Towbar on MG ZS EV

[Reygun]

As far as I can see it is not recommended by the dealers to attach a towbar to the MG ZS EV. However, the reason for this remains a puzzle for me. I know that range will be reduced and also that excessive loads are questionable. Still the same, for owners like me who would like to be able to pull a small load of garden waste to the mulching facility (some 5 km away) it remains a mystery why this is a no-no. The ICE MG has the option to install towbar so it should not be a problem in the EV. Point being, why should sensible use of a towbar be more or less prohibited ? I challenge any brave MG ZS EV owner who has installed a towbar to come forward and share his/her experiences with us.

 

[Simon J]

It’s probably simply that the car was type approved without a tow bar and thus fitting one is illegal.

 

[Paulie68]

Thats exactly it. The Petrol towbar fits perfectly, and I'm absolutely sure pulling a small trailer will be just fine, but no type approval has been done, so the car has no tow rating, therefore we can't legally tow with it.

In reality, no one will ever pick up on it if you did tow with it and police would be oblivious, I'm sure, in day to day circumstances. But... in the event of a crash or incident with a trailer present, you'll have invalidated your insurance, then the police will do you for illegal towing and most likely driving whilst uninsured!

 

[Paulie68]

It’s probably simply that the car was type approved without a tow bar and thus fitting one is illegal.

Fitting one is perfectly legal, you just can't legally tow with it on a public road!

 

[JodyS21]

Yesterday I happened to have come across official MG ZS EV information showing a tow bar on the car & saying that it's an optional accessory.
I think is was on the MG EU website from memory.
I definitely saw it in 2 different places - websites/webpages/online brochure.

 

[Simon J]

It’s hard to pin down the exact regulation governing towbars but it would seem that any towbar fitted to a vehicle registered on or after 1 August 1998 must be type approved for that vehicle. Likewise, any vehicle first registered on or after that date with a tow bar fitted must be type approved for the fitment of the towbar. The ZS EV isn’t type approved to tow and there is no towbar type approved for fitment to it. Imagine what your insurance company would say if you told them you were fitting a towbar, and nowadays you have to tell them.

 

[Jeps]

You can fit a 'tow bar" but only for carrying a bike rack. We have that installed to bring our daughters bike to school in winter time. I am tempted to try to pull a small trailer, but I am afraid because of problem with insurance if something's happens?

 

[Jeps]

You can fit a 'tow bar" but only for carrying a bike rack. We have that installed to bring our daughters bike to school in winter time. I am tempted to try to pull a small trailer, but I am afraid because of problem with insurance if something's happens?

 

[Simon J]

The fact that you 'can' fit a tow bar doesn’t mean that you’re permitted to. The EC Directive is quite clear - if a mechanical coupling device, i.e. a tow bar, is fitted to a vehicle then both the coupling device and the vehicle must be type approved for that purpose. For whatever reason the ZS EV is not type approved to have a coupling device fitted so by definition there can’t be a coupling device type approved to fit it.

Having said that, if you fitted, for example, a tow bar with a flange tow ball fitting and discarded the tow ball and then bolted a cycle carrier to the flange, you could perhaps argue that you no longer had a coupling device. However, a quick look at the fitting instructions would seem to suggest that to fit the bracket to the ZS EV you have to replace the bumper beam with a steel cross bar and that sort of modification would surely need to be notified to your insurance company who would probably take a dim view of a towing bracket being fitted to a vehicle not type approved for towing.

 

[Jeps]

The fact that you 'can' fit a tow bar doesn’t mean that you’re permitted to. The EC Directive is quite clear - if a mechanical coupling device, i.e. a tow bar, is fitted to a vehicle then both the coupling device and the vehicle must be type approved for that purpose. For whatever reason the ZS EV is not type approved to have a coupling device fitted so by definition there can’t be a coupling device type approved to fit it.

