MG 3 Review 2025

Time is a cruel mistress in the automotive world. Such is the never-ending conveyor belt of new models going on sale, yesterday’s bright young thing needs a facelift after three years, before being replaced ahead of its seventh birthday. So given the original MG 3 lasted for 11 years, it must have been a corker, right? Erm, not exactly, which makes the job of its replacement that bit easier — find out how good it is with our full MG 3 review.

While electrification has reinvigorated Chinese-owned MG’s range in recent years — its battery-powered MG 4 EV and plug-in hybrid MG HS sell especially well — the brand’s small hatchback entry point to the line-up seemed almost forgotten, both by customers and its maker.

Yes the original MG 3 had received a bold new grille and interior revisions in 2018 but it was already five years old at that point — the value-centric veneer that had appealed early in its life was already wearing thin, while its petrol-only drive system was off the pace of its rivals.

Yet so great is the leap to this all-new MG 3 that you’d be forgiven for wondering if there was another generation in between them which mistakenly wasn’t shipped to these shores. As with MG’s other models, good value is a core principle of the 3’s appeal but there’s much more to it than that.

That’s welcome because competition in the small hatchback market remains strong, despite notions you may have contrary to that since the Ford Fiesta’s demise. 

Among the cream of the alternatives is the recently refreshed Renault Clio which along with the dependable Skoda Fabia offer the MG a challenge on the value front, although they’re all trumped for outright cost by the Dacia Sandero.

Pricier alternatives include the upmarket vibe that’s intrinsic to the Toyota Yaris’s appeal with the space efficiency champion is the cleverly packaged Honda Jazz — its 1205-litre seats-down boot capacity trumps the MG’s 983-litre volume.

It’s a surprise as the MG 3 is quite large for a small hatchback, yet space for passengers is similarly un-Tardis-like. Four adults fit although those in the back who are tall will hope the journey’s short given the lack of headroom and modest space available for their lower limbs. 

A shame, too, that expanses of grey plastic dominate, livened-up only by tartan-esque infills. Sure, at this price point nobody’s expecting expensive squidgy plastic mouldings for every surface, but more contemporary patterns and colours are possible without gnawing into profitability.

From the Mk2 MG 3’s summer 2024 launch it was exclusively available with a solitary 1.5-litre petrol-electric self-charging hybrid system. Badged Hybrid+, it’s a novel arrangement where the less powerful engine is essentially supplementing the electric motor rather than the opposite way around, which is more usual way of doing things. Drive is sent to the front wheels via a three-speed automatic transmission.

Expanding the line-up at its lower price point, from spring 2025 a non-hybrid 1.5-litre petrol — and curiously a different engine from the one in the Hybrid+ — was added, with its performance extracted using a five-speed manual gearbox.

According to the WLTP Combined cycle tests the Hybrid+ MG 3 averages 64.2mpg, the petrol-only model 46.3mpg. Over a prolonged test we averaged 52mpg in the former, which seems okay for a real-world figure in isolation, although the Yaris yields more miles per gallon without trying especially hard.

Keeping things nice and simple is a choice of just two MG 3 trim levels following the company’s existing SE and Trophy hierarchy. While the Hybrid+ versions can be had in either specification, the petrol-only MG 3 is restricted to SE trim.

Standard kit on the MG 3 SE includes a 10.25-inch multimedia touchscreen to access the integrated navigation system, DAB radio plus phone connectivity via Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. You’ll also find electric windows all round, rear parking sensors and the MG Pilot array of driver assistance systems.

Spend £2000 extra for the MG 3 Trophy if you fancy having your front seats and steering wheel heated, partial faux leather upholstery, keyless entry and starting, LED headlights, automatic wipers, darkened rear privacy windows, a 360-degree camera system and blind-spot detection.

Prices for the MG 3 start at £17,245 for the 1.5-litre petrol SE, with the Hybrid+ in the same trim level a further £2000. Strong value, rather than the cheapest small car out there — read on to discover how enticing the MG 3 is as a package.

Ask any small hatchback owner who’s not especially enthused about cars what they like most about it and you can have a safe wager that the word ‘nippy’ will crop up time and again. It’s shorthand for saying their model’s nimble, with light steering, a tight turning circle and easy to pilot around town — and guess what, the MG 3’s also a nippy wee thing.

