3 hours Ago By Max Davies
MG’s first all-new compact hatch in 15 years has finally arrived in Australia, and it has steep expectations to meet. The outgoing MG 3 – which dates back to 2011 in China, was first released here in 2016, and is still available in runout while stocks last – was for many years Australia’s top-selling light car, primarily because it was cheap. It had minimal features in terms of safety and tech, and that allowed the old MG 3 to be priced from just $19,990 drive-away, making it Australia’s cheapest car.
That meant it sold well among people, both young and old, who simply needed a vehicle to get about in, and as a result you’ll struggle to travel anywhere without seeing at least one. While it didn’t have the same misfortune of being slapped with a zero-star ANCAP safety rating like its newer MG 5 sedan stablemate (because it was never tested and always remained ‘unrated’ by the independent auto safety body), it was even more poorly equipped when it came to safety. Autonomous emergency braking (AEB), which becomes mandatory for all new cars from 2025, was just one key omission.
The new MG 3 improves on its predecessor’s shortcomings, but unsurprisingly that has had an effect on its pricing. WATCH: Paul’s video review of the MG 3 Hybrid+ Essence Though it’s no longer Australia’s cheapest car, it’s still priced from under than $25,000 drive-away – just – and for that price you get this, the entry-level MG 3 Excite, which is much better-equipped than its aged forebear. It’s as simple as it gets for the new MG 3, with none of the fancier hybrid tech in more expensive variants to be seen here.
Indeed, that adds more than $3000 to the price, with the equivalent MG 3 Hybrid+ Excite priced at almost $28,000 before on-road costs. At the base petrol Excite’s price point, there’s no shortage of competition in the market, although there’s less than there used to be following the demise of the Kia Rio, Honda Jazz, Hyundai Accent, Ford Fiesta and other popular light cars in recent years. While the smaller Kia Picanto micro-hatch still costs less than $20,000 (plus on-road costs), the larger Mazda 2 and Suzuki Swift Hybrid (which was also updated this year) light cars are vying for the same mid-$25k-plus buyers.
It can be difficult to decide which car is best for you. Is the MG 3 the pick of the affordable hatch bunch, or should you go for one of the others? The MG 3 Excite opens the range, which comprises two powertrains, each available with two equipment grades, at $24,990 drive-away. It marks a price increase over the old MG 3 of exactly $5000, pushing above the base-spec Picanto ($18,290 before on-roads), Mazda 2 ($22,870 before on-roads), and the Suzuki Swift Hybrid ($24,490 drive-away).
But bear in mind that the cheapest Picanto, Mazda 2 and Swift are all manuals, while the MG 3 lineup is all-auto. Drive-away prices are only offered for the non-hybrid versions of the MG 3 Excite and Essence, and they were announced shortly after the new MG 3 was released. To see how the MG 3 stacks up against its rivals, use our comparison tool About as simple as you might expect, but there are some goodies that set it apart from the competition.
Ahead of the driver is a 7.0-inch digital instrument cluster, which is similar in appearance to the driver’s display in the all-electric MG 4 small hatch. You can cycle through a handful of displays related to driver assist tech and fuel economy using the buttons on the steering wheel.
Everything displayed is clear and simple to read once you’ve found what you’re looking for, but the steering wheel controls themselves can appear fairly ambiguous at first glance. For that reason it pays to spend some time figuring out what everything does. You’ll be able to decipher that the controls on the left relate to safety tech in particular, though the right hand ‘joystick’ lacks clear markings.
After a few minutes spent poking and prodding you’ll find it largely controls the infotainment system, though it can double up as a way to cycle through the instrument cluster menus. A little confusing for sure, but not the end of the world and owners will quickly aclimatise. Another gripe has to do with cabin materials.
It’s unfortunate the Excite is fitted with a plastic steering wheel, though it’s still soft enough and sculpted in a way that makes it comfortable to hold. For comparison, the similarly priced base Mazda 2 has a leather-wrapped steering wheel. Though that older model’s interior appears much more analogue than the MG 3, its presentation is much more cohesive as a result.
The aesthetic-only 12 o’clock (or 6 o’clock in this case) marker incorporated into the bottom of the steering wheel in lieu of a third spoke is an interesting choice, but it creates character if nothing else. You’ll also find a fair bit of gloss black plastic on the steering wheel buttons. We’ve always found such glossy materials quickly look grubby, especially in high-touch locations.
