can buy this at this promotion price, it will offset some of the depreciation possible iff they start ccharging the full price in future 1.2m for new

 

Thanks

[motdaeng]

other members drive an mg, i am sure they will share their experiences with you, including how the service is. i think the mg 4 x-power is a good choice and a real bargain for the price.

 

charging at home: how long do you plan to stay in the rented house? how much do you pay per kwh? if the electricity meter really needs to be replaced, it might also be necessary to replace the main power lines to the house ...

 

the granny charger with 3.5 kw might actually only charge at around 2.5 kw (?). if you plan to use this granny charger as your main charging option (which means long charging times), it's a good idea to have the plug, wiring, fuses, etc. checked by a professional ...

 

you can charge your mg at all public charging stations. there are some electric car owners who can't charge at home, so they regularly use dc fast chargers instead. there are many different providers, be aware the prices can vary  ...

 

i also drive electric (and loving it), and at the moment, i charge my car only once a week ...

 

[JBChiangRai]

I have a friend with the MG 4 X power, and she can only charge at fast chargers and she loves the car.

 

One of my tenants has a BYD Seal Premium, and despite the fact I fitted a 40 amp breaker so he could have the charger fitted he hasn’t bothered, he only charges with the granny charger And it doesn’t bother him at all, mostly it charges up less than overnight. Charging Overnight will typically give you an extra 45% so unless you’re doing more than 200km per day you won’t have a problem.

 

Your rented Property should be able to accept the granny charger, I personally wouldn’t check it. I would just plug it in and use it, and if there’s a problem, I would report it to your landlord as it’s his responsibility to fix it.  Sockets are rated at 16amps, if it won’t sustain that it’s the landlord’s problem.

 

You can also buy plugin chargers on Lazada that are switchable up to 16amps (3.6Kw) though to be fair I would only run it at 13 amps (2.9kw) .

 

 

 

 

[motdaeng]

1 hour ago, JBChiangRai said:

 Your rented Property should be able to accept the granny charger, I personally wouldn’t check it. I would just plug it in and use it, and if there’s a problem, I would report it to your landlord as it’s his responsibility to fix it.  Sockets are rated at 16amps, if it won’t sustain that it’s the landlord’s problem.

 

... sometimes you're really funny, and sometimes i'm not sure if you're being serious or not ... 

 

you should know how things work in thailand when it comes to taking responsibility ...

in most cases it isn't the thai-landlord who takes the responsibility .... 

[KhunLA]

I own the MG ZS, and use the granny charger 95% of the time charging at home.  Put on about 10k-15k kms a year locally, and no problem.  Actually have solar, so my window to charge is very small, and still no problem.

 

If charging over night, that would be at least l8-20kWh (9hr / 2100-0600), or at least 140 kms a day of driving.   Definitely no problem for most folks.

 

 

[JBChiangRai]

38 minutes ago, motdaeng said:

 

... sometimes you're really funny, and sometimes i'm not sure if you're being serious or not ... 

 

you should know how things work in thailand when it comes to taking responsibility ...

in most cases it isn't the thai-landlord who takes the responsibility .... 

 

Would you also have the plug, wiring, fuses, etc. checked by a professional before plugging in a 3Kw hairdryer? or a 2.5Kw kettle?  The granny charger draws 2.2kw, 10amps on a 220v, 16amp, less than ²/₃rds of the socket's rated capacity and is designed to be safe in a domestic environment.

 

I think sometimes the advice given here is over the top, we should all be reasonable in our advice especially to potentially new EV owners where we can confuse them, case in point @Yodarapper

 

If the granny charger instructions say you have the plug, wiring, fuses, etc. checked by a professional before use then do it.  If any electrical appliance says have the plug, wiring, fuses, etc. checked by a professional before use, then do so.  The granny charger instructions don't say this, so don't advise it.

 

I am a landlord, and if someone plugged in something designed for a 16amp socket and something went wrong, it would be my responsibility and I'd fix it straight away.

[brewsterbudgen]

Newbie question - what is a "granny charger"?

[KhunLA]

19 minutes ago, brewsterbudgen said:

Newbie question - what is a "granny charger"?

The emergency charger that comes with all BEV.   Then they (some), provided a wall charger also.

 

Fast charging is considered 50kWh and above.  Ours will accept 76kWh, some will accept much more, though charging cable that provide are limited.

