MG4 VS MGZS EV

[donmaico]

Hello I am a newbie to this forum and will also be a newbie to the world of EV some time in the near future I have a number of cars in mind but two that jump up at me are the MG4 and MGZS. I will be aiming for the used market because of the depreciation factor, so I am looking for cars that are about 3-4 years old. The two from the MG stable come at very agreeable prices and as I don't do much mileage (60 a week) I am looking at the standard range examples of each model. One of the reasons for that is the LFP battery chemistry they each have meaning safer driving, capable of 100% charging without much degradation and therefore longer lifespan. Of the two my preference is for the MG4 as it just looks nicer and is probably a tad more efficient, however a potential deal breaker is the infamous lane assist issue I have read about. In short I would need to be convinced that it's nothing to worry about but the idea that it may force the car to veer towards a cyclist or other motorist is alarming to say the least so I am wondering if an owner of such car here can allay my concerns or if an MG dealer such as Richmond Motors can assure me that any models they may be selling have any such issues fixed via software updates. If I remain in any way concerned I would simply opt for the MGZS which in its own rights looks a good car. I also wondered whether I should ask for battery health report. Most dealers don't seem to mention them in their EV details, while Car360 does.
I would BE grateful for any advice on the matter. Thanks.

 

[Diggsy]

If the lane keep assist is your only worry I can perhaps offer some reassurance. In the 3yrs I’ve had mine I think I’ve had one, perhaps two incidents where it harshly braked. It did this when there was a group of cars coming from a small exit to my right, along with ones turning across me, so the car likely had a panic.

That said, this was prior to the 77 (I think) update, which quietened it down drastically, and I have never had a single problem with it since. Worst it does is beep or give a gentle nudge when you get too close to a white line.

 

[ReintjeWA]

The lane assist issues should mostly be a thing of the past if your car has had the SC077 update @Diggsy is referring to above. I have an Aussie spec that didn’t get the SC077 update as far as I know, but it seems our lane assist software was always a little tamer than the UK versions anyway. If you don’t make a habit of taking both your hands of the wheel, you should be just fine.

In terms of the LFP battery having less degradation, anecdotal evidence shows very little degradation in the NMC batteries as well, so don’t let that myth keep you from getting a bigger battery pack if you think it would be advantageous to you.

The NMC batteries can balance their cells at any charge level that is set, whereas the LFP will only balance their cells at 100%.

 

[donmaico]

If the lane keep assist is your only worry I can perhaps offer some reassurance. In the 3yrs I’ve had mine I think I’ve had one, perhaps two incidents where it harshly braked. It did this when there was a group of cars coming from a small exit to my right, along with ones turning across me, so the car likely had a panic.

That said, this was prior to the 77 (I think) update, which quietened it down drastically, and I have never had a single problem with it since. Worst it does is beep or give a gentle nudge when you get too close to a white line.

to be fair it's the only worry I am aware of but having just checked AI there about 30% of owners have reported problems with electronics, software glitches and charging malfunctions bit I dont know how reliable AI is because I have found it sometimes contradicts itself.
There have also been reports about flimsy interior trim and poor paintwork

 

[tonybridge]

I have a 2 1/2 year old Trophy, never had a software update, and in those years, the LKA has never worried me. Yes, it will sometimes beep and give a little nudge, but it's not going to kill you or any cyclists (it is a SAFETY feature). To get used to it, find an empty bit of road and deliberately drive over the white lines to get a feel for it. Yesterday, one of my relatives helped with the driving on a long journey - she's never driven an EV before, and was very impressed with the car and the drive. Yes, she noticed the LKA a couple of times, but was perfectly in charge the whole time.

My 2-year service back in September showed that the battery was at 98% health. I try not to let the car's range get much below 20%, and only charge to 100% when I'm off on a long journey.

You'll find that there is an awful lot of myths about EVs, mostly peddled by people who have never driven one. When I told my brother I was buying an EV, he said, 'OMG, it'll catch fire, are you sure you'll be OK?'

