MG ZS EV Long Range - how far can it drive?

The MG ZS EV Long Range has been released in New Zealand at a competitive price, but is the claimed "440 km per charge" range accurate?
To find out, Gav put it through its paces in real world New Zealand conditions with many hills, highways and heating!
Video links mentioned in the video:
• MG ZS EV full, detailed review of all features: • MG ZS EV: Still the ch...
• Evnex E2 charger unboxing and installation: • Evnex E2 wall charger ...
• Side-by-side comparison against the competing BYD Atto 3: • MG ZS EV versus BYD AT...
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[@danielho9753]

I’ve been driving this exact car in Hong Kong for over 18,000km now, getting over 500km per 100% charge easily at around 14kwh/100km, average speed of around 50km/h. Great car for the city.

[@Freedo1234]

Same for me in HK , cheers

[@Brian-xd2oi]

Another great review Gav. I have the same model ZS here in the UK. I agree it's sooo comfy and roomy. Fabulous build quality. A few niggles, It only charges at 6.5kw on a slow/home charger, even those delivering 11kwh. The fast charging is great at above 77kwh tho. The heater and air con is vastly reduced when on eco mode, and the regen braking always sets at level 3 before every journey, so you have to physically set it to the level you want using the switch. It's an absolutely brilliant car apart from those little niggles, but it won't get anywhere near my Kona (64kw) for range, yet I always grab the keys to the MG.

[@tm92489]

Bloody good review mate, you are way ahead of our pretentious straya YT folks 😉. Appreciate it!

[@standupmoto]

Very good range review, as someone that lives rural here over the ditch this is relevant to my situation. Well done, cheers 👍

[@HarmLessSolutionsNZ]

Ahh, a Te Kuiti to Auckland road trip video. Very enoyable watch best accompanied by Friday night IPA and Proper Rosemary & Thyme potato chips.

[@profdraper]

A couple of extra tips about range (ZS EV owner here): Add to ECO & KERS3 - keep hwy speed to 95kph; use cruise control (w excellent distance keeping); use heated seats instead of HVAC (seats use only 12 battery).

[@Trevelyan1971]

In the summer I was getting 340 miles to a charge with the air con on in normal mode . You can’t drive a car with the air con off in most countries and neither should you have to. The issue with this car is firstly the build quality is terrible and having brought one brand new I lost almost 50% of its value in 12 months. So a good second hand but as long

[@pauld7827]

I'm in the UK. In the winter the range does drop. However, now it's warm, I decided to do a range test. Quite a bit of local driving between (hope this the right calculations) 50 and 80/90 km\h (30 to 50/60 mph) after a full 100% charge. I used a bit of 'sport' mode, some 'normal' mode and once the interior was at a comfortable temperature a lot of 'Eco' mode. I was getting over 300 miles (500km) indicated range. I took it onto the fast roads at around 70 mph (112/113 kmh) for about 20-25% of the total mileage and came out exceeding the 273 mile range (400km) overall. For me, the MG ZS EV Mark 2, is just a great car! Complaints - no speed limiter, the traffic assist I can't get to work (my bad), no heated steering wheel. Cruise control lever is hidden by the steering wheel. No frunk as standard but an aftermarket one works well. Oh, and you can easily spin the wheels ;-) when overtaking in sport mode! I'll be replacing it with another in 18 months time - though I hope that they will have a dual motor, AWD version, by then.....

[@2011Thesituation]

I like your explanation. This is what am searching for. 😅 4WD always can come in handy but the range can drop and price increase

[@HamishJohnstone76]

One point: at 11:02 you state (complain) that the MG ZS EV Long Range has no speed limiter and that you wish it was a function it had. It does have a speed limiter (manual and automatic options), although it is a pain to turn on each time you start the vehicle (complaint: it resets to disabled each time the vehicle shuts down) but it is definitely there - I use it all the time to maintain speed and get the most out of the KERS on hilly motorways (Transmission Gully) - mainly because (other complaint) the KERS doesn't work with cruise control 😢

[@FalkinerTim]

I have had an MG ZS EV Mk1 for two years and they are a good, solid car. In Australia, the basic MG4 is coming out at $39K which is brilliant for anybody wanting a sedan.

