Used MG ZS review and buying guide (2017 to 2024): which one to buy and what to check

Which used MG ZS should you buy?

There's no year of ZS that's clearly the safer buy. The one known fault belongs to the electric version: on 2019 to 2021 ZS EVs the rotary gear selector switch can fail between 10,000 and 40,000 miles and leave the car stuck in Park. It's a medium-severity fault, so it's a reason to test the dial on an EV, not to rule one out.

The petrols haven't got a known fault against them, but that's a thin record rather than a clean one. Owner reports only cover 2017 to 2019 cars, and two of the 2017 cars had traction control and steering warnings that kept coming back. A ZS that's been back to the dealer again and again for the same warning isn't the one to buy.

Later cars, nearer 2024, haven't had enough said about them to call either way. Whatever the year, the steering, handling and ride are only middling and some of the cabin plastics feel low grade, so drive one over roads you know well before deciding it suits you.

Which ZS engines and gearboxes are the safe choices?

There's no ZS engine or gearbox with a proven clean record, so judge the car more than the engine. The 1.5 petrol has the most owner history, and it centres on warning lights: one 2017 1.5 Excite kept showing traction control and steering warnings that cleared before it reached the dealer. A handful of reports is a short record, though, not proof the 1.5's sound.

The 1.0 automatic has a single report against it. A November 2018 car began shuddering as it moved off by 3,000 miles, as if it were in the wrong gear, and it went from once every couple of weeks to almost every drive. That's one car, so it doesn't rule the 1.0 auto out, but try it with several slow pull-aways straight after a cold start.

The ZS EV is the only version with a known fault against it: on 2019 to 2021 cars the rotary gear selector switch can give up, after which the car won't go into Drive or Reverse. It's rated medium and the symptoms are easy to spot on a test drive, so it's a part to try rather than a reason to choose a petrol instead.

What should you check when viewing a used ZS?

Watch the dashboard from the moment the ignition goes on: traction control and steering warning lights that appear and then clear after a restart turned up on two 2017 ZSs. Ask whether they've been investigated, and for the receipt if a crank position sensor's been changed, since that's the part that stopped the lights on one owner's 1.5 manual.

Spend a good part of the drive at low speed, because one owner's 2018 car felt juddery when driven slowly. Try the stop-start and the cruise control too, since both stopped working on that same car, and open every door from outside, as its door handles began to stick.

On a 2019 to 2021 ZS EV, turn the rotary selector through Park, Reverse and Drive several times. Each position should click home and the car should respond straight away; a dial that spins loosely, a car that won't leave Park or a gearbox fault message means the switch is on its way out.

Ask for the dealer's warranty job sheets. One 2019 car needed the same sensor fault fixing five times before its cylinder head failed and was replaced as a manufacturing defect, so repeat visits for one fault are a warning. Inside, push on the driver's seat bolster and the USB socket in the centre console, as both came adrift on one owner's 2017 car.

Paste the advert into the free check and it runs these against the listing, the MOT history and the DVLA record before you travel.

What does a used MG ZS cost to run?