Item: Used MG HS 2019-present
Rating: 4
Author: What Car? Team

Almost all the MG HS's competitors will demand higher prices. For&nbsp;similar money as an entry-level 2020 HS, you could pick up a top-spec 2021 <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/dacia/duster/4x4/used-review/n20048">Dacia Duster</a>&nbsp;but&nbsp;the trade-off is you're getting a smaller car (the Duster is in the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/used-reviews/category/family-suv">family SUV</a> class).&nbsp;

If you have your&nbsp;heart set on a large SUV and have some extra money to spend, the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/ford/kuga/4x4/used-review/n22953">Ford Kuga</a>&nbsp;is an excellent choice. It's spacious, well priced and we particularly like the PHEV version.&nbsp;

If you're interested in finding a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/used-cars/mg-motor-uk/hs?used=true&amp;nearlynew=true">used MG HS</a>&nbsp;or any of the other&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/used-reviews/category/large-suv">large SUVs</a>&nbsp;mentioned here, head over to the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/used-cars">Used Car Buying</a>&nbsp;pages to find lots of cars listed for sale at a great price.

For all the latest reviews, advice and new car deals, sign up to the What Car? Newsletter <a href="http://pages.haymarket.com/whatcar/wcar-form.html">here</a>

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What is it like?

Ownership cost

Advice for buyers

Our recommendations

Alternatives

As of writing, the HS is yet to experience any recalls, although it is rather new.&nbsp;

The MG HS didn't feature in our latest <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/news/2021-what-car-reliability-survey/n23397">What Car? Reliability Survey</a>. However, MG as a brand did. It managed a respectable 10th place finish out of 30 manufacturers.&nbsp;

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Hatchback

MG has a long heritage in the UK, and while these days it is owned by Chinese firm SAIC, it is slowly but surely beefing up its model range.

Kicking things off is the MG 3, a rival for affordable hatchbacks such as the Dacia Sandero and Skoda Fabia. Then there’s the ZS small SUV, which faces off against the likes of the Renault Captur and Seat Arona. And at the top of the range is the GS, which goes up against Dacia’s Duster and the Ssangyong Tivoli.

While any future MG products are likely to be introduced in China before coming to the UK, design work is still undertaken in the UK. MG’s design studio is based at Longbridge, where the brand made its name with models such as the MGB GT.

MG MOTOR UK

There's no catch.&nbsp;The MG HS gets you&nbsp;lots of&nbsp;equipment, a plush interior&nbsp;and a polished driving experience for very reasonable money used.&nbsp;

Used MG HS 2019-present

<h3>MPG</h3>

The&nbsp;1.5 T-GDi has an average fuel consumption of 37.9mpg, which isn't particularly terrific nor terrible. The PHEV promises 155.8mpg, although you'll be hard-pressed to replicate that figure in real-world conditions.&nbsp;

<h3>Road tax</h3>

As with all petrol (and diesel) cars registered after April 2017, the 1.5 T-GDI will attract a flat-rate fee of £155 a year in road tax. The PHEV, on the other hand, will cost owners £145 per year. To find out more about current road tax costs, click <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/advice/buying/car-tax-changes-in-2021-what-do-i-need-to-know/n1153">here</a>.&nbsp;

<h3>Insurance and servicing</h3>

Insurance groups are generally quite low for the HS, although PHEV models push it towards average. Servicing won't be too expensive and all new MGs get a seven-year warranty from new, which is transferrable to future owners.&nbsp;

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There's no catch. The MG HS gets you lots of equipment, a plush interior and a polished driving experience for very reasonable money used – or new, for that matter. 

As of writing, around £16,000 to £18,000 will get you into a 2019 or 2020 HS with low to average mileage. Cars in this price range will be in Excite trim and have the non-PHEV engine. Nearly-new 2021 models in Exclusive trim go for around £22,000.&nbsp;

For a PHEV, expect to spend around £26,000 at least for&nbsp;a 2020 or 2021 Excite car with minimal mileage.&nbsp;

Check the value of a used MG HS with <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/car-valuation/">What Car? Valuations</a>

Find a used MG HS for sale <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/used-cars/mg-motor-uk/hs?used=true&amp;nearlynew=true">here</a>

Despite the added performance and fuel economy of the PHEV, the price hike over the 1.5 T-GDi is too large for us to recommend it at the moment. Most will find the non-PHEV quick and economical enough, so we think it's best to save the cash.

In terms of trim levels, Excite is already very well equipped, meaning we find little desire to upgrade to Exclusive.&nbsp;

Our favourite MG HS:&nbsp;1.5 T-GDi Excite

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<h2>What we're looking for:</h2><ul><li>Plenty of space for all passengers</li> <li>Large boot with lots of clever storage solutions</li> <li>Good fuel economy and running costs</li> <li>All-round comfort</li> <li>High-quality interior finish</li></ul>

We define a large SUV as anything longer than 4.5 metres. These cars aren’t usually particularly cheap to buy or lease, so in return we expect a roomy cabin, a lengthy list of standard equipment and excellent cruising refinement. A few models in this class are two-wheel drive, but the vast majority have four-wheel drive for at least a modicum of off-road ability.

The Mazda CX-5 is firmly road-focused, but its 2.0-litre petrol engine is a strong, refined performer, making it looks good value for less than&nbsp;£25k. If you can stretch the budget a fair bit, the Audi Q5 provides a combination of comfort, driving prowess, quality and space that's hard to beat. Unlike some rivals, it can't be had with seven seats, though.

