MG ZS Long Range review: The best-value electric car thanks to new battery

THERE’S already one hundred things in life that make us angry.

Pressing the button for a lift that doesn’t work. People talking on phones on trains. Idiot drivers. Road rage has existed since Daimler invented the car.

But mark my words, in a few years, we’ll be talking about something called “Plug Rage”.

When you stop to juice up your electric vehicle at a public rapid charger and there are four EVs stacked up in front of you.

We all know the frustration of waiting at a petrol station. You see the driver from the car in front paying at the kiosk and you think, ‘They won’t be long’.

But then they return to their car and spend an absolute age doing this, that and the other. Doing their lippy.

Dishing out sweets. Fiddling with their phone. Whatever. AND THEY KNOW YOU ARE BEHIND THEM.

Well, it’ll be like that times a thousand at an EV charging point because you know you’ll be waiting for at least half an hour.

This next bit happened to the guy who takes photos for me. He was charging a Porsche Taycan in Birmingham when a geezer pulled up and asked: “How much charge have you got?”

My pal replied: “I’ve only just got here.” The geezer said something I can’t repeat here – it rhymes with tanker – and sped off in a huff.

Maybe MG had all this in mind when it significantly upgraded the ZS by adding a long-range battery, for not a lot more money.

The base 49kWh car has an official range of 198 miles and costs £27,495. Whereas the new 68kWh version costs £29,495 and does 273 miles non-stop.

So you won’t be needing to fill up as often.

I’ve just spent a fortnight living with a ZS Long Range and, quite simply, it is the best-value electric car on sale today.

Not only does it cover a lot of ground, it’s comfy, standard kit is plentiful – 10in touchscreen, Apple CarPlay, reversing camera, adaptive cruise control – and it’s big enough for all the usual family debris.

It goes well, too. It feels properly nippy up to 40mph and is hovercraft-smooth in faster motorway traffic.

There are three levels of regenerative braking, adjusted by the KERS button on the centre console, and in the harshest setting you’ll hardy ever need to touch the brakes.

Higher-spec Trophy models add wireless phone charger, panoramic glass roof and heated front seats. Which are hotter than a volcano by the way. You don’t need them. Not at £33,495. You’d buy a Kia e-Niro instead.

You’d buy an MG ZS at £29k because, at that price, it has no competition.

As for charging, my local Asda has a bank of 50kWh rapid chargers. If you can find one free – and not offline – the MG sucks up 200-odd miles in an hour.

But it’s a bit of a lottery. It was much less stressful to top up overnight at home.