You will really enjoy your EV, whichever one you choose. EVs are a whole different experience from ICE cars.

 

[donmaico]

The lane assist issues should mostly be a thing of the past if your car has had the SC077 update @Diggsy is referring to above. I have an Aussie spec that didn’t get the SC077 update as far as I know, but it seems our lane assist software was always a little tamer than the UK versions anyway. If you don’t make a habit of taking both your hands of the wheel, you should be just fine.

In terms of the LFP battery having less degradation, anecdotal evidence shows very little degradation in the NMC batteries as well, so don’t let that myth keep you from getting a bigger battery pack if you think it would be advantageous to you.

The NMC batteries can balance their cells at any charge level that is set, whereas the LFP will only balance their cells at 100%.

most of the charging would be done at home so very few fast charging cycles. I would as many have recommended, charge between 20 and 80% just to prolong battery life and reduce the chances of a fire which I could get quite paranoid about

 

[JohnV6]

Yes they are. Full torque at 0 mph for starters

 

[donmaico]

I have a 2 1/2 year old Trophy, never had a software update, and in those years, the LKA has never worried me. Yes, it will sometimes beep and give a little nudge, but it's not going to kill you or any cyclists (it is a SAFETY feature). To get used to it, find an empty bit of road and deliberately drive over the white lines to get a feel for it. Yesterday, one of my relatives helped with the driving on a long journey - she's never driven an EV before, and was very impressed with the car and the drive. Yes, she noticed the LKA a couple of times, but was perfectly in charge the whole time.

My 2-year service back in September showed that the battery was at 98% health. I try not to let the car's range get much below 20%, and only charge to 100% when I'm off on a long journey.

You'll find that there is an awful lot of myths about EVs, mostly peddled by people who have never driven one. When I told my brother I was buying an EV, he said, 'OMG, it'll catch fire, are you sure you'll be OK?'

You will really enjoy your EV, whichever one you choose. EVs are a whole different experience from ICE cars.

thank you I think I will. Never driven one before and your suggestion re lKA seems very sound

 

[jamakr4]

When going for the MG4 I would suggest going for a late 2023 onwards. They did sort of a mini facelift with some improvements (you just need to look for the rear wiper and 3rd head rest). The Standart Version in comparison to the "pre-facelift" has heated seats + steering wheel, the rear wiper, One Pedal Drive and other smaller improvements (very worth it in my opinion).

The biggest advantage of the MG4 compared to the ZS is the platform: The ZS is build on an ICE platform while the MG4 MSP platform is specifically designed for EVs.

 

[ReintjeWA]

most of the charging would be done at home so very few fast charging cycles. I would as many have recommended, charge between 20 and 80% just to prolong battery life and reduce the chances of a fire which I could get quite paranoid about

The risk of fires is lower in EVs than ICE cars, due to the lack of explosive liquids. If you go for the LFP battery you’ll be charging to a 100% all the time, as 1) you can’t tell the car to stop charging at 80%, and 2) LFP is happier to sit at full charge than an NMC battery is.

Fast charging doesn’t seem to really impact battery health either, as long as you do the recalibration charge every 6 to 12 months. This is where you let the battery go down below 10%, let it sit there for an hour or so so the BMS takes a reading of the low state, then AC charge to 100% and let it balance their cells cells there in one continuous charge, and again let the car sit for an hour so the BMS takes another reading of the full charge. This shows the BMS how much capacity is really in the battery pack.

The only thing that holds true for EVs when it comes to all the fire talk is that IF the car catches fire, it will be harder to put out the battery pack. But so far I can only recall two reports of fire on this forum and neither were caused by the battery. If I recall correctly or of them was caused by the heater or something.

