MG ZS Excite Hybrid+ 2025 Review

The popular MG ZS compact SUV was a really cheap buy in the old days, but this new hybrid aligns more with quality opposition such as the Hyundai Kona, Mazda CX-30 and Toyota Corolla Cross.

The 2025 MG ZS Excite Hybrid+ was launched at $33,990 plus on-road costs (ORCs). Working up the range, the Hybrid+ Essence was priced at $36,990 plus ORCs.

However, at the time of publication the ZS Excite Hybrid+ was priced at discounted $32,990 drive away. That makes it more competitive, especially against another popular Chinese hybrid, the Haval Jolion. So just check the MG website for the latest pricing.

The petrol-electric hybrid powertrain is new with the second-generation ZS line-up. Previously there were petrol engines and a battery-electric powertrain.

But the BEV is now being recast as a stand-alone model called the MGS5 EV, which will be in stores around June.

Not interested in electrification? Then the orthodox ZS 1.5-litre petrol and turbo-petrol line-up starts at $26,990 drive away for the Excite. That’s pricing more in line with the traditional ZS.

Excite is the entry-level model in the 2025 MG ZS Hybrid+ line-up, but it still does alright for gear. As it should considering the price of the entry.

Exterior equipment includes LED headlights and daytime running lights, 17-inch alloy wheels, silver roof rails, remote central locking and keyless entry.

Inside you’ll find fabric seat trim, single-zone climate control and pushbutton start (it’s a square button, which is a bit unusual).

What’s missing? There’s no spare tyre, which is a major omission. If you upgrade to the Essence items including a panoramic sunroof, 18-inch alloys, PVC synthetic leather seat trim and a powered driver’s seat are added.

There are seven paint choices, six of which will set you back an additional $700. White is the only no-cost option.

Like all MGs, the ZS Hybrid+ comes with a 10-year/250,000km warranty that includes the high-voltage battery. Roadside assist is offered for the same timeframe. Servicing is due every 12 months/15,000km and is priced at $656 for three workshop visits and $1232 for five. That’s competitive.

The MG ZS Hybrid+ has been issued with a four-star ANCAP safety rating based on 2024 testing protocols.

The downgrade from the maximum five-star rating is due to Adult Occupant Protection shortfalls. There was an excessive amount of movement allowed in the rear seatbelt during crash testing, while no centre-front airbag also hurt its score.

MG Pilot is the name applied to the Excite’s suite of safety systems including autonomous emergency braking, lane keep assist, adaptive cruise control, lane change assist, intelligent cruise assist, rear cross-traffic alert, forward collision warning, blind-spot detection, and intelligent speed limit assist.

The tune of systems such as lane keeping can be an issue with some Chinese vehicles, but the ZS Hybrid+ exhibited good overall behaviour when left to its own devices to read the road ahead and stay centred in its lane. Sadly, when it does get a bit intrusive – which it can do – it’s a process to switch it off.

There is no driver monitoring camera – which is great. One less thing to switch off.

Other safety features include six airbags, a 360-degree camera, tyre pressure monitoring, three top tethers, two ISOFIX and only rear parking sensors. Yep, none up-front.

The 2025 MG ZS Excite Hybrid+ comes with dual 12.3-inch digital instrument panels covering off both infotainment and instrumentation.

Unlike some recent vehicles, these screens don’t sit like a fence on the dashboard but are integrated separately into the dash.

The infotainment system delivers wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, as well as Bluetooth, AM/FM and digital radio bands and satellite-navigation. Audio is broadcast via a six-speaker sound system.

There are four USB-A ports spread about the cabin, but no wireless phone charging.

The instrument cluster includes a 7.0-inch display in its centre which offers trip information and a feature Chinese vehicles seem fond of for some reason – a graphic showing where your car is sitting in relation to other vehicles in the traffic stream.

The ZS also comes with a 12-month subscription to MG’s connected car app, iSmart. You can remotely check fuel level, tyres pressures and battery voltage, unlock the doors and turn on the air-con. It also helps you track down the ZS if you’ve lost it in a carpark.

The powertrain is very much the centre of the story when it comes to the MG ZS Excite Hybrid+

Something very similar is also seen locally in the latest MG3 small car. It comprises a 75kW/128Nm 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine and a 100kW/250Nm e-motor that combine to drive the front wheels via a three-speed transmission.

A 1.83kWh battery pack replenishes the e-motor, while the engine runs on more expensive 95 RON petrol.

The combined outputs of the system are 158kW/465Nm. MG claims the dash to 100km/h takes 8.7 seconds, which seems about right. The torque number seems optimistic and are the result of some tricky gearing multiplication arithmetic.

