Nowadays, people are really getting concerned for Mother Earth, innovating new ways to reduce pollution, and also addressing the alarming problem of fossil fuels getting depleted. Carmakers are also supporting this ‘change’ by introducing some electric cars with a better range, more comfort, and more features. For instance, Tata brought in the Nexon EV, and MG brought in the ZS EV. We are going to test both of them and find out whether they are both future-ready or not.

Exterior

 The Nexon EV has a much bolder SUV stance with blue accents at the front of the grill which accentuate the headlights beautifully. There are also some blue accents lower down, near the faux skid plates and around the fog housing. From the side, the Nexon EV differentiates itself from its regular counterpart with a blue shoulder line. At the rear, there is a bold logo of ZIPTRON and EV, which tells that this is an EV. The blue accents are also prevalent at the rear dominating the ‘X’ shaped blue strip which replaces the white one in the ordinary Nexon.

The MG ZS EV does not shout that it is an electric vehicle like the Nexon. It would be hard to distinguish between the regular ZS and its EV counterpart except for the electric batch on the side fenders upfront, the ZS EV gets a studded grill that resembles Mercedes AMG grills’. As you go lower down you get a faux skid plate that gives it a butch look. Talking about the side profile, the ZS EV has a European stance with a strong shoulder line and a small quarter glass. There is an electric batch that is quite subtle as compared to Nexon badging. The rear end gets L-shaped tail lamps along with chrome rear lamp housings that help give it an elegant look on the ZS EV. You get an evitable internet inside logo, i.e. a common sight in all MG cars. There is also a faux skid plate at the rear which tries hard to give it an SUV look. At the end, the MG ZS EV has a crossover stance whereas the Nexon EV has bold and looks Macho.

Interior

The interior of the earlier electric cars was extremely unpleasant and had a poor fit and finish. But now, things have changed drastically. The Nexon EV now gets a beige treatment that distinguishes it from the regular one. It gets blue accents in the interior that were seen on the exterior as well. In the Nexon EV, you now get a new steering wheel, which is shed with the Tata Altroz. It now gets beige leatherette upholstery, which is a bit different than the all-black upholstery found in the regular one. This car is extremely spacious and with the beige treatment, it adds up to the sense of airiness. The seat comfort is excellent whether you consider the rear seat or the front seat. Even at the rear, you get ample legroom, headroom, and should room which is a common site in all Tata cars.

This is also no far behind in cabin comfort, you get a spacious cabin and extremely supportive front seats. The rear seat, however, isn’t as spacious as the Nexon. Even the rear seats don’t offer much underthigh support which can be uncomfortable for the taller passenger. The cabin’s fit-finish of MG ZS EV is a notch higher than the Nexon. You get high-quality materials such as good quality leather and plastics that make the cabin posh and upmarket. There are some interesting bits like the propeller-style side AC vents and the chunky retro-looking steering wheel. In the Nexon, you get a freestanding touch screen above and AC vents lower down which is identical to its regular counterparts.

Features 

The features are now becoming the deciding factor for buying cars for Indians; the car manufacturers are well aware of it. Both, the Tata and the MG get plenty of features. Firstly a touch with connected car features, a sunroof, start-stop button, keyless entry, projection headlamps, LED DRLs, cruise control, and steering-mounted control are common to both. Nexon gets some features over the ZS like a semi-digital instrument cluster, JBL sound system, rear AC vents, LED tail lamps, and wheel ZS EV also has some features up its sleeve, like I-smart 2.0 technology with an Accuweather forecast, premium Gaana app, electronic parking brake, a huge panoramic sunroof, and an electric power seat.

Drive

Both electric vehicles are powered by a permanent magnet synchronous motor that powers the front wheels via a one-speed gearbox. The Tata Nexon produces 129 hp and 245Nm of torque, which is a bit lower than the ZS EV’s 143hp and 353Nm of torque. As the cars produce the power and the torque written above right from 0 rpm, there is absolutely no turbo lag and there is a strong surge of power. Taking about Nexon EV, it may make less power but it isn’t lethargic. If driven in normal mode the car feels very responsive and overtakes do come easily. The Nexon feels very easy to drive in our crowded city.

Now about ZS EV, this makes more power than the Nexon and once you drive it, you will notice the difference. The ZS EV feels like a race car if driven in sports mode. 

 Both cars get an option of regenerative braking. This helps to change the vehicle’s battery as and when you apply the break the Nexon EV however only one level of the region gets breaking whereas ZS EV gets 3 modes. This helps monitor the braking power. The ZS EV when put in region mode 3 (KERS-level 3), you won’t feel the need to apply breaks now and then. Once you take off your foot from the throttle, the car will gradually stop and you will feel that it is applying breaks. The Nexon EV gets a 30.2 kWh lithium-ion battery that promises to deliver a 208 km range. Whereas the ZS EV gets a larger 44.5 kWh battery that claims to deliver a range of 419 km. These range figures are claimed by ARAI and these claims are done in ideal conditions. The real-life range may differ as per your driving style. For instance, the ZSEV car delivers a range of 400 km, and the Nexon EV can deliver 150 km in real life. The Nexon EV reaches 100 km in 9.3 seconds whereas the ZS EV hits 100 km/h in just 8 seconds.

Ride and Handling

The standard Nexon EV has a good ride and handling balance and its EV siblings aren’t different. It feels solid, absorbs the bumps, impressively, and as you pick up space the high-speed stability. The steering of the Nexon is also very precise yet light which helps to maneuver in city traffic conditions. The ZS EV doesn’t inspire confidence to go on bumps at a high speed due to its firm suspension, however, once you drive at a high speed this form of suspension helps to give it great high-speed stability. The steering of ZS isn’t as accurate as of the Nexon and this can confirm some of the enthusiasm.

Charging options and warranty

Tata is offering a 1.6 lakh km warranty on the battery pack, which helps to boost the buyer’s confidence. Tata offers you a 15 amp charging option that you can install at your home or office. You can also charge with any 15amp plug point that can go from 10% to 90% in 8.5 hours and if you go to a charging station and connect to a DC point the car charges from 0% to 80% in just 60 minutes. 

MG ZS EV offers you the option of installing a 7 kW AC wall box charger that can charge the battery in 8 hours. Both the batteries are IP67 rated which signifies that they are rigorously tested for various climatic conditions and are shockproof, waterproof, and dirt-proof. 

NVH level

The NVH levels of electric cars are always a step higher than the regular ICE cars, and these two are no different. Even the power delivery is extremely smooth and refined.

Price

Tata Nexon EV costs around 17 lacs on-road and the MGZSEV has priced at 23.58 lacs on-road, which makes these cars a bit expensive.

The MCZSEV has a bit more features, a much bigger battery car, and a larger range than the Tata Nexon but it is more expensive by a whopping 7 lacs.