The dumbest one I heard was a lady telling me “the fire brigade will leave your kids in the car if they see it’s an EV”. As if you’re just going to leave your kids in the car for the fire fighters to deal with. If your kids are still in the car by the time they show up they’ll be out of luck regardless of what your car runs on…

https://www.topgear.com/car-news/mythbusting-evs/mythbusting-world-evs-are-electric-cars-susceptible-catching-fire

 

[Cabansail]

The only Battery Fire I have heard about was with early Tesla's and in that case it was probably caused be the internal IT realising that Elon was their master.

In the old software the LKA would shit me, so I turned it off most trips. Now it has the latest software it is OK. It predictably beeps most times I take a line through a corner (I think IT folk drive their cars in the middle of lanes) Now turning it off is more of a hassle than the few beeps I get and it never pulls the wheel now.

If that's the main issue you have then you should be fine. Considering the small distances, maybe a used Leaf would suit you. They do well with a limited range and are dirt cheap.

 

[wattmatters]

We have both a 2023 MGZS EV (gen 2 Excite base model) and a 2023 MG4 (Essence 64 kWh model). Australia.

Quite different cars suiting different personal preferences. I suggest you drive each beforehand.

If driving dynamics is important to you, then the MG4 is your pick, no question.

If you just want a practical and comfy car that's easy to live with, sits a little higher, then the ZS (Gen 2) is a good choice.

Here both come with 360° camera. Also have wired Carplay/Android Auto. Can use a wireless adapter for those if you want. The base model ZS here is pretty well spec'd and my wife loves it.

The adaptive cruise control I find is much, much better in the ZS than the MG4. I also think the ZS interior is much nicer than the MG4.

With MG4 it's important to know if the software is up to date. So find out how to check and check.

Experiences with things like lane keep assist and emergency brake assist vary widely. In my MG4 it was terrible, almost undriveable - it would attempt to take me over to the wrong side of the road and into oncoming traffic. So every time I got in I'd go through the stupid screen menus to disable these features which are not sticky changes, have to do it every time.

After a software update it's been perfectly fine and I don't feel the need to turn them off any more.

 

[donmaico]

When going for the MG4 I would suggest going for a late 2023 onwards. They did sort of a mini facelift with some improvements (you just need to look for the rear wiper and 3rd head rest). The Standart Version in comparison to the "pre-facelift" has heated seats + steering wheel, the rear wiper, One Pedal Drive and other smaller improvements (very worth it in my opinion).

The biggest advantage of the MG4 compared to the ZS is the platform: The ZS is build on an ICE platform while the MG4 MSP platform is specifically designed for EVs.

yes I had in mind going for a later one

 

[donmaico]

The only Battery Fire I have heard about was with early Tesla's and in that case it was probably caused be the internal IT realising that Elon was their master.

In the old software the LKA would shit me, so I turned it off most trips. Now it has the latest software it is OK. It predictably beeps most times I take a line through a corner (I think IT folk drive their cars in the middle of lanes) Now turning it off is more of a hassle than the few beeps I get and it never pulls the wheel now.

If that's the main issue you have then you should be fine. Considering the small distances, maybe a used Leaf would suit you. They do well with a limited range and are dirt cheap.

Yeah the Leaf was one of the ones I had in mind ,although not too keen on the chademo charging point. Ditto Kia Niro, Hyundai Kona , VW iD3 and Peugeot e208. All are available used at reasonable prices but I keep getting pulled towards the MG4 just because I like its styling, however there does appear tio be some caveats, one of which is the LKA. It has received several awards. According to AI Overview -
"What Car? magazine awarded the MG4 "Best Small Electric Car" in their 2024 awards, but their annual reliability survey (published early 2026) revealed it was the least reliable electric car in its category, with only a 63.8% reliability score, leaving 68% of affected cars off the road for over a week." A bit of an off putter but then it has a 7 year warranty so it all gets a bit confusing

 

[donmaico]

We have both a 2023 MGZS EV (gen 2 Excite base model) and a 2023 MG4 (Essence 64 kWh model). Australia.

Quite different cars suiting different personal preferences. I suggest you drive each beforehand.

If driving dynamics is important to you, then the MG4 is your pick, no question.