A more affordable, yet well-equipped alternative is the Peugeot 5008. It’s more than capable of coping with family life&nbsp;– and all versions have seven seats as standard.&nbsp;

Large SUV

The HS is a sensible SUV, usually bought by people who look after their cars well. Check the interior for signs of wear and tear and alloys for any kerb damage, though.&nbsp;

Large SUVs are desirable products and, as such, can often bleed your wallet dry. Not the MG HS. It's honed the art of&nbsp;offering buyers as much value for money as possible – especially in used form.

That sounds intriguing, but it must be&nbsp;a red flag for quality issues, right? Well, not quite, because this is a surprisingly plush, polished and well-rounded car, despite its extremely reasonable prices.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The MG HS's two engine options starts with a 162bhp 1.5-litre petrol unit, badged 1.5 T-GDi. When worked hard, it can deliver keen acceleration – 0-60mph took 9.0sec on our damp test track. All models with this engine get a six-speed manual gearbox as standard from new, though examples with an optional seven-speed automatic are available.&nbsp;

The other choice is a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) 1.5-litre petrol variant&nbsp;that gets a 10-speed automatic gearbox and a total power output of 258bhp. It’ll take you from 0-60mph in 6.9sec, plus it feels a lot sprightlier than its non-PHEV counterpart in town and on motorways. It can run on electric power alone for up to 32 miles (WLTP range).&nbsp;

There are&nbsp;two trim levels to choose from for the HS. The first is named Excite and gets leather seats, adaptive cruise control with steering assist (auto only), keyless entry and start, automatic headlights and wipers, an auto-dimming rear-view mirror, power-folding door mirrors, alloy wheels, rear parking sensors, a rear-view camera, a six-way-adjustable electric driver's seat and dual-zone climate control.

The infotainment system includes a 10.1in touchscreen, a DAB radio, Bluetooth, Apple CarPlay/Android Auto and sat-nav. As you can see, the HS comes very well equipped straight off the bat.&nbsp;

However, if you do crave more, there’s Exclusive. On top of the Excite's long list of features, it gets diamond-cut alloy wheels, LED headlights, heated and&nbsp;electrically adjustable sports front seats, two-tone leather upholstery, ambient lighting, a panoramic roof and an electric tailgate.

The non-PHEV HS’s suspension strikes a good balance between ride comfort and handling prowess. The ride isn’t quite pillow-soft, but it takes the sting out of most potholes. It deals pretty well with undulating road surfaces too, with only a small amount of float occasionally.

It has less body lean and better-weighted steering than some roly-poly rivals, such as the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/citroen/c5-aircross/hatchback/used-review/n20484">Citroën C5 Aircross</a> – although we should mention that that car is more comfortable. The HS’s brake pedal is easy to modulate, whether in start-stop traffic or pulling up from higher speeds.

The PHEV is a different animal. While the ride is still mostly smooth over gentler bumps and is settled at motorway speeds, there's a fair thump when you hit something sharper or more substantial. The extra weight of the battery affects the handling, with significantly more body lean and less grip.

Usually if a car’s been made to fit a modest budget, its interior will show it, but the HS’s interior doesn’t appear cheap at all. Overall, it’s almost on par with pricier rivals including the <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/mazda/cx-5/estate/used-review/n947">Mazda CX-5</a> and <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/peugeot/5008/estate/used-review/n962">Peugeot 5008</a>.

The steering wheel is wrapped in tactile perforated leather, the switches work with pleasing precision and there are huge swathes of soft-touch plastic and faux leather on the dashboard and doors.

The infotainment touchscreen isn’t too tricky to navigate and even has a couple of physical shortcut buttons, but it’s not all good news. We found it frustratingly laggy, with a long delay between pressing an icon and anything actually happening.

Passenger space up front is plentiful, with only the tallest of the tall lacking room to spare. Rear space is good, although because of the high floor&nbsp;some passengers will find their legs forced up towards their chests. Head room is passable when the space-swallowing panoramic roof is fitted.

The HS’s boot is arguably rather small compared with the other cars we've talked about. We could fit in only six carry-on cases, whereas a Mazda CX-5 will swallow eight. Indeed, even the smaller <a href="https://www.whatcar.com/skoda/karoq/estate/used-review/n17894">Skoda Karoq</a> has more room for cargo than the HS.

If you're interested in finding a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/used-cars/mg-motor-uk/hs?used=true&amp;nearlynew=true">used MG HS</a>&nbsp;or any of the other&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/used-reviews/category/large-suv">large SUVs</a>&nbsp;mentioned here, head over to the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.whatcar.com/used-cars">Used Car Buying</a>&nbsp;pages to find lots of cars listed for sale at a great price.

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Used MG HS 2019-present review

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Looking for alternatives to the used MG HS 2019 - present? The expert What Car? review team guide you through some great options.

Almost all the MG HS's competitors will demand higher prices. For similar money as an entry-level 2020 HS, you could pick up a top-spec 2021 Dacia Duster but the trade-off is you're getting a smaller car (the Duster is in the family SUV class). ,If you have your heart set on a large SUV and have some extra money to spend, the Ford Kuga is an excellent choice. It's spacious, well priced and we particularly like the PHEV version. ,If you're interested in finding a used MG HS or any of the other large SUVs mentioned here, head over to the Used Car Buying pages to find lots of cars listed for sale at a great price.For all the latest reviews, advice and new car deals, sign up to the What Car? Newsletter herePage 5 of 5

Used MG HS 2019-present review

MG Motor UK Hs 1.5 T-gdi Excite 5dr

MG Motor UK Hs 1.5 T-gdi Excite 5dr

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