MG ZS review
The latest MG ZS gets a tried-and-tested powertrain, plus plenty of kit
Is the MG ZS a good car?
MG is going from strength to strength in the UK, with new models appearing left, right and centre, including this latest ZS. From the brilliant MG3 hybrid supermini to the stunningly styled all-electric Cyberster sports car, the brand is attacking the automotive establishment from all angles – and usually with strong results when put through our tests.
That bodes well for the ZS Hybrid+, whose closest rival is the Dacia Duster when it comes to price and powertrain. However, that’s not the only competition it must overcome; buyers can’t get enough of the Ford Puma, and it’s easy to see why when it drives so brilliantly. Other popular choices in the segment include the Nissan Juke and our class favourite, the Renault Captur, both also offered with hybrid power.
The second generation MG ZS has jettisoned its electric powertrain completely (a new MG electric compact SUV is on the way) while the petrol-engined version has been replaced by a much better hybrid version. It suits this car well and sets it apart from its competitors, in what is fast becoming a vastly overcrowded market.
While the ZS is good enough to drive, spacious and economical, the real selling point is its low list price, which allows it to undercut rivals by several thousand pounds. Even on a monthly finance deal, MG claims it’s over £100 less than a like-for-like Hyundai Kona. That alone should see it sell in strong numbers – even before a cheaper petrol version joins the line-up later in 2025.
| Key specs | |
| Fuel type | Petrol hybrid |
| Body style | Five-door compact SUV |
| Powertrain | 1.5-litre 4cyl petrol-electric hybrid |
| Safety | 4-star Euro NCAP (2024) |
| Warranty | Seven years/80,000 miles |
How much does the MG ZS cost?
The arrival of the second-generation MG ZS sees hybrid drive introduced for the first time, but this doesn’t appear to have caused prices to shoot up when compared with the older petrol version. The entry-level model weighs in at around £22,000, so the only compact SUV that’s available for less is the Dacia Duster, while the ZS undercuts the Ford Puma by around £4,000, and is more than £8,000 less than the Hyundai Kona Hybrid.
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Even though the MG ZS has a competitive starting price, it’s still well equipped in SE trim, including a 12.3-inch touchscreen with built-in sat-nav, plus Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, as well as a reversing camera and a suite of MG Pilot safety systems.
The top-spec Trophy model is around £2,500 extra, but adds luxuries such as heated leather-style seats, a heated steering wheel, rear privacy glass and a 360-degree parking camera. Depending on what your local dealer can offer on a PCP finance deal, it may be worth spending a little extra per month for the Trophy’s additional kit.
At the moment there’s just the hybrid powertrain on offer, but a petrol model is expected to join the range in 2025, and this should see the starting price go even lower, without scrimping on standard equipment.
Engines, performance & drive
From launch, there’s only one powertrain available for the ZS. The new hybrid set-up is shared with the smaller MG3 hatchback, which means the petrol engine can drive the wheels directly if necessary, but for the most part it acts as a generator, sending energy to charge the 1.83kWh battery, which powers the electric motor.
As with the MG3, the ZS relies on the electric motor more than the petrol engine. On its own the little e-motor makes 134bhp and 250Nm – a figure which beats the combined output of many of its rivals. That’s backed up by a 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine, which helps out with another 101bhp and 128Nm. All in, the combined system output is 193bhp and a hefty 343Nm of torque.
On paper, a three-speed automatic gearbox sounds like a throwback to MG of the Seventies, but it’s all that is really needed as a result of that electric motor. The engine itself is a development of the 1.5-litre petrol used in earlier MG models; while we’ve found it pretty unpleasant in the past, here it’s very much taking a back seat, and as a result it’s easier to live with.
| Model | Power | 0-62mph | Top speed |
| ZS Hybrid+ | 193bhp | 8.7 seconds | 104mph |
What is the MG ZS like to drive?
The MG ZS’s ride and handling are above average for the segment, but there are one or two areas which let it down ever so slightly.
In town
With so much power from its electric motor compared with other hybrids, the MG ZS feels more like an EV around town. From 0-30mph, performance is genuinely excellent, with a keen yet smooth power delivery making it a great car for nipping through city traffic. At 10.5 metres the turning circle is quite tight, which means that backing into spaces and squeezing through small gaps is fairly easy, too. The ride is a little busier than it is in the Dacia Duster, but not as firm as the Ford Puma.
On A- and B-roads
At higher speeds, that power delivery throws up some quirks. Ask for more performance than the electric motors can offer – for example when accelerating along a motorway slip road – and while the acceleration never lets up, there’s a long wait as the petrol engine wakes, selects the right gear ratio and eventually gives you its all.
When it does, it’s very quick, but the end result isn’t very linear. Drawn as a graph, the acceleration would look like a two-humped camel as opposed to the gentle, consistent curve that most cars deliver.
The engine still sounds a little rough when you’re making it work hard, but most of the time it’s reasonably muted because that electric motor is strong enough to do the majority of the heavy lifting.
