The first battery-electric MG, the ZS EV, has touched down with the lowest price tag of any EV in Australia – $44,990 drive-away.
As the name suggests, it’s based on the small ZS SUV which is related to the new ZST. However, it ditches the internal-combustion engine for an all-electric powertrain.
UPDATE, 1:15pm 02/07/21 – MG has raised the drive-away price of the ZS EV by $1000. Our coverage has been updated accordingly.
MG has introduced it with just one trim level, similar in specification to the ZST Essence albeit without that model’s newer interior design and larger touchscreen.
It does, however, pick up the ZST’s suite of active safety technology which the company calls MG Pilot.
Pricing
- 2021 MG ZS EV: $44,990 drive-away
Engines
The 2021 MG ZS EV features a single, front-mounted electric motor producing 105kW of power and 353Nm of torque, mated to a 44.5kWh lithium-ion battery pack.
It takes 8.2 seconds to do the 0-100km/h sprint.
Economy
The 2021 MG ZS EV has a claimed electric range of 263km under the stricter WLTP cycle.
It features a CCS2 charge socket and can be charged at up to 50kW on public DC fast chargers. At one of these, it takes 45 minutes to reach 80 per cent charge. A full charge with a 7kW domestic charger takes seven hours.
Dimensions
The 2021 MG ZS EV measures 4314mm long, 1809mm wide and 1644mm tall with a 2585mm wheelbase.
Kerb weight is 1532kg, 50kg more than an MG ZS.
It has 359L of luggage space, which expands to 1166L with the rear seats folded.
Servicing and Warranty
MG doesn’t currently have a capped-price servicing scheme.
The ZS EV is backed by a seven-year, unlimited-kilometre warranty from July 1, 2021.
This replaces the old eight-year, 160,000km battery and five-year, unlimited-kilometre vehicle warranties.
Safety
The ZS EV was tested by Euro NCAP in 2019 and received a rating of five stars.
That was based on scores of 90 per cent for adult occupant protection, 85 per cent for child occupant protection, 64 per cent for vulnerable road user protection and 70 per cent for safety assist.
It comes standard with:
- Autonomous emergency braking
- Forward-collision warning
- Lane-departure warning
- Lane-keeping assist
- Rear cross-traffic alert
- Six airbags
Standard Equipment
The ZS EV comes standard with:
- 8.0-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Android Auto, Apple CarPlay and satellite navigation
- 17-inch alloy wheels
- Panoramic sunroof
- Adaptive cruise control with traffic jam assist
- Adaptive high beam
- Automatic headlights
- Proximity entry with push-button start
- Six-speaker sound system
- Leatherette upholstery
- Leatherette-wrapped steering wheel
- Electric parking brake
- Reversing camera with rear parking sensors
- Heated front seats
