MG ZS Review & Prices

The MG ZS is a decent compact SUV. It has a powerful hybrid engine, plenty of space in the back seats and is well equipped, but it isn’t as economical as some alternatives and MG’s record on reliability might make you raise an eyebrow.

The previous MG ZS was a small SUV that you’d buy because it was cheap, but it didn’t really have any other plus sides. The second-generation model has had a true Cinderella-style glow-up, and is a huge improvement in every way on the car that came before it. In fact, now it’s a really serious alternative if you’re already considering buying a different small hybrid SUV, such as a Renault Captur, Peugeot 2008 or Toyota Yaris Cross.

The MG ZS is based on the same mechanical underpinnings as the excellent MG3 hatchback, which gives it a strong start with an up-to-date hybrid engine, techy interior and a smart if not stunning new look.

It’s like trading in your old Nokia for a new smartphone. Probably not the latest Apple iPhone - MG is still firmly a budget brand - but one of those great-value Android phones that gives you lots of features for your money.

MG does things a bit differently to the alternative hybrid SUVs, though. For a start, there’s the way the hybrid system operates - it’s very powerful. With 190hp, it easily outguns the 145hp Peugeot 2008, 160hp Renault Captur or 115hp/130hp Toyota Yaris Cross. MG’s done this by fitting a very powerful electric motor and a relatively large battery, which means that the ZS drives on electric power more of the time, with the petrol engine acting as a generator.

Put your foot down and both power sources give their all, making it quite a rapid little SUV. There’s also a cheaper 1.5-litre petrol model, but this is thirstier and not as nice to drive.

The comparison with its alternatives also goes in the MG’s favour when you’re talking about interior space. We found it impressively roomy inside, with enough legroom for four six-footers to get comfortable and a larger boot than the hybrid Captur or Yaris Cross.

The evidence of cost-cutting is evident in the rest of the interior, though. There are plenty of low-rent materials on the doors and dashboard, and even though the ZS’s infotainment system is a huge improvement over MG’s older systems it’s still not as easy to use or as intuitive as the touchscreen in the Renault Captur.

You do get loads of equipment. The top-spec Trophy model is still inexpensive but comes with climate control, sat-nav, smartphone connectivity, leather upholstery and a full suite of driver assistance tech including the semi-autonomous MG Pilot system.

To drive, it’s another huge leap from the old car, which was pretty dire on the road. The ZS isn’t as satisfying to drive as a Renault Captur or Toyota Yaris Cross, despite its superior power output - but it has light controls and good visibility, making it great around town. Only poor refinement on the motorway and quite crashy suspension let the side down.

If lots of power and equipment for a low price capture your imagination, check out our best MG ZS deals right here. You can find a used MG ZS for sale here, or search other used MGs for sale. And remember that Carwow can even help you sell your old car when the time comes.

Who is the MG ZS best for?

Bargain hunters will love that the MG ZS gives you more space and equipment for your money than anything this side of a Dacia Duster - in a package that feels impressively mature to drive. Compared to the somewhat gutless hybrid systems you can see in some alternative cars, the MG’s powerful engine gives it a bit of a USP - but you should make sure you’re happy with the cheapo interior plastics and comfortable with MG’s poor reliability record before you commit.

Trim highlights

SE: 12.3-inch infotainment screen, rear parking camera, MG Pilot assisted driving tech
Trophy: 360-degree camera, heated seats and steering wheel, artificial leather upholstery

The MG ZS range kicks off at just over £20,000 for the petrol car, rising to a little under £23,000 for the Hybrid+ model in SE trim. Higher-spec Trophy models clock in at just over £25,000 and are only available as a hybrid.

That means that the top-spec ZS Hybrid+ is a good chunk cheaper than a Renault Captur E-Tech or Toyota Yaris Cross, and the SE model is even a bit cheaper than the full hybrid Dacia Duster. This actually makes it the cheapest full hybrid SUV on sale, which is worth celebrating - and it comes in at rather less than quite a lot of small hatchbacks, too.

With such a low price tag in the first place, there’s really not much reason why you shouldn’t splurge on the top-spec Trophy model and enjoy nicer interior trim and heated seats - it’s the model we’d recommend going for. Trophy cars are only available as a hybrid, but that doesn’t matter since we’d suggest avoiding the pure petrol version anyway.

We tested the MG ZS in this Hybrid+ Trophy form in January 2025, having driven the lower-spec SE earlier on the model launch event.

The MG ZS is quite powerful, but it is a bit lumpy over bumps and it’s not very refined on the motorway

We tested the ZS over the course of a week, commuting from Peterborough to London on the A1 and M1 as well as driving on more rural routes around Cambridgeshire.

In town

The MG ZS uses the same hybrid system as the MG3. It pairs a 1.5-litre petrol engine with around 102hp to a powerful, 136hp electric motor. It also uses a 1.84kWh battery - more than double the size of most alternatives.

