Car of the Year Awards 2026: Plug-in Hybrid of the Year
The best plug-in hybrid cars offer a long all-electric range, reducing fuel consumption, emissions and tax bills. Yet they must still drive well and not compromise on practicality...
MG HS 1.5T Plug-in Hybrid SE
Genuine bargains hard to come by, but the MG HS Plug-In Hybrid (PHEV) is exactly that.
It’s a family SUV with an official electric range of 75 miles; that’s more than you get with the rival Ford Kuga and Hyundai Tucson (around 40 miles). However, the HS is significantly cheaper to buy than those cars. In fact, around £10,000 separates it and the Volkswagen Tiguan eHybrid – one of only a few rival SUVs that have longer zero-emissions ranges. The HS PHEV really does make sense as a private buy, as well as a company car.
But it’s not just its electric range-to-pound ratio that the HS has going for it, because it’s an impressively well-rounded product. For instance, there’s plenty of power on tap: 295bhp, to be precise. We managed to hustle the HS from 0-60mph in just 6.1sec, easily beating the Jaecoo 7 (7.6sec) and BYD Seal U DM-i (8.6sec) we pitched it against.
Arguably more important than its straight-line speed is that the HS rides and handles better than those cars. It feels planted and composed in corners, yet the suspension is forgiving enough to allow for a comfortable ride.
As you’d expect, the HS is quiet and smooth when driven on electric power alone, but what’s more noteworthy is that the driving experience remains calm when the engine comes into play. The 1.5-litre petrol unit sounds and feels less strained than the engines in the Ford Kuga and Hyundai Tucson, even when you put your foot down.
One area where you might expect to be less impressed is the interior, because it’s where a lot of value-focused models tend to show signs of cost cutting. The HS, though, is a different story. It feels more expensive inside than the price suggests, thanks in part to a good mix of leather and soft-touch plastics. What’s more, every HS comes with a 12.3in infotainment touchscreen and a digital driver’s display (also 12.3in). The latter can show a full-screen sat-nav map alongside the speedometer, which is handy.
There’s plenty of space, too. A six-footer sitting behind another will easily be able to get comfortable, and the boot can hold an impressive seven carry-on suitcases below the load cover – one more than in the Seal U DM-i and two more than the Jaecoo 7.
Equipment is another strength. You don’t need to go beyond entry-level SE trim, because it gets 19in alloy wheels, keyless entry and start, rain-sensing windscreen wipers, adaptive cruise control and an auto-dimming rear-view mirror.
Really, the only catch (or room for improvement) comes down to reliability: MG ranked dead last in our latest survey. However, the HS PHEV was one of its more dependable models, with a 92.5% score. And you do get a seven-year, 80,000-mile warranty; that’s longer cover than most brands offer.
So, the HS is a value proposition that really doesn’t feel like one. It ticks all of the traditional family SUV boxes, while giving you lots of electric range for impressively little money.
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