MG ZS EV Review & Prices

The MG ZS EV is an electric SUV that goes up against the likes of the Hyundai Kona Electric and Kia Niro EV – both of which are now well-established options at the affordable end of the electric car market.

It’s a bit like going for a pair of cheap Bluetooth headphones. It might not be from the obvious choice of brands, but it promises to do a similar job at a lower cost.

Since its revival as a mass-production manufacturer, MG’s models haven’t been the most exciting to look at. The new ZS EV is in a similar vein, but this updated version now comes with a blanked-out grille and LED headlights as part of a tweaked front end. There is also a new rear bumper with altered lights.

MG has also improved the interior design, with the main addition being a new 10.1-inch infotainment touchscreen that has updated software to make it much smoother than before. A 7.0-inch driver display has also been added that offers efficiency and safety information.

But where alternatives may offer slightly more comfort and refinement, you’ll find a lot of scratchy plastics alongside the new carbon fibre-effect upholstery finish on the dashboard and leather trim on the seats. 

In the back, you have decent legroom behind even the tallest of drivers. But as the batteries are mounted under the floor, your knees end up quite high. Headroom is also not the best, with the panoramic sunroof on Trophy models eating into the space even more. Taller passengers may struggle to get comfortable in the back.

With an adjustable boot floor as standard, you get 470 litres. This is on par with the Kia Niro EV's 475 litres, but is 140 litres more than the Hyundai Kona Electric's offering. Folding the seats down creates a 1,100-litre space, but the seats don’t quite fold flat.

The ZS EV comes with two battery options. The 51kWh Standard Range and 72kWh Long Range options offer up to 198 and 273 miles respectively.

When driving in the real world across multiple conditions and in all three driving modes – Eco, Normal and Sport – you get closer to 240 miles. But leave it in Normal mode and you’ll get nearer to the claimed figure.

Around town, the steering feels light and accurate. It also doesn’t allow many bumps into the cabin at slow speeds, with the suspension setup in normal mode helping it out. 

On the motorway, you’ll notice a lot of tyre noise and, if you go for the top-spec Trophy version, the roof rails do make a slight whistling noise. It feels comfortable on the whole, but the seats don’t have as much cushioning or support as you might like.

When applying Sport mode and tackling a country road, the ZS feels pretty stable. It isn’t the most engaging car in the world and it can scrabble for grip in damper conditions – but for most that won’t be much of an issue. 

With its competitive pricing and practicality, the ZS EV is a model you should consider. It may not be as refined as alternatives, but it can certainly be a useful option if you’re in the market for an efficient SUV. 

If you want to see what you could save on a new MG ZS EV, check out the deals page. You can also find the best deals on used MG cars as well as find out how much your car is worth by using our sell my car service - you can change your car entirely through carwow.

MG is much like Dacia in the fact that it's a value brand, and the ZS EV is one of the more affordable EVs around. It successfully undercuts both its main rivals, the Hyundai Kona Electric and Kia Niro EV, while providing more practicality than electric models more expensive than it, like the Volkswagen ID.3 and Cupra Born.

Between trims, there's a jump of £2,500 between SE and Trophy models. Choosing the longer range 72kWh battery over the standard range car also incurs a price leap of £2,500.

It’s not the most exciting electric car to drive, but the ZS EV is comfortable and refined enough for most

In town

Since making a return to the market, MG models haven’t been the most thrilling to drive - and it’s the same story here. It’s not bad by any means, though. 

Where it majors is in town. The light steering helps you manoeuvre through traffic well, while the suspension soaks up many of the bumps you come across. It might feel a little wide down narrower streets, but it feels pretty good most of the time. 

The ZS comes with battery recovery settings, so you can alter how much the car slows down on its own to recharge. On its highest setting, you can basically drive around town using only the accelerator.

On the motorway

When you're on the motorway, the ZS does start to feel a bit unrefined. The roof rails fitted on Trophy models start to whistle at higher speeds. A lot of tyre noise is also created and that does make an impact in the cabin - even with some music on. 

But saying that, the ZS manages to be comfortable enough on longer trips. All versions come with 17-inch aerodynamically optimised wheels, and they help to keep the car reasonably comfortable on longer journeys.

On a twisty road

The ZS EV in Sport mode doesn’t feel too top-heavy when you attack a corner, and it’s reasonably stable. That being said, the suspension becomes a little sharp and it does drain the battery quite quickly. 

One area of annoyance is the placement of the drive mode selection. You have the gear selector as a wheel in the middle of the centre console, with the toggles for drive modes, battery recovery and status. For UK models, the drive mode select is on the wrong side and you’re stretching to choose between Eco, Normal and Sport modes.