Everything works reliably and feels well-built, though the price point here is very much embodied by the uninviting interior materials. Stepping up to the Essence remedies this with a leather-trimmed wheel, and the additional $2000 also brings some other niceties like LED headlights and a sunroof. The second of the MG 3’s two screens is the 10.
25-inch infotainment display, which is also almost identical to the units in other MG models. It’s very simple in appearance, with large shortcut buttons for the car’s key functions. You only get wired smartphone mirroring, but for a cheap hatch that isn’t unexpected, and it worked reliably in our week with the car.
There are two screens to scroll through on the native system, the second primarily for adjusting the car’s settings. You’ll notice the large climate control shortcut on that home screen, which unfortunately solicits another complaint. The climate control system can only be adjusted through the touch display, although the shortcut features a couple of handy always-on buttons for temperature, fan speed, and air-conditioning.
Below is an array of physical buttons, one of which is a hardwired shortcut to open the dedicated climate menu. If auto brands are going to insist on digital-only climate control systems, this is probably the best way to do it, but that doesn’t mean we wouldn’t prefer a more traditional physical setup. The need to have a button that opens the climate menu adds an unnecessary step to the process, and it’s fiddly to adjust using the screen alone.
Strangely, one of those physical buttons is dedicated to only turning the climate control system on or off, which feels like a waste of space. What’s even weirder is the fact that smartphone mirroring messes with the way the climate control system works. The physical shortcut button below won’t open the climate menu when you’re using Apple CarPlay, for example, which is incredibly frustrating.
You therefore have to exit out of CarPlay to adjust temperature and fan speed. The buttons below are fairly large – why not split them so that some of the more basic functions are right there and ready to go? Further down on the centre console is where you’ll find the gear selector and a handful of connectivity options. You get one USB-A port, one USB-C port, and a 12V outlet up front; with the two former options being your main ways to operate the MG 3’s smartphone mirroring.
There’s a phone-sized cubby below, though your phone likely won’t fit comfortably if you have it plugged in. Therefore there’s no wireless phone charger here in any MG 3 variant. Then there’s the gear selector, which is sturdy, sizeable, and easy to operate.
Its shape appears to have been influenced by BMW’s gear selectors, and it’s at least a decent looking unit, but its leather finish would have been nice on the steering wheel to tie everything together. More of that gloss black plastic appears here too, but at least in this case you have no reason to be touching it. You’ll also find two large switches for the parking brake and the handy auto hold function nearby.
This centre console is home to the majority of the cabin’s storage options, with a dividable cupholder up front, a shallow key slot, and a cubby below the central armrest with a sliding cover. It’s all comfortably sized despite the MG 3’s small proportions. In the Excite you get cloth seat upholstery, which we found to be a quality finish for the comfortable seats.
Of course, everything in here is manually adjustable, but that isn’t a dealbreaker. You’ll again notice the mix of materials going on in here. Between the plastic steering wheel, cloth seat trim, leather-clad armrest and gear selector, the hard plastic dashboard and the gloss black accents, there’s a bit too much going on.
That isn’t uncommon for this segment though. You’ll find similarly uninviting materials in the Mazda 2 and Swift, and while we prefer the presentation in both of those cars, it’s not like the MG 3 is far off the mark. Both of those Japanese cars feature a wider array of physical controls though.
And, crucially, their climate control systems are not operated via their infotainment screens. Regardless, the interior of the MG 3 is an easy place to spend time, and if you proactively set the climate before hitting the road, you likely won’t have too many troubles on the move. The second row isn’t anything special, and it isn’t noticeably different in size to the Mazda 2.
That means average-sized people will fit without too much issue, and taller passengers will have to be conscious of headroom. Legroom will be compromised by taller front-seat passengers, but overall it’s plenty comfortable for ferrying around children or adults – primarily on shorter drives for the latter. The seats themselves are also plush enough, and that cloth upholstery makes them that little bit cozier.
There are some nicer amenities back here that you won’t find in the Mazda 2 as well. Neither have a fold-down armrest, but the MG 3 gets a singular USB-A port below a pair of rear-facing air vents. It’s surprising to find that in a car like this, but of course the MG 3 is by no longer the cheapest car you can buy.
