<p>The effects of five different complexing agents and iron content on the properties of electrogalvanized iron alloy coating were studied. The Tafel curve showed that the self-corrosion current density of malic acid system (6.101 × 10^–7&#xa0;mA/cm²) was lower than that of conventional complexers by 1–2 orders of magnitude, which was attributed to the efficient complexation ability of its dicarboxylic structure to Fe²⁺, which inhibited the formation of Fe(OH)₃ byproducts. Scanning electron microscopy analysis showed that the malic acid complexing agent could refine the grain size effectively and make the coating structure more dense when the Fe content was 0.5%. X-ray diffraction and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy were used to systematically evaluate the microstructure and corrosion resistance of the coating. The results show that the Zn–Fe alloy coating with excellent corrosion resistance and decorative effect can be obtained by using malic acid as the complexing agent with low iron content.</p>