It’s been a common phrase in the electric vehicle world since as long as I’ve known about EVs — butts in seats. That’s the magic formula for selling electric vehicles and increasing adoption. If you can get someone to test drive an electric car for the first time, it’s almost guaranteed they will love it and will become much more interested in EVs and much less hampered by common EV myths and overemphasized fears.
MG knows this, and it has taken an innovative yet simple approach to EV sales in the UK with this in mind. It is simply paying people for going on a test drive. Come in and test drive an electric MG and you get a £750 discount on one. (The company includes plug-in hybrids under the EV umbrella as well.) The promotion runs through the month of June. And the process is simple for consumers — just book a test drive and download the special voucher. “The £750 bonus is in addition to any other offer at the time of purchase and is compatible with 0% finance deals,” the company adds.
MG is jumping into the electric vehicle transition more quickly than others in the UK. So far in 2021, one-third of MG vehicles sold in the UK are electric (plug-in) vehicles.
MG already sells quite affordable electric vehicles, but the £750 discount helps that much more.
The MG ZS EV starts at £26,095 (after the £2,500 UK Plug-in Car Grant). The MG ZS EV Exclusive is £2,500 more. The vehicle’s range on a full charge, according to the WLTP testing system, is as follows:
- Combined Range: 163 miles (263 km);
- City Range: 231 miles (372 km).
The model’s combined driving efficiency is 3.3 miles/kWh (18.6 kWh/100 km).
When it comes time to recharge, the MG ZS EV can of course conveniently charge at home, like any other electric vehicle, and that’s where the vast majority of charging will take place if you have a home charging option (a normal electricity outlet will work — that’s what I use). If the driver needs to charge up quickly on the road or for some other reason, the MG ZS EV can charge at up to 50 kW and can get to an 80% charge in 40 minutes.
MG ZS EV — looks like a self-driving vehicle to an American, but don’t be fooled.
MG ZS EV charging port.
MG ZS EV zipping along a picturesque British road.
MG ZS EV
MG ZS EV cargo space with back seats down.
MG ZS EV sunroof.
MG ZS EV back seats more spacious than you might think.
MG ZS EV interior. No Netflix or video games like in a Tesla, but not a Tesla price tag either.
Slick.
The MG5 EV Excite starts at £25,095 (after the £2,500 UK Plug-in Car Grant) and the MG5 EV Exclusive starts at £27,595 (after the £2,500 UK Plug-in Car Grant). The MG5 EV comes with a full-charge range rating of 214 miles (WLTP) and a 50 kW max charging rate.
The affordable MG5 EV almost looks like a Mercedes from this angle.
Or maybe the MG5 EV looks more like a Volkswagen Passat.
MG5 EV’s interior looks like the MG ZS EV’s.
MG5 EV front seats.
MG5 EV back seats.
Okay, I’m back to thinking the MG5 EV looks like a Mercedes. Though, this electric model surely drives more nicely than any non-electric Mercedes.
The company also sells the MG HS Plug-in Hybrid. MG offers a 7-year warranty on all three of these plug-in vehicle models.
With more than 30% of its 2021 sales coming from plug-in vehicles, MG actually owns 5.5% of the overall UK plug-in vehicle market. It just scored its overall market share record, 1.45%, in March, so you can see that its 5.5% plugin vehicle share is a nice step up from its overall position in the market.
“MG’s mission is to make EV motoring accessible for everyone as we head towards 2030. Customer acceptance and demand for EVs has grown as battery range has gone up and cost has come down, and we are proud that MG has become the go-to brand for affordable electric cars,” MG’s Commercial Director, Guy Pigounakis, said.
“Our recent sales results show that MG’s commitment to making EVs affordable for everyone is resonating with the car-buying public and to help make EVs as affordable as possible for everyone, anyone who takes a test drive in one of our electric or plug-in models in June will get a further incentive in the form of a £750 thank you.”
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