The ZS is more than capable enough when you’re negotiating a twisty B-road. It won’t elicit a smile in the way a Ford Puma will – it all feels a bit too numb to be called fun to drive – but the MG’s body is reasonably well controlled and a decent ride quality is maintained throughout.
The steering is precise enough, but the weighting can feel a little unnatural beside some rivals. While not outstanding in any one area, the MG ZS is certainly more sophisticated to drive than its predecessor.
On the motorway
One area in which the ZS doesn’t quite feel so honed is the road noise at the legal limit. Tyre roar is quite audible, which means that it isn’t quite as composed as you’d hope. Some testers found that the driver’s seat isn’t the most comfortable either, due to a headrest that protrudes too far from the backrest.
0-62mph acceleration and top speed
The larger body of the ZS Hybrid+ means that it doesn’t quite return the same brilliant performance as the MG3 supermini that uses the same powertrain, but a 0-62mph time of 8.7 seconds is still a strong return and likely to be more than enough for most drivers. There’s a top speed of 104mph, too
MPG, emissions & running costs
Based on official WLTP figures, the MG ZS Hybrid+ is capable of 55.4mpg. In the real world, that figure doesn’t seem like an impossible task, with our fairly typical use across a variety of roads throwing up a reasonable figure of 48.7mpg.
The company-car friendly MG ZS EV is being replaced by another model based on the MG4 sometime in 2025. Company car drivers seeking out low Benefit-in-Kind tax rates should wait for that model rather than choose the hybrid here.
| Model | MPG | CO2 | Insurance group |
| ZS Hybrid+ | 55.4mpg | 115g/km | 22 |
Tax
As a result of its hybrid powertrain, the MG ZS Hybrid+ will currently set you back £180 in VED costs from the second year onwards. Value pricing means that the £40,000 luxury car threshold for road tax isn’t troubled.
Insurance groups
The latest MG ZS sits in a slightly higher insurance group than its predecessor, potentially due to the fact that its older incarnation (ignoring the all-electric version) was petrol only, whereas the latest car uses a more powerful and complex hybrid system. Both the SE and Trophy trims are in group 22, which is a little lower than the hybrid version of the Dacia Duster in group 24, but isn’t quite as good as the Renault Captur hybrid, in group 16.
Depreciation
The MG ZS is predicted to hold on to between roughly 51 and 53 per cent of its value (the stronger residuals are for the cheaper SE model) after three years. That’s largely similar to the forecasted results for the Renault Captur and slightly better than the Ford Puma, both of which are more expensive to buy in the first place. However, all versions of the Duster have stronger residuals than every one of these rivals.
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Interior, design & technology
MG has tried to make the interior of the ZS feel premium, but there are one or two telltale signs that it isn’t as well put together as some other rivals.
What is the MG ZS like inside?
Up front, the cabin looks fairly smart. There’s even some inspiration that seems to be borrowed from the most exotic of places; those individual air vents sitting at the top of the dashboard have more than a hint of Lamborghini Huracan about them.
That’s as far as the Italian supercar comparisons go, however, because the remainder of the cabin appears conventional in an inoffensive way. Beneath the large, 12.3-inch central touchscreen sits a row of physical keys, but these don’t include a full set of climate controls; with the exception of buttons for the front and rear heated windows, the rest of the functions must be adjusted on the touchscreen itself.
The steering wheel is slightly flattened on both its upper and lower edges and feels great to hold, while the gear selector takes the form of a wide, flat lever that’s reminiscent of the throttle on a large aircraft. Ahead of it is a space to hold a smartphone, and the glovebox is generously sized.
Parts of the cabin design don’t feel all that well thought out. The silver trim on the leading edge of the centre console and steering wheel can be distractingly reflective, and on one occasion we caught our finger between the gearlever and the recess it sits within when selecting reverse. Be assured, though, you’re only likely to do this once given how much it hurts.
What is the interior quality like?
At a first glance, the ZS’s cabin has a slightly premium feel to it, with leather-effect stitching and soft plastics covering the top of the dashboard. However, it doesn’t take long to discover that the impression is created by a fairly thin coating on top of a budget car.
The lid for the centre armrest feels like it’s barely held in place, and the hinge is loose and a bit floppy. One of our test cars also had a glovebox that didn’t fit properly, while the fake leather upholstery doesn’t feel very convincing.
Sat-nav, stereo and infotainment
All versions of the ZS come with a digital driver’s display as standard. A portion of the display shows a digital image of the car in graphics reminiscent of a PlayStation 3 driving game, but it also presents plenty of information, including speed, efficiency, drive modes and other trip information. Unusually for a hybrid, there’s even a rev counter.
While some rival models feature physical climate controls, the ZS is immediately limited by a system that forces the driver to make adjustments to the heat and fan speed on the 12.3-inch touchscreen. This forces you away from whatever page was previously loaded just to achieve a comfortable temperature – particularly irritating if the page in question is a map screen that’s being used for navigation.
