2026 MG ZS Essence Hybrid+ review

How much is the MG ZS?

• Vibe (1.5 petrol, 81kW): $22,990, held on our rows as both the RRP and the VIC drive-away price.
• Excite Turbo (125kW): $24,990 RRP.
• Essence Turbo (125kW): $29,990 RRP.
• Excite Hybrid+: $30,990 RRP.
• Essence Hybrid+: $33,990 RRP.

What each step up buys

The Vibe has cloth trim, a 10.25-inch touchscreen, a 7-inch driver display, four speakers, 16-inch wheels, keyless entry, a power tailgate and a space-saver spare, plus the full assist list. Its 1.5 makes 81kW and 140Nm through a CVT.

For $2,000 more, the Excite Turbo brings the 125kW, 275Nm turbo engine, six speakers and 17-inch wheels. The Essence Turbo adds a 12.3-inch touchscreen, the 360-degree camera, navigation, a sunroof, synthetic leather and 18-inch wheels for another $5,000.

The Excite Hybrid+ is only $1,000 more than the Essence Turbo. It keeps cloth trim and 17-inch wheels, but has the 12.3-inch touchscreen, a 12.3-inch driver display, the 360-degree camera, navigation and a panoramic roof. The Essence Hybrid+ adds synthetic leather, a sunroof and 18-inch wheels, and goes back to a 7-inch driver display on our row.

What it costs on the road and per week

On its $22,990 VIC drive-away figure, the Vibe works out to about $147 a week in VIC and $146 in QLD on our weekly-cost model ($5,000 deposit, five years at an assumed 7.5%, plus fuel, rego and tyres). For the Excite Hybrid+ at $30,990 RRP, our drive-away estimate is about $33,750 in VIC and $32,990 in QLD, and the weekly figure about $172 in VIC and $171 in QLD. Servicing and insurance are not in either number.

How it compares at the same money

The Chery Tiggo 4 Urban is $23,990 drive-away in VIC, with a 108kW turbo, a 380-litre boot and a 7.4L/100km claim. The GWM Haval Jolion Premium Hybrid is $29,990 drive-away in VIC with 140kW and a 4.8L/100km claim, but its boot is 337 litres or smaller, and it tows 1,300kg braked against the ZS's 500kg.

From the mainstream, the Toyota Yaris Cross GX Hybrid 2WD is $31,790 RRP with a 3.8L/100km claim, a 390-litre boot and a 400kg braked tow rating. The Kia Seltos S is $31,250 RRP with 110kW, a 468-litre boot and a 1,100kg braked rating, but no hybrid in that grade. The ZS Excite Hybrid+ undercuts both while matching or beating them on boot space, apart from the Seltos.

Petrol, turbo or hybrid?

The Vibe's 1.5 is rated at 6.7L/100km combined and runs on 91 RON regular unleaded. At $1.95 a litre and 15,000km a year that is about $1,960 of fuel, and the 55-litre tank gives a calculated 821km between fills.

The 1.5 turbo is rated at 6.9L/100km, with a 9.4 urban figure, and it needs 95 RON premium. On the same $1.95 sums that is about $2,020 a year, and premium usually costs more, so the true figure will be higher.

The Hybrid+ claims 4.7L/100km combined, about $1,370 a year at $1.95, or roughly $590 less than the Vibe and $640 less than the turbo. It also needs 95 RON. The catch is the tank: 41 litres, against 55 on the petrol grades, which gives a calculated 872km between fills, close to the Vibe despite the lower consumption. On price, the Excite Hybrid+ is $6,000 more than the Excite Turbo, so the fuel saving alone takes around nine years to repay at 15,000km a year. Drive more, or mostly around town, and that shortens.

Warranty, servicing and roadside

MG quotes a 10-year, 250,000km warranty for the ZS, with seven years of roadside assistance renewed each time the car is serviced through MG. The Hybrid+ battery is covered for seven years or 150,000km. Check MG's warranty terms, because the full term depends on servicing within the MG network.

Service intervals are 12 months or 10,000km. For a small SUV that is a short distance interval, and a driver doing 15,000km a year will reach the kilometre limit before the 12 months are up. We do not hold MG's per-visit service prices for the ZS, so there is no five-year servicing total on this page. Ask the dealer for the printed schedule for your grade.