If you just want a practical and comfy car that's easy to live with, sits a little higher, then the ZS (Gen 2) is a good choice.

Here both come with 360° camera. Also have wired Carplay/Android Auto. Can use a wireless adapter for those if you want. The base model ZS here is pretty well spec'd and my wife loves it.

The adaptive cruise control I find is much, much better in the ZS than the MG4. I also think the ZS interior is much nicer than the MG4.

With MG4 it's important to know if the software is up to date. So find out how to check and check.

Experiences with things like lane keep assist and emergency brake assist vary widely. In my MG4 it was terrible, almost undriveable - it would attempt to take me over to the wrong side of the road and into oncoming traffic. So every time I got in I'd go through the stupid screen menus to disable these features which are not sticky changes, have to do it every time.

After a software update it's been perfectly fine and I don't feel the need to turn them off any more.

and I assume and after MG4's software update, you find both of them satisfactory and reliable? I think I will try them both as you suggested

 

[Slipstream]

Hello I am a newbie to this forum sand will also be a newbie to the world of EV some time in the near future I have a number of cars in mind but two that jump up at me are the MG4 and MGZS.I will be aiming for the used market because of the depreciation factor, so I am looking for cars that are about 3-4 years old. The two from the MG stable come at very agreeable prices and as I dont do much mileage ( 60 a week) I am looking at the standard range examples of each model. One pf the reasons for that is the lFP battery chemistry they each have meaning safer driving , capable of 100% charging without much degradation and therefore longer lifespan. Of the two my preference is for the MG4 as it just looks nicer and is probably a tad more efficient, however a potential deal breaker is the infamous lane assist issue I have read about .In short I would need to be convinced that its nothing to worry about but the idea that it may force the car to veer towards a cyclist or other motorist is alarming to say the least so I am wondering if an owner of such car here can allay my concerns or if an MG dealer such as Richmond Motors can assure me that any models they may be selling have any such issues fixed via software updates .If I remain in any way concerned I would simply opt for the MGZS which in its own rights looks a good car . I also wondered whether I should ask for battery health report . Most dealers don't seem to mention them in their ev details, while Car360 does
I would grateful for any advice on the matter . Thanks

I've owned both the lka on the zs was almost non existent. The 4 was slightly more aggressive when I first got it but a software update solved that. I prefer the driving position of the zs SUV. But the 4 a great car.

 

[wattmatters]

and I assume and after MG4's software update, you find both of them satisfactory and reliable? I think I will try them both as you suggested

Yes.

 

[ReintjeWA]

…, but their annual reliability survey (published early 2026) revealed it was the least reliable electric car in its category, with only a 63.8% reliability score, leaving 68% of affected cars off the road for over a week."

I think the biggest problem this survey highlights is how slow the dealerships are (or maybe were?) to respond to issues. If I remember correctly the low score was mostly caused by how long it took for cars to be fixed, not by the amount of cars presenting with faults.

Of course this doesn’t really help those who have found themselves at the mercy of some uninterested dealers, of which you’ll be able to find enough stories on here. But it doesn’t mean MG4s have significantly more faults than other cars.

 

[Rolfe]

Honestly, although the LKA was an absolute bugger when these cars were new, the software update that was done a year or so ago fixed it to the point you scarcely notice it. I wonder if it's even doing anything now.

 

[Cabansail]

Yeah the Leaf was one of the ones I had in mind ,although not too keen on the chademo charging point. Ditto Kia Niro, Hyundai Kona , VW iD3 and Peugeot e208.

If your usage is so low and charging at home it does not really matter which charge plug you have. The reason these models are cheap now is their short range, but that fits your needs. You can use a granny charger at home and you have a very cheap transport option. This is a very cost effective way to get an EV.
With a bit of planning, one of these can still do a longer journey but if that was needed often then it's time to upgrade. By then a new crop of improved, and better priced, cars will be on the market.

Over here the only common older model is the Leaf, thus used it as an example.