Storage is limited to a tiny cubby on the back of the centre console, as well as small bottle holders in the doors. You still get the standard assortment of ISOFIX child seat anchors and top-tether points across the second row. Unsurprisingly, boot space is nothing to write home about, but it’ll get the job of a daily runabout done without much fuss, and longer items can be accommodated by folding the rear seats.
You get a light and a bag hook as standard, but curiously the two road safety apparatuses are strapped to boot floor instead of being tucked away underneath. To its benefit, non-hybrid MG 3 models gain a space-saver spare wheel under that floor, whereas the hybrids have to make do with a tyre repair kit. The temporary spare doesn’t appear to eat into space here either.
It’s worth considering there’s a sizeable drop from the boot opening to the cargo floor, which means you’ll have to load items up and over instead of sliding them in, which is a fairly common trait across this segment. Aside from the tech-heavy setup up front, most of the MG 3’s interior is a case of what you see is what you get. We could do with some more clearly labelled buttons on the steering wheel, as well as a better thought-out approach to the climate control setup.
To see how the MG 3 stacks up against its rivals, use our comparison tool The two non-hybrid MG 3s share the same naturally aspirated four-cylinder engine, which produces a largely unthreatening 81kW of power and 142Nm of torque. Our week with the car involved primarily freeway driving, though it was broken up by brief stints in Melbourne’s CBD and side streets of a couple regional towns. Our recorded fuel economy is likely a result of the way in which the MG 3 must be driven to get it up to speed in a reasonable time – more on that in a moment.
To see how the MG 3 stacks up against its rivals, use our comparison tool With no hybrid assistance and a kerb weight that’s noticeably higher than its rivals, the MG 3 Excite isn’t the most inspiring car to drive, although it is relatively stress-free. To start with some numbers, this particular MG 3 is a little over 100kg heavier than the cheapest Mazda 2, and nearly 250kg heavier than the equivalent Swift. When you have a car that produces so little power, every kilogram makes a difference.
For context, the hybrid MG 3 weighs 100kg more, but its combined power outputs is considerably higher at 155kW. The petrol Excite is therefore lacking in comparison, and when paired with a CVT auto it feels anything but fast. Plant your foot and there’s a typical CVT scream, as the revs climb dramatically before being held fairly high.
The sound isn’t backed up by much acceleration, which makes pulling out onto faster roads a little unnerving. On uphill freeway on-ramps, the MG 3 Excite will also struggle. That’s made worse if you have more than one person in the car and some cargo in the boot, when you’ll often need to wring the engine to get up to highway speeds.
That of course eats into fuel economy, but because it’s a small engine it won’t hurt your wallet too badly in the long run, and at least its power delivery is consistent. However, one of the reasons I like the base-spec Mazda 2 in particular is because it’s still available with a manual transmission. I’m a firm believer that, if you can, you should absolutely go for the manual version of any car with limited power.
To state the obvious if you’re a car enthusiast, manuals are simply more fun and make for a more engaging driving experience, which means new drivers are more likely to pay attention because they have to be more actively involved with the car behind the wheel. Manuals are also available in the Picanto and Swift Hybrid, though even the CVT version of the latter remains relatively spritely. Unfortunately, there is no manual offered for the petrol MG 3 and there’s a disappointing lack of punch from the engine.
We understand that manuals are a dying breed, because the vast majority of Aussies prefer automatic the convenience of automatic transmissions these days, but the added bonus of manuals is they’re generally cheaper and that would likely have limited the base price hike for the new MG 3. Beyond that, there aren’t too many complaints regarding the way the MG 3 drives, and most people won’t have much issue behind the wheel. It’s comfortable enough and does everything a cheap hatchback should.
There’s a bit of road noise and you may feel like an ant among the sea of SUVs and trucks, but the compact proportions pay dividends when it comes to parking and driving in tighter environments, where the MG 3 shines. Of course, the hybrid powertrain helps with fuel economy in stop-start conditions, but there are other characteristics here that help you around the city and suburbs. For one, the steering is comfortably light, but it still provides adequate feedback from the road below.
The suspension soaks up bumps without too much hassle, and body control is solid enough to make it feel stable in the bends. Then there’s outward visibility, which is a strength of this car. Head checks are easy, and placing the car in tight spaces isn’t at all difficult.
