[terryya]

As a potential owner I've been reading through the board and learning about the pros and cons of the ZS. Obviously the price is great and it seems like most things about the car are very good too. I've also noted issues with updates, no charge timing or pre-conditioning and slow charging on rapid chargers.

So my question to owners is, given your time again and knowing what you know now, would you still buy one?

 

[Dossdes]

Hi, I’ve had a ZS EV since November, so a little over a month. I’ve driven c1200 miles in it including 3 fairly long round trips (250 miles each trip) that has required me to rapid charge. I’ve taken 6 rapid charges so far and with a relatively low SOC (between 5 and 16%) regularly see 40-48kwh charging rates up to about 80-85% when it drops like a stone.
This has been in the colder recent weather too using BP Pulse chargers. Happy with that.

Lack of pre heat is a bit of a pain as I had that in my previous car (BMW 330e) but if I’m being honest it only takes a few minutes to warm the car up and clear ice etc

really happy with the car to be honest, yes it doesn‘t have all the bells and whistles that some (more expensive) ev’s have but for the price point you can’t go wrong.

im sure others will give you their view but after just over a month in I’m delighted with the car.

 

[Chris86]

I bought one after my mum got one and seen how good it was, she's had hers a year and I've had mine 6 months, neither us regret getting one and would do it again, they've both been 100% reliable so far. I really like the heater in the car, my previous diesels took forever to get warm, I love the more or less instant heat, great for these frosty mornings, an app would have been nice, but I'm not really bothered, it's easy enough to de frost only takes 5 mins. The car is great for our use as the car is always in the range we need, only rapid charged once after driving 100 miles and was easy and quick enough.

 

[Neilew]

Yeah, agree with @Dossdes above. Had mine for about 9 months now. Wish I still had some of the features of the Zoe, but really happy with the much better comfort in the MG.

Timer charger (my biggest bugbear) is becoming a problem now the bad weather is with us, but I plan to get that fixed with a Sonnoff unit when the weather improves and we can all meet again (son-in-law is going to fit it).

Rarely rapid charge, but when I have done it's seems really good to me. However I did come from a Zoe to the MG!

Would I buy again. Definitely. In fact I may keep this one longer than the 2 year interval I've followed in the past.

 

[Neilew]

it's easy enough to defrost only takes 5 mins.

and you've got the heated seats while you're waiting. Really love 'em.

 

[Jake53]

As a potential owner I've been reading through the board and learning about the pros and cons of the ZS. Obviously the price is great and it seems like most things about the car are very good too. I've also noted issues with updates, no charge timing or pre-conditioning and slow charging on rapid chargers.

So my question to owners is, given your time again and knowing what you know now, would you still buy one?

This is a very good question. I can answer it in 2 ways from my point of view. Now that I am retired and the car is entirely for pleasure I don't need to worry about timed charging, pre-conditioning, range/GOM issues etc. At the prices being offered towards the end of 2020 I would almost certainly buy again because the comfort and specification could not be bettered. If the prices were at their List Price level then I would be looking more closely at the competition to compare spec and performance etc. If I was still working and relied on the car being fully charged, pre-heated and defrosted at 5.00am ready for a trouble-free 60 mile round trip to work then I would be most concerned about all the issues raised on these forums with current owners. So I probably would not buy again as reliability and confidence would be a high priority and these forums do not give me confidence in the MG brand. Having said that I love the car and have no intention of changing it for a long, long time yet.

Sorry if that's as clear as mud and is probably no help to you arriving at a decision but that is my thinking. Just to provide bit of relevance I bought the car in September 2020, have had 1800 trouble-free miles in great comfort and enjoyed every minute. Before that I had a true EV (built from the word go as electric only rather than converted from ICE) for 4 years covering 28,000 business miles and was never let down or concerned whatsoever. I regarded it and still do as the best car I have ever had. Now that I am a pensioner the MG ZS EV is the 'best' car for my budget. Good luck with your research and final decision.

 

[terryya]

Brilliant, these answers were just the sort of thing I was looking for and really useful. I'm thinking that the timed charge could be sorted through the charging unit and anything else will be for my wife to decide if it's a deal breaker or not. She has been raving about getting into my warm e-niro on these cold mornings though. As mentioned further up though the heated seats are great.

Very encouraging to hear about the decent rapid charge speeds as, although it will be a second car and not going on too many longer journeys, those sorts of speeds make longer trips more viable.

We're test driving one this afternoon so will update with our thoughts.

Thanks

 

[Rcc]

I've now done 4500 miles in my EV and don't regret the purchase. Yes, it has niggles but so do cars which cost an awful lot more. For me the biggest have been the lack timed charging (solvable with a £150 ohme smart cable) and the awful satnav (just use Google maps or the phone app of your preference).
Buying an EV is like buying a smart phone. Whatever you buy there will be something better next year. If you're happy to spend £1000 on a phone because you want the latest features then the MG is probably not for you.

