MG 3 Review, For Sale, Price & Specs | CarsGuide (2024)

FAQs

How much does an MG3 cost? ›

The MG3 is among the most fun to drive, comfortable and best-equipped cars in its class. It's also easily the fastest while returning strong fuel consumption figures. That it achieves all of this while vastly undercutting pretty much every other rival on price makes it a proper supermini star.

However, there are a few other things to look out for if you're interested in buying one. The most serious is that the timing chain on early models can stretch and skip a cog, leading to rough running, poor starting and eventual engine failure.

MG's are cheap to run compared with most other classic cars. They are actually cheaper to run than a modern car as they do not suffer from depreciation, and in fact appreciate.

If you're happy to look beyond the badge, the MG HS is a very good car. It represents excellent value for money, with an interior that punches well above its weight in terms of quality. It's got a spacious cabin, with space for three people in the back, although the boot isn't as big as some rivals.

The MG3 is a light hatchback that serves as the entry point into MG Motor's range in Australia. Priced from $18,490 drive-away, it's one of Australia's cheapest new cars on sale and is similar in size to the Kia Rio and Suzuki Swift. Like the rest of MG's range, the MG3 is sourced from China.

The Drive judges awarded the MG ZS range - which comprises the value-laden ZS, the spirited ZST and the most affordable electric car in Australia, the ZS EV - the Best Value award after judging it against criteria that included driver technology, comfort, safety, ongoing running costs, performance and handling.

ReliabilityIndex place MG around the middle of their reliability table at 17th out of 39. They gave them a reliability index of 105 which is just about above the industry average of 118 (the lower the reliability index the better).

It really comes down to price. If you can get an MG ZS cheap enough, it makes sense. Indeed you can get quite a bargain on the used market. For a certain generation, the MG badge still holds some prestige compared to, say, Dacia, but for many people it's simply another budget brand.

The MG3 Core model stands out from the competition thanks to its unique features. It has an 8-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a 6-speaker audio system, Bluetooth, and connectivity. To make parking a breeze, it also has a reversing camera. Also worth mentioning is its fuel efficiency.

How old is the MG3? ›

The Core gets 15-inch alloy wheels, cloth tartan finish seat trim, auto on/off halogen headlights with LED daytime running lights, manual air conditioning, electric windows, electric mirrors, and a leather steering wheel with audio and cruise control buttons.

If a timing chain were to stretch you could notice power loss, engine backfires, rattle in the engine, rough idle and driving. The vehicle will run roughly as the timing becomes out of sync.

This family of general-purpose machine-guns is still widely used by militaries around the world because of its simple design, rapid rate of fire and its robustness on the battlefield. The MG-3 is a variation of the popular MG-42 machine-gun used by Nazi Germany during the Second World War.

The new MG 3 has been priced at £18,495, making it the cheapest full hybrid car on sale in the UK, ahead of the Renault Clio and the Toyota Yaris.

The MG 3 is a spacious small car that's fun to drive, but a gutless engine and dated interior on pre-facelift examples mean there are better options.