MG HS running costs and reliability

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• Pure-petrol or plug-in powertrains
• PHEV claims economy of up to 155.8mpg
• Mechanical components seem reliable

The HS offers fairly average fuel economy for a car of its class. MG says the manual version of its entry-level 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine can return 34.7mpg on the WLTP cycle. CO2 emissions stand at 168g/km for the manual, although this figure increases to 174g/km if you opt for the seven-speed automatic.

The plug-in hybrid variant might be the better choice if you need something economical. There are better systems available, although you won’t find one for the same sort of money. MG says its HS PHEV can return 155.8mpg, but you can expect that figure to more than halve in the real world – especially if you don’t keep the battery charged. 

The trip computer said we averaged less than 40mpg during our time with the car. However, we did spend a lot of our time on motorways and faster A-roads rather than around town, where we could take better advantage of the MG’s electric range.

MG says the HS’s EV mode has a maximum range of 32 miles on the open road, and as many as 44 miles around town. The electric assistance also allows the SUV to score a low CO2 emissions rating of just 43g/km, placing it in one of the lowest road tax brackets today.

Servicing and reliability

MG has pulled a leaf out of Kia’s book, offering the HS with a seven-year warranty. However, the company’s mileage limit is lower than Kia’s at 80,000 miles rather than 100,000 miles. Instead, MG hopes to entice buyers into its showrooms with the promise of an unlimited mileage warranty for the first 12 months of ownership.

Plug-in hybrid buyers are covered, too. If the usable capacity of the HS PHEV’s battery pack drops to below 70 percent of what it was when the vehicle was first delivered (which is 16.6kWh), then MG will replace it free of charge. Buyers can also choose from a range of service plans to spread the cost of maintenance for up to seven years.

Reliability

MG’s cars aren’t particularly complicated by the standards of the class. Mechanically, at least, there isn’t that much that can go wrong – and owners seem to be extremely satisfied with the quality of their cars so far. 

However, the HS is made in China – and past experience tells us that strapline isn’t exactly synonymous with high quality. So, the positive reviews touted by owners could all change in a couple of years once the cars have a few more miles on them.

We’ve already seen evidence of potential future failure points. The touchscreen in our plug-in hybrid test car failed completely, leaving us unable to access any of the car’s infotainment functions. As the heating controls are stored in a sub-menu on the screen, we lost access to those as well. Thankfully, our car self-healed once it was parked overnight, but there are reports of some owners needing to have the screen replaced after similar faults.

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