The clever hybrid system has no less than eight propulsion modes. It also has three drive modes and three regenerative braking modes.

Essentially though, it tries to run as an EV as much as possible at low speed and utilises the engine to recharge the battery. The engine also drives the wheels directly at higher speeds.

At the ZS media launch late last year some cars on-test derated. That means their batteries became exhausted, the e-motor stopped working and the petrol engine was left to do all the work. And it’s not a very powerful engine, so progress became very slow.

Since the electric architecture has been retuned via an over-the-air software update and MG is promising the problem would not reoccur. You’ll have to keep reading to find out if it did.

The 2025 MG ZS Excite Hybrid+ has an official claimed fuel consumption rate of 4.7L/100km.

On our test loop, however, the average came out at a rather more chunky 7.6L/100km.

Got to be honest though, the powertrain was being pushed quite hard to see if the battery would derate. So wind that back a bit for more orthodox running and even more so if you’re slow-poking around town spending more time in EV mode.

No, despite some quite provocative driving behaviour, the 2025 MG ZS Excite Hybrid+ stoically resisted emptying its battery. It got as low as one bar out of seven on the graphic – so around 15 per cent – but the e-motor still kept operating.

It was pretty obvious why the ZS would not fully derate. The engine was ultra-enthusiastic in its efforts to recharge the battery.

At one moment the ZS was tootling along quietly in EV mode, the next the engine was revving at substantial rpm, its speed totally unrelated to what was going on with the driving.

The one circumstance in which the ZS really felt underwhelming was driving uphill with cruise control activated. It did not like maintaining the set speed and would slow to the point the boot needed to be put into it.

Apart from those antics, the powertrain was pretty decent. It did indeed try and run as an EV as much as possible at slower speeds. The strong initial acceleration provided by the system makes it very good for the cut and thrust of city and suburban driving.

The dynamic behaviour left some room for improvement.

The ride is a bit crude and clumsy, the electric-assist steering effort is weighty for what is a commuter vehicle and the front-wheel drive was overwhelmed by hard acceleration, especially if turning at the same time.

It’s weird the ZS is a bit naff, because the MG4 electric car (our 2023 carsales car of the year) is a fun and cohesive little device to drive. So MG can do it if it wants to.

One of the 2025 MG ZS Excite Hybrid+’s most important features is its interior space. It’s helped in this by measuring up at 4430mm long, 1818mm wide, 1635mm high and having a 2610mm wheelbase. It’s a big car for the compact SUV category.

It’s particularly noticeable in the rear seat where a 180cm passenger sitting behind a 180cm driver will still have decent kneeroom and no challenge for headroom. Two passengers will be comfortable. Three will be a squeeze.

The boot offers a decent 443 litres of luggage space, expanding to 1457L with the rear seats split-folded. There are even a couple of string nets for storage, a light, some hooks and a parcel shelf under which to hide your stuff.

Some other aspects of the interior package are less impressive. The driver misses out on reach adjustment of the steering wheel. That is a rarity in new cars these days and does not help in finding the right driving position.

There’s also a fair bit of interaction and poking at the infotainment screen to get things done, especially if you are using smartphone mirroring. Clambering in and out of CarPlay to perform some functions – including some air-con adjustments through the screen (not good in itself – where are the hard buttons?) – is a pain.

In the second row there’s a real shortage of comfort features. No map pockets, a single USB port and tiny door bins. You do get adjustable air-con vents, but there are no cupholders and there’s no rear overhead light.

Storage is certainly better in the front row.

The 2025 MG ZS Excite Hybrid+ is a lot like a bunch of other new Chinese models arriving for sale in Australia. Looks good, specs up well, is appealing to the eye inside and out and spacious when you sit in the cabin.

But the drive experience is mediocre and the (non-discounted regular) pricing is a challenge, especially when you consider this vehicle is now playing with the big boys in the compact SUV class.

Look, it’s not bad and in some ways it’s pretty good, but all up it feels like the ZS would have been better if more attention had been paid to the detail.

As MG itself says, it is in the process of transitioning from a ‘value’ brand in Australia to something pricier and more driven by product quality.

The ZS Hybrid+ is one of the first steps along this path. Hopefully, MG strides out a bit more confidently in the future.

2025 MG ZS Excite Hybrid+ at a glance:
Price: $33,990 (plus on-road costs)
Available: Now
Powertrain: 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol-electric
Output: 75kW/128Nm (electric motor: 100kW/250Nm)
Combined output: 158kW/465Nm
Transmission: Three-speed automatic
Fuel: 4.7L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 110g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Four stars (ANCAP 2024)

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