MG HS Review (2024-present)

What is the MG HS?

The MG HS is a midsize family SUV that serves as the Chinese’s brand’s best-selling model in the UK. In this latest generation, this family car takes on competitors like the Kia Sportage, Nissan Qashqai, and Volkswagen Tiguan, but at a significantly lower price. Starting at just £25,000, the MG HS undercuts its rivals by several thousand pounds, making it one of the most affordable options in its class.

Despite its budget-friendly price, the HS offers a well-rounded package, with 19-inch alloy wheels as standard, a refined exterior design, and a spacious interior. It can be had with either a petrol engine or as a plug-in hybrid (PHEV), with both powertrains providing excellent value in terms of equipment and running costs. The new MG HS plug-in hybrid has an electric range of up to 75 miles, which is among the best-in-class.

How Practical is it?

The MG HS fares well for practicality, offering a 507-litre boot, regardless of whether you opt for the petrol or plug-in hybrid model. This is significantly larger than you’ll find in the BYD Seal U, although it still falls short of competitors like the Kia Sportage and Hyundai Tucson.

The rear seats fold in a 60/40 split, allowing for a large through-load bay when extra space is needed. While the boot floor isn't adjustable, the flat loading lip makes it easy to load and unload bulky items. We do, however, wonder if MG might have been better off losing the enormous piece of polystyrene that lives under the boot floor in order to create more luggage space.

Inside, the HS offers excellent rear legroom and headroom, especially for taller passengers. The near-flat rear floor also makes it more comfortable for three adults in the back. The front seats are spacious, with plenty of storage compartments spread across the cabin. SE models come with manual seat adjustments, while Trophy models feature powered seats and synthetic leather upholstery.

What’s it Like to Drive?

The entry-level MG HS is powered by a 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine that produces 169bhp and 202 lb-ft of torque. It takes 9.5 seconds to accelerate from 0-62mph, which is fairly average for this kind of car. Around town, the engine feels adequate, and the 7-speed DCT dual-clutch automatic gearbox (a six-speed manual is also available) performs smoothly at low speeds. However, at higher speeds or when accelerating with more urgency, the engine becomes noisy, and the gearbox can be slow to respond, which detracts from the driving experience.

For those who want more power and efficiency, the plug-in hybrid (PHEV) version of the HS is worth considering. It combines the same 1.5-litre petrol engine with an electric motor and a 24.7kWh battery, producing 307bhp and cutting the 0-62mph time to 6.8 seconds. The PHEV offers an electric-only range of up to 75 miles, which is impressive for a vehicle in this class and keeps CO2 emissions as low as 12g/km, which is ideal for company car drivers due to the lower Benefit-in-Kind rate is attracts.

In terms of sensation, the PHEV doesn't feel anywhere near as fast as it's figures suggest. Acceleration feels moderate and steady whether you keep your throttle inputs gentle or bury the pedal, and that applies whether you're pulling away from a standstill or picking up speed on the move. The acceleration always has that linear, unbroken quality you feel in an electric car, too. In fact, it's quite hard to detect what the petrol engine is doing at any given time, because engine noise is so well isolated from the cabin. Much of the time, you only know it's running at all because the dashboard is telling you so. Wind- and road noise aren't quite so well contained, but neither are they too bothersome.

The ride quality in the MG HS is comfortable, with the suspension tuned to absorb bumps well at low and high speeds, and the body control is generally fine. However, it's not as engaging to drive as a Ford Kuga or Kia Sportage, with the steering lacking in feedback and feeling a bit springy. The weighting is a bit inconsistent, too. While it's competent as a family SUV, drivers looking for a more dynamic driving experience are likely to feel underwhelmed.

Technology, Equipment, and Infotainment

The MG HS offers a strong suite of technology and features, particularly at its price point. Even the base SE trim comes with a 12.3-inch touchscreen infotainment system, which supports Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, as well as a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster. The system is functional, but like many modern cars, too many functions are packed into the touchscreen, making simple adjustments like changing the temperature or seat heating more cumbersome than necessary.

The Trophy model upgrades the SE’s equipment with features like powered seats, wireless phone charging, and dual-zone climate control. You also get an upgraded eight-speaker audio system and Matrix LED headlights. However, while the infotainment system looks good, its usability can be frustrating due to the lack of physical controls for essential functions.

Active safety features are included as standard across the range, but their tuning leaves room for improvement. Systems like lane-keep assist, speed limit warnings, and driver attention monitoring can be overly sensitive, frequently beeping and causing distractions. While you can adjust or turn off these systems, doing so requires navigating the touchscreen menus, which can be a hassle while driving.

MG HS Running Costs

The MG HS range starts at around £25,000, undercutting rivals like the Kia Sportage and Nissan Qashqai by several thousand pounds. The PHEV version starts at just over £31,000, which is competitive for a plug-in hybrid in this class, particularly given its generous electric-only range.

MG’s 1.5-litre petrol engine returns 37mpg on the WLTP official test cycle, which is fairly poor for this segment. For those who prioritise efficiency, the PHEV’s ability to cover up to 75 miles on electric power alone gives it a combined fuel economy figure of around 565mpg, which could make it a much more economical choice. However, you'll need to keep it plugged in regularly and do mainly short trips to get anywhere near that. Let the battery charge run out, and from what we've observed during our time with the car, the fuel return you'll get will actually be slightly worse than with the other engine.

MG HS Reliability

The MG HS comes with a 7-year warranty, one of the longest in the industry. While the reliability of the latest model has yet to be fully proven, it is worth noting that MG did not fare well in the 2024 What Car? Reliability Survey. The previous generation of HS didn’t fare much better, coming in at 30th of the 33 models in the family SUV class. Fingers crossed that the new MG HS puts in a stronger performance when it comes to reliability.

What does work in MG’s favour is its seven-year, 80,000-mile warranty from new. While not quite a match for Kia’s seven-year, 100,000-mile warranty, it’s still better than what most other rivals offer.