[Lucas123]

Hi.
I am looking for my first ev.
My first choise was 2018 nissan leaf or 2018 bmw i3 (mileage less then 40k for about 15-16k) but mg zs ev cought my attention.
I thinking about year old and saw few offers:
10 mileage for 22k 2020(brand new).
3k mileage for 20k 2020.
Is it worth saving 2k or just go for leaf/i3?

 

[davesul]

Hi.
I am looking for my first ev.
My first choise was 2018 nissan leaf or 2018 bmw i3 (mileage less then 40k for about 15-16k) but mg zs ev cought my attention.
I thinking about year old and saw few offers:
10 mileage for 22k 2020(brand new).
3k mileage for 20k 2020.
Is it worth saving 2k or just go for leaf/i3?

I would check the remaining warranty time/ mileage for each car, before deciding.

 

[Neilew]

I would check the remaining warranty time/ mileage for each car, before deciding.

MG will have 6 years whole car warranty at 1 year old.

@Lucas123 I find the MG extremely spacious and comfortable. You don't say whether it's and Excite or Exclusive, but at that price it's probably the Exclusive which has features that the other two just don't have. At the very least a Tesla-esque semi autonomous driving.

 

[Sandy]

Test drive all 3. Write down for and against reasons for all 3 then use that and how the test drive went to decide on your decision.

 

[TouringCar.ie]

Hi.
I am looking for my first ev.
My first choise was 2018 nissan leaf or 2018 bmw i3 (mileage less then 40k for about 15-16k) but mg zs ev cought my attention.
I thinking about year old and saw few offers:
10 mileage for 22k 2020(brand new).
3k mileage for 20k 2020.
Is it worth saving 2k or just go for leaf/i3?

I carry out test drives on cars and have recently test driven the MG ZS EV. Out of the list above, I loved the i3, so much fun but it's expensive. The Leaf is the most popular but they haven't really moved on enough with it's development and the real world range isn't very good at all. People who have bought the Leaf, seem to love them and you'll know a Nissan Leaf driver because they will always find a way to bring it up in conversation haha. Personally I wasn't a fan.

I really liked the MG, it's a shame they didn't take any historic design ques from the original brand but overall it's a big, spacious and well made car (bar a rattle in the pano roof on the test car I had and the infotainment is a little slow). The dash is simply laid out, the range is very good on it and it's a nice looking car.

Apologies if this isn't permitted mods, please remove if not helpful, but here's a link to the MG ZS EV I recently had the pleasure of driving. MG give good warranties with them. I hope it helps inform your decision.

 

[dk6780]

The i3 is by far the best car provided:

• You buy and maintain a warranty - if things go wrong they can be cripplingly expensive
• You can afford the maintenance - tyres are virtually unique sizes with little competition, expect to pay £200 each.
• Your local BMW dealer is one of the few that understands the i3.
• The i3 is by far the best to drive and quite sporty, but not at home on the motorway.

The LEAF is an aging design of car and there are still issues with repeated rapid charging and battery degregation. Dealer support is generally good and parts are cheap.

The MG is the safest bet but be aware that some people have had bad experiences of some dealers and the various recalls and upgrades. Also be aware that an update will land soon with a bigger battery and various lifecycle improvements.

If it were me I'd go with the i3 but with my eyes open to the risks. This is mainly because I've been there with the LEAF and don't like SUV.

 

[cah197]

Of course year old Zoe 50s must be appearing on the market, for those that enjoy long range performance and are confident in their own masculinity.

 

[Sandy]

Of course year old Zoe 50s must be appearing on the market, for those that enjoy long range performance and are confident in their own masculinity.

Only 91 delivered in Q1 2020 so if they are appearing on the market they'll be few and far between. Can't fault the range comment.

 

[i-s]

For your budget, what about the MG5? Longer ranged and more practical than the ZS

 

[SuperLeaf]

The i3 is by far the best car provided:

• You buy and maintain a warranty - if things go wrong they can be cripplingly expensive
• You can afford the maintenance - tyres are virtually unique sizes with little competition, expect to pay £200 each.
• Your local BMW dealer is one of the few that understands the i3.
• The i3 is by far the best to drive and quite sporty, but not at home on the motorway.

The LEAF is an aging design of car and there are still issues with repeated rapid charging and battery degregation. Dealer support is generally good and parts are cheap.

The MG is the safest bet but be aware that some people have had bad experiences of some dealers and the various recalls and upgrades. Also be aware that an update will land soon with a bigger battery and various lifecycle improvements.

If it were me I'd go with the i3 but with my eyes open to the risks. This is mainly because I've been there with the LEAF and don't like SUV.

These are 3 very different cars.

