MG ZS running costs and mpg

• Seven-year 80,000-mile warranty a real bonus
• Servicing should be cheap at one of 90 dealers
• Poor fuel economy lets the side down

Projected depreciation figures for the ZS aren’t in yet, although it should be pretty cheap to service providing you’re close enough to one of the 90 UK dealers. Also, if anything breaks on the car during its first seven years or 80,000 miles, the standard warranty should cover any repair costs.

Fuel economy is a claimed average of 49.6mpg for the 106hp 1.5-litre petrol, dropping to just 44.9mpg if you opt for the 1.0-litre three-cylinder unit. 

With just two petrol models on offer the MG ZS was never going to offer up especially low emissions given its price. The 1.5-litre engine emits 129g/km of CO2, while the 1.0-litre automatic produces 144g/km.

That said, a zero-emissions all-electric and plug-in hybrid model is set to appear during the ZS’s lifespan. 

• MG ZS reliability an unknown quantity
• Early signs are promising however
• Seven-year warranty suggests MG is confident, at least

Although it’s hard to predict how reliable the ZS will be, it speaks volumes that MG is willing to put its money where its mouth is and offer a seven-year/80,000-mile warranty (with no mileage cap in the first year). That means that should anything go wrong within that period, MG should cover the cost of the replacement parts and repair.

Going from what we saw on the launch of the ZS, the interior appeared fairly robust even if the quality levels were a let-down. The model’s bigger brother, the GS, has so far proved relatively trouble-free – even without been offered with an extensive seven-year warranty.

So for customers after a cheap, reliable workhorse the ZS could prove a solid option.