 

[TJEV]

I would absolutely get another one if I had reliable home charging.

 

[MikeProcter]

I’ve had mine now for over 13 months. It’s been 100% reliable. Only once had a problem with the car not charging and that was due to my old dumb charger that does that occasionally. A restart of that unit fixes that problem.

Yes I would buy another MG EV. Which one would depend on my needs at the time. I’m soon to be moving and might need more range for work.

However MG does represent very good value for money which no other brand can currently match. An ID4 or Enyak or El-Born might tempt me if the price was right, but I’m guessing they will be considerably more then the ZS. The Ariya would also be tempting, but it looks like it is fast approaching model Y prices.

A 64/70kWh ZS EV which may or may not be available sometime this year could be tempting.

Would I buy exactly the same again. No. I was offered a change to a brand new 70 plate a couple of months ago, for same cost, but turned it down.

I have no regrets changing from a Leaf 40 to the ZS and would do the same in the same circumstances.

MG have been very good at updating the car, and like a Tesla, the car I have now is better than the car I drove out of the showroom. Unfortunately it doesn’t do OTA updates like Tesla.

 

[Neilew]

the awful satnav

I must have had some awful sat navs in the past. Although, I feel as if I haven't. As I find the sat nav perfectly usable. It's definitely no worse or better than the one in the Zoe. Maybe, a little slower to program, but not annoyingly so.

 

[terryya]

Well we've had a drive and going to get one. Seems like a lot of car for the money. Boot was very good and being able to move the boot floor up will be useful with the dog.

Will just have to make sure that the charging unit can sort out the charging times (and maybe remove my powerline plugs). Satnav not an issue as we'll use android auto.

A larger battery would be good but then you'll be waiting longer and paying more, and to be honest we'll rarely need more than you can get on a full charge anyway.

Thanks for everyone's input.

 

[Kiltox]

3 months and 1500 miles in here. Don’t seem to be having the same cold weather issues as others (range is reduced but nowhere near as much as some are reporting). Overall I’m still very happy.

Its is a bit rough around the edges though - as said the sat nav / infotainment is crap but I use Apple CarPlay all the time anyway.
One of the clips for the parcel shelf strings broke the other day - remarkable given I’ve never had a fault in that area with any car of any age let alone one that’s a couple of months old. Aparrently a common problem because the clips are cheap crap. Hardly earth shattering stuff but I think you need to expect things like this and not be too upset by them (better quality clips are available online for pennies, aparrently)

 

[Carty]

Boot was very good and being able to move the boot floor up will be useful with the dog.

The boot space is really good given the size of the car.
You can even carry a space saver spare wheel and tool kit ( available from your dealer for around £130.00 ) and still retain the same amount of boot space.
There is not many modern cars that offer the space to carry a spare wheel now !.
I have owned my ZS EV for almost 12 months and covered 8,600 miles.
We are both retired and are finding we are really enjoying covering more miles in the EV than we did in our previous PHEV car.
This maybe down in some way to the more enjoyable higher ride height and softer ride is kinder on our ageing bones !.
The cheaper running costs also contribute to covering more miles I think.
We find ourselves just going out for a nice drive, when C19 restrictions allows it !.
Electric car driving is very relaxing and addictive at the same time I find.
My wife is almost certain to take a nap on many of our trips out.
I think most of the "Pro's & Con's" of this car has already been covered by other owners.
The big issue for me was the cars inability to carry out a delayed charge.
This was a massive over sight on behalf of MG.
But with the first BMS update being applied before we picked up the car on January 6th 2020 - then adapting my dumb Rolec wall box with a Sonoff Wi-Fi relay, this problem was soon put to bed.
No, I have no regrets going for the ZS EV.
It is not perfect, but what car ever is ?.
Would I have another one, was part of your original question if I recall correctly ?.
Short answer is - Yes.
BUT - ( because there is always a "BUT" ) - Like Mike, I would be looking for some meaningful update / improvement at a very reasonable cost.
A slightly bigger HV battery and some software improvements would be gratefully received, but an increase in price will shift the ZS EV very close then, to the rival competition in the e.Niro and Kona.
At the launch price of this car, nothing could come close to match the value for money the ZS EV could offer.

 

[terryya]

Mike, I would be looking for some meaningful update / improvement at a very reasonable cost.
A slightly bigger HV battery and some software improvements would be gratefully received, but an increase in price will shift the ZS EV very close then, to the rival competition in the e.Niro and Kona.

We've already got an e-niro but don't think we could justify the extra cost on a second car that probably won't need the range.

On a "bang for your buck" scale, the ZS is amazing. We'll be going into it with realistic expectations though.