There’s also loads of safety gear included as standard. We found the intelligent cruise and lane-keep assist were unobtrusive and nice to have on the highway, though the cruise-related lane centring function isn’t calibrated well enough to be comfortably relied upon. Adaptive cruise control does well to maintain both distance and speed relative to the traffic ahead, while the car’s cameras and sensors were able to correctly identify nearby vehicles and display them on the digital instrument cluster.
A benefit of the MG 3 is actually its lack of tech compared to other MG models. A notable omission is any sort of driver attention monitoring system, which to people familiar with other new cars – particularly the HS – will be a relief. It effectively means the car won’t be constantly pinging at you for supposedly being distracted or even wearing sunglasses, and it simplifies the driving process given you don’t have to dive through the menus to disable such a system every time you jump in.
Sure, the lack of that kind of safety tech does mean the MG 3’s ANCAP safety rating takes a hit. But given it scored above 70 per cent in all three occupant and pedestrian protection assessments, we think it’d be unfair to call it unsafe. Our final note on the MG 3’s safety tech has to do with its speed limit recognition system.
It does have the tendency to read the wrong speed, so it will sometimes warn that you’re travelling too fast even if you’re not. Fortunately (like the other safety systems) this can be turned off completely, though it needs to be done every time you start the car. It’s not bad enough to ruin the car’s on-road experience, and it’s actually easier to live with than many other similar systems.
Of course, while it’s safety systems help on the open road, the MG 3 is best geared towards urban driving, and as such long-haul trips will likely become uncomfortable after a few hours. As a daily runaround it’s perfectly fine – though not necessarily better than some of its competition. There are some other quirks to keep in mind, like the way the electronic parking brake doesn’t automatically disengage when you select Drive and hit the accelerator.
Prior to the MG 3, I was yet to come across a car that did that, but perhaps it’s an unconventional homage to the physical hand brake. None of this is reason to wipe this car off your list though. You’ll likely get used to these things quickly if you own one.
To see how the MG 3 stacks up against its rivals, use our comparison tool The MG 3 range is split into entry-level Excite and top-spec Essence grades, with a few minor differences between the petrol and hybrid versions. MG 3 Excite highlights: To see how the MG 3 stacks up against its rivals, use our comparison tool The new MG 3 wears a three-star ANCAP safety rating, based on testing conducted in 2024. Standard safety equipment includes: To see how the MG 3 stacks up against its rivals, use our comparison tool MG Australia offers an industry-leading 10-year, 250,000km warranty for its model range, including the MG 3.
All versions get a seven-year roadside assistance plan included and MG has a capped-price servicing offer for seven years, too. Service intervals are 12 months or 10,000km – whichever comes first. To see how the MG 3 stacks up against its rivals, use our comparison tool The long-awaited new MG 3 is a considerable improvement on the aged model it replaces, and is now a worthy competitor for Australia’s most popular light hatches, and not just because of its price.
This base Excite is a solid proposition too. As is the theme with many of MG’s newest models, a full suite of safety gear is included across the range, which means you don’t miss out on much by going for a cheaper option. That means you get loads more value with your purchase even if it is more expensive than it used to be.
The list of standard equipment is nothing to sneeze at either, and the interior of the MG 3 is a comfortable place to spend time. Its tech works reliably, and aside from the plastic steering wheel its cabin materials are generally nice to interact with. A physical climate control system would improve the car, and some leather seat trim accents and LED headlights wouldn’t add further value.
But overall the MG 3 is a solid little car, and that’s backed up by its maturity on the road. Underpowered as it may be, it soaks up bumps without too much issue and has no problem navigating tight city streets. Prolonged freeway stints won’t upset it too much either, and it offers a relatively ‘hands-on’ driving experience thanks to its lack of over-the-top safety gear.
Even if it’s wishful thinking, we think a manual version would be much better to drive, and it would be the ultimate budget MG alongside direct competitors that still offer a do-it-yourself gearbox in Australia. As it stands though, the MG 3 Excite is worthy of your consideration should you be shopping for an affordable daily commuter. You could spend another $2000 for the Essence and get a range of nicer gear, but if you simply need a cheap set of new wheels you won’t feel short-changed buying the entry-level MG 3.
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