[@ryks82]

MG Pilots activates with dubbel pull on cruse control stock. much smother then just use the lane assist ;)

[@talpolano4549]

0:00: 🚗 Testing the realistic range of the MG ZS EV Long Range on a 400 km journey in eco mode. 4:16: 🚗 Comparison of motor power and battery weight in the MG ZS EV Long Range model. 8:04: 🚗 Evaluation of MG ZS EV long range performance in real-world driving conditions. 11:24: ⚡ Challenges faced during long drive in MG ZS EV Long Range impacting charging efficiency. 15:10: ⚙ Pros and cons of MG ZS EV Long Range model discussed, highlighting comfort and mobile app features. Recap by Tammy AI

[@KittykatOz]

What happened to the freeway, it was there and then it disappeared!!🤨 Great assessment, although you could of discussed more about how easy the controls were to operate and the functionality while you were driving along. Yes, I know it was about range, but it doesn't hurt to expand a bit more. Glad to hear Aotearoa is putting lots more chargers in... that has to happen everywhere!

[@profdraper]

Too fast @ 110

[@bjmabjma7561]

Really nice and joyful review. I'll take de Atto 3 over this one for sure, but over here where I live (Europe) the mg is much much cheaper than the Atto 3 second hand, so as a second hand car, the mg for sure

[@ObiePaddles]

How did you get $70 fuel cost. Would be 35l at least, @$2.8 / litre that’s $98…

[@AndyM...]

Nice review Gav, was considering this, but only the smaller battery version was available - bad move MG Australia....just wondering how the Allegro project was going ???

[@imvanas574]

Me and my wife bought a new longrange. We will get it in 2 weeks. can't wwait!

[@paulaschofield]

I think the MG ZS MkII is a good car, comfortable, a nicer interier than the Atto, and probably better overall than the Atto3, and it is a massive improvement on the MkI. The doors feel solid when you close them, and that is usually a good sign. A few issues about the MG. Regen doesn't work when using cruise control, so it uses the brakes to slow down. The DC charging is slow. We pulled up at a charger in our 2017 Ioniq and in 12mins we had put 4kWh more into our car than the MG had charged in 16mins which was disappointing to see.

[@accesser]

Great family car, hope they do a smaller one for one person, the build quality sounds nice

[@dmain6735]

I used to drive a 1993 era 2.4D Hilux. On that old beast I'd sit at 90kms and just let people pass. I'm thinking I'd do the exact same on a electric range test.

[@andynicholson5324]

I asked MG and there was no confirmed long range when I asked a long time ago and I said they were missing a trick. Are you doing the MG4? I hope chargenet push for more dual chargers and vector stop the free charge this will hopefully stop taxi drivers hogging the chargers. Also could you do a cost analysis of long range cars across the market. 👍

[@grantlouw3182]

Seems worthy of consideration as you appeared to enjoy the vehicle overall, price is not bad for an EV, but that PSC is rather disappointing.

[@libbyadams4163]

Apparently the BYD HAN is meant to come out soon in nz

[@ianhouliston46]

WLTP is calculated at an average speed of 64 kmph. I divide WLTP by four then times by 3 to get nz road conditions.

[@slimjim1125]

Just use 75% instead of the extra calculation steps 🤦‍♂

[@gregb1599]

It maybe 72.6kwh, but its useable capacity is actually 68.3kwh. Just like the upcoming MG4 with 77kwh which is actually 74.2kwh useable.

[@Mububban23]

9:40 some criticisms I found (on a short test drive) were the lack of rear centre arm rest that my kids use all the time, and no rear centre headrest so any fifth passenger is horribly exposed for whiplash in the event of a crash. That and the loudest indicator I've heard in my life are the only things I can think of from my brief exposure with it.

[@stevews]

dont know in nz, in our HK top version, both arm rest and headrest are there, I dont think there is a big difference in nz

[@fredfrond6148]

Nice review, clearly shows the lifecycle savings of an electric car.

[@matauboy]

So since all electricity to your house originates with Transpower.. how do you know it's environmentally clean?

