MG ZS EV vs Tata Nexon EV: Which one to buy as my first electric car?

I need to replace my ageing Hyundai Grand i10 & I'm confused between the two EVs. For now, I've booked both of them.

BHPian raghupro recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

The lack of many options, yet the zeal to drive only an EV as my next car is messing up my mind.

Had booked the ZS EV Excite on 05th Jan 2022 and a few days ago moved my reservation to a ZS EV Exclusive as I wanted a car as early as possible. My 8-year-old Grand i10 isn't a pleasure to drive anymore and demands a replacement soon.

Before booking the ZS, I test drove the Nexon EV and hadn't liked it. Fast forward a few months, I wanted to give it a shot once again as a few issues with the ZS EV has put me in 2 minds. I test drove the Nexon EV again today and it changed my mind.

Here are the issues that I personally felt with the ZS EV and a few inferred from reviews. Some are very personal for my usage.

• Low ground clearance can be an issue on Hyderabad roads.
• Low legroom for 2nd-row seating. Have checked the petrol versions of Kushaq and Creta, both apparently had a lot better legroom for rear-seat passengers and this seems to be bothering me a lot. The one and only thing I dislike the most about my Grand i10 is legroom at the rear seat and I don't want that to continue in my new car, which costs 4x of what my i10 costed back then.
• Soft-touch materials, though seem premium, I doubt the durability in the longer run.
• Requirement to upgrade power line from current 5KW to 12/13 KW as suggested by the inspection team. This will bump up the per-unit cost of electricity too. I don't have specific numbers but this seems to be a bummer!
• Change of gates in our compound as the current set-up wouldn't fit a car that's above 4m in length.
• Not so good music system (not a deal-breaker though).
• Reported not the best headlights. (didn't test it personally).

What I liked in the Nexon EV after my 2nd test drive today:

• The regen braking isn't as bad as I initially perceived it to be. I could get used to it after a 4km drive in traffic.
• No need to change the power line at home.
• No need to make modifications to our parking space at home.
• Lot more affordable, around INR 5,00,000 when we compare the base model of MG ZS EV with the top-end model of Nexon EV.
• These almost being first-gen EVs even now, I somehow keep getting a feeling that I need to settle down with something more practical and affordable than to go all in and get a ZS EV.

What I still don't like about the Nexon EV:

• Rear seating ingress/egress is very inconvenient for my mom who is barely 5 feet tall. I am still unsure if she can get into the car even with difficulty. She has knee pain issues and is not the fittest to just get into the vehicle comfortably.
• Digital cluster showing wrong range! The sales executive said the car was due for service and it would solve it, I didn't buy into his reasoning. Is this an issue? The car, though having a 91% charge, showed an estimated range of 112KM.
• The car had some vibration. Felt like one that arises when a vehicle has wheel balancing issues. Is that something of a worry?
• The AC didn't seem all that effective in the afternoon heat on Hyderabad roads.

I was blown away by the ride quality that MG ZS EV offered but unsure if I have to still go ahead with it or rather settle down with a Nexon EV. Will be waiting for 6th April to check what Tata has to offer.

As of today, I pre-booked both. Estimated delivery for ZS EV Exclusive is max by the end of May and for the Nexon EV, it is 16 weeks from today (booked it today).

Here's what BHPian zandot had to say about the matter:

Congrats on the bookings! Did you book the Nexon EV dark edition? I hear those are generally easier to get your hands on.

If you just want to drive an EV for EVs sake then the Tata Nexon EV is the winner for sure at a good 10 lakhs cheaper. I’ve driven mine over 40k km and they have been relatively smooth (few initial niggles and the horrible TATA SVC experiences barring).

The digital cluster will generally show the wrong range for any EV as this goes up and down depending on the driving style / mode - weather etc - and this being a TD vehicle I’m sure it is benign constantly driven spiritedly by most drivers.

I had decided to upgrade to the new MG as I wanted my EV to be my main vehicle but after a test drive, I am no longer convinced it’s worth the extra cash due to the issues mentioned by you - mainly being the poor ground clearance.

I’m too am waiting to see what Tata offers on the 6th or then will wait for the Kia/Hyundai offerings.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.