MG ZS EV

The MG ZS EV is a low-cost, spacious, practical, electric SUV

Overview

The MG ZS EV was MG’s first fully electric car (BEV) available in the UK market. Since then it has brought out the MG5 estate and the MG4 hatchback. MG is owned by Chinese company SAIC Motor, a massive producer of EVs.

The ZS EV is a practical, 5-seat SUV at a surprisingly low price, given all its features.

It was refreshed in November 2021 and now offers very solid range on a single charge of the battery.

In terms of value for money, when you compare the price of the car and the range you get, the new MG ZS EV is one of the best value electric cars on the market.

Read our review below for a quick overview of price, trims, real-world v. official battery range, top speed and acceleration, charging times and costs, and more.

MG ZS EV Price, Trims & Variants

The price of the ZS EV starts at £30,495 for the base SE trim, and goes up to £35,495 for the top spec Trophy Long Range trim. Here are all the variants:

Range & Batteries

How far can you drive on a full charge of the battery in the ZS EV? In ideal conditions, you should be able to achieve the official ‘WLTP’ range in miles. However in winter, for example, electric car batteries don’t perform as well, and actual range will be lower.

This table shows both the more optimistic WLTP range, and a rough, more likely ‘average’ range for the various versions of the MG:

Efficiency

We are all used to ‘miles per gallon’ of petrol or diesel when thinking about efficiency in traditional cars. With EVs, you need to replace ‘gallon’ with ‘kWh’. 1 kWh = 1 unit of electricity. So the ‘miles per kWh’ measure tells you how many miles you can go on 1 kWh of electricity – the higher the number the better.

Here’s data for the MG ZS EV, together with an equivalent in miles per gallon (yes, electric cars really are that efficient!):

Charging Times & Costs

If you have off-street parking, the best and cheapest place to charge your ZS EV is at home. Depending on your home energy tariff, you’ll either charge at a standard flat rate or at a lower off-peak rate. The 0-100% charge times below are a ‘worst case’ scenario – typically you will charge 1-2 hours a day, or maybe go for a longer charge on just a couple of days a week.

Charging at Home on an Off-peak rate of 10p per kWh

Charging at Home on a Peak rate of 34p per kWh

When you’re on a trip, you can get a quick boost at a rapid charger. These vary in terms of charging speed and you are also limited by the ZS EV’s maximum charging rate. Take the 10-80% charging times with a pinch of salt – the charging rate will gradually decrease and times are often longer.

Charging in Public at a 50 kW Rapid Charger at a rate of 50p per kWh

Charging in Public at a 150 kW Rapid Charger at a rate of 60p per kWh

Charging in Public at a 350 kW Rapid Charger at a rate of 70p per kWh

Performance

The MG ZS EV, like all pure electric cars, has its wheels turned by one or more electric motors. The motors themselves are powered by a lithium-ion battery. Battery + electric motor is a great combination, giving you instant torque with no gears to change.

You’ll find the car eerily quiet after an internal combustion engine. Here are the performance stats:

Boot Space & Dimensions

The MG ZS EV is an SUV, and its boot space can be further increased by folding the rear seats down. Here are all the boot and dimensions measurements:

Boot Space & Cargo Volume

Dimensions

Next Steps

We hope you’ve enjoyed this brief analysis of the MG ZS EV. We’ve focussed mainly on potentially unfamiliar electric car related items, such as batteries, range and charging.

Where to next?

1. Narrow down your EV search in a systematic way using our Car Selector tool
2. Read more about the ZS EV at MG’s UK website
3. If you’re ready to go, consider leasing the MG ZS EV from a low-cost broker