What it isn’t is especially fun to drive with enthusiasm in the way the larger MG 4 EV is — perhaps surprisingly so. Yes, the 3’s neat and tidy, body roll through bends isn’t excessive and it steers accurately unless you attempt to carry too much pace into a corner, at which point it pushes a wider line, accompanied by some chirping from the front tyres, but there’s little joy to be extracted.

Its light steering, which makes urban jaunts a doddle, feels excessively assisted at speed, with little communication to your hands about what the front wheels are up to. Similarly, the weighting and positioning of the pedals is geared towards ease of use rather than heel-and-toe driving styles. For the majority of people that’s totally fine, but for those whom the MG name still chimes a sportier chord, it’s disappointing.

Countering that is the MG 3’s suppleness and impressive ability to deal with rougher road surfaces. Small cars tend to have small wheelbases — the gap between the front and rear wheels — which in turn blights them with a bouncier ride quality than larger models.

At 2570mm the MG 3’s wheelbase isn’t especially long which indicates the level of finesse engineered into it — other small hatchback manufacturers should pay attention to what’s going on here.

There are two drive systems available for the MG 3 and while both feature 1.5-litre non-turbocharged petrol engines, they’re of different designs and capacities.

Entry-point to the range is known as the 1.5 Petrol, using a 1495cc engine without any hybrid assistance, connected to the front wheels via a five-speed manual gearbox. It produces an adequate 115PS of power and a modest 148Nm of torque, so don’t expect it to be too sprightly — a 115mph top speed and a 0-62mph time of 10.8 seconds indicate pace is sufficient but no more.

More interesting from a technical perspective and more powerful overall is the self-charging Hybrid+ alternative. Here a 1498cc engine plays a supporting role to an electric motor which together produce a rude 194PS and 313Nm. 

Despite those numbers being in the ballpark of double the petrol-only model, don’t be lulled into thinking of the MG 3 as a hot hatch. Although its 8.0-second 0-62mph time is swift — and it feels as though it may actually be a tad quicker — the electronically capped 106mph top speed confirms efficiency is at the heart of this car’s mechanical make-up.

As does MG’s unusual choice of fitting a three-speed automatic transmission. For the most part its smooth and unruffled as it swaps ratios, but when pressing on — such as overtaking slower traffic on a suitable stretch of National Speed Limit road — it conspires to make the engine sound strained as though it’s revving too highly and momentarily feels like it’s run out of vim, as though hitting a flat spot in its power delivery. 

Whether an extra gear ratio or two would give it more flexibility would improve matters is up for debate, but the cost would certainly shoot up. Yet rival small hybrids tend to be fitted with CVT transmissions which, while they can also make the engine sound like its going faster than it should be, feel more linear in the way they gather speed.

You can vary the MG 3’s level of brake energy recuperation, although it defaults to the middle setting whenever the car’s restarted rather than what you last had it in. That’s particularly annoying because the least intrusive of the trio is the one which feels the most natural to use, being easier to modulate the levels of retardation.

Euro NCAP has yet to crash-test this generation of MG 3, so for the time being there’s no star rating to report on.

Regardless of specification level, all MG 3s are fitted with a comprehensive array of safety equipment including Automatic Emergency Braking with Forward Collision Warning, Lane Keep Assist and Lane Departure Warning System, a Driver Attention Alert monitoring system, Hill Start Assist plus LED daytime-running lights and central brake light.

Hybrid+ versions additionally feature Adaptive Cruise Control and an electric parking brake with auto-hold.

You can tow with an MG 3 although its maximum capacity will ensure that you’re not hauling anything substantial.

Whether you choose the 1.5 Petrol or the 1.5 Hybrid+ option the maximum braked trailer weight the MG 3 is permitted to tow is just 500kg. 

At 4113mm bumper-to-bumper, the MG 3 is on the large side for a small car. It’s 95mm lengthier than its predecessor, 60mm longer than the Renault Clio and has a 173mm advantage over the Toyota Yaris. Yet once you’re inside it doesn’t feel as generously proportioned as its exterior dimensions lead you to hope.