[@davidcao5423]

Will MG NZ remove the short range battery size? With the MG4 launch in Australia, MG Australia will only sell ZS EV in the long range battery pack going forward.

[@Zarphag]

For now no, they have said they'll keep selling the short range zs

[@potter2702]

I got mine 6 was ago and I love it.

[@kongming2005]

The answer to why the range improves so much because the parent company and major shareholder are Chinese. China tech in EV and battery made EV practical and dream come true

[@Sgten01]

Wow u live in te kuiti? How’s life downthere?

[@brentgregory1359]

when are you reviewing the MG4 Gav?

[@EcotricityNZ]

Picking one up in less than a month. Stay tuned! -Gav

[@The_Observer72]

That turn signal is crazy loud 🙉

[@theunknownunknowns5168]

Gavin, Ohakune grows a lot of potatoes. Zero context comment. 😅

[@gtlegacy8]

It would of cost a hybrid $40 to go 400km , how much would it cost to charge it at public charging station?

[@ObiePaddles]

Public charging would be pretty similar. Public charging only relevant for continuous long journeys and not even relevant for this trip from Akl to Hamilton and back. we would do the same km for $0 using our 3 hours of power every day.

[@BokorRider]

that 0-100km is just slower than a 1972 MGB GTV8 3500cc :D

[@Freedo1234]

Good car

[@dute007]

that potato thingy 😅

[@jpsabbey]

Why the hell don't they make the roof out of solar panels?🤔

[@ThoughtfulAl]

How much does Ecotricity cost compared to Genesis? We have been with Genesis for more than 10 years and I am now seriously contemplating an EV. Your reviewing style for this video was noticeably less annoying than your usual (not so overly positive and less irritating puns thank you)

[@MrRustyB2]

Way Less Than Predicted WLTP range 😂

[@deedinky1]

Cheap now but in 2024 RUC will be introduced for ev. Goodbye cheap motoring.

[@adofoi30]

WLTP should be illegal

[@unconventionalideas5683]

These cars have a CCP issue: the Chinese Communist Party is entitled to any and all location data and camera footage from this car simply if they ask. There is no need for a warrant or independent consultation of legal systems or any other such check or balance. So that's a huge problem.

[@rovert1284]

Long range seems a bit strange when my current car does 750. My other car has a very small fuel tank and gets around 390. That is a pain even though fueling doesn't take long and is readily available. I could not be bothered with an EV. I'll wait until they are more mature. Considering the AVERAGE age of a car in NZ is 12 years I doubt batteries are going to last and the cost to replace (probably will not be available) will mean it is easier to scrap the car. I suspect we are creating more problems than we are solving. We'll see, but I think batteries will be much better and safer in 5-10 years.

[@badminverse2136]

For those still not convinced about EV, I recommend watch this video "Uber Driver’s TESLA Experiment | He DROVE 100,000 miles in 9 months!" The short story is EV is low cost to maintain and fuel is dirt cheap as well. If you driven over 150,000 miles, the saving on fuel can buy another car already.The taxi driver saved over $20,000 driving an EV and the car can probably do way more, if you are driving a ICE car it probably already scrap metal at that milage.

[@pinkelephants1421]

Elon Musk's hairline used to come in and out more often than the tide. He seems to have given up on that particularly vanity project in favour of CYBRTRK lately. 😜🤪😂

[@josephkarl2061]

Those Who Wants To Be A Millionaire quizzes really need the overly dramatic music and the jarring lightshow. Just a thought for next time 😜😂

[@Mububban23]

1:16 I swear I've never heard a louder indicator sound than the ZS EV.

[@HamishJohnstone76]

There is a setting to turn it down

[@TassieEV]

You do know the WLTP is never accurate the closest to real world in any test is EPA. This battery chemistry though still has cobalt and of course we both know what that means getting raked over the coals by the EV FUD machine on children in the Congo. BYD doesn't have that issue with their LFP battery.