Having said that, if you fitted, for example, a tow bar with a flange tow ball fitting and discarded the tow ball and then bolted a cycle carrier to the flange, you could perhaps argue that you no longer had a coupling device. However, a quick look at the fitting instructions would seem to suggest that to fit the bracket to the ZS EV you have to replace the bumper beam with a steel cross bar and that sort of modification would surely need to be notified to your insurance company who would probably take a dim view of a towing bracket being fitted to a vehicle not type approved for towing.

If you click on the picture. You can see who has sold it to me and fitted it.

 

[Simon J]

If you click on the picture. You can see who has sold it to me and fitted it.

I would suggest that you ask them for a copy of the type approval certificate for the tow bar to verify that it is approved for use on a ZS EV and not just a ZS

 

[2of3]

I would suggest that you ask them for a copy of the type approval certificate for the tow bar to verify that it is approved for use on a ZS EV and not just a ZS

That is an optional accessory on the official Danish MG ZS EV ordering site. I hardly think that they would be offering illegal accessories on the ordering form for the car.

 

[RossN]

They were selling roof rails for the MG 5 which were illegal......

 

[Jeps]

I would suggest that you ask them for a copy of the type approval certificate for the tow bar to verify that it is approved for use on a ZS EV and not just a ZS

It will be MG's own fault to deal with if that was the case. I bought the car from an official MG dealer, the bike/tow bar is from MG's own accessory list for a MG ZS EV and they have sold me the insurance called MG( In partnership with another insurance company) so I feel pretty confident, I know the towbar is difficult to install, they have to take things apart from the inside of the boot. When taking the inside apart the panels got cracked because the part is sitting so well together. But that was fixed without any cost to me, had to wait a month for a new inside panel to be installed. But everything turned out fine ?

 

[Simon J]

That is an optional accessory on the official Danish MG ZS EV ordering site. I hardly think that they would be offering illegal accessories on the ordering form for the car.

As I said, I would ask them for a copy of the type approval for the tow bar as no such thing exists. They will just have fitted a ZS towbar which is illegal. Does it also have the trailer cable harness?

 

[Jeps]

As I said, I would ask them for a copy of the type approval for the tow bar as no such thing exists. They will just have fitted a ZS towbar which is illegal. Does it also have the trailer cable harness?

It is only for carrying bikes. I can't remember the total load that it can carry. But it is around 40 kg.
No cable harness attached.

 

[Simon J]

It would seem that the ZS has a towing limit of 500kg and a noseweight limit of 50kg, so in effect of no use whatsoever other than dump runs.

But in any event it’s not type approved for the EV, even if it does fit. I’d also be surprised if the wiring connection was available in the rear of the car or if the legally required trailer warning light was in the instrument cluster.

 

[Jeps]

It would seem that the ZS has a towing limit of 500kg and a noseweight limit of 50kg, so in effect of no use whatsoever other than dump runs.

But in any event it’s not type approved for the EV, even if it does fit. I’d also be surprised if the wiring connection was available in the rear of the car or if the legally required trailer warning light was in the instrument cluster.

Just to make it perfectly clear. It is sold ONLY for carrying bikes on a bike rack. In the installation of the (tow)bar they also made the electrical wiring (13pin) for the required lightbar with extra license plate that we have to use in Denmark.
In Denmark we only have the ZS EV, not the regular ZS.
I just checked the official MG webpage for Noway and Germany. It's also available there. Maybe UK has decided differently!

 

[Simon J]

Very interesting. As it’s a European Directive (dating from 1994) it should be implemented in a similar way across all member states which is why it would be very interesting to know what the type approval certificate of the tow bar says. But a quick look at the European site produces this. Methinks a note to MG UK would be in order.

 

[Paulie68]

It would seem that the ZS has a towing limit of 500kg and a noseweight limit of 50kg, so in effect of no use whatsoever other than dump runs.

But in any event it’s not type approved for the EV, even if it does fit. I’d also be surprised if the wiring connection was available in the rear of the car or if the legally required trailer warning light was in the instrument cluster.

Doesn't have to be a warning light, audiable is fine and kits for wiring without messing up or effecting the original system are readily available. The only issue is the lack of type approval. I think most would be happy with 500kg for small trailer towing, its not as if you'd be pulling a caravan with just over 40kWh of battery anyway!