How are older ZS doing over time? (rust proofing)

big g

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Hi folks.

Narrowed down my next car to be either a Kia Niro EV, or an MG ZS EV 2022 or later (updated version). The other possibility is an MG5 but parking near where I live is limited and the smaller ZS would be easier. Compared to the Niro base level, which is the only variant I can afford, the ZS has more 'toys' and certainly looks like a nice car.

I buy cars that are 2-3 years old and then keep them for several years. I've been lucky with my current 15 year old Citroen C4 Picasso (which, I've had for 12 years and seems to have survived this long relatively unscathed!) I know EVs have less parts and batteries are robust, and so my only concern for the ZS is rust.

Looking on various forums (including this one), I've seen some discussion about how some batches of early MG EVs had issues with poor rust protection. So - are these unusual cases?. How are more recent cars doing?

All thoughts and opinions greatly received!
 
I haven't seen any real rust issues on the ZS EVs. There are a couple of videos on YT showing very mild beginnings of rust to some underbody seams towards the rear of the cars, which iirc were between 1 & 2 years old. This was not bad & not unlike you get on quite a few other brands of car. If the owners treated those seams there would never be an issue.

I bought my ZS EV new at the start of 2025. I took the opportunity to inspect the underside, prepare it & spray Waxoyl pretty much everywhere that matters. I also sprayed Dynax S50 into all the chassis box sections. It won't rust for a very long time. That's fine as we intend to keep it for years & years.

Whenever I buy new car I always use Waxoyl & Bilt Hamber Dynax to give the car a head start in life. So far over the last 30yrs I've never ever experienced rust anywhere underneath or around a car of any brand. Manufacturers are using less wax injection protection on their cars these days & instead relying on the electrophoretic primers to do the job. Actually, it doesn't last if you rely on just that. Stone chips, salt moisture etc constantly erode its effectiveness as time goes by. Where I live the local highways dept spreads thousands of tons of salt on the roads each winter so Waxoyl is a good option to protect your investment. It doesn't take long to do even without special equipment such as ramps. I would add we have two E-Niros, a Nissan leaf & an ID4 in the family. All of them have rust in some form underneath especially on seams at the rear of the cars. My ZS won't have any!
 
I have a 22 reg ZS EV long range. No rust and no issues at first mot. Car has had new 12 volt battery but no other issues. I am with Scottish power EV optimise: 10p per kWh, so really cheap to run and it's now done 35k miles.
 
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