MG3 Hybrid+ Review 2024

UK car buyers still love their superminis, and the MG3 has long proven popular because of the value for money it offers. This latest one replaces the very long-running original, so it does bring a price hike with it, but the MG3 still remains at the more affordable end of the segment.

In the eyes of many buyers, the extra sophistication and technology offered by this new MG3 will more than compensate for the price premium. The hybrid powertrain is the most obvious example here, as it not only saves fuel and offers a degree of electric motoring, but also has a standard automatic gearbox. This is a feature highly valued by those who often drive in the city.

The new MG3 is a safer and more refined car, thanks to the progress of technology, and it is a much more responsive car to drive than the old one, which could often be noisy and uncouth in its manners. It’s far faster, too – indeed, overall power of nearly 200PS is more like a hot hatch than a fuel-sipping hybrid supermini.

The MG3 is part of the growing MG Motor family of cars. With this comes more dealers, many of whom are offering a more professional experience and service backup. If you want a new car that’s as easy to buy as one from a more established brand, it’s now a good car to consider.  

Don’t forget, MG also offers a seven-year, 80,000-mile new car warranty.

The MG3 offers just a single hybrid engine, called Hybrid+. Within this, there are two spec choices, either SE or Trophy. Visually, both look almost identical and have the same design of 16-inch alloys. The Trophy stands apart with its rear privacy glass and LED projector headlamps on the outside and leather-style upholstery with cloth inserts inside.

Really, the MG3 is so well equipped, you won’t feel short-changed if you choose the entry-level car. But because of the value pricing, the range-topping MG3 Trophy still comes in at less than many rivals - and includes desirable extras such as those LED headlights (they’ll light up the road better at night), heated seats and steering wheel, 360-degree rear parking camera and convenient keyless entry with push-button start.

The MG3 Hybrid+ is a supermini-sized small car. This is the most popular type of new and used car in the UK, so it has plenty of rivals. The Vauxhall Corsa has long been one of the best-selling in the UK, and now offers a clever hybrid engine alongside regular petrol models. You can even get a full EV Vauxhall Corsa Electric. The same applies to the closely related Peugeot 208 and Peugeot e-208.

The Toyota Yaris is a car that only comes as a hybrid, as is the Honda Jazz. Both are extremely well-liked cars with very loyal owners.

The Renault Clio offers hybrid alongside petrol versions, while the Dacia Sandero has petrol and novel LPG versions. There’s also the Seat Ibiza, Skoda Fabia and Hyundai i20, along with one of the longest-running superminis of all, the Volkswagen Polo.

In terms of price, the MG3 is on par with the Suzuki Swift, although the Dacia Sandero still undercuts it.

The latest MG3 has much improved quality compared to the first one. The interior feels more complete, with well-integrated plastics that look less bitty and boxy. The plastics are generally hard to the touch, but they’re still not cheap, and the aluminium-effect strip that’s integrated into the dashboard adds a quality touch.

One very nice design detail is the MG3’s leather-effect steering wheel. This is soft and very nice to hold. It has buttons set into two gloss-effect spokes, with scroll toggles in the centre. The bottom spoke is cut away, which gives the driving position an airier feel.

The column stalks in the MG3 still feel a bit cheap, and the electric window buttons are a bit tacky. They all work well enough, though. There’s a rotary gear shifter for the automatic gearbox, a bit like you used to get on Range Rovers and Jaguars.

The MG3 has a 10.25-inch touchscreen, into which most of the car’s controls are centralised. There are only a few physical buttons, giving shortcuts to the climate control and infotainment home screen, radio volume plus front and rear screen demisters.

Android Auto and Apple CarPlay are standard. However, if you use them, features such as the climate control disappear – and as there are no physical controls, you have to exit smartphone mirroring, tap the screen to change the temperature, and then go back. This is a bit cumbersome.

It's the same with the ADAS driver assistance systems. If you want to turn off things such as lane-keep assist, you again have to leave smartphone mirroring and find the safety assist menu. The fact the menus are rather small and fiddly doesn’t help, either – and the resolution of the touchscreen could be better.

The MG3 does encourage you to remain in its ‘native’ environment by fitting sat nav as standard, but many will prefer to use the systems on their smartphone. This means you’ll be constantly flicking between the environments when on the move.

On the steering wheel are several programmable shortcut buttons that can speed up this process, but they’re not as flexible as they could be. For example, the driver assist shortcut button won’t work if you’re in smartphone mirroring mode. At least it’s easy to get back into Android Auto and Apple CarPlay through a shortcut on the home screen.

The MG3 has a feature-packed digital driver display. This has a Tesla-style driver assistance display, a speedo readout in the centre (with the speed limit warning well-located above it), and fuel economy information on the right-hand side. There’s also a tiny icon to show whether you’re in EV or HEV (hybrid) mode.

The MG3 has dual USB-A and USB-C sockets in the front centre console. It also has a USB-A socket in the rear – and, cleverly, a USB-A socket in the rearview mirror, which allows you to hook up a dashcam without having cables trailing across the dash.