 

[Andrew Dwyer]

29 minutes ago, brewsterbudgen said:

Newbie question - what is a "granny charger"?

Usually comes free with the EV, also called an emergency charger, it is a basic way of charging via your household socket.

It is slow and could potentially take a couple of days to charge from 0-100% but is very handy for topping up a little or charging overnight.

Most people will get a wall charger fitted which reduces the time significantly but until the wall charger is fit they will use the granny charger without issue, myself included.

[pimmmm]

How are people finding the MGs generally?  I'm in the market for a new car, EV maybe or Hybrid. MG have great features for the price, but many seem to complain about reliability?  See this all over the net. 

With BYD seems to be less complaints?

[motdaeng]

42 minutes ago, JBChiangRai said:

Would you also have the plug, wiring, fuses, etc. checked by a professional before plugging in a 3Kw hairdryer? or a 2.5Kw kettle? 

 

would you run a 3kw hairdryer or a 2.5kw kettle for 12 hours straight? i woudn't ... 

 

a granny charger is actually meant for emergencies, so it seems to be designed mainly for that purpose ...

in thailand, it’s always better to be safe than sorry ... especially when it comes to electricity ...

 

anyway, you're the expert (i'm not, but i do see it differently), and according to you,

the landlord is responsible if something goes wrong ... 

[mikebike]

8 minutes ago, motdaeng said:

a granny charger is actually meant for emergencies

No it is not.

[motdaeng]

18 minutes ago, mikebike said:

No it is not.

 

... as mentioned before, i’m not an expert, but have a look below ... as we like to say, up to you ... 

 

[JBChiangRai]

34 minutes ago, pimmmm said:

How are people finding the MGs generally?  I'm in the market for a new car, EV maybe or Hybrid. MG have great features for the price, but many seem to complain about reliability?  See this all over the net. 

With BYD seems to be less complaints?

We had an MG EP+ and currently have the MG4.  Never a fault on any of them.

 

I think MG’s reputation is historic and related to their combustion engine cars.

 

I have the BYD Seal too, just as reliable as the MG’s.

[JBChiangRai]

3 minutes ago, motdaeng said:

 

... as mentioned before, i’m not an expert, but have a look below ... as we like to say, up to you ... 

 

My Mercedes E350e only came with one charger, a granny charger.  No other charger was offered or available.

 

Granny chargers are not for emergencies, they can be used every day and indeed are.

 

AI doesn’t always get it right (I’m guessing your quote was from AI).  Most wall chargers don’t have load balancing for example and granny chargers have the same safety features as some wall chargers, some even have more (heat sensing in the plugs).

[motdaeng]

14 minutes ago, JBChiangRai said:

My Mercedes E350e only came with one charger, a granny charger.  No other charger was offered or available.

 

Granny chargers are not for emergencies, they can be used every day and indeed are.

 

AI doesn’t always get it right (I’m guessing your quote was from AI).  Most wall chargers don’t have load balancing for example and granny chargers have the same safety features as some wall chargers, some even have more (heat sensing in the plugs).

 

you are guessing wrong: 

https://wepoweryourcar.com/what-is-a-granny-charger-granny-electric-car-charging-explained/

 

just to be clear, i never said you can't use your granny charger as your main charger at home!
i only suggested it might be a good idea to check the existing electrical setup in the rental house ...

 

 

[JBChiangRai]

10 minutes ago, motdaeng said:

 

you are guessing wrong: 

https://wepoweryourcar.com/what-is-a-granny-charger-granny-electric-car-charging-explained/

 

just to be clear, i never said you can't use your granny charger as your main charger at home!
i only suggested it might be a good idea to check the existing electrical setup in the rental house ...

 

 

And I get that, but I don’t think we should be putting obstacles or confusion in the way of people considering an EV. 

Your article came from an organization who stand to make money if you don’t use your granny charger every day, their entire business is installing wall and similar charge points. I disagree with their statement .
 

 

 

[ExpatOilWorker]

BMG4, best (or worst!) of both worlds.

 

[LosLobo]

Just something to think about — you're already facing a key issue: needing landlord approval to upgrade your meter for safe 7kW charging. A granny charger (3.5kW) can work in a pinch, but using it daily for a 60+ kWh battery isn’t ideal — it’s slow (up to 20 hours) and not as safe long term.
 

