Used MG ZS EV 2019-present 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 & 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 – you can spot the refreshed model if you look out for its redesigned front end and lack of a front grille.

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 & 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 & 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 & 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.

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 £9000 for a late 2019 or early 2020 example in Excite or Exclusive trim. For a 2022 car, have upwards of £15,000, rising to around £17,000 for Long Range models. Up that to around £19,000 for a nearly new model.

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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: Electric car owners enjoy not having to pay any annual road tax (VED).

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.

Reliability

The MG ZS EV is largely praised for its reliability, according to our 2023 What Car? Reliability Survey. Many owners report trouble-free experiences and smooth performance. However, a few encountered electrical issues, such as warning lights and software glitches, necessitating dealership attention.

Dealer service feedback is mixed. Some owners had positive experiences with prompt repairs and excellent customer service. Others faced long wait times for parts and repairs, leading to frustration and poor communication from dealers.

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

If you can manage with 163 miles of range, save yourself £7000 or so and go for the pre-facelift car. However, we believe many people will struggle with that amount of range and will instead be drawn to the facelifted car, particularly the Long Range – even considering the premium.

The cheapest trim when it comes to used Long Ranges is called Trophy Connect and it's decently equipped – you get things like heated seats, keyless entry and automatic headlights.

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.