MG ZS EV 2022 review: Can the cheap e-SUV convince?
A TEST REPORT from Dominic Lux 
on July 11, 2023, 17:00 | Write a comment
What first looks like a cryptic name is actually the name of the electrified petrol model from the Chinese manufacturer MG. With the ZS, they have brought an affordable petrol SUV onto the market for 17.990 euros. Now the electric version of this model followed. Incidentally, it is also of higher quality than the former fossil version. By the way, the MG ZS EV currently marks the lower end of the E-SUVs at MG. We already have the much larger and more expensive one MG Marvel R tested. If your budget is higher, you are welcome to check it out as well.
tl;dr – Sure, the price of around 32.000 euros for the basic version of the new MG ZS EV is definitely not a bargain, but if you look around in the SUV and especially E-SUV area, you will hardly find anything better. It really is a real price-performance recommendation. The MG offers everything you would expect in a modern car in 2023. From ACC to a steering assistant and various emergency braking functions, everything is on board. There is even a cross-traffic alert. This is of course also due to the slightly more expensive Luxury version. Nevertheless, it still remains well below 40.000 euros. And then this year there is also the funding of 4.500 euros in Germany.
That's why the MG ZS EV is really a recommendation in the current model year if you want to sit higher and don't want to spend more than 40.000 euros. Thanks to its 70 kWh battery in the Luxury model, there is even enough range of around 400 km in everyday life. Which is more than enough.
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Interior quality: quite decent
Don't expect Alcantara or other high-quality materials here. Neither do we. But the MG ZS EV is still processed quite neatly. Nothing squeaks, nothing wobbles and you even have a quite pleasant mix of materials in the interior. The steering wheel, on the other hand, is really quite cheap. We would have wished for an imitation leather steering wheel instead of plastic. The door panel even has a kind of artificial leather with a carbon look. After all, this seems to be of higher quality than just plastic.
Infotainment: Surprisingly good for the price
The 10,1-inch infotainment display is really sufficient for this price range. You get really decent Android-based software. Unfortunately, there is no loading route planning. Maybe this will come via an over-the-air update, because the MG ZS EV can also receive it. The system is really smooth and as you would expect. The navigation also works quite well. Apart from sensible charging route planning and wireless Android Auto and CarPlay, nothing is missing here.
Picture: TechnikNews
Driving impression: Is that really 156 hp?
To put it correctly, the base version of the MG ZS EV has more “horsepower” than the top model. Upside down world, one would think, right? The base ZS EV has 176 hp, while the Luxury model we tested has "only" 157 hp. So 21 hp less. Do you notice this? We would go so far as to say that you don't notice it at all. It's definitely faster than a combustion model with the same horsepower. Which is simply due to the instantaneous torque of the electric motors. So it's definitely not underpowered.
Buy recommendation: The ZS EV is really very good!
Apart from the relatively low DC charging power of "only" 94kW, the MG ZS EV is really a very successful E-SUV. If you're looking for a vehicle in this class, then you really can't go wrong if you choose the ZS EV. With a consumption of approx. 17 kWh per 100 km, it is even relatively efficient for a conversion from petrol to electric. However, when driving on the motorway, it is already at over 20 kWh/100 km. But in everyday life it should be relatively efficient. A one-pedal mode would have been desirable. Unfortunately, there is only a slight delay here at the highest recuperation level, similar to the B mode in other models.
Thanks to MG Germany for providing a ZS EV 2022. Charging costs were also covered. But that didn't change our opinion.
