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By Jonathan Crouch

The MG3 is at its most affordable to SE petrol form. Jonathan Crouch takes a look.

Ten Second Reviewword count: 33

MG's most affordable model is this car, the MG3 SE petrol. The base petrol engine in use here isn't particularly efficient, but the rest of the package is quite appealing for the money.

Backgroundword count: 123

So how are things at the most affordable end of the market? Not so 'affordable' actually these days, given that the UK's cheapest car, the Dacia Sandero, now costs around £14,000 - or £15,000-£16,000 with a sensible level of trim. If you're shopping in this segment at that latter price level, you might be interested in the fact that there are two recently launched Chinese alternatives available, the Leapmotor T03 and the subject of this review, the MG3 SE petrol. The MG3 SE petrol is the un-electrified version of the MG3 Hybrid+ model launched here in Spring 2024. The SE petrol uses a pretty old-tech engine, but you'd expect that this price point. And it'll save you around £2,000 on the Hybrid model.

Driving Experienceword count: 246

This base MG3 gets the same four cylinder 1.5-litre petrol engine as is found in the entry-level version of its ZS SE petrol small SUV showroom stablemate. It's a de-tuned 115PS version of the 169PS unit used by the larger HS and is not a very advanced unit, defiantly un-electrified and offering 109Nm of torque and a rest to 62mph figure of 10.8s (nearly 3s slower than the Hybrid) en route to 106mph. You also have to have it with a manual gearbox; if you want an auto in your MG3, you'll have to find the extra cash for the Hybrid version. On the move, there's a gruff engine note under acceleration, but things settle down at cruising speeds. Don't expect handling or steering feel to be particularly feelsome but a similarly-priced base Dacia Sandero wouldn't feel much more involving than this. Still, with this MK2 MG3, MG has clearly worked on body stability through the bends and the drive dynamics will probably now be quite satisfactory for most potential customers. Of more interest will be the reasonably settled ride. Plus there's also the fact that, despite the affordable sticker price, this car comes complete with adaptive and intelligent cruise control and a very complete suite of driver assistance features, including a number that you'd have to pay extra for with rivals. Refinement's OK - at town speeds anyway, unless you count the rather noisy climate fan, but you'll notice more road noise on the highway.

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