[@theosphilusthistler712]

Well made video. Observations. 1: Interpreting 100kph signs as a maximim. Every kiwi driver knows that's the minimum. 2: 388km is not "long range". That's barely acceptable for a motorbike 3: The cost is not $14. The direct cost today may be $14 but the if I and Mary and Hemi and Gavin buy one, as is your intent, then the cost will be that plus a share of the cost of building several gigawatts of new generation. But it won't just be the cost of the power we consume driving, it will be the cost added to every unit of power used by anybody for any any purpose. And of course there is the much higher depreciation cost amorticed over a shorter life than that of a real car. Any finally there's the cost of the subsidy, which we all pay, the environmental cost and above all the cost of squandering the most precious resource we have ( _the will to act on climate collapse_ ). 4: "climate positive electricity". WTF is that? I never imagined it was possible to develop a more absurd phrase than "renewable enegy" but congratulations. Or has NZ adopted some new form of generation that not only sucks carbon out of the air and turns it into electricity but does so to a greater extent than its construction and operation emits carbon? How and why have we kept that secret?

[@EcotricityNZ]

I recommend you check out the Ecotricity website to learn how climate positive electricity is created and subsequently certified by Toitu. It's impressive and learning how it works will clarify the thoughts you've written. -Gav

[@alexsimmons1803]

While using low carbon sources of energy is definitely much better than burning liquid hydrocarbons, no source of energy results in negative emissions. That's just complete marketing BS and runs counter to the second law of thermodynamics. If you fall for such nonsense it suggests credibility in other areas may also be lacking. As to the battery, NMC is hardly a new chemistry. It's been used in EVs since 2011. It's a more energy dense form of storage than LiFePO4 but it is also far more susceptible to thermal runaway, something which cannot occur with LiFePO4 chemistry. I would never charge an NMC car inside a building. NMC also has a shorter lifespan than LiFePO4. $20k+ more than the ICEV models? Yikes. That premium covers the fuel for 250 of your Aukland trips. It's a still a very high price hurdle. I test drove one, and with less than 1000km on the odometer it had the most annoying rattles inside the cabin. Turned out to be the speaker grilles. Another owner said they had the same problem. The MG4 looks to be a better bet. Looking forward to testing one.

[@tooltalk]

China's LFP batteries are cheap, inferior batteries with low efficiency and heavier weight -- they are mostly limited to entry-level, low-range MG EVs. Most Long Range or performance EVs use either NCM which has higher density and less weight or NCA.

[@balkanleopard9728]

You pay up front for the petrol (energy). By that I mean that any reasonable range ev costs about €10,000 more to buy than an equivalent petrol engine vehicle. Divide that by your years of ownership and you'll quickly see that there is essentially little or no fuel saving in owning an ev. Next there is the disfunctional en-route charging network. I don't know what it's like in NZ but in Europe it's catastrophically bad - and expensive. Let's take a real world example. I have recently completed a 1300 km ev trip. At three of my planned en-route charging points I found out of service chargers. If I'd been stupid enough to plan on arriving at these points with less that 20% charge I would have been toast as chargers are spaced about 50 to 70 km apart on the motorways in Europe. This means that you can only reliably get about 80% useable out of your battery. On the motorway at motorway speeds this means about 200 km in any affordable ev. Around cities, ev's are great. On long trips they are dreadful - not because the cars are dreadful, but because the supporting infrastructure is rubbish.

[@Zarphag]

MG4 is $40k after rebate plenty of mainstream petrol hatches cost the same

[@youxkio]

Ah, cobalt. I hope it's not Congolese.

[@theunknownunknowns5168]

Yeah because only rich countries should profit from mining. Not those poor dark skinned people that meet international labour standards in the Congo. Smooth brain much.

[@johnhornblow4347]

No, that's used to refine the fuel in your car.

[@youxkio]

@@johnhornblow4347 Sure non-Congolese cobalt used in BEVs can do better than the other ICE-oriented automotive industry.

[@REV-EV]

Phew - good and fair review. Wifey is still happy.

[@The_Observer72]

That turn signal is crazy loud 🙉

[@henvan8737]

I have a Tesla model 3 long range. I can easily achieve efficiency of 13.5 to 14.5kw at 100km and I don't have to turn off the heater or fiddle with regen settings. The Mg ZS EV Essence gross weight is 2060KG. It's a good car but is quickly being replaced with newer Chinese models.

[@ObiePaddles]

Not much cheaper than Model Y now after tesla prie reductions.