Life in the front seats is best for spaciousness, emphasised by the dashboard stretching forwards to the base of the windscreen in a similar manner to that inside a larger MPV. Its ample for taller adults although drivers of such stature may lament the lack of a reach adjustment for the steering wheel for an ideal position.

In the back the available space is more compromised, not helped by its position being elevated to accommodate the Hybrid+’s battery pack beneath it. Those same tall adults will find their knees pressing into the front seatbacks, or splayed to their sides, while their scalps will be getting acquainted with the roof lining.

For smaller folk and kids in child seats it’s fine, but squeezing three people onto the rear bench would be less fun — unless you’ve a penchant for playing mobile sardines. This is true of all small hatchbacks, of course, not singling the MG out here, although its rear centre seat position is notably narrow.

Storage spaces around the cabin are fine with useable door bins, a central cubby beneath the front seat armrest on Hybrid+ models, cupholders and a mobile phone-sized tray. Within the cupholder and the space forward of the armrest are flexible fixtures that allow their contents to be retained more successfully than they might otherwise be.

There’s a substantial lip at the edge of the MG 3’s boot with a drop back down to its floor, necessitated by the need for a chunky crash-absorption structure at the rear end. Otherwise, in five-seater mode it’s a sensibly shaped and trimmed space with a total volume of 293 litres. Small car, small boot, except remember that the Honda Jazz offers 304 litres, the Renault Clio 391 litres (301 as a hybrid) while the Toyota Yaris provides a 286-litre capacity despite being shorter overall. 

Fold the rear seats down and some practicality frustrations surface, not least that the backrest folds down in a single unit, with no 60/40 split designed into it. That smacks of penny pinching. That it doesn’t lie horizontal when folded isn’t unusual, nor is the step between it and the boot floor height, but it’s a chunkier height differential than in other small cars. The sides of the car’s structure also ingress into the space narrowing the potential width of heavy, boxy cargo that you’ll squeeze in. 

Overall the extended boot space volume to roof height is 983 litres — a modest sum compared with the Jazz (1209 litres), Clio (1069 litres or 1006 as a hybrid) and smaller Yaris (947 litres). 

Given the MG 3’s price the majority of its fixtures and fittings feel of an appropriately decent quality, without too much in the way of fingerprint showcasing glossy black plastic trim that car firms suggest lends an upmarket feel. It really doesn’t.

What’s disappointing is that there’s precious little evidence of flair or an attempt to make the interior feel remotely special. Climb aboard a higher-specification Dacia Sandero for instance and there are plastics in different shades and expanses of fabric on the dash, whereas the MG 3 is unyieldingly grey, reminiscent of a wet weekend caravanning in Scunthorpe. 

Across the width of the main dashboard is a tartan-style pattern, adding a modicum of visual relief — and praise be that it’s not fake carbon fibre — but come on, MG, some more visual love in here would be most welcome.

The steering wheel spokes harbour a smattering of controls including a pair of thumb-operated four-direction toggles. While they’re preferable to the haptic pads you’ll find in other cars, the execution in the MG could do with further refinement, particularly in terms of their trajectory feeling more definite and the material used being more substantial.

Conspicuous by their absence in the MG 3 are squeaks and rattles from the plastic mouldings rubbing against one another as you drive along. It’s a testament to the way its assembled and proof that a car being at the cheaper end of the scale doesn’t have to be shoddily put together.

As seems to be common to many car interiors of late, the MG 3’s dashboard plays host to a pair of display screens. 

Immediately ahead of the driver is a 7.0-inch panel presenting key data points including speed, efficiency and so on, with a driver assistance systems graphic in its left-most portion. It’s fine in the way an inexpensive, no-brand smartphone is fine — it serves its purpose but there’s little flair involved. Reworking its layout, if expansion isn’t an option, would be worthwhile in order to increase the size of the important numbers.

It's a similar tale with the 10.25-inch centrally mounted touchscreen used for the display that’s your portal to the MG 3’s multimedia system as well as many of its other functions, which — frustratingly — includes the climate control settings. Adding to the woe of even the temperature not being adjustable via a physical controller is that they don’t remain permanently on-screen when you move away from Home, although counterintuitively, there’s a proper button in the bank below the display to call it back up.

