MG3 review

At a time when many manufacturers are removing their small car offerings from the market, MG decided to give the MG3 a whole new lease of life.

Now, that might seem a bit strange but there's actually good logic behind it. You see, with the Ford Fiesta going off sale, it’s the perfect time for a new version of the well-priced MG3 to swoop in and take a piece of the action.

Better still, while the MG3 has always been one of the cheapest small cars you can buy and come with plenty of standard equipment, it's now available with hybrid technology to help improve performance and efficiency.

MG3 video review

In theory, that should in turn help it compete against rivals, including the similarly affordable Dacia Sandero and Suzuki Swift, plus big names of the small-car market, such as the Renault Clio, Seat Ibiza, Skoda Fabia and VW Polo.

So, is the MG3 now a worthy alternative to the best small cars?

In its cheapest form, the MG3 uses a conventional 1.5-litre petrol engine that produces 113bhp, but we've tested the Hybrid+ model, which combines that engine with an electric motor for a total of 191bhp.

The result is more than enough performance to keep most small-car users happy. There's loads of oomph from a standstill, and the MG3 will officially sprint from 0-62mph in 8.0 seconds.

That’s faster than all its non-hybrid rivals, including the VW Polo, and around a second quicker than the hybrid Renault Clio. In the real world, that means you’ll have no trouble getting up to speed or nipping into gaps.

There’s more to life than being fast in a straight line, though, so what's the MG3 like on a twisty road? Well, due to its fairly firm suspension set-up, it controls body lean well enough. However, it still doesn't inspire huge confidence, because it runs out of grip quite quickly, and its steering is both short on feedback and slow to respond. The Clio, Seat Ibiza and Suzuki Swift are all more capable dynamically and more fun.

At the same time, that firm suspension set-up means ride comfort isn't a match for the Clio, Ibiza or Polo. The MG3 isn't jarring, but bumps and potholes certainly make their presence felt – both on faster roads and in town.

The MG3 is at least quiet in town when its running on electricity alone. Unfortunately, this isn't possible for long, and when the engine does fire up, vibrations from it filter through to the driver’s seat.

In addition, when the engine needs to drive the wheels directly (instead of just working as a generator to provide power for the electric motor) the two power sources don’t dovetail as seamlessly as they do in the best hybrid cars.

On faster roads, meanwhile, road noise is more intrusive than it is in the Swift, let alone the Clio, Ibiza and Polo. In fact, your passengers would enjoy a more peaceful high-speed cruise to their destination in plenty of small cars.

“I found the MG3’s brakes to be reasonably well judged, but the Swift’s are a bit smoother and more predictable.” – Will Nightingale, Reviews Editor

While the MG3 places you in line with the steering wheel, its driving position is far from perfect. Every version comes with a six-way adjustable driver’s seat, but you don't get adjustable lumbar support and the steering wheel only adjusts up and down.

You don’t get adjustable lumbar support, either, which is a real shame given the shortage of lower back support.

More positively, the driver’s seat is mounted quite high, which helps to give you a good view out over the front of the car, although rear visibility is hampered by wide rear window pillars; the Suzuki Swift offers a better all-round view.

To compensate, every MG3 comes with rear parking sensors and a rear-view camera, while stepping up to range-topping Trophy trim upgrades that to a 360-view camera. Visibility at night also improves, thanks to the top trim swapping the standard halogen headlights for bright LED ones.

Every MG3 gets a 10.25in infotainment touchscreen, which is actually a slight step up from the set-up in the bigger and pricier MG4. The display is clear and, for the most part, responds really quickly to your prods.

The one big demerit is that almost everything is controlled through this screen. That includes the air-conditioning controls, and makes it far more distracting to make changes on the move than the physical controls you’ll find in the Honda Jazz and Renault Clio.

Better news is that DAB radio, Bluetooth, Android Auto and Apple CarPlay smartphone mirroring, and sat-nav are all standard across the range. Given the MG3’s price tag, that’s quite impressive.

So too is the visual appeal of the interior, thanks to its mixture of textured plastics and, if you go for Trophy trim, leather. But when you start to touch things you realise there's a lot of scratchy-feeling plastic. Build quality isn't as good as in the Swift and is a long way behind the VW Polo.

“Even if the limited steering wheel adjustment doesn't prevent you from getting comfortable behind the wheel, I reckon you’ll probably be bothered by an odd lump in the seat base.” – Doug Revolta, Head of Video

As a small car, you wouldn't expect the MG3 to be huge inside, but practicality is still a little disappointing.

True, things are fine in the front, where there's enough space to keep six-footers happy. However, they'll find head room tight in the back, and rear leg room is far from outstanding even by the standards of the class; your passengers would appreciate the extra space they’d get in a Dacia Sandero, Skoda Fabia or VW Polo.

Versatility is another weak point of the MG3. You see, where most small cars have rear seats that at least split 60/40 and fold, its rear bench doesn’t split and instead folds flat as one solid piece. What’s more, once folded, there’s a step up from the boot floor to the seat backs.

The boot itself offers 293 litres of storage and has a usefully square opening, but the angle of the rear seatbacks meant we could fit only four carry-on suitcases in there. For comparison, the Suzuki Swift took five, despite having a smaller capacity on paper.

Back in the front of the MG3, you'll find plenty of storage spaces dotted around, including door bins that’ll take a large bottle of water, a space for your phone at the base of the centre console and two cupholders. There's also storage beneath the central armrest.

“I found the MG3 a little harder to get in and out of than most small cars, due to its chunky door sills.” – Dan Jones, Senior Reviewer

In petrol form, the MG3 is priced to undercut the vast majority of small cars, although you can have a Suzuki Swift for the same sort of money as the hybrid, while the Dacia Sandero is cheaper still.

Predicted resale values are quite strong. However, if you’re signing up to a PCP finance agreement, the Swift offers smaller monthly payments than the MG3 hybrid.

Perhaps the biggest surprise, though, is that the Swift will also cost you less in fuel, despite it only featuring mild-hybrid technology. When we put the two cars through a real-world back-to-back test, the Swift managed 50.2mpg on congested London streets to the MG3's 47.5mpg.

On the open road, meanwhile, the Swift’s margin of victory was even greater: 59.1mpg to the MG3’s 53.2mpg.

Even in entry-level SE trim, the MG3 comes with 16in alloy wheels, air-conditioning, front and rear electric windows, adaptive cruise control, electrically adjustable and heated door mirrors and automatic headlights. 

We think this is more than enough, so it's our pick, but we can see why you might upgrade to Trophy trim. For not much more money, it adds heated front seats, a heated steering wheel, leather upholstery and rear privacy glass.

MG gives you a seven-year, 80,000-mile warranty, which it says demonstrates its faith in the reliability of its products. Sadly, the brand didn't perform well in our 2024 What Car? Reliability Survey – it came bottom out of 31 car makers ranked.

As for safety, the MG3 hasn't been crash tested by Euro NCAP, but every version comes with automatic emergency braking (AEB), lane-keeping assist, forward collision warning and plenty of airbags. Upgrading to Trophy trim adds rear cross-traffic alert and blind-zone protection.

“I suspect the hybrid's slightly disappointing fuel economy is down to the fact its quite heavy compared with the Swift. And this also contributes to its slightly lead-footed feel on winding roads.” – Steve Huntingford, Editor

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