The MG3 has an OK driving position, helped by the much more substantial and supportive seats. It’s a pity there’s no reach adjustment for the steering wheel, though – you can only move it up and down. This will compromise the driving position for some. 

In the rear, it’s a little bit tight getting in and out, but general space isn’t bad once there. It isn’t as roomy as the uncommonly vast Skoda Fabia, but is still impressive by class standards – there’s a lot more legroom and footroom back there than the Vauxhall Corsa, for example. Taller passengers might ultimately find headroom a bit tight, though.

General oddments space in the cabin is OK. There are convenient stowage areas in the front, and the door bins are a decent size.

The MG3 has a 293-litre boot with the seats up. This is a little smaller than the class average, and way short of the giant boot in the Skoda Fabia. Even with the rear seats folded down, it only stretches to 993 litres. The rear seatback is one piece, too, rather than having a split rear seat.  

The MG3 Hybrid+ has just a single engine option. This is a 1.5-litre non-turbo petrol engine that’s paired with a powerful electric motor. While the engine itself produces 102PS, the electric motor produces 136PS, for a combined power output of 194PS. That’s an impressive figure. 

The MG3 also has a three-speed automatic gearbox. This sounds odd, but because the electric motor is working in the background, each gear can have a really long range. It helps make it both efficient and affordable. 

The MG3 is an interesting car to drive, thanks to its ability to often run in EV mode. This helps with refinement and makes it a surprisingly peaceful car to drive in town. Because the electric motor is powerful, the engine doesn’t have to work hard even when it does kick in.

Acceleration away from the line is swift, again because of the powerful electric motor. It’s more responsive than many petrol cars – although some may find the surging accelerator pedal a little too eager. It’s sometimes hard to be smooth due to its slightly on/off nature.

On open roads, the MG accelerates strongly and bizarrely seems to gather momentum as the engine revs rise, underlining its powerful 194PS output. This is because the engine is getting into its power band just as the electric motor is tailing off. Then, it changes gear, and the acceleration tails off, before picking up again. It’s something to get used to – and many people won’t experience this as you have to really be pressing on to feel this quirk.

0-62mph performance in the MG3 takes a fairly speedy eight seconds and, overall, it feels like a more powerful car than many of its rivals.

In-town refinement from the MG3 is excellent, particularly in electric mode. The switchover into petrol engine support happens seamlessly. Because of the powerful electric motor, the engine doesn’t have to ‘roar’ and work too hard either, further boosting everyday refinement.

The MG3’s overall refinement is good too. There’s not much road noise, and wind noise is well-controlled, even at motorway speeds. The supple suspension works quietly as well, meaning you won’t hear too much disturbance from the wheels crashing into bumps.

The MG3 has a very comprehensive suite of active safety tech fitted as standard. The package is called the MG Pilot suite of driver assistance systems. This includes gadgets such as lane keep assist, intelligent speed limit assist and traffic sign recognition – the current speed limit is displayed on the dashboard. A driver attention alert keeps an eye on you during long trips.

Other features include a forward collision warning with active emergency braking, adaptive cruise control with intelligent cruise assist, and rear driving assist which includes blind spot detection, lane change assist and rear cross-traffic alert.

The current MG3 has not yet been tested by Euro NCAP. The previous model was crash-tested back in 2014, where it scored an average rating, but this has long since expired. 

The previous MG3 proved to be a pretty solid and dependable car, thanks to its mechanical simplicity and long lifespan. This gave plenty of time for any problems to be ironed out.

The new MG3 is a more high-tech proposition, with an advanced hybrid drivetrain and comprehensive infotainment tech inside. The latter has caused some problems with the larger MG4 EV, so it will be interesting to see if MG has got on top of these.

Otherwise, it’s too early to say how reliable the new MG3 will be. Hopefully, it will follow in the footsteps of its dependable predecessor.

The MG3 Hybrid+ might be a little more expensive than some other superminis in the sector, due to hits higher power output. The MG3 SE has an insurance group of 23. The MG3 Trophy falls into group 24.

With CO2 emissions of 100g/km, annual road tax for the hybrid-engined MG3 is £180. This follows the first-year rate of £165.

The MG3 is available in SE and Trophy trim. Both are well equipped. The MG3 SE has automatic air conditioning as standard, front and rear electric windows, DAB radio, a six-speaker stereo and a rear parking camera with parking sensors. The 10.25-inch colour touchscreen is combined with a 7.0-inch driver display, and it has standard Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

A surprising standard feature on all MG3 is sat nav, which includes speed limit recognition, and an electric parking brake with auto-hold. The MG Pilot suite of driver assistance tech is also included, as are LED projector headlamps, and all MG3 have the same style of 16-inch alloy wheel.

The MG3 Trophy adds leather-style upholstery with cloth inserts, heated front seats and steering wheel, keyless entry, rear privacy glass, rain-sensing windscreen wipers and a 360-degree parking camera. The MG3 Trophy has blind spot detection with lane change assist and a clever rear cross-traffic alert system for making reversing safer.