The Leaf 40 does not have reported battery degradation issues. If you need one just to commute and occasionally drive long distance, it's perfect. It may not be the best option for a 800 mile timed marathon, but it can do just fine if you don't mind sitting at a fast charger 10 minutes longer than a Tesla Model 3 that costs twice the price and is half as reliable.
Depending on the version you get Pro Pilot, which is one of the more advanced lane keepers. The design is plenty contemporary, it is not aging in comparison to an i3, MG ZS or a Model 3.
Any warranty there is, you most likely won't need it, the Leaf is by far the safest bet in terms of reliability, that's why professionals like taxi drivers and EV mechanics choose Nissan EV's:

The i3 is a tiny car in comparison (4-seater), the MG ZS is less sophisticated and having BMS issues, not dramatic so far but you basically become part of a community of testers while the Leaf is tried and tested.

Preference is subjective.
Test drive them for several days each (eventually new ones through dealerships) and make your choice.

 

[Neilew]

Only 91 delivered in Q1 2020 so if they are appearing on the market they'll be few and far between. Can't fault the range comment.

Just done a search on Autotrader and surprisingly found 19 pages x 12 of Zoe 50s. From £20k t0 £35k.

A lot of them will probably be pre-reg.

 

[cah197]

I’m sure there are a few ex-demo cars with low miles floating about.

 

[Neilew]

the MG ZS is less sophisticated

I can't agree with that. Does Propilot drive itself? Has the interior finally made into the 21st century?

The BMS issues have been fixed and certainly won't be found on a car bought from a dealer today.

 

[SuperLeaf]

I can't agree with that. Does Propilot drive itself? Has the interior finally made into the 21st century?

The BMS issues have been fixed and certainly won't be found on a car bought from a dealer today.

No driver assist drives itself in the EU or the UK. Not allowed. All they do is keep lanes or change lanes, adjust speed.

The MG BMS issues may have been fixed but there is plenty of time for new issues to arise. These are issues that the Leaf did not have straight out of the factory. Sure enough, the Leaf has had its issues, but it has gone through the leaning curve and taken action where needed.
EV's have lots of expensive components whose useful life can only be measured after they've been through an entire lifecycle. Motors, reduction gears, batteries.

Then EV's are also cars and that means a whole lot of other things that can go wrong: rust/corrosion to the body and other parts, water ingress to the electronics, condensation in the lights, fatigue to mechanical parts, deisgn flaws, etc...

The Nissan Leaf is a car that has ben through an entire lifecycle and has withstood the test of time, also being abused as taxi's and such. The i3 is getting there.
The MG is not only new to the EV game, it's a new car manufacturer that is using an old badge.
Tesla has shown that there is a huge learning curve about becoming a car manufacturer.

There is a difference between buying an EV and owning an EV.
You may be happy about your MG ZS today, the only relevant thing is whether you will still be in 5 years.

Being happy about a 1 year old car is a lot different from being happy about a 9 years old car.

 

[proddick]

What do you actually want from a car as the i3, Leaf and MG are completely different! Personally I wouldn't have any of those three cars as each has something that annoys me too much 😆

The Zoe is good (happy with mine) but it doesn't charge very fast even with CCS. What journeys do you do as a used Ioniq may also be worth considering.

 

[Lutek1000]

Have you considered Hyundai Ioniq 28kWh. You can get 2 years old one for around £16k. 140ish miles of range and up to around 70kW charging speed. 5 years manufacturers warranty from new.

 

[TJEV]

MG have been making electric cars in China for years... they’re not new

 

[Sandy]

more practical than the ZS

Can you explain the working behind that claim? Is that because its got a bigger boot which is actually 8ltr smaller? Or because its faster to 60, even though its 10bhp more (but 90Nm less torque). Or because its got less tech to get in the way (even though you could just turn it all off on the ZS, you can't turn on what isn't there in the 5). Nope it wins on range because its got 10kWh more battery.... but what else?

 

[Lucas123]

They are all electric cars .
Our daily travel is 12mile and I can charge at work so at daily basis range is not a big issue. Now and again we do about 60mile trip and every other year long trip with dogs.
Not a big fan of hyundai, old leaf (just don't like how they look), and trying to stay away from french cars (bad experience).We currently have peugeot 3008 hybrid.

From what I read and watch at youtube:

I3
+fast, great look, preconditioning
-not so good at motorway, no android or driving addons

2018 leaf
+look good, preconditioning, android, propilot
-not sure

mg
+look good, higher driving position, opening roof, android, propilot
Wife like to sit higher(extra points for mg).
-no preconditioning

 

[proddick]

You need to go and look, sit in and drive cars to work out what suits you. Watching amateurs on YouTube (who ramble on purpose to make money) isn't any substitute.

Personally, I do not like any of those three cars - I particularly disliked the i3 when we had one for a few months, but clearly BMW fans (and perhaps others?) think they are the dogs doodas. I would buy an Ioniq at the right price and might when the Zoe lease ends.