The result of this system is that, around town, the ZS mostly uses its electric motor, with the petrol engine kicking in as a generator rather than driving the wheels. This means it’s easy to make smooth progress, as you’re basically driving an electric car.

Don’t expect the silent progress of an electric car, though, as the engine comes in and out as needed, and has quite a coarse edge to the sound and often seems to rev higher than you might expect. It’s not obtrusive, but the smoothness and seamless operation of the hybrid system in a Toyota Yaris Cross is better.

The ZS has good visibility out of the front, and you sit quite high up. The suspension is quite firm, which means you feel more of the road’s bumps and lumps than you do in a Renault Captur - even when the latter’s on its largest alloy wheels.

On the motorway

With so much power at your disposal compared to a Renault Captur or Toyota Yaris Cross, the MG ZS feels like it gets up to speed with much less effort and that there’s more in reserve when you need to overtake. However, it’s not quite as smooth under heavy acceleration - the gearbox only has three ratios, which means there are quite large gaps between them, and if you’re putting your foot down the power surges quite disconcertingly.

If you drive more normally, it’s not quite so big an issue, and the alternatives are guilty of similar things - like the Yaris Cross and its CVT gearbox which often holds the revs very high for long periods.

The ZS’s suspension still feels firm on the motorway, and you can definitely notice things like expansion joints on bridges. But it’s not quite as irritating as it is around town. What we found more annoying is that the ZS has quite a lot of wind and road noise at speed, where alternatives are much more refined.

Every ZS gets MG Pilot as standard, which is a full suite of assisted driving options including adaptive cruise control and lane-keeping aids. It works quite well, though we found even the closest following distance is very generous.

On a twisty road

The ZS has light steering that doesn’t give you very much feedback, and so it’s not particularly satisfying to drive quickly. There’s plenty of grip and you never feel like it’s incapable of taking corners fast, but there’s no pleasure to be had in doing so - a Renault Captur or Yaris Cross are both better to drive on a twisty road.

The powertrain does have a Sport mode, which makes it feel even more eager but adds unnatural-feeling weight to the steering. We left it in Normal mode most of the time, especially given the driving mode switch is positioned quite far back on the centre console and not the easiest to press without looking.

The MG ZS is really roomy in the back seats and the boot is a good size, but you don’t get much in the way of clever storage features

Storage up front in the MG ZS is a mixed bag. The glovebox is a good size, as are the door bins, you can easily fit a big water bottle inside either. Better hope that’s enough to keep you hydrated though, as the cupholders are tiny.

There’s a flat tray ahead of the gear lever which is a useful spot to sling keys or wallets, and another next to it (in automatic models only) which is a bit useless because the surface isn’t very grippy and the edges are raised. It looks like the perfect place to keep your phone, but as soon as you hit a roundabout it’ll slide straight off.

The seat adjusts plenty for drivers of all sizes, and in a rarity for an MG there’s adjustable lumbar support too. Early cars didn’t have reach-adjustable steering, but the later models do - if you’re buying used, make sure to check this out.

There is a USB-A and a USB-C port up front, though annoyingly the latter is only for charging devices and you have to use the older standard to connect your phone.

Space in the back seats

Considering it’s a small SUV the MG ZS has loads of room in the back seats. There’s space for a six-foot rear passenger to stretch out behind a driver of a similar size, and there’s even room under the front seats to slide your feet. Our 6’2 frame was quite comfortable.

It’s not the widest cabin, so it isn’t the best for three, but two adults should be able to get very comfy. It’s a shame there’s no fold-down centre armrest, though you do get air vents and a USB-A port in the middle console.

There are ISOFIX points for mounting a child seat on the outer two rear seats, and there’s enough space and the doors open wide enough that we found fitting even a bulky rear-facing car seat was easy.

Boot space

With 443 litres of space, the ZS has more room in the boot than a Toyota Yaris Cross (397 litres). The Renault Captur hybrid has more space with its rear seats slid forward, but with them in the rearmost position it has only 348 litres on offer.

The ZS gets a movable boot floor, so you can choose between maximum volume and a flat loading floor. Fold the rear seatbacks and you do get loads of space as well as an almost totally unobstructed load bay - good for trips to the flat-pack furniture store. It’s a little short on clever features, though - underfloor storage is limited, bag hooks are pretty puny, and there’s nowhere to store the large, rigid parcel shelf.

The MG ZS doesn’t have a particularly stylish interior, but it’s well-built and the touchscreen works pretty well

MG’s latest cars - the MG3, HS and ZS - all have a fairly cohesive exterior design, but you can’t say the same about the interior. Though the switchgear is shared, the ZS has a totally different interior design to MG’s other cars, and that brings some positives and negatives.

