Recently I took a Hyundai Kona 64KW from Brighton to Aberdeen 700 miles. Car did 200 miles down to 15%. We made 5 stops and it took 30mins to charge. Return we managed in 4 stops. I only do this sort of trips about twice a year, mostly it's about 120 miles per week.
The long range only seems to add about an extra 50 miles for £2000.
After owning the Gen1 ZS EV for two years.
When I considered upgrading to the Gen 2 facelift model, the battery size(s) had not been announced at.
At the time, the Kona and the E.Nero offered models with a 64 Kwh battery, but both of these cars were a lot more expensive than the MG.
I was keeping my fingers firmly crossed that the face lift model would at least offer the same size battery as the Kona etc.
So I was pleased to find that the higher spec Long Range Trophy ? and Connect models would be offered with the 72.6 kWh pack.
This totally sealed the deal for us TBH.
The slight increased in range on the new facelift standard model was an improvement over the original Gen1 ZS EV but not enough to warrant the extra expense of the upgrade.
We find having that extra range in reserve, really suits our usage case.
Some thing you MAY think is worth some consideration.
As in all EV’s over time, there will be some battery degradation in the traction battery.
Factor this into your plans IF you are buying second hand or if you intend to keep the car a while.
If you choose a battery size that will just about suit your usage needs in summer conditions, when the winter time returns or as the car ages, you may come up short on range or you will be charging more often.
Only speaking for myself and set against our usage case, opting for the long range model has these issues covered.
I strongly advise that you build in some range loss / redundancy into your figures.
Of course a larger pack will cost you more initially, but if you find in the winter months that you are struggling with range, then you will find yourself saying, “I should have gone to the bigger pack”.
Yes - £2,000 on the face of it does sound like a lot of money for that extra 70 ( ish ) miles of range.
But that extra 70 miles is not a one off situation, it is at your disposal ANY time you wish to use it.
If you found yourself running short of range on a longer trip in the standard range ( maybe due to a diversion / road works etc ) you would be grateful for that extra 70 miles then alright !.
Everybody is different and no two situations are the same, but if your finances allow it, go for the extra range.
If you under estimate yourself on the range required all year round, upgrading to a EV with more range is likely to be impossible with a spend of £2,000 for sure !.