Gamechanger: MG has begun to offer lifetime EV battery warranty

Anyone who has ever bought or is seriously considering an electric vehicle generally has one major concern: the battery life. Or rather, the cost of replacing and/or repairing an EV battery.

It’s a very valid concern, as it has proved to be the single and most important stumbling block for wider EV adoption. Such battery concerns also affect the viability of second-hand sales of EVs. Simply put: would you buy a second hand EV knowing the battery might conk out not long after you start driving it?

MG has the answer: a lifetime transferrable warranty on the battery and other primary electrical drive systems.

Starting in Thailand, MG has announced that they will be starting a program wherein EV models will have a lifetime warranty for 3 critical components of the EV drive system: the high voltage battery assembly (HV Battery Assy), the electric drive unit (EDU), and the power electronic block (PEB). That practically covers all the major components of the drive system, and provides unprecedented peace of mind for EV owners.

Initially, MG Thailand will start offering this for four of their existing models: the MG4, the MG Maxus 9, the MG Maxus 7, and the MG Cyberster. MG says the warranty will be retroactive to customers in Thailand who already own any of the 4 MG models mentioned.  Critically, they say that the warranty carries over even when the ownership of the vehicle has changed. The warranty is attached to the vehicle, not the first owner.

This announcement by MG in Thailand is a game changer in the EV field. We don’t recall any other EV automaker offering a lifetime battery warranty. While there will be specifics in the warranty, they are of course only providing the warranty for defects (as is standard) and not damage caused by crashes or unusual use.

But what does it mean for the Philippines? We reached out to Dax Avenido, MG Philippines (SAIC) Marketing Director, and as it turns out the announcement from MG Thailand hasn’t yet cascaded to other markets.

“This action is not in our pipeline yet,” said Dax. “I already raised this with the technical team. This is a gamechanger.”

We imagine MG Philippines is now busy calling management in Shanghai about this topic as we speak. Yes, it will be a gamechanger as it can wipe out the single most important concern with EV ownership.