Why MG3 Hybrid supermini is a winner on East Neuk's rural roads

The MG3 Hybrid is the car a lot of people are looking for.

It’s a well-equipped supermini that drives nicely, is very economical, and undercuts its rivals on price.

Over the past few years MG has carved out a niche producing good-value electric cars.

The MG4 and MG5 are both very impressive models.

More recently, the stunning MG Cyberster pushed the brand further upmarket than ever before. The 500bhp, £60,000 electric roadster is a remarkable car.

The MG3 Hybrid is a return to more bread-and-butter territory.

It’s the company’s first model in some time not to be fully electric. Instead, it pairs a 1.5-litre petrol engine with a 100kW electric motor and a small hybrid battery.

Driving in Tayside and Fife

It’s self-charging so you don’t need to worry about plugging it in at night.

Official fuel economy is an excellent 64.2mpg and I got 61mpg over a week of driving in Tayside and Fife.

Just as impressive as its economy is the MG3 Hybrid’s performance.

The petrol engine and electric motor give a combined 191bhp, which is a lot for a wee city car.

With a 0-62mph time of eight seconds, it’ll blow its rivals away in a sprint from the traffic lights.

the MG3 Hybrid on the road with a loch in the background — Driving through Kingussie in the MG3 Hybrid. Image: Jack McKeown.

Prices for the MG3 Hybrid start at £18,495. That buys you the entry-level SE model, with the top-spec Trophy version I drove weighing in at £20,495.

A non-hybrid petrol MG3 is due to join the range later this year and be priced from around £15,000.

Every MG3 Hybrid comes with a 10.25in touchscreen, adaptive cruise control, automatic headlights and wipers, satellite navigation, air conditioning and digital radio.

All versions also come with smartphone mirroring, although you can’t connect by Bluetooth and need to plug your phone into a cable.

the MG3 Hybrid parked on the cobbled streets of Dundee's Law — Returning an official figure of 64.2mpg, the MG3 Hybrid as an economical car. Image: Jack McKeown.

Trophy models add a reversing camera, leather seats, heated front seats, a heated steering wheel, and some additional safety features. All MG3 Hybrids have automatic transmission.

What is the MG3 Hybrid like to drive?

I spent a lot of time tootling around Dundee in my MG3. It excels in city driving, with its light steering and responsive engine making it easy to zip around in. It’s also at home on rural roads .

On the country lanes leading to the East Neuk its power made short work of inclines. Put your foot down and you can feel the petrol and electric propulsion working in harmony, sending the car surging forward with the pace of a hot hatch.

There’s plenty of grip and it handles road imperfections nicely.

the car parked beside water — The MG3 Hybrid is at home in the city and on country roads. Image: Jack McKeown.

Where it doesn’t shine quite as brightly is motorway journeys. I drove to Dunblane and back to visit some friends and at 70mph there is a bit of noise intrusion into the cabin.

It’s perfectly adequate for occasional jaunts but it’s not the car I’d choose if I did a long motorway commute every day.

Inside the MG3 Hybrid is a pleasant place to be. A smartly laid out dashboard has a touchscreen at its heart, while a digital display provides driver information.

The touchscreen boots up quickly and, for the most part, responds well to inputs.

The interior has a 10.25in touchscreen. Image: Jack McKeown.

Some of the icons are small and tricky to use while driving, however, and it’s frustrating that you can’t control the temperature and fan settings using buttons.

Practicality

Space upfront is fine for tall people. Children and smaller adults will be fine in the back but it is a supermini so don’t expect to fit basketball players in there.

There are plenty of cubbyholes to store drinks and snacks, and the centre console has two cupholders.

The boot is a decent 293 litres but the MG3 Hybrid loses a mark for a seatback that folds in one piece rather than the 60/40 split most small cars offer.

Boot space is good enough but the seatbacks don’t split to fold. Image: Jack McKeown.

MG offers a 10-year, 80,000-mile warranty on all their cars, which is better than almost everyone apart from Kia and Hyundai.

The MG3 Hybrid also comes with a lot of safety kit including automatic emergency braking and a collision warning. Trophy trim also has sensors that alert you do traffic that’s in your blind zone.