Should you buy one?

Based on my early experience, yes. The questions over the new-generation MG brand, now resident in China, are melting away, and following on from the Car of The Year winning MG4 EV, the MG3 Hybrid is surprisingly easy to recommend. It’s roomy, quick and efficient, and as a hybrid, it works very well indeed.

It’s not quite as roomy as a Skoda Fabia, lacks the fizz of a Renault Clio, and doesn’t feel as grown up as a Volkswagen Polo, but overall it scores very well indeed. Younger drivers will love its performance – 0-62mph in 8.0 seconds is knocking on the door of hot hatch acceleration – while those around town will appreciate its light and precise steering and compliant ride quality.

But what MG has achieved is a repeat of the MG4 EV’s knock-out value for money. It’s delivered is a hugely competent supermini, packing a full hybrid drivetrain and almost 200hp, for similar sums of money for cars with little more than half the power. Comparable hybrids, such as the Clio E-Tech and Toyota Yaris are significantly more expensive – food for thought for all of the opposition.

What we like

I like the easy-going nature of this car. The steering is light, it’s easy to get in and out of and the boot’s more than large enough to cope with the weekly shop. Although it’s primarily a smaller car for cities, it’s long-legged enough to take 300-mile motorway journeys in its stride.

More impressively, if you pick a car specced with the MG Pilot adaptive cruise and safety suite, you’ll be rewarded with one of the best driver assistance packages I’ve encountered on a small car. Finally, the handling and steering are just about involving enough to make this a fun car to drive.

What we don’t like

The MG3 Hybrid isn’t perfect. It’s a generic-looking car, the front seats aren’t good enough, and the steering wheel doesn’t adjust for reach. The acceleration is swift but sometimes the transmission feels dull-witted almost as if the engine and e-motor aren’t quite plumbed in together perfectly. There are a few minor gripes with the interior build quality and plastics, but no worse than some of its closest rivals.