 

[Carty]

We've already got an e-niro but don't think we could justify the extra cost on a second car that probably won't need the range.

On a "bang for your buck" scale, the ZS is amazing. We'll be going into it with realistic expectations though.

That is a very sensible decision, why purchase an EV with more range than suits your requirements ?.
Having the choice of two similar sized cars with different range capabilities is a great facility.
It will be interesting to hear your views on how the two cars compare while switching from one to the other on a fairly regular basis.

 

[RicM]

Over 12500 miles here with the Excite version! Purchased end of November 2019. Initially the car was a bit annoying with the bongs and horn warnings which have now been all resolved. Its a completely new and better car than I originally purchased.

Great value for money as many have said. As my first ever EV I am delighted. No danger on me ever purchasing a petrol or diesel car again. Its quiet, reliable, a joy to drive, economical, looks good, well built, and good boot space even with the space saver wheel which I purchased.

My dealer has been enthusiastic, friendly and the mechanic completely up do date on all issues and updates. This does not seem to be the case with all dealers though. MG UK need to standardise and improve their level of service and support. The dealer has told me that since they sold their first one last September they have been astonished at how few have been brought back for warranty issues. The warranty is comforting, and roadside assist after each service is a plus. My first service was inexpensive compared to an ICE car.

Range is adequate for my daily use. I did drive to Geneva in mid-March so long distance journeys are perfectly possible with planning. Had to hot foot it back when they closed down the French border but thats other story. What a nightmare that was!

Since purchase I have had all the software updates except for the most recent battery heater update. Don't get that one! I understand it has been withdrawn as in Norway owners have noticed a 50% drop in range after that update! MG have been very proactive in addressing customers comments and complaints since the car was launched and I understand they are working to sort the latest battery warming bugs out.

In the recent week temperatures here have been between -4 and 0 Deg C. Range has reduced to between 120 and 130 miles (hilly rural and small town area) so a slightly bigger battery would be useful to provide better flexibility in winter. I have a sneaking suspicion that the latest battery management software update may not be perfect. Will sit tight until further information appears on the forum and from the dealer.

Happy too with the Apple CarPlay integration. HVAC, though not climate control, is perfectly adequate. Audio system quality is good, drives well in the snow, sat nav is perfectly useable (but I use apps via CarPlay), seats are very comfortable, advance driving and safety systems are excellent, and you can even watch movies in a toasty warm car while charging! I have not had any issues with timed Zappi 2 charging since the updates.

Defrosting in the morning takes 5 - 10 minutes. I set on full heat and fan on three bars, fit a physical steering lock and go inside for a quick coffee. Perfect!

Would I buy one again. 100%. I will be hanging on to it for quite a while. If the same car was refreshed with a bigger battery I may only look at that depending on the price.

 

[terryya]

That is a very sensible decision, why purchase an EV with more range than suits your requirements ?.
Having the choice of two similar sized cars with different range capabilities is a great facility.
It will be interesting to hear your views on how the two cars compare while switching from one to the other on a fairly regular basis.

The one thing I said as we drove away after the test drive was that I wished that we hard parked them side by side and compared them. The one thing I missed straight away on the way home was the blind spot warning in the mirrors.Wei

Once we've got it and run it for a while I'll pop an update on with my thoughts. It is crazy when you think that one is almost twice as much as the other though

 

[Carty]

The one thing I said as we drove away after the test drive was that I wished that we hard parked them side by side and compared them. The one thing I missed straight away on the way home was the blind spot warning in the mirrors.Wei

Once we've got it and run it for a while I'll pop an update on with my thoughts. It is crazy when you think that one is almost twice as much as the other though

I actually think the boot space could be slightly bigger in the ZS EV ?.
Regarding blind spot monitoring, are you referring to the lack there of in the ZS ?.
If so, it is fitted in the ZSEV exclusive as standard equipment, along with numerous other features that is well worth the extra investment both now and in the future for resale value in my opinion.
The exclusive is roughly £2 grand more than the excite model, but when you start putting a figure to price of them extras, it is worth the extra expense I think.
The full electric pano sunroof must be worth at least £1200 pounds going by other manufactures prices alone !.
The electric roof can only be found on the ZS EV exclusive, you can not even add the option on the ICE models.
Usable roof rails, blind spot monitoring, heated front seats etc etc etc.
The list goes on and on.
I am assuming at this point that you have chosen the exclusive model here ?.
If not, I would definitely reconsider if only for the future resale value alone.

 

[terryya]

I think you're right about the boot. I think the Niro is wider but the ZS is bigger in the other two dimensions.

The blind spot was decent on the MG when we took it on the motorway and isn't on my Kia.

100% going for the Exclusive. With the extra that you get, I think it's unbelievable value. Can only see the Excite being good if you are already stretching your maximum budget.