Overall operation is satisfactory, with one finger prod usually fine for the intended job without needing to re-dab the screen. Android Auto and Apple CarPlay are both standard, albeit with their app icons rendered in super-sized format.

A six-speaker audio system is standard across the range with an acceptable level of sound reproduction considering the car’s cost.

Not the cheapest small hatchback although the MG 3 isn’t far off being — instead it majors on offering high levels of equipment as standard for the money.

Entry to the range is via the non-hybrid MG 3 SE 1.5 Petrol which is yours for £17,245. The same trim level with the more sophisticated Hybrid+ drive system is an extra £2k at £19,245. For the range-topping Hybrid+ Trophy it’s the same amount extra again at £21,245.

In its most basic form the Dacia Sandero costs £14,715, while even the priciest version’s just £18,215. Hybridisation isn’t available on any model, though.

Honda’s space-efficient Jazz is far from a budget option in this company with the least expensive version wading in at £28,060, with all versions being hybrid-only, as is the Toyota Yaris which starts at a more reasonable £23,445.

Renault’s evergreen Clio can be yours from £18,995 for a petrol-engined model although there’s a leap to the cheapest E-Tech Full Hybrid at £21,895.

Small cars should be cheap to run and while the MG 3’s WLTP Combined cycle fuel efficiency figures aren’t eye-watering, they’re shy of the best of its rivals.

With no electrical assistance it’s not a surprise that the entry-level MG 3 1.5 Petrol is the thirstiest with an official figure of 46.3mpg, compared with the Hybrid+ models’ average of 64.2mpg. In the real-world environment of our extended test the average for the latter hovered around the 52mpg mark. 

While that’s decent, the Toyota Yaris’s hybrid system seems more efficient in our previous experience with it, easily achieving north of 5mpg more without trying. Yes, the Yaris is less powerful but given MG’s electric motor-dominant hybrid system we’d expected better when it comes to minimising its thirst for unleaded.

Company car drivers are unlikely to be clambering to get hold of an MG 3 thanks to its high rates of Benefit-in-Kind (BiK) taxation. The non-hybrid 137g/km CO2 output sees it in the 33% band while with emissions of 100g/km both Hybrid+ models are rated at 26%. 

As an illustration of how BiK rules favour electric cars with a 3% rate, a 20% taxpayer will face an annual P11D bill of £1099 to run the cheapest MG 3 while the firm’s most expensive model — the Cyberster GT two-seater convertible packing a 510PS punch — will cost £361 over the same period.

Still, the MG 3 is a small car and for private motorists that should mean consumables such as tyres and brakes, as well as routine maintenance, shouldn’t prove eye-wateringly expensive.

All MG 3 also come with the additional reassurance of the brand’s seven-year/80,000-mile warranty.

There are two levels of specification available for the MG 3 range — SE and Trophy.

Standard equipment for the MG 3 SE includes:

• 16-inch Atlas alloy wheels
• Automatic halogen headlights
• LED daytime running lights and central brake light
• Remote control central locking
• Electric front and rear windows
• Electrically operated, heated and folding door mirrors
• Rear parking sensors
• Reversing camera
• Fabric seat upholstery
• 7.0-inch driver’s display screen
• 10.25-inch multimedia touchscreen display
• Integral navigation system
• Android Auto and Apple CarPlay smartphone connectivity
• DAB radio
• Six-speaker audio system
• Four USB-A and one USB-C sockets
• Air conditioning — 1.5 Petrol only
• Automatic climate control — 1.5 Hybrid+ only
• Cruise control — 1.5 Petrol only
• Adaptive cruise control — 1.5 Hybrid+ only
• Electric parking brake — 1.5 Hybrid+ only
• Hill start assist

Upgrading to the MG 3 Trophy — only available as a Hybrid+ — adds:

• Automatic LED projector headlights
• Automatic windscreen wipers
• Keyless entry
• Dark-tinted rear privacy windows
• 360-degree parking camera system
• Partial-faux leather seat upholstery
• Heated front seats
• Heated faux leather steering wheel
• Map pockets on the back of the front seats
• Blind-spot detection with lane-changing assist