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Mg Motor Uk ZS variants
Total price
Monthly payment

Finance representative example (PCP)

Total cash price £14,599. Borrowing £13,139 with a £1,460 deposit at a representative APR of 11.9%.

48 monthly payments
£225.55
Fixed interest rate
11.9%
Total amount payable
£19,346.34
Cost of credit
£4,747.34
Optional final payment
£7,060.00
Purchase fee
£10.00
Annual mileage limit
6000 miles

MG ZS buying guide

What MG ZS trim levels are there?

Two main trim levels are available to petrol ZS buyers. With Explore trim no longer offered, the range starts with Excite. Its name is a bit keen but there is a good amount of standard kit, such as cruise control, rear parking sensors and a touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Exclusive spec adds a snazzy parking camera, sat nav, a digital instrument display and leather-effect seats, which are heated in the front. Look out for the Limited Edition if you want a red grille surround and dazzlingly bright red seats.

Trim levels for the MG ZS EV are called SE and Trophy, with similar levels of equipment to Excite and Exclusive respectively.

MG ZS interior and technology

The MG ZS is a cheap car to buy, and the interior is perhaps where you will most feel the result of that. But if you can overlook its plastics, the ZS does offer plenty inside. After all, it looks modern and there’s a lot of technology to enjoy. MG’s touchscreen with colourful tiles is usually easy to operate. The leather-effect seats feel almost plush, although they can get hot in sunny conditions.

MG ZS engine range explained

MG ZS 1.0 T-GDi petrol

MG’s modern three-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine serves the ZS reasonably well. It’s not all that powerful but performance is decent, allowing you to keep up with traffic easily. Fuel economy of around 40mpg is possible, but it’s the quietness of the engine that is perhaps more impressive. This engine is available with a manual or automatic gearbox, both of which have six speeds.

MG ZS 1.5 VTi-Tech petrol

There’s also a 1.5-litre petrol engine available in the ZS. This motor isn’t quite so fresh-feeling, but it’s a good option if you want to keep your spend low – cars with this engine are typically cheaper than those with the 1.0-litre engine.

MG ZS EV 45kWh

Pre-facelift versions of the MG ZS EV come with a 45kWh battery, which is good for a 163-mile range. That’s on a par with the standard Nissan Leaf and about 40 miles more than the Mazda MX-30. Performance is much stronger than the petrol engines, and the electric powertrain is smoother and quieter as well.

MG ZS EV 51kWh/73kWh

You’ll spot the newer ZS EV from its colour-coded blank grille, and this is the version to go for if you can afford it. There are now two battery sizes, and even the smaller of the two offers a near-200-mile range. Long Range versions up that to 273 miles, and you could see even more if you sit in lots of slow-moving traffic. You’ll struggle to find a longer range than that for the price.

MG ZS FAQs

Back in the day, the MG ZS was a sporty hatchback based on the pedestrian Rover 45. These days, the reborn MG brand sells the ZS SUV, which sits between the MG 3 supermini and the larger HS SUV. The modern ZS is a five-door crossover – it launched in the UK in late 2017, and was facelifted in 2020.

At roughly 4.3m long, the MG ZS takes up as much space on the road as a Ford Focus, so it shouldn’t be daunting to drive at all. There’s a lot of headroom in the ZS and space for four adults – five at a pinch. Boot space is really good. At 448 litres, the petrol ZS offers nearly 100 litres more than the Nissan Juke and Hyundai Kona. The electric ZS EV boosts this to 470 litres.

Unusually in this class, you can choose from conventional petrol engines or a fully electric ZS EV version. There are two petrols, one with the option of an automatic gearbox, while the size of the battery in the electric model varies depending on the age of the car.

While the MG brand has a long history in the UK, the ZS and the rest of the company's current lineup are relatively new arrivals to  the UK – now exported from MG's parent company, SAIC's base in China.

Cars only started appearing in meaningful numbers in 2018, and have been regularly updated since then. What that means is that, while early models didn't score extremely well in UK reliability surveys, we expect some of these issues to have been ironed out in more recent versions.

It's worth noting that, where problems have been reported, it's more often associated with fuel-powered ZS models, while the battery-powered ZS EV seems to be a little more robust overall.

MG does, however, offer a generous seven-year factory warranty on its cars, so buyers get manufacturer coverage for years to come. Add an extended warranty for even more protection from unexpected repair costs once the manufacturer's warranty expires.

MG has offered what's called a panoramic skyroof in the UK. This has only been offered on the 1.0T GDi petrol engine, however, so you'll only find it on those examples and not on the 1.5-litre or EV-powered models.

Pre-facelift ZS EVs come with a 44.5kWh battery which, when fully charged, returns a 163-mile range. Using a 7kW home charger will take 6.5 hours to get the battery from 0-100%. These older ZS models can fast charge at a rate of 50kW, taking 40 minutes to get from 0-80%.

With the facelift, MG now offers two batteries – a 51.1kWh pack giving 198 miles of range and a 72.6kWh version for 273 miles. The smaller pack takes 8 hours for a full charge from a 7kW domestic plug or 36 minutes to hit 80% using a 100kW fast charger. Upgrading to the larger pack means a 10.5-hour full charge from a 7kW outlet, or 42 minutes for an 80% charge at a 100kW rate.