Description
The arrival of the original ZS EV marked a new beginning for the fortunes MG in the UK. This family-sized electric car has found favour with buyers looking to make the leap to a plug-in SUV without paying mega-bucks in the process and has since been followed up by the even better value MG4 EV and MG5 EV in the hatchback and estate car classes.There's a reasonable choice of models and trims it's available in SE, Trophy, and Trophy Connect forms. Even the entry-level SE models come stacked with a decent amount of equipment, such as driver-assistance tech, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatability and a reversing camera. The Trophy model adds wireless mobile charging, heated front seats, and a panoramic roof. Trophy Connect basically adds connected services. It's available with the headline-grabbing long-range battery option, but a lower-priced short-range model is also offered for a useful saving. That will take you 198 miles on a full charge, limiting its appeal to city dwellers, or those who take fewer unplanned long journeys.The ZS EV is one of the more practical small electric SUVs around, thanks to generous space for all passengers. Though it's slightly too narrow to comfortably fit three child seats across the rear, it will easily take two and if used for adults, the rear bench is spacious for both head- and leg-room. The seats are positioned rather high in the interior, and while this does rather make it feel as though you're sitting on the MG ZS EV rather than in it for some, it does have the added bonus of making entry and exit very easy.As for the boot, it offers 470 litres of space that's 70 litres more than the already spacious SEAT Arona, and class-leading for a compact SUV. The opening isn't as wide as that car's, though, and the seats don't fold completely flat.The MG ZS EV takes a five-star Euro NCAP crash test safety rating compared with three for the standard car. This improvement is down to the additional safety equipment you get on the ZS EV. Regardless of trim level, the ZS EV comes with a glut of safety aids bundled under the brand name 'MG Pilot'. This package includes adaptive cruise control, autonomous emergency braking capable of detecting cars, cyclists and pedestrians, lane-keeping assist and lane-departure warning, speed limit assist (automatically adjusting the speed limiter for you based on traffic sign recognition) and traffic jam assist, which is capable of steering, braking and accelerating the car in slow-moving traffic.