MG ZS HYBRID+ Gets Fix After Acceleration Issue Exposed by CarSauce

MG Australia has announced a software update for the 2025 MG ZS HYBRID+ after independent testing by CarSauce revealed a significant discrepancy in the vehicle’s acceleration performance under specific conditions. During CarSauce’s testing, the ZS HYBRID+ recorded a 0–100km/h time of 24.59 seconds when the 1.83kWh battery's state of charge (SOC) was depleted.

This performance fell well short of MG's official claimed time of 8.7 seconds. However, once charge was restored to the hybrid system through regenerative braking, the ZS HYBRID+ completed the same sprint in 8.04 seconds, surpassing the manufacturer’s claimed figure.


This disparity highlights a limitation in the vehicle's hybrid system, where power delivery becomes heavily reliant on the battery’s charge level. While the hybrid system is designed to blend the outputs of its 1.5-litre four-cylinder engine and 100kW electric motor for a total output of 158kW, the depleted SOC appeared to reduce the system's ability to deliver consistent performance.

Such variability could pose challenges in real-world scenarios, particularly during overtaking or merging, where acceleration needs to be predictable and responsive.

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All article: mg-zs-hybrid-gets-fix-after-acceleration-issue-exposed-by-carsauce

 

[Noel]

CarSauce got very excited about the performance with a depleted battery, after he, by thrashing the balls of it, managed to deplete it. There are many comments regarding his video, pointing out that any hybrid driven the way he did, will result in a depleted traction battery, and this will adversely affect the performance. Driven sensibly, this situation will almost certainly, never arise.
This car was never designed to excite boy racers, but it is an ideal vehicle for drivers who will appreciate driving a well equipped, comfortable and frugal vehicle.
The Australians will have to convince the Chinese that there is really a need to tamper with the software, especially as it’s based on a single review. If the software is to be altered, to ensure the battery is prevented from running out of charge, there will be a trade off, which will almost certainly affect the vehicle negatively, in other ways.
I have, over the past 3 weeks, watched many video reviews regarding the 2004 MG Hybrid +, and I’m positive the CarSauce review was the only negative one. The rest were all positive, ranging from good, very good to superb.

 

[zshybrid]

I agree with what you mentioned, but I think that if MG is considering a solution, it’s because the problem might be more serious than it seems. Specifically, I believe that when the battery runs out, all the power generated by the engine should go directly to the wheels to continue accelerating. However, it seems that in this case, part of the engine's power is being diverted to charge the battery, leaving the engine without all the power it generates. Perhaps the solution is for the engine not to charge the battery while accelerating beyond the motor’s capacity, which would allow for more consistent and predictable performance.

 

[Noel]

Hi ZS.
I will admit, not having driven my ZS in the same manner, as CarSauce i.e. repeatedly accelerating from zero until the battery becomes exhausted, and therefore I haven’t had the opportunity to view the power sharing screen, under depleted battery conditions, to see what happens, and I’m not going to.
Will you?
Do you know how other manufacturer’s hybrids have overcome this problem? If it’s as easy as you suggest, then surely MG would have experienced it, and adopted the same solution.
The normally aspirated Atkinson-cycle engine only develops 102PS. (The battery provides 136PS) Therefore this car will never win any races, even if all its engine power were to be transmitted to the driving wheels.
It appears that the manufacturer has opted for a system which, under normal driving conditions, a car which combines good performance and mpg.
As far as I can ascertain it is only CarSauce that is reporting that MG Australia are going to take action. I doubt very much that they can do this, without permission/guidance from China. I’ve scoured the internet for any information relating to this, and drawn a blank.
Cheers Noel.

 

[zshybrid]

I’m going to reserve the MG ZS Hybrid+ (Comfort) next week. I’m coming from a 25-year-old gasoline car, and I’m fully aware that switching to a model like the MG ZS Hybrid+ will be quite a leap. My driving style is calm and relaxed, which makes me think I won’t have any issues. However, I’m slightly concerned about situations like overtaking or merging onto a highway, where acceleration is more critical.

If current MG ZS Hybrid+ users say they haven’t experienced problems in these situations, I’ll feel more at ease and confident in my decision to buy the car.

 

[mick78]

I have, over the past 3 weeks, watched many video reviews regarding the 2004 MG Hybrid +, and I’m positive the CarSauce review was the only negative one. The rest were all positive, ranging from good, very good to superb.

