The electric car at €100/month at MG, is it really now?

Last week, a television interview with the Minister of Energy Transition was poorly received by one of the two main unions representing car manufacturers in France, the CSIAM. In this interview, Agnès Pannier-Runacher returned to the expected developments in the ecological bonus for 2024. The problem is that the minister rushed a little by assuming that the decree had already been adopted and by mentioning by name two brands (Dacia and MG) which would suffer, according to her, from the potential changes. The CSIAM, which represents among others the Sino-British brand MG, rightly criticized the minister for moving forward a little too quickly on the subject.

Today, MG announces that it is extending its rental electric car offer at €99/month on the MG4 and extending it to the MG5 station wagon. What relationship will you tell us? “While waiting for social leasing, MG is doubling down,” she said in a press release published earlier today. A way to remind the government that its electric car rental project at €100 per month has still not seen the light of day? Without a doubt. But be careful, the formula proposed by MG is not free from all defects.

Yes, but under… drastic conditions

As always, don’t just read the ad as is. To obtain the MG4 or MG5 at the monthly rate of €99, you will have to respect certain rather restrictive conditions which mean that not everyone will be able to take advantage of this offer. Firstly, you must be eligible for the conversion bonus (by scrapping a diesel vehicle put into circulation before 2011 or a gasoline vehicle put into circulation before 2006) and therefore your reference tax income per share (RFR/share ) is less than or equal to €22,983. 20% of French people are in fact ineligible. Secondly, this assumes that you can benefit from the ecological bonus of €7,000. However, for this to be the case, your RFR/share must be less than or equal to €14,089. Which considerably reduces the number of eligible people. If you find yourself in these two scenarios, MG then reduces the price of the MG4 and MG5 by €9,500.

MG does not mention the case of potential “long-distance drivers” (“whose distance between their home and their place of work is greater than 30 kilometers or who travel more than 12,000 kilometers per year as part of their professional activity with their vehicle personal”) or that of individuals whose RFR/share is less than or equal to €6,358. Surprising since all of these benefit from a conversion bonus of €6,000. If we follow the reasoning, they can even hope for less than €99/month. You still have to be able to respect these conditions and be able to afford a new car. With such low salaries, this is clearly not a given.

What do we get for this price?

For €99/month, you opt for a long-term rental contract (LLD, without the possibility of purchasing the vehicle at the end) of 24 months and 20,000 km. 10,000 km is of course a bit tight if you intend to use your vehicle every day. For €149/month, you can keep it longer (4 years in total) but, it’s the same, you shouldn’t exceed 10,000 km per year.

Finally, it is obviously the entry-level MG4 and MG5 that are available to you. 51 kWh battery in both cases with correct autonomy without more than 350 km for the compact and 320 km for the station wagon. Same rather limited charging power, also 88 kW (allow about twenty minutes to recharge the battery from 20% to 80%, thanks to the small size of the battery). No need to worry about the more than adequate equipment, with the common 10.25″ touch screen and 7″ digital instrumentation, aluminum rims or LED headlights, etc.

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