It’s a shame, because the screen has a high resolution (as does the feed from the parking cameras) and the layout is neat and logical. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are both wired rather than wireless, but the hook-up is easy and it fills the whole screen – a positive and a negative, because you’ll need to hit the home button on the physical shortcut control bar to access things such as the climate control.
Boot space, comfort & practicality
Passenger space is one of the strong points of the MG ZS. It comes ever so slightly at the expense of boot space, but overall it’s a roomy place for people and their luggage, considering the car’s modest footprint. There are some question marks over ergonomics, though.
| Dimensions | |
| Length | 4,430mm |
| Width | 1,818mm |
| Height | 1,635mm |
| Number of seats | Five |
| Boot space | 443-1,457 litres |
Dimensions and size
The MG ZS is roughly the same size as a Dacia Duster or Nissan Qashqai, while the high driving position helps with positioning the car on the road. At 1.8 metres wide, there shouldn’t be any issues when it comes to dealing with width restrictions.
How practical is the MG ZS?
Seats & space in the front
Perhaps more than any other area, the one thing that betrays the sense of cost-cutting in the MG’s cabin is the lack of reach adjustment for the steering wheel. Aside from the most basic of city cars (plus, as it turns out, the MG 3 supermini), almost every mainstream family car on sale today now has this feature, so it’s pretty poor to find it lacking here.
It’ll really limit the level of comfort that some drivers are able to find; while a few will appreciate the huge distance that the driver’s seat can slide back and forth, for other drivers it’s harder to feel truly comfortable here than in any of its rivals. The driver’s seat will also seem a little too high for some taller drivers.
Seats & space in the back
Knee room is certainly a strong suit for the MG ZS, with plenty of space for tall adults to stretch out in the back. Combined with plentiful foot space beneath the front seats and above-average headroom for a car of this type, it’s a spacious place to be. Rear Isofix points are a little buried between the upper and lower seat cushions, so they’re not as easy to access as in some alternatives, but they are better than the Duster’s zipped points.
Boot space
At 443 litres, the MG ZS’s boot volume is reasonable, if not outstanding, for a car in this class. The load area has a fairly low lip and minimal wheel arch intrusion, so it’s easy to make the most of the volume on offer, while some items can be hidden below the false floor. The seats drop almost flat to increase the overall volume to 1,457 litres. Once again, this isn’t a class-leading figure; for example, the Dacia Duster Hybrid offers 1,545 litres in the same two-seat configuration.
Reliability & safety
There’s an element of ‘buyer beware’ when choosing an MG, based on the opinions of owners who answered our latest Driver Power survey, because the brand finished 32nd out of 32 manufacturers when it comes to customer satisfaction. There were very few reasons for owners to stay loyal, and with more than 28 per cent of owners experiencing a fault of some sort within the first year of ownership, only four manufacturers in the survey proved to be more unreliable.
As with a number of its small SUV rivals, the MG ZS fell short of a five-star rating from Euro NCAP. Like the Renault Captur, the ZS received four stars when it was tested in 2024, the reason being that the safety body wasn’t satisfied that the car would be able to deliver the same level of protection to differing sizes of occupants in all seating positions. The ZS also fails to prevent front-seat occupants from hitting each other in a side impact.
| Key standard safety features | Euro NCAP safety ratings |
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Warranty
If our Driver Power survey results ring alarm bells, this fact may bring some reassurance: all new MGs come with a seven-year, 80,000-mile warranty as standard. This is among the most comprehensive cover packages available on the market.
A one-year breakdown service, provided by the AA, is rather disappointing, though, when rivals such as the Dacia Duster come with cover that matches the length of their warranty period. The latter does only have a three-year warranty, though.
Servicing
While hybrid cars tend to be fairly cheap to maintain, MG’s service plans aren’t the best value, with costs estimated to be around £730 over three years. That’s not too dissimilar to pure-petrol cars of a similar size – and considerably more than the Dacia Duster’s three-year maintenance plan, which costs around £470.
MG ZS alternatives
There are a lot of options in the small SUV segment, with models offered by nearly every mainstream car maker that can cater for a wide range of needs.
One of the big hitters is the Ford Puma, which is a consistently strong seller, and for good reason. It’s the best car in this class to drive, and while the engine range is limited, Ford’s petrol EcoBoost units suit the car well. Practical features such as the hidden Megabox in the boot mean it’s well suited to family life, too.
Another favourite small SUV of ours is the Renault Captur. Again, clever features such as the sliding rear bench make it a great choice for those with kids, while the option of various hybrid powertrains allows you to keep running costs in check.
Other options include the Toyota Yaris Cross and Nissan Juke – the latter of which is built in the UK and sells in huge numbers. Cars such as the Vauxhall Mokka, Peugeot 2008 and Hyundai Kona offer plenty of powertrain choices, including zero-emission electric options if they’re of interest.
Frequently Asked Questions
The MG ZS Hybrid+ comes with a seven-year, 80,000-mile warranty, which is among the most comprehensive of any new car on sale.
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