Whilst I think it is indeed the only ZS review to specifically mention this, going through the MG3 Hybrid forum here or elsewhere shows that this issue isn't isolated to Carsauce;

I think a major difference between this Hybrid and most other "self charging ones" is the combination of mostly electric drive and a normal gearbox for higher speeds. A Toyota eCVT (which is actually a planetary gearbox and no CVT) allows to choose much finer between driving wheels and charging, so the depleted battery situation is much harder to reproduce. You will however feel at higher motorway speeds that the electric assistance runs out at some point, and I did once manage in my ex Auris Hybrid to go long uphill in the Alps and create a power loss moment at much lower speeds, though basically again it meant the eCVT was then only driving the wheels without any electric assistance, and not trying to charge the battery at all as long as full petrol power was asked.

The solution certainly can and should be a certain "don't charge at kickdown" for the MG Hybrid, though question is how well that works at low speeds, where the gear box ration isn't really setup for direct drive and driving is done exclusively electric, in combination with probably a higher buffer for the battery, meaning less usable EV range before the engine starts charging again.

That said, after a month of driving I have, despite the Hybrid having moments where it seems a bit undecided on driving mode and gear, not experienced any loss of power situation even in spirited driving, and will say that in normal driving, the MG setup does feel more powerful and less stressed than the eager to rev up under load smaller Toyota Hybrids. Time will show if this is down to European winter, where it seems the system is far less using pure EV mode as it needs the ICE engine to heat the cabin, and thus usually the generator mode does keep the battery anyways topped up, or European versions already do get a bit of different tuning (the Australian Hybrid plus is after all rated at 158kw peak power, whilst Europe at "just" 143), maybe for emission reasons.

 

[Noel]

I’m going to reserve the MG ZS Hybrid+ (Comfort) next week. I’m coming from a 25-year-old gasoline car, and I’m fully aware that switching to a model like the MG ZS Hybrid+ will be quite a leap. My driving style is calm and relaxed, which makes me think I won’t have any issues. However, I’m slightly concerned about situations like overtaking or merging onto a highway, where acceleration is more critical.

If current MG ZS Hybrid+ users say they haven’t experienced problems in these situations, I’ll feel more at ease and confident in my decision to buy the car.

I’m going to reserve the MG ZS Hybrid+ (Comfort) next week. I’m coming from a 25-year-old gasoline car, and I’m fully aware that switching to a model like the MG ZS Hybrid+ will be quite a leap. My driving style is calm and relaxed, which makes me think I won’t have any issues. However, I’m slightly concerned about situations like overtaking or merging onto a highway, where acceleration is more critical.

If current MG ZS Hybrid+ users say they haven’t experienced problems in these situations, I’ll feel more at ease and confident in my decision to buy the car.

It’s a nice car to be in, comfortable and with just about every option and safety feature you are ever likely to need. I’ve never been subjected to the “thrash the balls of it, and then be surprised by the no battery” syndrome.
The only things which could be better, are, no in out adjustments to steering wheel, but I found this was not a problem. No graphic equaliser, and the appalling manual, which doesn’t even manage to mention the navigation system!

 

[al29]

The only niggle I have, is no rear passenger interior light. It was understandable on the original ZS with sunroof.
But the car itself is ideal no problems, easy access and comfortable for a couple of 80+
seniors.
We had the mg3 hybrid for a while but unfortunately it is was a bit too low and difficult to enter

 

[Lollipopman]

I wrote to head office (again).
Dear Sir
As you are aware of the fault on the ZS hybrid plus of excessive revs and lack of power on overtaking manouvers there is an update available to rectify this fault.
I am dissapointed to hear that this update is not available in the united kingdom yet in other countries it is being installed, i purchased my car on the 23/10/2024 and had this problem but i was under the impression it was due to the "running in" period, this is not the case and is a known fault, it has been with the vehicle since purchase.
I am requesting you to raise a case as MG are saying that the update is NOT available in the uk i consider this a refusal to rectify the FAULT and under the consumer rights act i am within my rights to request a refund/replacement

This is my first reply.
Dear Eric



Thank you for your email.



If you speak with the dealership and visit the dealer, they will be able to plug your vehicle into the network. If there are updates available they can advise you and if they are unsure, they can contact us directly.



The update you require should already have been installed, but please note, it doesn’t/won’t apply to every vehicle and it may already have been installed.



Although I appreciate your concerns, it is better to speak with your dealer about your specific vehicle and its current status, rather than reading general comments online that may or may not apply to you.