We hold no resale figure for the ZS. MG sells the ZS in large numbers in Australia, which gives the used market plenty of comparison points, but check current used prices before you assume a trade-in value.

ANCAP and the assist list

The ZS holds a five-star ANCAP rating from 2025, with 81% for adult occupant protection, 84% for child occupants, 73% for vulnerable road users and 79% for safety assist. The rating carries an expiry date of 31 December 2031. Six airbags are fitted.

Every grade on our rows lists autonomous emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, lane-keep assist, speed-sign recognition and a driver attention monitor as standard. That full set on a $22,990 car is the ZS's strongest safety point. The 360-degree camera is on the Essence Turbo and both Hybrid+ grades.

For families, there are ISOFIX points on the two outer rear seats and top tethers on all three rear positions.

Space, boot and garage fit

The ZS is 4,430mm long, 1,818mm wide and 1,635mm tall on a 2,610mm wheelbase, with an 11m turning circle and 161mm of ground clearance. That is a compact footprint that fits any standard garage and tight city parking.

The boot is 443 litres seats up and 1,457 litres folded on every grade, with no penalty for the hybrid. Against the rivals above, that is bigger than the Tiggo 4's 380 litres, a 2WD Yaris Cross's 390 and any Jolion's 337 or less, and smaller than the base Seltos's 468. A compact pram goes in with room to spare; try your own in the boot-fit tool below.

Trim is cloth on the Vibe, Excite Turbo and Excite Hybrid+, and synthetic leather on the two Essence grades. Five seats, single-zone climate control throughout.

Screens, phones and sound

The Vibe and Excite Turbo have a 10.25-inch touchscreen; the Essence Turbo and both Hybrid+ grades have a 12.3-inch one. The driver display is 7 inches on most grades and 12.3 inches on the Excite Hybrid+. Apple CarPlay, Android Auto and digital radio are standard on every grade, and USB-A and USB-C sockets are both fitted.

Audio is four speakers on the Vibe and six on the rest. We have no wireless phone mirroring or wireless phone charger confirmed for any ZS grade, so check the car in the showroom if either matters to you. The tech table below marks each feature as standard, optional, not fitted or no data.

The MG ZS Essence Hybrid+ has 111 kW for every tonne of kerb weight, 465Nm of torque, a claimed 0-100km/h of 8.7s. It weighs 1,420kg and turns in 11m. These are the figures that shape how quickly a car gets moving and how easily it parks.

Power, weight and towing

The Vibe's 1.5 makes 81kW and 140Nm through a CVT at 1,295kg. The turbo grades make 125kW and 275Nm, also through a CVT, with a claimed 0-100km/h of 9.9 seconds at 1,390kg. The Hybrid+ quotes 75kW, with 465Nm on our row, and a claimed 8.7 seconds at 1,410kg to 1,420kg. All are front-wheel drive.

Towing is the weak point: 500kg braked and 500kg unbraked on every grade, with a 150kg towball download. That covers a light box trailer and little else. If you tow a camper or a boat, the Jolion's 1,300kg to 1,500kg or the Seltos's 1,100kg are the numbers to look at.

Payload is 450kg on the petrol grades and 470kg on the hybrids, with gross vehicle masses of 1,745kg for the Vibe, 1,840kg for the turbo and up to 1,890kg for the hybrid. Four adults at around 80kg each plus a weekend of luggage sits inside those payloads, but five adults and a loaded boot is close to the limit.

The verdict

The MG ZS makes a clear case on its figures. The Vibe at $22,990 brings every core assist, a 443-litre boot and a 2025 five-star rating for less than any rival named on this page. The Excite Hybrid+ at $30,990 RRP is the one we would shortlist: 75kW, a 4.7L/100km claim, the 360-degree camera and the same boot, for less than a Yaris Cross GX Hybrid or a Seltos S.

Look elsewhere if you tow anything heavier than a box trailer, if you want a spare wheel on the hybrid for country driving, or if 95 RON fuel and 10,000km service intervals push the running costs past what the sticker price saves. The Jolion tows more and the Yaris Cross uses less fuel on the label; the ZS sits between them on price with the bigger boot.

Compare every grade on the MG ZS listing, or put it against the Haval Jolion in the compare tool.