Words: Kyle Cassidy
Published 16 March 2026
The MG ZS now comes with a five star ANCAP safety rating after the firm upped its air bag fit out.
According to the ANCAP report; The MG ZS (ZS32) was first introduced in Australia and New Zealand in November 2024. MG has since introduced changes to the safety specification of the MG ZS, and this ANCAP safety rating applies to petrol and hybrid MG ZS vehicles built from 4 December 2025 (VIN LSJWS4395TZ074065 onwards).
A four-star ANCAP safety rating applies to hybrid vehicles built prior to 4 December 2025. Dual frontal, side chest-protecting and side head-protecting airbags are standard.
Read more – 2025 MG ZS Essence Turbo Review
A centre airbag, which provides added protection to front seat occupants in side impact crashes, is also standard on MG ZS vehicles built from 4 December 2025. Autonomous emergency braking (Car-to-Car, Vulnerable Road User and Junction Assist), as well as a lane support system with lane keep assist (LKA), lane departure warning (LDW) and emergency lane keeping (ELK), and an advanced speed assistance system (SAS) with a speed sign recognition system, are standard equipment.
The updates see the Adult Occupant Protection rate improve from 75 per cent to 81, enough to bump the star rating to the all important five out of five.
“When we launched the new MG ZS, we said we wanted to end the compromise – that driving a compact SUV doesn’t need to be at the expense of power, performance or safety,” said MG Motor New Zealand Country Business Manager, Dean Sheed.
“This is further evidence we’re remaining true to this philosophy and, with the MG ZS, you can have everything and more that you would expect to find in a much larger and significantly more expensive vehicle.”
The five-star ANCAP safety rating applies to all variants in the MG ZS range available for sale in New Zealand, including Vibe Turbo, Essence Turbo, Excite Hybrid+ and Essence Hybrid+.