I am not aware of a fault or of any vehicles breaking down in the manner that you describe, however, if you have a problem, then we can then deal with your concerns personally and on a case by case basis.



Kind regards

My response.
Dear Eric



Thank you for your email.



If you speak with the dealership and visit the dealer, they will be able to plug your vehicle into the network. If there are updates available they can advise you and if they are unsure, they can contact us directly.



The update you require should already have been installed, but please note, it doesn’t/won’t apply to every vehicle and it may already have been installed.



Although I appreciate your concerns, it is better to speak with your dealer about your specific vehicle and its current status, rather than reading general comments online that may or may not apply to you.



I am not aware of a fault or of any vehicles breaking down in the manner that you describe, however, if you have a problem, then we can then deal with your concerns personally and on a case by case basis.



Kind regards



_______________________________________________________________________________

Gary Smart Customer Service Coordinator Aftersales
UK Mobile: Switchboard: E-mail: [email protected]
MG Motor UK Limited Headquarters, Main Gate Lowhill Lane, Birmingham, West Midlands B31 2BQ United Kingdom www.mg.co.uk
Become an MG fan: facebook.com/mgmotor Follow MG: twitter.com/mgmotor

From: erictommo10 <[email protected]>
Sent: 28 January 2025 18:18
To: CustomerService.Aftersales <[email protected]>
Subject: RE: FW: Update for fault



Dear Mr Smart thank you for your reply. I to am dissapointed in your response particularly to the point of you stating you are not aware of any updates being available to rectify this fault. I know for a fact that PD052 is being installed to vehicles in Germany and Ireland, if you go onto the MG ZS Hybrid Plus forum this will be confirmed.
I can't see the point of going to my dealer to be told everything is OK when it isn't, Citroen did the exact same thing with my brand new 2022 c3 aircross, fault with the climate control but Citroen denying there was any fault while all the time they were replacing them in France.
All the time MG deny there is a fault there could be damage being caused to the engine as it sounds as if it is stuck in gear. Will you please or someone higher than you push for this update to be installed in vehicles in the UK.

Eric Thompson

 

[AlexB1988]

I have just written the below to them, then saw the above!

Hi

Hope you are well

Myself and many others have recently bought the MG ZS Hybrid+. While in general it is a good value for money car, it is unfortunately dangerous.

The revs shooting up beyond 5000 from 2000 in seconds when simply driving at a steady 70 is not only disconcerting, it contravenes the requirements laid out for embedding the engine in the new car guidance.
The same thing happens up hills. It leads to zero confidence in the car, and is embarrassing.
Furthermore, when the battery charge drops too low, the power drop when needing to accelerate is very very dangerous. I believe there is an update available to recharge the battery at 40% rather than the 10% or so it allows it to drop to, but neither myself nor other drivers of this car have been told to get this update. Many have enquired, and ultimately the customer service advice has been non-existent to acknowledgement but no solution. It is an urgent safety recall situation, nothing less. I repeat, many people have enquired about this via your dealerships and head office. There is an acknowledged fault where people outside of the UK are receiving fixes for, and we are not. Absolutely unacceptable in every way, shape and form.

This needs to be addressed immediately. If not, then my car, and several other peoples cars will be being returned, and the press will be notified.

Please contact me via email as soon as practically possible. Also @[email protected] if the email address for Guy is incorrect, please forward on to the correct one, and anybody else that needs to see this email as a matter of urgency.

 

[Lollipopman]

Hi Alexb1988 it is pretty obvious to me that we are not going to get anywhere with this with MG UK denying all responsibility, my only hope is that we get a vehicle recall.

 

[AlexB1988]

Hi Alexb1988 it is pretty obvious to me that we are not going to get anywhere with this with MG UK denying all responsibility, my only hope is that we get a vehicle recall.

Hi

Possibly not! I am very persistent though, my job entails it every day

And I will hand it back to them within the 30 days, happy to join forces with anyone on here!

 

[Lollipopman]

Hope it doesn't come to that but I'm not confident, just wish I knew back in October what MG was going to be like I would never have purchased the car. But I will do what they suggest by taking it back to the dealership to have it checked and if they say there is no fault i to will report it to the tv consumer programs.

