MG ZS ZS11 EV (2020-2024)

An affordable EV, but not MG's best EV – For those finally crying out for a more affordable electric car option, here's an option for you. However, it's worth noting that brands like BYD and even MG themselves offer strong alterntatives to this. If you need an electric SUV, you have this and the BYD Atto 3 for similar cash. Don't need an SUV? You'll find MG makes a more appealing EV in… Read more

the form of the MG 4 which has received critical acclaim.

The big question is, are there trade-offs when it comes to purchasing an affordable EV SUV like this?

In traditional modern-day MG fashion, the quality of materials here meets the asking price. There’s nothing overly impressive with the build quality, aside from the solid feeling centre console.

The build quality was as expected for the price. Honestly, nothing stuck out as being particularly problematic - a great thing for a reasonably new brand.

The entire ZS EV range starts from $44,990 drive-away, however this Essence model I tested is priced from $48,990.

The Essence adds a panoramic glass roof, synthetic heated leather seats (front only), electronic folding mirrors, rain sensing wipers, 6 speaker audio with 3D sound, blind spot detection, roof rails, wireless phone charging, rear cross traffic alert and an electronically adjustable drivers seat.

The MG ZS EV comes with a 7 year/unlimited kilometre warranty. You get the same warranty for your high voltage parts too.

Servicing is only every 24 months or 20,000km, whichever comes first, with each service after the seventh service costing you just $268.

It has to be said that those service intervals are fantastically spaced apart, meaning this car costs as little to run as it does to buy.

I found the MG to offer all the benefits of an EV inside the cabin. It’s mostly quiet, relaxed and lacks all the mechanical sounds of a traditional petrol-powered car.

There was some electric motor sound that entered the cabin as a high-pitched whir under heavier acceleration.

Just as you would with an F1 car, you get a KERS button, which stands for Kinetic Energy Recovery System.

The similarities really end after the name. This is just another name for an adjustable regenerative braking system, which is activated with a toggle switch rather than paddle shifters.

Annoyingly, you can’t activate it if the car has close to 100% charge, so you’ll be riding your normal brakes until the car decides to let you activate KERS.

The brakes feel like a normal set of small SUV brakes, nothing too different here. Although, they can feel a little doughy.

A single motor is found between the front wheels, producing 130kW (176hp) and 280Nm, allowing the MG to hit 100km/h in a claimed brisk 8.2 seconds.

It certainly feels like a quick little SUV, and it’s a lot of fun to launch off the line and use all of that instant torque to get ahead of traffic. Even accelerating on the highway can feel just that much more rewarding than a little turbo petrol engine.

That heavy battery pack lowers the centre of gravity of this SUV to help with dynamic cornering. Aside from trying to drive like an F1 driver as I fiddle with KERS mode, this is a comfortable daily driver. I found the MG to make its way around the city and highway without any issues. It’ll appeal to buyers who want a higher riding EV that needs to be comfortable to drive in.

This MG EV has a 50.3kWh LFP battery (lithium iron phosphate), essentially being the reason why this car is more affordable than other EVs. Although this type of battery is usually less energy dense, you’re getting a claimed 320km of WLTP range.

That’s plenty for a daily driver electric car that’ll take you on some light road trips as well. I only needed to charge twice at fast chargers, but you’ll be spending a little longer there than other EVs.

That’s because the claimed charge time from 0-80% is 54 minutes. That’s not terrible but it’s not that great either. Peak charging speeds are just 80kW, which is a lot less than more expensive EVs - like the Polestar 2 - which are capable of accepting over 200kW from a fast charger.

The claimed energy consumption is 17.1kWh per 100km, whereas I saw figures hovering closer to 20kWh per 100km during my week with the MG.

I have to say, for Australia’s most affordable electric car, you're getting a really clean interior design. I was holding my breath at the local launch of the MG ZS EV to see if the screen tech had improved. The user experience of the centre infotainment touchscreen was a big jump from this car's sibling, the MG HS Plus EV.

You’ll be breathing a sigh of relief as all but a few of your controls for your car are trapped inside this screen.

It was resistant to lag, unlike the driver display. The display in front of the driver was just not as impressive, with some laggy animations and it being sort of hard to read in direct light.

A total of 359L of boot space doesn’t seem like a lot, but the way this car packages itself is fairly practical. A deep boot provides lots of vertical space for tall items, and of course you can fold the second row down in a 60/40 split, although these seats don’t exactly fold flat.

For four people you have a comfortable SUV. That middle seat isn’t ideal for long trips, but a relatively flat floor - thanks to this being an EV - means that it’ll be just that little bit more bearable.

My only gripes are the slow charging times, the slightly unrefined software used by the infotainment and the lack of a front storage area.

What this really is is a safe step into owning an EV for the first time. It’s a low cost commitment versus more expensive alternatives, with running costs to match its entry level price.

*Disclaimer - I work for ProductReview as their independent car and motorbike expert. I borrow new cars and motorbikes from manufacturers and owners to review. I am not paid or incentivised by these brands to post reviews. I write and create content to provide insight and information about any new or used vehicle I can get my hands on.