Used MG ZS EV 2019-2025 review

The MG ZS EV is an electric SUV that's bound to raise some eyebrows – are its cheap and cheerful prices too good to be true? Well, let's just say this isn't one for the bargain bin, people. In fact, you get an impressive amount of quality bang for your buck.

For instance, it even has more grunt than the petrol-powered ZS.

Performance and range: Opt for a pre-facelift example and you'll get a 45.5kWh battery paired with one electric motor for 141bhp. Put your foot down and 0-62mph takes a respectable 8.5sec.

A new, 68.3kWh Long Range version was introduced as part of a mid-life (2021) facelift. It has 154bhp for slightly more performance. The standard car's battery also grew to 49kWh as part of the update, too.

How far can the ZS EV go on a full battery? Well, pre-facelift cars have an official range of 163 miles. The 68.3kWh Long Range version offers an official range of 273 miles, while the 49kWh model manages 198 miles.

Ride and handling: Rivals such as the Nissan Leaf are better to driver. The ZS EV's steering has an artificial feel which doesn’t give you much insight into what the front wheels are up to. The weight of the battery pack makes it around a quarter of a tonne heavier than the regular MG ZS, so the EV doesn’t feel quite as agile as its petrol-powered sibling.

Ride quality can be relatively soft over potholes, but it has a tendency to bounce around over uneven roads. Also, the ZS EV is not as quiet as you'd expect an electric car to be, with plenty of motor whine and high levels of wind and road noise at motorway speeds.

It's not all bad news, though, because the brake pedal has a satisfyingly predictable action to it, making it easy to apply the right amount of pressure to stop smoothly, unlike the Renault Zoe.

Interior and practicality: The interior might come as a pleasant surprise to you, because there are plenty of soft-touch plastics on its dashboard and some solid-feeling buttons and switches. Thanks in part to its SUV body, the ZS EV is properly practical, too.

Head, leg and shoulder room are great front and rear (even with a head room robbing panoramic glass roof), plus the boot is huge compared with many electric car rivals, because the batteries are housed under the rear seats and not the boot floor.

Trims and equipment: You get the choice of two trim options. The entry-level Excite has 17in alloys, rear parking sensors, adaptive cruise control, an 8in infotainment screen with Apple CarPlay/Android Auto, plus it has important safety tech such as automatic emergency braking (AEB) and lane-keep assistance.

If you go one more rung up the trim ladder to Exclusive, you'll be treated to a panoramic glass roof, leather seats that are also heated in the front, electric driver's seat adjustment, a reversing camera, blindspot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert.

On facelift models, there are three trim levels. The entry-level SE comes with 17in alloys, rear parking sensors, a 360-degree reversing camera, a leather steering wheel, a 10.1in infotainment system and the key safety technology already featured on pre-facelift versions.

The mid-range Trophy trim builds on SE by adding roof rails, a six-way electrically adjustable driver’s seat, electrically adjustable and folding door mirrors, faux-leather upholstery, a panoramic sunroof, heated front seats, a wireless phone charger and blind-spot monitoring.

At the top of the range is Trophy Connect, which includes all the equipment found on Trophy, plus connected services such as live traffic information, weather updates and Amazon Music integration.

Facelift: The ZS EV was given a mid-life update in late 2021, bringing a number of exterior and interior improvements. Visual changes included a new blanked-off grille in place of the previous traditional design, a side-opening charging port and updated LED headlights and taillights. Inside, the car gained a new infotainment system featuring a larger 10.1in touchscreen.

As mentioned previously, a new Long Range version was also introduced to the line-up, equipped with a 68.3kWh battery offering an official range of up to 273 miles. Meanwhile, the standard car benefited from a larger 49kWh battery, increasing its official range to 198 miles. The trim levels were revised at the same time.

"Considering this was one of the cheapest electric SUVs you could buy when new, the interior is really quite plush. I like that it has lots of buttons and switches, too, which help with usability." – Mark Pearson, Used Cars Editor

Interested in buying a used MG ZS EV? Visit our Used Cars For Sale pages to find lots of cars listed at great prices.

Prices start from as little as £7000 for a late 2019 or early 2020 example, in Excite or Exclusive trim with the small battery. For a Long Range car, have upwards of £9000 to spend. For a 2023 car, have at least £11,000 for the small battery and £12,000 for the Long Range. Newer 2024 cars cost a touch more.

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Charging

The 45.5kWh battery pack in the ZS EV can accept a 50kW rapid charge, and MG says it will take 40 minutes to charge from 0-80%.

A wallbox installed at home charging at 7.2kW can fully replenish a depleted ZS EV in six hours and 30 minutes. If your only option is a three-pin socket, be prepared for a near 22-hour wait for a full recharge.

Road tax

Since changes to VED in April 2025, electric cars registered between 1 April 2017 and 31 March 2025 pay the standard annual fee of £195. Cars registered on or after 1 April 2025 pay a £10 first-year rate, then £195 annually.

Servicing

There are service plans available for you to spread the cost or pay for future servicing in one go. Electric vehicle servicing should be less expensive than regular petrol and diesel cars because there's no engine oil to change.

All examples will need to be serviced annually, but for cars registered in 2021, MG has the option of a low mileage, 10,000-mile check-up, rather than the 15,000 miles interval of the standard policy.

Warranty

From new, every ZS EV comes with a seven-year, 80,000-mile warranty that's transferrable between owners. That's pretty good, but it's not quite as long as Kia's seven-year, 100,000-mile warranty or Toyota's 10-year, 100,000-mile service-activated scheme.

Reliability

The MG ZS EV presents a mixed bag for long-term dependability, according to real-world owner reviews analysed in our annual What Car? Reliability Survey. While it offers great initial value, owners frequently reported frustrating software glitches, freezing screens and electrical faults. Furthermore, long dealer wait times and inconsistent customer service can make repairs a headache, despite the long warranty.

Discover more about used MG ZS EV reliability and common problems on our dedicated reliability page.

Motor and battery

The price gap between the Standard Range and Long Range cars has closed up, so we reckon it's worth going for the big battery car. The extra range makes it far more usable than the smaller battery models.

Specification

The cheapest trim with the Long Range is Trophy Connect. It's decently equipped; you get things like heated seats, keyless entry and automatic headlights. We wouldn't steer you away from higher trims, if you can find one for a good price.

Our favourite MG ZS EV 68.3kWh Long Range Trophy

If you're looking specifically for an electric SUV, try a Hyundai Kona Electric. It's pricier, but then it does go an awful lot farther on a charge and is better to drive.

For those just looking for a practical electric car, there is a choice between popular options such as the Renault Zoe and Nissan Leaf. The latter is the more refined option and the 40kW version offers a similar range to the ZS EV. The Zoe, on the other hand, has had numerous updates over its life, so you'll need a later version for better range, plus you'll need to make sure you've gotten one with rapid charging capabilities because not all examples have it.

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Interested in buying a used MG ZS EV? Visit our Used Cars For Sale pages to find lots of cars listed at great prices.