MG HS SUV - MPG, running costs & CO2

There won't be many complicated decisions here because the HS is available with either a 1.5-litre petrol engine or a plug-in hybrid powertrain. Given the size of MG's SUV, the petrol engine has to work hard and so isn't particularly frugal, but the HS should still be a reasonably inexpensive long-term proposition thanks to its low purchase price and affordable maintenance bills.

MG HS MPG & CO2

The 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine can return up to 37.9mpg with a six-speed manual gearbox and 36.6mpg if a dual-clutch automatic gearbox is chosen. This is a little behind the same-sized engine in the Skoda Karoq, which returns up to 44.8mpg, and MG says owners can expect a range of around 400 miles from a tank of petrol.

CO2 emissions aren't particularly competitive, with figures of 168g/km for the manual and 174g/km with the automatic, making the solely petrol-powered MG HS a hard sell for business drivers paying Benefit-in-Kind tax.

Company-car drivers will be much better off with the MG HS PHEV, a plug-in hybrid that manages up to 32 miles of zero-emission electric range. Not only does it reduce fuel costs if you regularly charge the battery, but it sits in a significantly lower BiK band. Officially, the HS plug-in hybrid returns 155.8mpg, which could well be achievable if you mainly do journeys on electric power.

Petrol versions are subject to the standard rate of yearly VED (road tax), while there’s a slightly discounted rate for the plug-in hybrid.

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Insurance groups

The MG HS sits in groups 16-18, so it should be cheaper to insure than many family SUVs. Note that the PHEV occupies groups 27-28, so premiums will be a little costlier than the standard petrol model.

Warranty

MG's seven-year warranty is one of the car’s key selling points, as it’s more than double the length of the cover offered with a Skoda Karoq, Peugeot 3008 and Nissan Qashqai. It's also longer than Hyundai and Renault’s five years of cover and almost matches Kia, although the latter's 100,000-mile mileage cap is even more generous than MG's 80,000 miles. The warranty can also be transferred to subsequent owners, which should boost residual values.

Servicing

While MG isn't as ubiquitous in the UK as it once was, service centres have been placed in strategic locations, according to the brand, and the dealership network seems to be constantly expanding.