3-cylinder SUV

2021 MG ZS 1.0 T-GDI

Overall difficulty rating

Underbonnet layout

We admittedly had reservations about servicing the Chinese-manufactured SUV-styled ZS from MG Motor UK. Why? Well at the time of writing, Autodata had no technical information on it, so whilst we could find out what oils to use from various suppliers, we initially had no information on the torque settings for the sump drain plug, for example, and no idea about the recommended minimum thickness of the brake discs. Furthermore, the major motor factors didn’t stock or had a very limited stock of serviceable items for a vehicle that first appeared in 2017. Luckily, dealerships for MG Motor UK do stock parts, but they are typically more expensive than expected – a sump drain plug and new spin-on oil filter costs a little over thirty quid, which isn’t too bad for genuine parts, but if a rear axle beam bush needs replacing, we discovered the only solution is to fit a new axle beam, which costs £461.

Despite our initial reservations over the technical information (the press office for MG Motor UK came to the rescue), the ZS is a very straightforward vehicle to work on with space to access everything. We could even inspect the fuel filler hoses and pipes without having to remove any covers. And the cabin filter is one of the best designs we’ve seen, making it simple to change.