MG3 Review 2024

If you’re after a great value supermini, the MG3 could be right for you. It’s not the absolute cheapest five-door hatchback on sale, but MG achieves an impressive combination of standard features and cost-effectiveness. 

It’s a practical car, too. Five doors are standard, it has a roomy and well-designed interior, and the boot is a decent size. After extending warranty cover to five years in 2018, MG also now offers a superb seven-year warranty, way better than anything offered by Dacia and Ford. Only Kia is able to match it.

There’s no denying the driving experience is starting to feel a bit dated, though, particularly the wheezy engine. If you want the most sophisticated new car, look elsewhere.

You only have a choice of one engine with the MG3: a 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol. It’s called VTI-Tech, but don’t let the impressive-sounding name fool you. There’s not much tech in evidence here. It doesn’t have a turbocharger for starters, so lacks the effortlessness (and fuel economy) of more modern rivals.

Having been on sale for so many years, the trim levels available with the MG3 have chopped and changed a fair bit, and there have been numerous special edition models along the way, too. Until recently, the latest MG3 was sold in three varieties: Explore, Excite and Exclusive, all pretty well equipped, but even so, the Explore has since been ditched.

In the price stakes, the MG3 is often compared to the Dacia Sandero, another car with value-for-money at the very heart of its appeal. The Citroen C3 can also be had in its most basic form for similar money, although this version is rather sparse on equipment. 

The Fiat Panda is also an affordable five-door, although it’s a fair bit smaller than the MG3 or Sandero. The same goes for rivals such as the Kia Picanto and Hyundai i10.

The MG3 is built reasonably well, with exterior panels showing accurate assembly, and the paint sporting a nice deep finish. Features such as the Mercedes-AMG-style grille pattern and diamond-cut alloy wheels actually offer a surprisingly high-quality appearance.

It’s tightly put together inside as well. The trouble is, many of the plastics are cheap and hard to the touch, which chips away at the interior's quality credentials. The top of the dashboard is shiny, and running your hands down its surface reveals hard, unyielding materials. The door panels feel particularly downmarket. It even smells of plastic, in a way not many modern cars do.

We don’t doubt the inbuilt solidity possessed by the MG3. The firm wouldn’t be offering such a long warranty if it was worried the car couldn’t withstand years of heavy use. It’s just the impression of quality isn’t there; it seems a less well-finished car than, say, a Vauxhall Corsa.

From its original launch in 2013, the MG3 impressed in terms of infotainment. It had a colourful touchscreen that, by the standards of the day, was surprisingly comprehensive, even if it did ultimately struggle with smartphone pairing and syncing.

The 2018 facelift fixed this with a new system. The 8.0-inch screen looks excellent, and again has plenty of features to scroll through. Best of all, the system now comes as standard with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. This means anyone with a smartphone can plug in their device and use it through the MG3’s central screen. It is a fantastic convenience feature offered on even the entry-level model. We think it could seal the deal for some.

If the used MG3 you're considering is an Exclusive model, satnav was a very affordable option when the car was new, so check to see if the car you're looking at has it fitted, because many will. Later on, Exclusive trim became Exclusive Nav, which had the system as standard.

The MG3 follows the supermini form-book closely, measuring just over four metres long. It’s a little bit narrower than some, and just a touch higher off the ground than the class norm. This height helps make it feel spacious inside, both for those in the front, and for rear-seat passengers. 

There’s no obvious shortage of headroom, despite seats that are also mounted just a bit higher off the ground than average (which helps front and rear access). There is a reasonable amount of legroom for two passengers in the rear seats, and the space beneath the front seats is clear and open, so big feet won’t feel too squashed. Electric windows are standard in the rear as well as the front.

The MG3 boot space is 285 litres with the rear seats up: fractionally smaller than the class average. It has a bit of a high load lip, so dropping heavy objects in and out might be a strain. The shape is designed to maximise practicality, with no awkward intrusions.

Folding the rear seats grows the boot to 1,262 litres. This is a much more impressive figure and shows how the MG3’s extra height can be put to good use. It’s a bit of a pity the rear seatbacks don’t fold flat, though. They sit on the seat bases, so there’s a step in the floor when you’re sliding in really big objects.

All models get a light in the boot, and there are map pockets on the backs of the front seats. Stowage space in the front is less impressive, with thin door bins and no stowage slot on the dashboard itself to drop in mobile phones. You have to use the space between the seats instead.

ISOFIX child seat mounting points are fitted as standard to the rear seats, but not the front passenger seat. An airbag cut-off switch is an option, rather than being standard-fit.

The MG3 has dimensions of 4055mm long, 1729mm wide and 1509mm high. 

There’s only one engine, and it’s a bit of a letdown. On paper, it sounds pretty good: called VTI-Tech, the motor has a decent-sounding 1.5-litre capacity and power of over 100PS. However, its 106PS is not delivered until 6,000rpm, and not only is torque a bit less impressive, peak pulling power does not arrive until a revvy 4,750rpm.

