A look at some alternative EVs in Malaysia that aren’t bad purchases.
It’s no secret that Tesla dominates in terms of pure value-for-money in the EV space. They’ve been at it the longest, they know no other powertrain and they sell the most popular car in the world. Late last year, we put together an Excel sheet of all the EVs on sale in Malaysia and did our first article on which EVs in each range bracket offered the best “Ringgit Per KM”. Today, we’re going to point out a few models that match Tesla pretty closely in terms of “Ringgit per X” while also offering some other advantages. This is our “surprisingly good value” non-Tesla EV list, and of course if you can get these cars on discount, the value proposition only increases.
“Acceleration Value King” smart #1 BRABUS
First on the list is the recently launched smart #1, specifically, the top spec BRABUS model. It places third on our list in terms of “Ringgit per PS” (RM582 per PS) behind the Tesla Model 3 and Model Y Long Range variants (both RM546 per PS). It also can’t match those two in terms of WLTP Range. However, it does beat those two in terms of its acceleration time from 0-100km/h at just 3.9 seconds where the other two are 4.4 and 5 second cars. The BRABUS model also comes with 22kW AC charging, which can mean shorter charging times where available.
The Tesla Model Y Performance AWD model is faster to 100km/h by 0.2 seconds, but that model is RM39,000 more expensive than the smart #1 BRABUS. In the acceleration metric, all other EVs that are faster than the BRABUS are priced between RM612,430 (BMW iX M60) and RM999,999 (Porsche Taycan Turbo S).
Hyundai Kona Electric e-Lite vs Dolphin Premium Extended For Torque Value
The Hyundai Kona Electric e-Lite is hardly a top contender in the EV space and yet it offers the lowest “Ringgit per Nm of torque” (RM396/Nm) of any EV on sale here today. In terms of stats, it’s not very impressive though – range is just 305km and its low power output of 126PS means that 0-100km/h takes nearly 10 seconds.
If you’re prepared to sacrifice a bit of price and comfort for better value, the number 2 spot in the “Ringgit per Nm of torque” ladder goes to the BYD Dolphin Premium Extended Range (RM403/Nm). You’ll save about RM30,000 up front and get more than 100km more range while also cutting your century sprint time down to just 7 seconds. Again, with a discount the base model Kona Electric could still be the better buy.
Premium With A Lot Of Torque For The Money – XC40 Pure Electric
Surprisingly there’s no Tesla in the top 3 for “Ringgit per Nm of torque”, instead you find a Volvo XC40 Recharge Pure Electric (RM423/Nm). This fully-loaded compact premium offering from Volvo manages to tick quite a few boxes while also giving you a sea of torque to swim in (660Nm).
You get Google Built-In, so the car’s Google Maps feature can help you plan routes in sync with traffic conditions and your battery’s predicted state-of-charge. The XC40 is also the first locally-assembled EV, which is still a rare occurrence. If it means safeguarding some local jobs and improving the health of the economy instead of making Mr Musk even richer, maybe it’ll find its way on your list. The XC40’s also got 100 years of premium carmaking experience behind it, so the little things are done right. Plus, it’s not difficult to get a discount on these right now, increasing the value appeal further.
Max Range Value King: Mercedes-Benz EQE 350+ AMG Line
This car made the list before and it should be mentioned again from another perspective. The Mercedes-Benz EQE 350+ AMG Line has the second highest range of any EV on sale (669km), beaten only by the EQS 500 4MATIC (696km).
That being said, the EQE is about RM230,000 cheaper than the EQS. Yes you lose out on pure power figures, but the EQE is no slouch with 292PS and 565Nm of torque available. It’s also over RM100,000 cheaper than no.3 on the list – the BMW iX xDrive50 Sport. If you’re shopping with established premium brands we’d say the EQE 350+ is the best pick of the bunch.
Luxury Performance Win: Lotus Eletre base model
It’s hard to discuss value with a straight face while mentioning cars costing north of RM500,000 but believe me this is worth talking about. The Lotus Eletre comes in three guises with the base model (RM942/PS, RM814/Nm) and the “S” model bringing the same performance and range. The Eletre R is a lot faster but you lose out on range and have to fork out RM220,000 more over the base model for more performance over an already very fast car.
The base Eletre and the Eletre S are both great value if you’re in the market for super-SUV performance. It sits between the more basic and mid-spec Taycans in terms of performance but its performance per out put is sub RM1000/PS and sub RM900/Nm, which is not something any of the Taycan variants offer. Plus it’s a great deal rarer than any Porsche right now while also giving you the size and ride height of an SUV. In essence, it’s exactly what the multi-millionaire class are looking for in the segment while being priced very competitively. The only issue is how long the wait list will be.
