Need an electric car for the long term: ZS EV, Nexon EV Max or Kona

I will use it as my primary vehicle which means it will easily clock 15,000 km or more in a year.

BHPian speedfreak77 recently shared this with other enthusiasts.

Greetings Team!

The EV bug has bitten me real bad and after test driving the MG ZS EV, Tata Nexon EV MAX and the Hyundai Kona, I am spoiled for choices and cannot make up my mind. I plan on using whatever EV I purchase as my primary car which means putting easily 15K kms a year or even more. I test drove all the 3 and here are my quick views on them.

Tata Nexon EV MAX

The TD vehicle came in this rather beautiful teal colour and even though it was pouring down, the car looked so beautiful in that colour. The first and foremost thing I noted was the halogen projector headlamps which kind of threw me off considering its 21L OTR. The interior is a nice place to be in but I am not a big fan of beige interiors. The gear shift knob is fancy and the ventilated seats are a big plus. The sunroof is a nice addition to make it feel spacious and airy.

The car drove pretty well, I took the TD on bad roads and also on an empty highway. I didn’t like the interior that much. The Salesperson claimed a range of 330-340KM which I knew the car would never do in day-to-day driving in Bangalore. Also, we have to pay 70K more for the 7.2KW charger which is a bit of a disappointment. All in all a great package and is cheaper than the others in the trio but it just doesn’t feel plush and premium. I feel it needs a lot of catching up to do.

Hyundai Kona Electric

The salesperson brought a white one and I didn’t like the way it looked. I think it was the colour as I’ve always seen them in blue and this time it just felt a bit daft. The interior is ghastly and felt claustrophobic. I also didn’t like the rear seats in this and the salesperson kept glorifying the car and started listing the negatives of the competition. The car drove well, especially in power mode where it just wanted to take off. The interior was a big NO. The Salesperson claimed a range of 400KM on which I laughed on his face because the car had a charge of 80% and the range was 230km so there is no way it would ever do 350 let alone 400. All in all, I didn’t like it and I felt for 25.5L OTR price tag, it's better to stick with MG ZS any day.

MG ZS EV

I took at least 3 test drives of this car. All on different roads and different scenarios because I fell in love with this car. It drove so well and the way it handles and picks up the pace is unreal. I felt that it can put a lot of ICE cars of big brands to shame. I found it perfect to drive in the city in KERS mode 2 and Normal mode. It came in rather a very boring white colour and that white wasn’t looking good on it. I perhaps think that black will suit it more than any colour. First and foremost, it is a very handsome car. The front grille is something I can live with so it doesn’t really bother me. The interior feels premium and sporty and the panoramic sunroof is a good addition, making the car feel very airy and spacious. The features like 360-degree cameras, connected car tech and the bigger battery made me somewhat attracted towards this car. The claimed range the salesperson said was easily more than 350, it was believable. The car felt well put together. I felt this car is more VFM than any other car. 27.5L OTR is costly but in the long run, it will be worth it.

Now with Kona out of the sprint, I have to make a choice between Nexon EV MAX and the ZS EV. Will I be better off with the cheaper one or should I get the ZS EV as my long-term option? Also, both the cars have a waiting period of 6 months so I have booked both. Will love to know your opinion, team.

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

I was in the same dilemma having booked both Nexon EV Max and MG ZS EV.

But I am going ahead with MG ZS EV as it’s a segment above in terms of space, features, safety, range and comfort.

My requirements were:

• Sufficient range of 300-350kms on a single charge with AC and at highway speeds (very important).
• Full safety kit including 6 airbags, TC, ESC and 3 point seat belts for all passengers.
• 5 seater SUV with sufficient space for 4 adults and a child.
• Comfort.
• Features set that shouldn’t feel outdated in the coming years.

MG ZS EV ticked all my requirements.

Between our two cars, we do about 20-25K kms in a year. This didn't come down even during covid lockdowns. Of these close to 70-75% of my drives are between Bangalore and Mysore, a distance of 150Kms. Sometimes I need to travel back and forth on a single day without a break. I found Nexon EV Max to be lacking in this regard, no doubt it can do 300+kms but that will require a bit of careful driving which might not always be possible.

Safety is another aspect I didn’t want to compromise on. There aren’t many cars under 30L which offer 3 point seat belt for rear mid passenger, which severely curtails rear seat space for 2 adults if I am traveling with my son who always uses his car seat. MG ticks the box here as well.

My mother has a bad knee and she found the raised rear seat of Nexon EV Max a bit cumbersome to get in and out, also my parents felt ZS is an upgrade compared to my previous cars Ecosport and S Cross. They are also not fans of full-size SUVs, especially BOF SUVs which ruled out the new Scorpio N.

Even without offering ADAS, ZS is fairly loaded in terms of features. While I am not a fan of any sunroof, my entire family were in favour of the panoramic sunroof of the ZS, my suggestion to wait for excite variant of ZS was shot down as it will not have the sunroof.

My car has arrived at the dealer and did a precursory inspection last weekend. I will be taking delivery after Aashaadha.

Hope this helps.

Sharing the pic of my car in the dealer's basement.

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

First and foremost, welcome to team EV!

Been researching Nexon EV, Nexon EV Max and ZS EV since the end of December 2021.

Booked the ZS EV on 05th Jan 2022 and Nexon EV on 01st April 2022, which was later moved to EV Max upon launch.

Fast forward. I own a Nexon EV for a month now (not the Max).

My suggestion would be to go for ZS EV excite version if 27.5 L seems to be pricy for ZS EV exclusive or else settle with Exclusive. The ZS is a better car in most ways and sure feels a lot more premium.

Yeah, you would miss out on features such as ventilated seats and auto-dimming ORVM but the benefits you would have over Nexon are far outweighing.

Nexon lacks the refinement in terms of fit and finish, so many wobbly plastic parts, panel gaps and low quality plastics you would see. It just doesn’t feel like a car costing 18L.

And not to even mention the service and sales experience. It’s next to being horrendous. I kept reading about it and still opted for it due to budget constraints but experiencing the bad service first-hand is quite painful.

Also, I haven’t been travelling much on highways over the past 6 years. Whenever I do, it’s from one of the zoomcar locations when we go on a vacation where we hire a Zoomcar. The only trip I have been doing over the years is to our farmhouse which is 160km away from home and has 2 locations to fast charge en route. It’s been a month since I intended to do that trip in my EV but haven’t been able to do so as the tata FC in both the locations have always been plagued with issues ever since. Got to realise how unreliable the fast chargers are as of now when we plan highway travel. Having a larger battery is always a blessing if you can afford a car that has one.

Here's what BHPian ashvek3141 had to say about the matter:

It is pretty straightforward. If money is no object then MG ZS EV it is. There is no contest with the Nexon EV MAX here. Needless to say, it's a segment higher.

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

Since this is going to be your primary car, go for MG ZS EV if it fits your bill. Being an owner of one for more than 2 months, I can tell you that it is worth every penny. During summer, I was getting around 350kms per full charge with AC on all the time and with 70-30 Highway-City driving. Recently, I noticed an increase in range (maybe due to cooler weather) at around 370kms.

Check out BHPian comments for more insights and information.