MG ZS review – even better value than before

Verdict – is the MG ZS a good car?

MG has been on a bit of a roll of late, and the MG ZS is a massive improvement over its predecessor. You get so much for the money because the MG ZS is the size of cars from the class above at the same price as smaller SUVs. Its hybrid system makes it very economical to run, too, and although rivals offer a more fun driving experience, it’s perfectly good enough for most buyers’ needs. It’s not the most refined car to drive as there’s lots of road noise and the driving position isn’t the most adjustable, but with such a competitive list price it’s hard to find fault.

MG ZS models, specs and alternatives

The MG ZS is now in its second generation and it’s been brought back as a small hybrid SUV. Unlike before, however, the latest MG ZS is no longer available as an EV, but a more affordable petrol version will join later.

The name of the game for MG is affordability, though, and despite the extra hybrid tech, it’s not crept up in price; the MG ZS Hybrid+ starts from just £21,995 in entry-level SE trim, making it cheaper than the Ford Puma by a substantial £4,000 and the Hyundai Kona Hybrid by a whopping £8,000. In fact, its price puts it on par with what you can expect to pay for a mid-range Renault Clio E-Tech hybrid supermini, except here you’re getting the fashionable SUV shape and practicality.

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If that wasn’t affordable enough, a petrol version is set to join the lineup later down the line as an even more accessibly-priced option. While details of the petrol model are yet to be confirmed, the MG ZS Hybrid+ will be available from launch with a 1.5-litre engine paired with an electric motor; a similar setup to the one used in the MG3 supermini, which produces 197bhp.

Like the rest of MG’s lineup there’s just two trim levels: SE and Trophy. SE cars are well equipped for the money with everything you’d expect of a car in 2024, such as a 12.3-inch touchscreen with sat nav, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, plus a rear-view camera and lots of safety assistance kit. Go for Trophy and you’ll get heated faux leather seats and steering wheel, tinted glass and a 360-degree parking camera.

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The MG ZS launches with a hybrid version known as the Hybrid+ which uses a 1.5-litre petrol engine as a generator to power an electric motor that drives the wheels for most of the time. That means the car’s petrol engine can do less work and save fuel until you need to call on it for extra grunt. It’s a similar setup to the one used in rivals such as the Nissan Qashqai e-Power, although that car is much more expensive.

A pure petrol version is said to be on the way and will sit below the Hybrid+ as a more affordable option, but given how cheap and efficient the Hybrid+ is already, it might not make sense if the petrol version only saves you a small amount, although we’ll reserve judgement until that version arrives.

Unlike the previous-generation MG ZS, there isn’t an all-electric version this time – MG is instead going to launch a separate model to appeal to customers after a zero-emissions small SUV.
 

How efficient is the MG ZS in the real world?

During our time with the MG ZS Hybrid+ we found it was capable of between 45-50mpg so long as it was driven fairly gently.

How much will the MG ZS cost in tax?

The MG ZS Hybrid+ will qualify for the discounted rate of VED (road tax), which costs £180 per year. The petrol version should cost £10 more annually as it qualifies for the standard rate. 

The old MG ZS EV will be replaced by another model based on the MG4 in 2025, so company-car buyers might be better off waiting until that model arrives for rock-bottom Benefit-in-Kind (BiK) tax savings.

What will the MG ZS cost to insure?

Insurance groups are yet to be confirmed for the MG ZS, but the old car sat in groups 14 to 21 – EVs are usually more expensive to insure, though, so there’s a chance the new hybrid might sit in between those groups, although nothing is as yet confirmed. For context, rivals such as the Nissan Qashqai sit in groups 11 for the petrol model, with the hybrid version in groups 24 to 26.

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The MG ZS is solely available as the Hybrid+ model from launch and that’s no bad thing – it’s the same hybrid system the brand used in its MG3 supermini. We loved it for its smoothness and generous power figure in that car as it made it feel punchy and surprisingly fun to drive.

While the MG ZS Hybrid+ may be a larger, heavier SUV, there’s still more than enough power to get you around. Most of the time the electric motor is powering the wheels with the petrol engine only chiming in from time to time when you put your foot down to overtake, join a motorway or make it up a steep hill.

The powertrain is rather unconventional in that it makes use of an automatic gearbox with just three speeds. That does mean that it holds onto gears for an inordinate amount of time, but it’s still fairly nippy to drive. Because the electric motor pulls so much of the weight, the MG ZS delivers its power instantly and feels relaxing and easy to drive, much like an EV.

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Like an EV, you also benefit from regenerative braking tech – here there are three levels on offer, helping to put energy that would otherwise be lost to braking back into the MG ZS’s battery. 

The steering is well set up for a relaxing drive, too. It’s not the most responsive when travelling in a straight line, but the benefit to this is that it doesn’t feel twitchy with your inputs and isn’t so easily upset over bumps and ridges in the road.

The suspension is also well balanced. Our initial impression was that it felt firm, but then once we hit road imperfections and potholes we found it did a great job of smoothing the ride, too, making it a great all rounder.

Our biggest gripe is with the tyres. On the tyres fitted to our test car there was lots of tyre noise making it into the cabin over 30mph. While drivers who do the majority of their trips around town under 30mph might not find it too much of a problem, those driving longer motorway journeys would find the Renault Captur or Toyota Yaris Cross much better suited.

Petrol models

A pure-petrol version of the MG ZS will arrive later down the line, but details are still to be confirmed for this model.

