MG ZS practicality and boot space

• No advanced crash-mitigation kit
• Three-star safety rating from Euro NCAP
• Standard spread of airbags, plus two Isofix points in the back

The MG ZS may be a cheap car, yet for one that was launched in late 2017 its lack of advanced safety tech is concerning. There’s the usual spread of airbags, ABS and ESC, but potentially life-saving features such as autonomous emergency braking (AEB), lane-departure warning, blindspot monitoring and cross-traffic alert are all absent. Either as standard kit or as an option.

Due to the lack of AEB, the maximum Euro NCAP safety rating that the ZS could get get is three stars - well below average - and that's the score it achieved when it was crash-tested at the end of 2017. As a point of comparison, three of the ZS’s rivals that were been launched in 2017 – the SEAT Arona, Volkswagen T-Roc and Kia Stonic – all have AEB as standard or as an option.

How many Isofix car seats can I fit in a MG ZS SUV?

There’s two fittings on the outer rear seats of the ZS, although both are tucked in and tricky to access. 

• Lots of space in both the front and rear
• Class-leading boot space
• Variable-height boot floor also included

Whether you’re sat in the front or the back of the MG ZS there’s tonnes of space to spread out. Up front storage is also pretty generous thanks to some sizeable door pockets and cubbyholes dotted around the cabin.

Hope into the back and it’s unlikely that anyone will have any complaints over the level of leg and kneeroom on offer. Even with a taller driver and passenger sitting in the front, the ZS affords those in the rear a generous amount of space.

It’s just a shame that the middle seat is fairly narrow, as the level of intrusion from the transmission tunnel is admirably small. There’s no fold-down armrest unfortunately, either.

Larger than most if it’s rivals, the reversing camera and rear parking sensors (standard on Exclusive models) are necessary if you’ll frequently be squeezing the ZS into small spaces. The rear C-pillar blindspot is also pretty chunky, so it’s worth remembering this when you’re reversing in the vicinity of pedestrians. 

The ZS’s bootspace is just as impressive as its interior space. There’s a class-leading 448 litres with the rear seats in place and 1375 litres with them folded down. For greater flexibility, the boot floor can either be removed or slid in place so that it sits almost level with the rear seats when they’re folded down.

It’s no harder than it is in most cars to flip the seats down, however they don’t go completely flat making it tricky to load long items. Furthermore, there’s no clever storage solutions (such as separate compartments or hooks on offer) – you see what you get with the space.