MG Motor UK MG3 review

It’s the new MG 3, the car you’d probably forgotten still exists, if you knew it even existed it all. We’re into gen three now, and there’s opportunity for MG here: unless you’ve been living under a rock it won’t have escaped you that the hugely popular Ford Fiesta is now dead, so what better time to swoop in with a new supermini?

We'll leave you to judge the looks, and propose only that it's got more going for it than the old one. Ahem. It launches with a hybrid powertrain only – more on that in a bit – though a small petrol engine and a manual gearbox option is coming in late 2024.

Of course, there’s still plenty of competition in the supermini sector, including the Citroen C3, Dacia Sandero, Hyundai i20, Mazda 2, Peugeot 208, Renault Clio, Seat Ibiza, Skoda Fabia, Suzuki Swift, Toyota Yaris, Vauxhall Corsa, VW Polo et al. But this being MG, it undercuts the lot (Sandero aside) on price.

Tell me more of this hybrid system.

All versions get the same 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine and 134bhp electric motor paired with a 1.83kWh battery, which allows you to run on electric power alone for longer than you might expect.

When the engine is called upon, various drive modes allow it to either power the generator and in turn the electric motor, drive the wheels and recharge the battery, or drive the wheels in parallel with the electric motor. As you’d expect it’s a highly efficient setup, with MG claiming up to 64.2mpg and CO2 emissions from 100g/km.

With a combined power output of 192bhp – hot hatch power back in the good old days – it also covers the 0-62mph sprint in eight seconds. Full details on the Driving tab.

This is all very positive. Does the interior let it down?

It gets a nicely sized steering wheel with physical buttons, a seven-inch digital instrument cluster, 10.25-inch infotainment display, room for five passengers, and a reasonably sized boot. Everything you need.

But it’s not perfect. The overall quality is fine but there’s little evidence of flair in the design, and a fair amount of hard plastic. The infotainment isn't niggle-free. Oh, and the fonts are a bit small.

But by not trying to be anything it’s not, it’s all very familiar and user friendly in here: none of those iPad-aping touchscreens for example, and plenty of physical switchgear. Full details over on the Interior tab.

You mentioned the price... without mentioning the actual price.

Ah yes, prices start from £18,495, which gets you into the entry-level SE trim. Another £2k sees you into top-spec Trophy trim. Full details on the Buying tab.

We like simple, honest, unpretentious cars and the MG 3 is just that. It’s better to drive than many of its supposedly more ‘premium’ rivals, frugal to run, and above all it's one of the cheapest superminis around.

OK, the ride isn’t particularly refined, the interior feels a little cheap in parts and tech niggles let it down. But it’s otherwise a pretty strong all-rounder. If you can ignore the badge snobbery, you could do a lot worse.