The ZS also lacks some driver adjustment. You can only move the wheel up and down, with no reach alteration. That can also mean the view of the driver display can be slightly obscured.

With a class-leading boot, the ZS EV is super useful. Taller passengers may struggle to get comfortable though

As a result of the ZS’ boxy shape, you get a decent amount of headroom in the front and you can stretch your legs out more than enough even with people in the back. With grab handles on the centre console, you can feel supported enough when driving around quicker corners. 

MG has ensured that the ZS has plenty of cubby holes and spaces throughout the cabin. You have a wireless charging pad for your smartphone in the centre console, as well as cup holders and a storage bin under the armrest. The door bins up front are also a decent size.

Space in the back seats

In the back, taller passengers may struggle a little - especially with the sunroof fitted. The roof slopes quite a lot towards the rear, and with the batteries mounted under the floor, the seats are quite high. Legroom isn’t bad, but a taller driver will restrict knee room slightly.

You get seat pockets and door bins, while the cup holders in the middle armrest are covered, which is quite helpful for comfort. You also get two USB-C sockets to charge phones and keep kids occupied with their devices.

Boot space

Compared to alternatives, the MG ZS EV has a well-sized boot. The 480-litre space is slightly smaller than the Kia Niro EV's by five litres but is considerably better than the Hyundai Kona Electric's - by 120 litres. The variable boot floor helps too, with the space underneath keeping the charging cable safe. 

By folding the rear seats down, you get 1,100 litres to work with. That’s weirdly not as much as some alternatives, but it’s more than enough for most people. The seats also don’t fold completely flat.

The ZS’s cabin isn’t the most exciting, but the infotainment is much improved and equipment levels are pretty decent

The interior finish of the ZS isn’t all that exciting, but it features leather and carbon fibre-effect upholstery throughout. In the top-spec Trophy version, you get contrast stitching against the black leather.

You don’t get much else in the way of colour, as the black leather, plastics and trim make it quite a dull interior. The panoramic roof and light headlining do help bring some light into the cabin, but it could be better.

With this updated version of the ZS, MG has revamped the infotainment system completely. You get Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, but even if you don’t use them, the setup works very smoothly.

The Trophy Connect version we drove features the top version of the iSmart system with live services, such as weather and traffic updates. You can also pre-heat your car, as well as check battery levels and service intervals through the iSmart app. Models also feature a wireless charging pad, six-speaker audio system and Bluetooth connection.

The sole electric motor is mounted on the front axle and is paired to either a 51kWh or 72kWh battery pack. The smaller battery option provides up to 198 miles of range. 

For the larger 72kWh option, MG claims a return of 273 miles of charge. Using all three driving modes on a route close to 100 miles for this test, it returned an average of 3.4 miles per kWh – averaging out at 232 miles of range. 

Most people won’t be flinging their ZS EV down a country road to test how grippy it is and pushing the throttle hard to make the most of its power, so in more restrained driving you can expect close to the claimed mileage.

The claimed mileage of similar options on the market is slightly better, with the Niro EV having a supposed range of 285 miles. The Kona Electric has 300 miles available.

As you only have a single motor and the car weighs 1,620kg, performance isn’t as rapid as other EVs. But it definitely isn’t slow. The ZS EV can get from 0-60mph in 8.2 seconds, which is more than fast enough for most.

Until April 2025, you'll be saving money on tax compared with a petrol car, as EV owners don't need to cough up for it. Beyond that date though, you'll need to be paying the same annual cost as everyone else.

Although the updated ZS EV hasn't been put through its paces by Euro NCAP, the original version scored five stars on its safety tests, performing the best on the occupant metrics (90% on adults and 86% for children). It didn't perform as well on the pedestrian and safety assist tests, but was still good enough to give the ZS EV a good rating.

As standard, it comes with adaptive cruise control, lane keep assist, traffic jam assist and intelligent high beam - with the Trophy version also receiving blind spot monitoring and rear cross traffic alert.

You also get airbags all round, emergency braking assist, rear Isofix mounting points and an immobiliser.

The ZS EV hasn't been subject to any recalls since its launch. But the quality of some of the interior materials and finishing touches don't feel too sturdy, so you may need to look out for features breaking or falling apart.

MGs registered now will get a 12-month, unlimited mileage warranty. Up to a further six years, you get 80,000 miles under warranty, with the policy transferring to any new owner in that timeframe. For the fourth to seventh years of that warranty, you need to have a full service history to qualify for those additional years.