 

[DMeine]

I feel for you. Because if you think you have just 200hp available for overtaking and suddenly you only have 60hp while overtaking, you are living very dangerously and can be lucky if nothing happens. Here in Germany there is the Federal Motor Vehicle Authority and if you write to them and they take it seriously, they will hold the manufacturer accountable and give them a deadline to fix it and, above all, it will then become public. The damage to a manufacturer is certainly not small if suddenly no one buys the vehicle anymore.

 

[Sproutsdad]

Oh dear, and I was just about to order the MG Hybrid plus - or the HS equivalent when it eventually reaches our shores.

This drove well on the test, I was impressed by the features and value for money. But then I read about the power loss issue, the Australian Youtube and Carsauce reports! But they now have a software fix over there - whereas, in the UK the same issue seems hardly acknowledged, and so far no fix if I read this thread correctly!
So why would I buy with those concerns and a sinking feeling about the so-called 7 year warranty - with its mass of exclusions. I have queried this with the local MG dealer and didn't feel very reassured.

How disappointing, and the MG salesmen are keen as mustard, contacting me many times daily - no wonder if the car they are trying to sell has these problems, and that MG don't want to acknowledge.

I have just sold a Mercedes GLA, which in its first 3 years had a number of software recalls, but they were all scheduled in and sorted.

I think I'll go for the Kia Sportage - with 7 proper years warranty.

 

[Noel]

Had I known, what I know now, I don’t think I would buy this car.

 

[sjm85]

Had I known, what I know now, I don’t think I would buy this car.

Same. I’m giving one more chance to fix or else I’m gonna try get my money back. It’s too big a purchase to just settle for rubbish performance.

 

[Busman]

I have just written the below to them, then saw the above!

Hi

Hope you are well

Myself and many others have recently bought the MG ZS Hybrid+. While in general it is a good value for money car, it is unfortunately dangerous.

The revs shooting up beyond 5000 from 2000 in seconds when simply driving at a steady 70 is not only disconcerting, it contravenes the requirements laid out for embedding the engine in the new car guidance.
The same thing happens up hills. It leads to zero confidence in the car, and is embarrassing.
Furthermore, when the battery charge drops too low, the power drop when needing to accelerate is very very dangerous. I believe there is an update available to recharge the battery at 40% rather than the 10% or so it allows it to drop to, but neither myself nor other drivers of this car have been told to get this update. Many have enquired, and ultimately the customer service advice has been non-existent to acknowledgement but no solution. It is an urgent safety recall situation, nothing less. I repeat, many people have enquired about this via your dealerships and head office. There is an acknowledged fault where people outside of the UK are receiving fixes for, and we are not. Absolutely unacceptable in every way, shape and form.

This needs to be addressed immediately. If not, then my car, and several other peoples cars will be being returned, and the press will be notified.

Please contact me via email as soon as practically possible. Also @[email protected] if the email address for Guy is incorrect, please forward on to the correct one, and anybody else that needs to see this email as a matter of urgency.

Seriously,other members of this forum need to ring a dealership in Ireland/ Germany /France and ask for their service department,put the question to them "Is PD052 available and to co firm same by email and present same to MG UK.

 

[AlexB1988]

Yeh agreed. I'm away with work for a couple of days so will be Friday afternoon until I can really push it now. Of course I've had no response from MG head office.
Positively, from Wakefield to Runcorn tonight I had no issues, in fact I had some great experiences when driving between 60 and 70mph, full EV mode.
Great mpg on a pretty cold night with heating and radio on in sport mode. A few traffic jams, but yeh no problems tonight, far better than yesterday.

 

[Sproutsdad]

I'm so glad i stumbled on this forum, thanks for all your honest views on your real life experiences of this otherwise fine car, let down by poor backup.

I drove the original ZS four years ago, quite basic and crude then, but the latest ZS hybrid+ tested last week is a significant step up from that - on the surface! And the HS is a real beauty, loaded with features and oozing apparent quality and alure. However, would i want to live with running issues, and poor warranty backup for 3 years? I don't think so. It seems the brand still has a long way to go to shake off the reliability, parts shortage and whole backup confidence issues.

Contacting MG customer service about this power loss issue gave no result, a week later and no reply. And the MG dealer staff don't know when asked specifics about running issues or warranty backup - they just want to make a sale and will say almost anything to clinch a deal and secure their monthly bonus!

I went through the 'impressive' 7 year warranty with their service manager and concluded that apart from the mass of 'wear and tear' exclusions, most parts are barely covered for 3 years, the only thing covered for 7 years is the body. This is all very sad as I was almost sold on the brand this time round, but - if it looks too good to be true, it probably is!