At 7 baht/unit, MG4 charging isn’t cheap — and with MG4's 60% depreciation over 5 years, long-term costs can really sting. You mentioned hoping the discount would offset depreciation, but resale values are based on market demand, not what you paid — and this level of depreciation already reflects those frequent discounts.
 

Some people think EVs are always cheaper to run, but they forget about the charging hassle and the high depreciation.
 

Compare that to a Yaris Cross (~22%) or a Honda HEV (~30–35%) over the same period.
 

That’s why a hybrid like a Yaris Cross or Honda HEV may actually be cheaper and far less hassle — no charging setup, landlord approval, or battery concerns, and cheaper running costs overall.
 

Sometimes you have to ask — why the big EV discounts? Meanwhile, Toyota and Honda hybrids sell without discounting — people are choosing them anyway. That says a lot.

[mikebike]

4 hours ago, motdaeng said:

 

... as mentioned before, i’m not an expert, but have a look below ... as we like to say, up to you ... 

 

I could find 500 other, random internet post that say the opposite. But why bother. 2 yrs with my EV  now. Never used anything but my granny charger. Recent check-up says my battery is 98%... Emergency my azz.

[KhunLA]

4 hours ago, motdaeng said:

a granny charger is actually meant for emergencies, so it seems to be designed mainly for that purpose ...

in thailand, it’s always better to be safe than sorry ... especially when it comes to electricity ...

I guess I must always be in an emergency situation, because the granny charger is pretty much the only thing I use. 

 

 I've never checked any wiring or anything, as it's only 2.3kw, not much different than the microwave or the oven or the hot water heater, which draws 3.5.   No special wiring or breakers for those.

[KhunLA]

1 hour ago, LosLobo said:

Just something to think about — you're already facing a key issue: needing landlord approval to upgrade your meter for safe 7kW charging. A granny charger (3.5kW) can work in a pinch, but using it daily for a 60+ kWh battery isn’t ideal — it’s slow (up to 20 hours) and not as safe long term.
 

At 7 baht/unit, MG4 charging isn’t cheap — and with MG4's 60% depreciation over 5 years, long-term costs can really sting. You mentioned hoping the discount would offset depreciation, but resale values are based on market demand, not what you paid — and this level of depreciation already reflects those frequent discounts.
 

Some people think EVs are always cheaper to run, but they forget about the charging hassle and the high depreciation.
 

Compare that to a Yaris Cross (~22%) or a Honda HEV (~30–35%) over the same period.
 

That’s why a hybrid like a Yaris Cross or Honda HEV may actually be cheaper and far less hassle — no charging setup, landlord approval, or battery concerns, and cheaper running costs overall.
 

Sometimes you have to ask — why the big EV discounts? Meanwhile, Toyota and Honda hybrids sell without discounting — people are choosing them anyway. That says a lot.

Wow, tell me you didn't just steer someone to the Yaris Cross, that's asking about a BEV.

 

You prefer kettle or pot 

[JBChiangRai]

5 hours ago, LosLobo said:

Just something to think about — you're already facing a key issue: needing landlord approval to upgrade your meter for safe 7kW charging. A granny charger (3.5kW) can work in a pinch, but using it daily for a 60+ kWh battery isn’t ideal — it’s slow (up to 20 hours) and not as safe long term.
 

At 7 baht/unit, MG4 charging isn’t cheap — and with MG4's 60% depreciation over 5 years, long-term costs can really sting. You mentioned hoping the discount would offset depreciation, but resale values are based on market demand, not what you paid — and this level of depreciation already reflects those frequent discounts.
 

Some people think EVs are always cheaper to run, but they forget about the charging hassle and the high depreciation.
 

Compare that to a Yaris Cross (~22%) or a Honda HEV (~30–35%) over the same period.
 

That’s why a hybrid like a Yaris Cross or Honda HEV may actually be cheaper and far less hassle — no charging setup, landlord approval, or battery concerns, and cheaper running costs overall.
 

Sometimes you have to ask — why the big EV discounts? Meanwhile, Toyota and Honda hybrids sell without discounting — people are choosing them anyway. That says a lot.

There’s a world of difference in performance in those cars compared to the MG4 X-Power.

 

The massive uptake in EV’s over the last 2 years, people are turning away from Honda and Toyota, that says a lot.