In short, you have to rev hard it to release its power potential, and rev it harder than you may often prefer. Because it doesn’t have a turbocharger, it lacks any sort of meaningful response at low engine speeds: put your foot down and it won't respond meaningfully until you change down a gear or two. It means the MG feels lazier than some of its rivals with smaller - but turbocharged - engines.

Zero to 62mph takes 10.4 seconds, but you have to be committed if you want to achieve this. The top speed of 108mph is less relevant, but does show the engine at least has something in reserve if you’re prepared to work it.

The gearbox is a five-speed manual. It’s light, but a bit rubbery and not especially rewarding, which is a shame, given how frequently you have to use it. The clutch is pleasingly light, though. An automatic gearbox isn’t available, which will limit the appeal of the MG3 for some (although in fairness, auto gearboxes are rarer at this price).

Refinement and noise levels will be dominated by one thing: the engine. We’ve mentioned you have to rev it hard in order to get any meaningful acceleration. Disappointingly, the noise it actually makes is neither pleasant nor subdued. It is an old-fashioned, thrashy engine that lacks the smooth manners and refined character of a Ford Fiesta Ecoboost.

It’s not too bad if you’re prepared to go slowly, albeit still audible. It’s the roar and growl it makes as the revs rise that is so intrusive. It’s a positive deterrent, and we don’t think even petrolheads who like hearing revvy engine noise will warm to it.

The rest of the MG3 is passable – it’s not the quietest car in its sector, but it’s not likely to be headache-inducing. Wind noise is limited and road noise is acceptable, given the fact it runs on larger 16-inch alloy wheels. Your passengers in the rear will prefer the Exclusive grade, though: standard Excite doesn’t get speakers back there.

The MG3 was tested by Euro NCAP in 2014. It scored a mediocre three-star rating – not disastrous, but not great. Adult occupant protection was rated at 69 percent, with child occupant protection at 71 percent. Pedestrian protection scored 59 percent and safety assist features were rated at a very disappointing 38 percent, suggesting the car has few of the active safety features that are so important in modern vehicle safety.

The spec bears this out. It has stability control, which is a good thing. But it doesn’t have autonomous emergency braking, a lane-keep assist system or even a speed limiter. Even the seatbelt reminder only covers the front seats, not those in the rear.

Airbags are focused on the front, too: there are no rear side airbags, while the seatbelt pretensioners only cover the front-seat occupants. ISOFIX is fitted to the rear seats, but not the front passenger seat – and an airbag cut-off switch is optional. A tyre repair kit is standard as the MG3 is not available with a space-saver spare wheel.

One more thing to note about that mediocre Euro NCAP rating. The body's tests get harder and harder every year in the pursuit of ever-increasing safety standards, and with the MG3 having been tested in 2014, it will have been tested against standards and thresholds that were nowhere near as stringent as they are today. Indeed, these ratings only stand for a five-year period before the body deems them irrelevant, at which point the ratings expire. So, if the MG3 was mediocre in 2014, it's likely to be truly woeful by now.

MG came 18th out of 29 carmakers for overall satisfaction in the HonestJohn.co.uk (our sister website) Satisfaction Index, which isn't bad considering the brand's budget status. What's more, the MG's seven-year 80,000-mile warranty is better than most and the car is built using proven mechanicals that should have had any glitches ironed out. 

Insurance groups for the MG3 are very competitive, which will help keep costs low for owners. The older 3Time, 3Style and 3Form variants all come in at group four, which is one of the lowest ratings possible for a supermini-sized car, particularly one fitted with a 1.5-litre engine.

Better-equipped Explore and Excite models rise up to group seven, but this is still competitive when compared to similarly-sized alternatives such as the Ford Fiesta and Volkswagen Polo. The well-equipped Exclusive falls into group eight, making it the most expensive MG3 to insure.

These days, buyers of conventional petrol and diesel cars pay a flat rate of tax, which stands at £190 per year. And don't worry: the MG3's low price means you'll be nowhere near the 'luxury car' surcharge that almost trebles your annual VED outlay for a temporary five-year period.

Today, the MG3 is sold in two core trims, Excite and Exclusive Nav. Standard equipment is very generous, with all models featuring LED running lights, 16-inch diamond-cut alloy wheels, an 8.0-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, reverse parking sensors, air-con and all-round electric windows.

Exclusive Nav variants add sat-nav (obviously), a reversing camera, cruise control, an upgraded stereo and improved sports seats. MG also offers a range of styling upgrade packs, so you can choose different stickers for the roof, plus other add-ons.

It’s worth noting that even pre-facelift MG3s were well equipped, with all models featuring distinctive LED running lights, for example, plus six airbags, stability control and a hill-hold function to stop you rolling back on hills. Most basic is 3Time, then it’s 3Form, 3Sport and the range-topping 3Style.