1.5 Hybrid+ (MG ZS)

2024–2026 · hybrid · 1498cc · 196hp

Engine codes: MG-1.5-HEV

Maint. Sensitive

Reliability, common problems and owner reviews for the Mg MG3 1.5 Hybrid+ (MG ZS). Check this before you buy used.

The ZS Hybrid+ is a 1.5 petrol plus a small hybrid battery (about 1.83 kWh in the Australian test) and a three-speed hybrid transmission, system output about 196 hp. The MG3 Hybrid+ from 2024 is the same layout: a 102 hp Atkinson 1.5, a separate generator, about 1.83 kWh and the three-speed box, system about 194 hp. The 24.59 second run below was timed on a ZS. It does not destroy the engine. It does, when the hybrid battery is down around two bars, stop giving you the power the brochure implies. CarSauce timed 0–100 km/h at 24.59 seconds with the pack depleted and 8.04 seconds once regen had refilled it. MG's claim was 8.7 seconds. MG France's own note, posted by owners on MGEVs thread 20090, explains the mechanism: below about 40 km/h only the electric motor drives the wheels; once the pack is empty at higher speed the 102 hp engine is split with a generator of about 45 kW, so the wheels see what is left until the pack is back above two bars. Update PD052, which MG France told dealers to load before handover, starts the engine earlier so the pack does not fall that far. It does not turn the car into a normal automatic. Owners who have PD052 (threads 21408 and 20444) report the engine sitting at 4,000–5,000 rpm on a motorway hill, and one dealer told MG technical, who said they knew and had no further fix yet. Another dealer called the revs the three-speed gearbox, the same as changing from third to fourth. 'Nutzbremsung eingeschränkt' on a long descent with a full battery is a different message and is the regen doing what a full battery forces. The regret is an overtake with two bars left, not a cracked block.

Same engine, other cars

This is the same physical engine (MG-1.5-HEV) sold under different names across brands. Reliability is broadly shared — cross-check these:

MG ZS— 1.5 Hybrid+ (MG ZS)196hp

Known Issues

Two bars left, and the car stops pullingrecurring

MGEVs 20090 and the CarSauce test MG Australia responded to. With the hybrid battery depleted, a standing start took 24.59 seconds to 100 km/h. The same car, pack recovered, did 8.04 seconds. On the road it shows up on a hill, an overtake or a slip road: the engine screams and the speed does not follow. MG France's description, copied into that thread, says the engine is then both driving and charging, so the power at the wheels falls until the battery is back above about two bars. Below about 40 km/h you are on the electric motor alone, which is why a queue on a gradient is where people first notice. This is the hybrid's power split. It is not a slipping clutch and it is not a failed inverter, unless there is a warning the thread does not have.

Fix / Workaround: Test it with the battery gauge on the last two bars, on a hill, not on a full pack around the dealership. If the car still has no PD052, that update is the first job. It reduces the cut. It does not delete the high revs.

Typically appears after: 1,000 km

PD052 trades the power cut for 5,000 rpmrecurring

PD052 updates the engine controller and the hybrid power unit. MG France told its network to apply it before delivery and to call cars back. UK owners were told into early 2025 that MG UK had no date, then that it was available. Thread 21408: a driver who had never seen the power cut found that after PD052 a 35 mph queue on a hill held 5,000 rpm. Thread 20444: a dealer test-drove the same complaint, MG technical confirmed the over-revving after PD052, and they had nothing else to load. One owner was told PD052 only keeps the pack from falling to the bottom, and that the revs are a later calibration which his dealer could not name. A few owners say the car is calmer and quicker once they accept the noise. A few say cruise control on a dual carriageway is worse. Read both before you treat PD052 as a cure.

Fix / Workaround: The paperwork has to say PD052, not 'software updated'. After it, drive a motorway hill at a steady speed and see whether you can live with the revs. There is no parts fix in these threads.

Typically appears after: 1,000 km

The scream is the three-speed hybrid boxminor

Dealers answering the high-rpm complaint tell owners the transmission has three ratios and the engine is in the one it has. That matches the behaviour: revs jump from about 2,000 to 5,000 while the road speed barely changes, then stay there. It is not evidence the clutch pack is finished. Economy in the same threads swings with how the car is driven — delivery drivers quoting the mid-30s mpg, other owners the 60s once they stop asking for power with an empty pack — which is the same battery logic, not a second fault.

Fix / Workaround: Judge the noise on a drive with PD052 already on the car. A bang, a warning, or a refusal to move is not this characteristic and is a reason to stop.

Typically appears after: 1,000 km

Year Cutoffs

2025: Before — Cars delivered through 2024 are the ones whose owners had to ask for PD052, and some markets loaded it months before others.. After — A 2025 car should already have PD052. Confirm the code. The high revs on a hill are still reported after the update..

Mileage Thresholds

After 5,000 km: The power cut and the revs are there from delivery. Mileage does not create them.

After 80,000 km: No engine-rebuild pattern in the threads read. The question is still the battery bars and PD052.

Pre-Purchase Checklist

☐PD052 written on the invoice, not a verbal 'latest software'
☐Drive with the hybrid battery on the last two bars, including a hill and a slip road
☐After PD052, a steady motorway hill — can you live with 4,000–5,000 rpm
☐A regen-limited message on a long descent with a full battery is the full battery, not PD052 failing
☐Not the old ZS 1.0 turbo and not the ZS EV
☐A warning lamp or a car that will not pull away at all is outside this characteristic

Frequently asked questions

Is the Mg MG3 1.5 Hybrid+ (MG ZS) reliable?

Maint. Sensitive — The ZS Hybrid+ is a 1.5 petrol plus a small hybrid battery (about 1.83 kWh in the Australian test) and a three-speed hybrid transmission, system output about 196 hp. The MG3 Hybrid+ from 2024 is the same layout: a 102 hp Atkinson 1.5, a separate generator, about 1.83 kWh and the three-speed box, system about 194 hp. The 24.59 second run below was timed on a ZS. It does not destroy the engine. It does, when the hybrid battery is down around two bars, stop giving you the power the brochure implies. CarSauce timed 0–100 km/h at 24.59 seconds with the pack depleted and 8.04 seconds once regen had refilled it. MG's claim was 8.7 seconds. MG France's own note, posted by owners on MGEVs thread 20090, explains the mechanism: below about 40 km/h only the electric motor drives the wheels; once the pack is empty at higher speed the 102 hp engine is split with a generator of about 45 kW, so the wheels see what is left until the pack is back above two bars. Update PD052, which MG France told dealers to load before handover, starts the engine earlier so the pack does not fall that far. It does not turn the car into a normal automatic. Owners who have PD052 (threads 21408 and 20444) report the engine sitting at 4,000–5,000 rpm on a motorway hill, and one dealer told MG technical, who said they knew and had no further fix yet. Another dealer called the revs the three-speed gearbox, the same as changing from third to fourth. 'Nutzbremsung eingeschränkt' on a long descent with a full battery is a different message and is the regen doing what a full battery forces. The regret is an overtake with two bars left, not a cracked block.

What are the common problems and reviews for the Mg MG3 1.5 Hybrid+ (MG ZS)?

The most commonly reported problems: Two bars left, and the car stops pulling, PD052 trades the power cut for 5,000 rpm, The scream is the three-speed hybrid box.

Is a used Mg MG3 1.5 Hybrid+ (MG ZS) worth buying?

Fine if serviced correctly — but it punishes neglect hard. History and the right consumables matter.