MG ZS EV owners report battery health holding up past 1 lakh km

A six year old EV with an unusually long paper trail

MG's ZS EV was among the first mainstream electric SUVs sold in India, and some of its earliest buyers are now several years and well past a lakh kilometres into ownership. The car is still on sale, priced from ₹17.99 lakh to ₹20.74 lakh ex-showroom, with a claimed range of 461 km and an 8 year or 1,50,000 km battery warranty for the first registered owner, according to MG Motor India's own pricing page.

Owners on Team-BHP's electric cars forum have posted six separate long term write ups on the ZS EV, at odometer readings running from under 10,000 km to past 1,20,000 km. Read together, they give an unusually detailed, if still owner reported, picture of how the car's battery and running gear have held up.

What the odometer milestones show

A two year, 30,000 km update recorded a battery reading of 93 percent after a service check, and running costs the owner put below ₹2 a kilometre. A 50,000 km update went further: the dashboard range had barely moved, from 400 km when new to 398 km, and the owner's own tracking put the state of health at 96.64 percent. That same account itemised running costs: about ₹13,056 on service, ₹72,531 on charging and ₹85,473 on insurance, tyres and tolls, for a total of ₹1,71,060 over 50,000 km, working out to ₹3.42 a kilometre. The brake pads were still the original set, credited to regenerative braking, and the factory Continental tyres lasted 30,000 km before being replaced with the same brand.

A 70,000 km write up put the state of health at 95 percent, matched to a real world range of about 320 km. The longest account found carries the title "1,20,000 km with my 2020 ZS EV". In it, the owner calculated a state of health of 96.42 percent from a reading taken at 1,18,000 km, about three and a half years into ownership, with the claimed 280 km range down by roughly 12 km. The owner projected the pack would still hold close to 90 percent by 2,50,000 km or eight years, based on that rate of fade.

Not every account agrees. A 39,000 km write up described the battery's state of health as having dropped sharply, with range topping out at 220 to 230 km, well short of what the newer, higher mileage accounts above report. The same owner had a steering rack replaced under warranty that kept clicking over bumps afterward, and a sunroof that kept creaking despite repeated visits for lubrication.

A separate report describes a 2022 ZS EV stranded after driving through standing water, 1 to 1.5 feet deep, during heavy rain, with the car spending about four months at an authorised service centre afterward. The owner questioned how a battery rated IP69K could be affected by water on the side of the car, and noted other discussions on the forum where MG has declined to honour a battery warranty claim after water exposure. This is one account, not a counted pattern, but it points to a live question over how water related claims get treated on a car still inside warranty.

What held up, and what an owner can do

Across these six accounts, the parts that wear in a normal petrol car, brakes, tyres and suspension bushings, come up far less often as complaints, helped by one moving part and strong regenerative braking. What varies most is the battery reading itself, and owners say it is only visible if the service centre prints it out, since the dashboard does not show a state of health number on its own.

MG's own material states the 8 year, 1,50,000 km battery warranty clearly but does not publish a state of health floor in what is publicly available, so there is no official benchmark to check a reading against short of the warranty window itself.

An owner worried about range should ask the service advisor for a printed state of health figure at every paid visit, starting from the first service, so a trend builds up over years rather than relying on one reading. Check the car's age and odometer against the 8 year, 1,50,000 km battery warranty before assuming a drop in range is covered. If a dealer or service centre disputes a warranty claim, especially after water exposure, escalate first through MG Motor India's own customer care channel, and if that does not resolve it, the National Consumer Helpline or a district consumer commission is the next step.

Sources

• MG ZS EV price in India
• My MG ZS EV: Long term ownership review after 70,000km
• 30,000 km in 2 years with my ZS EV: An unfiltered review
• 50,000 km with my MG ZS EV: A summary of likes & dislikes
• 1,20,000 km with my 2020 ZS EV: How I calculated battery degradation
• MG ZS EV: My below average experience after 39,000 km of use
• MG ZS EV strands me after driving through water: Spends 4 months at ASC