It’s more traditional than the MG3, with a 7.0-inch digital instrument cluster in a recessed portion of the dash rather than a pod on the steering column. The infotainment screen is integrated into the dashboard too, and it sits lower than it does on other MG models - making it a bit easier to interact with.

That screen is 12.3 inches across, and it runs an updated version of MG’s interface. So while it’s similar to the screens on the 3, 4 and HS, it’s quite a lot more responsive and the controls have been made larger and easier to hit. That’s great news, as the fiddly interface of the infotainment systems was a key complaint of these other models.

It’s still not as easy to use as the Android-based infotainment system of a Renault Captur, but compared to the screen in a Yaris Cross it’s actually a little better. There’s a row of shortcut keys under the screen which give quick access to a few functions, but we’d love to see a couple more given to dedicated climate controls. The latest MG electric cars have a separate climate control panel, which would be great to see when the ZS is updated.

It’s also a shame that, while Apple CarPlay and Android Auto functionality is included, it’s wired-only - most new models have wireless integration. There’s also no wireless charger, though you probably won’t need it much if you’re using the smartphone integration as plugging in will keep your phone topped up. But it’s a pity that it’s not even an option.

Quality is a mixed bag. The ZS feels relatively solidly built, though not as good as the bank-vault quality of a Yaris Cross. But lots of the materials are much cheaper than they appear, such as tinny-feeling fake chrome and scratchy plastic atop the door cards.

There are two engine options for the MG ZS, with very different fuel economy figures. The petrol ZS has a claimed economy figure of 43.5mpg and CO2 emissions of 145g/km, so it’s quite a hard sell next to the hybrid’s much more impressive 55.4mpg and 115g/km (figures correct as of 4/12/2025).

In the real world, we saw about 48mpg out of the hybrid model when driving normally, and with a lighter foot that rose to just over 50mpg. That’s a little down on the Yaris Cross and the Captur, both of which claim over 60mpg - and driven carefully, can in fact deliver it. So it’s not as efficient as its main alternatives, but that’s to be expected given it’s so much more powerful than they are.

Its emissions put it two BIK bands higher than the Yaris Cross or Captur for company car tax, but they’re still appreciably lower than the petrol model. First year road tax is reasonable but a plug-in hybrid alternative, even a larger car, would make a more cost-effective company car option.

Euro NCAP rating (2024): 4/5

Adult occupant: 75%
Child occupant: 82%
Vulnerable road users: 73%
Safety assist: 76%

The MG ZS scored four stars when tested by Euro NCAP. That's an improvement on the old ZS, which scored just three stars way back in 2017 on a much less stringent test. For a budget model, four stars isn't bad, and its 75% and 82% ratings for adult and child occupant safety are reassuring.

Safety equipment is all present and correct including the obligatory speed warnings and driver monitoring tech, all of which is quite easy to turn off through the menus should you want to - though it’s a shame there isn’t a way to map these functions to one of the steering wheel shortcut buttons.

*the basic three-year warranty is extended by a year with each approved service

MG came a flat last in the 2025 Driver Power owner satisfaction survey, with motorists rating it poorly for reliability. MG is much more optimistic that its latest cars will be more reliable than those which came before them, though, and has invested heavily in its dealer network as well as parts supply to hopefully improve the speed and service when it comes to fixing problems which might arise.

At least you shouldn’t be put out of pocket for issues with the ZS - MG covers all of its cars with a seven-year, 80,000-mile warranty, which is one of the longest around.

Tom Wiltshire’s verdict

The MG ZS is one of those cars that appeals to the head, rather than the heart - it’s incredibly strong value, isn’t bad to drive and it’s really practical for family life. But I’d definitely consider a Toyota Yaris Cross before I went down to my MG dealership, because that poor Driver Power showing would put me off.

• Powerful full-hybrid SUV: 190hp Hybrid+ system gives much stronger performance than most small hybrid rivals, though the cheaper 1.5 petrol is thirstier and less pleasant to drive
• Great value for money: prices from just over £20,000 and generous kit mean even top-spec Trophy hybrids undercut equivalent Renault Captur and Toyota Yaris Cross models
• Really roomy for families: loads of rear legroom and a 443-litre boot make it more practical than many small SUVs, even if clever storage touches are a bit thin on the ground
• Easy but unspecial to drive: light controls and good visibility suit town driving, but firm, crashy suspension and lots of wind and road noise mean it feels less refined on the motorway than key rivals
• Tech-heavy but cheap-feeling cabin: big 12.3-inch screen, Apple CarPlay/Android Auto and MG Pilot driver assistance impress, but plastics and trim quality lag well behind the best in class
• Decent economy, shaky reputation: hybrid returns around 50mpg in the real world and gets a strong seven-year/80,000-mile warranty, yet MG’s poor recent reliability and owner-satisfaction scores remain a concern

Model tested: MG ZS Hybrid+ Trophy, January 2025.