MG ZS EV Now Cheaper Than Hyundai Creta Electric: Details
The electric SUV segment is spooling up in the country. With more manufacturers entering the game with new, desirable products, the competition is getting more fierce, forcing even big players to offer strong value in their products. The MG ZS EV has been on sale for quite a long time. Interestingly, it has always been positioned as a premium product, in both pricing and appeal. Now, the manufacturer has introduced a new base-spec variant to it, called the ZS EV Executive Line, with an ex-showroom price of 18.98 lakh- a lakh less than the Excite variant- which used to be the entry point previously. The new price has also made the ZS EV cheaper than the recently launched Hyundai Creta Electric with the 51.4 battery pack.
The ZS EV vs Creta Electric comparison stands important for consumers, as both are popular and proven brands, that now sit in close vicinity of each other in pricing. Interestingly, the two have variants on sale with nearly the same battery capacities as well. The ZS EV comes with a 50.3kWh battery pack while the Creta Electric has two options to choose from- 51.4 kWh and 42 kWh. The larger battery pack comes only on the mid-spec and above.
Thus, the ZS Executive Line needs to be compared with the Smart (O) LR (51.4 kWh) variant of the Creta Electric. It has an ex-showroom price of 21.49 lakh. This means that the ZS EV is now cheaper than its Korean rival by 2.51 lakh.
MG is also offering the BAAS model of ownership on the ZS EV. Under this scheme, the price gets reduced to 13.99 lakh. Battery rent of Rs 4.5/ km would apply on top of this.
ZS EV Executive Line: Key Highlights
The Executive Line sits below the Excite trim. Under the skin, it is the same as the other variants. It comes with the same 50.3kWh battery pack and a single electric motor that produces 173bhp and 280Nm. There is even support for a 50kW DC fast charger. The ARAI-certified range of this variant is up to 461 km per charge.
When compared to the Excite variant, the ZS EV Executive line misses out on features like Tomahawk hub design wheel cover, Silver finish roof rails, driver and co-driver vanity mirror, parcel shelf, luggage net, panoramic sunroof, voice commands, widget customisation, valet and quiet modes and head unit theme store. The infotainment unit on the new entry-spec variant is more basic and less equipped.
ZS EV Executive Line vs Creta Electric Smart (O) LR: Quick Comparison
Now that you have seen what the Executive line packs, you’d want to know how it compares with the Creta Electric Smart (O) LR. The Korean is definitely more expensive than the ZS Executive. The Smart (O) LR variant gets a 51.4 kWh battery pack and an electric motor that makes 171 PS. The ZS EV definitely has a slight edge here.
More importantly, Creta Electric uses NMC cells whereas the ZS EV’s battery pack features LFP cells- which have multiple advantages over the NMCs like a more stable chemistry, better heat management etc.
The Creta Electric gets a panoramic sunroof, climate control, and a slew of other features. It is definitely better equipped than the ZS EV Executive. However, it needs to be noted here that this additional line of features comes at the expense of a 2.5 lakh price premium.