Hybrid models

From launch there’s just the one MG ZS Hybrid+ version on sale, which pairs a 1.5-litre petrol engine with an electric motor. Combined they produce 197bhp and offer sprightly – but not sporty – performance.

Electric models 

Although the previous MG ZS was offered with an all-electric powertrain, the brand has chosen to focus its efforts on just petrol and hybrid versions this time around. A replacement for the ZS EV will arrive later based on the underpinnings of the all-electric MG4.

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MG is hardly known for offering upmarket, trend-setting interior designs, but the MG ZS’s cabin is nothing to be sniffed at. In fact, we think that for the money the interior is nicer than you might expect, with a high level of perceived quality. 

It’s not all great though – we’re not big fans of the pieces of silver trim on the centre console and steering wheel as they can end up reflecting sunlight into your eyes sometimes. There’s also a gap between the gear lever and the housing it sits in which one test driver caught their finger in on an occasion when putting the ZS into reverse, so there are some ergonomic foibles to grapple with.

Is the MG ZS’s infotainment and sat-nav system easy to use?

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As standard the MG ZS gets a large 12.3-inch infotainment screen on the dash, plus a seven-inch digital driver’s display. The central touchscreen is much more responsive than the one used in the MG4, which could be a little laggy at times. Overall the graphics are also crisper and more user-friendly.

Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility also comes as standard and they’re well integrated into the system, filling the entire screen. The only downside to this is that you have to hit the home button on the physical control bar to access things like climate control.

The seven-inch driver’s display shows a lot of information including trip info, media playback info or information about the hybrid system. Overall it’s a little busy in its layout and we wish the speed readout stood out a little more because it’s hard to see at a glance, sitting in the top left-hand corner of the display.

MG also has an app called iSmart which owners can use to monitor the car remotely and do things like preheat or cool the cabin. It uses the car’s high-voltage battery to do so, too, so the engine should never start.

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A focus for the MG ZS should be practicality as it’s one of the main reasons buyers go for fashionable SUVs. The ZS is now around 93mm longer, 9mm wider and just around the same height as before. There’s a good amount of space inside the ZS, and we think even six-foot adults would feel comfortable in the back. The windows are big, which helps make the cabin feel airy – as does the brightly coloured headlining.

Does the MG ZS have a big boot?

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Unfortunately, the MG ZS’s boot is now five litres smaller than before because of the need to incorporate the hybrid system – as it goes that’s not actually too much of a compromise, and fold the seats down and you’ll free up even more space than before at 1,298 litres (82 litres more than in the old car, but still behind on the Renault Captur.)

There are some practical touches in the boot, too, like nets, hooks and various tie-down points which make it more versatile to suit your needs. The boot floor can also be moved if you need it to stay flat or want to free up more space below the load lip.

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Unfortunately for the ZS, MG has a poor reputation when it comes to customer satisfaction, coming in last place out of 32 manufacturers in our Driver Power customer satisfaction survey in 2024. The MG ZS itself is too new to have featured on our list of the top 50 models.

The reasons for its poor performance in the surveys can be attributed to low scores in the powertrain, exterior design, ride and handling and safety features categories. Reliability isn’t a strong point, with a higher-than-average 28% of buyers reporting an issue with their MG in the first year. The good news is that MG does offer a competitive seven-year manufacturer warranty valid up to 80,000 miles, so should you have any issues before then you’ll be covered. On a brighter note, the brand performs best in terms of value for money, where it came in seventh.

How safe is the MG ZS?

The MG ZS is yet to be tested by Euro NCAP but it comes with plenty of safety kit as standard, known as MG Pilot tech. This includes features such as active emergency braking with pedestrian and cyclist detection, cross-traffic alert and lane keep assist and departure warning among other tech. If we’re honest, some of the systems can feel a little intrusive at times with loud bongs and sensitive lane-keep tech, but these can be turned off if they don’t suit you.

Should you buy a MG ZS?

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The MG ZS is a great improvement over the last model and it really is impressive how much small SUV you can get from the brand for supermini money. While better-established rivals such as the Ford Puma and Renault Captur are out there, the MG ZS manages to stand out better than before by offering hybrid tech at a great price and lots of equipment.

Sure, a Puma is better to drive and the Captur is a little more stylish, but the MG isn’t by any means bad to drive and it’s an affordable and economical all-rounder with a good amount of space on the inside, too.

Even more impressive is that it’s set to get cheaper with the arrival of a petrol version later down the line. We’ll reserve full judgement until we drive the pure petrol, but so far the Hybrid+’s powertrain has proven itself well suited to the ZS and it’s already cheap enough.

What is the Carbuyer pick of the MG ZS range?

We think buyers will be happy enough with everything that’s offered on SE trim, but while that’s the case, if you want all the bells and whistles and would appreciate its leather-style upholstery, heated front seats and steering wheel and 360-degree parking camera, the Trophy is still competitively priced against rivals.

MG ZS alternatives

Alternatives to the MG ZS include budget-friendly SUVs like the Dacia Duster that are closer to it in size, but also smaller SUVs from well Established brands like the Ford Puma and Renault Captur. Cars like the Nissan Juke and Nissan Qashqai can both rival the MG ZS because while the Juke is smaller, it costs around the same but the Qashqai is closer to the MG ZS in size despite costing thousands more.

• Nissan Qashqai
• Nissan Juke
• Ford Puma
• Renault Captur
• Dacia Duster
• Skoda Kamiq
• SEAT Arona

How we tested the MG ZS

We tested the MG ZS on British roads in September 2024 in Hybrid+ Trophy specification.