Fiat 500 vs MG 3

What's the difference?

It feels like the Fiat 500 is coming of age in this new-generation EV form. Electric power perfectly suits this compact hatch’s unique personality. It’s comparatively well priced and the design shouts Italian cool. It’s a niche model, but the 500e’s undoubted charisma could broaden its appeal as electric vehicle adoption begins to pick up pace. 

Note: CarsGuide attended this event as a guest of the manufacturer, with travel, accommodation and meals provided.

There is no doubt that the new MG3 is better than the car it supersedes – that tends to happen when you replace something that's 13-years old. It drives smoothly enough, has a frugal hybrid powertrain and good levels of safety equipment. Interior space is adequate and there are some genuinely nice touches like the comfortable seats and cabin design.

But that doesn't mean the new MG3 is better than the Toyota Yaris, Mazda2, Suzuki Swift or Volkswagen Polo. Those established rivals are more consistent, have greater breadth of ability and now really aren't that much dearer than MG's entry-level city car.

That said, the MG3 is still more affordable than most and transformed in driving experience. It is, therefore, worth putting on your small car short list, if no longer buy-without-thinking cheap. We applaud MG improving its products based on feedback and hope the much-improved MG3 finds buyers. Expect a comparison test with key rivals soon for a definitive verdict.

In its latest electronic guise, the 500e stays loyal to its 1950s cinque­cento roots, with the addition of contemporary touches like this distinctive split headlight and DRL design, beautiful 17-inch alloys that look like they’ve come out of a jewellery box, and a simple, curved rear end treatment with classic 500-style LED tail-lights. 

There are six colours to choose from, with ‘Ice White’ being the only no-cost option.  Premium shades - ‘Onyx Black’, ‘Ocean Green’, ‘Mineral Grey’ and ‘Rose Gold’ cost $700 extra, while the ‘Tri-coat’ ‘Celestial Blue’ adds $1600 to the price.

The interior also evokes 500s of old with a familiar elongated central panel across the dash, a two-spoke steering wheel and a circular instrument binnacle. 

Woven material across the dash (made from recycled plastic) is a nice touch, and there are fun Easter eggs around the car like Turin’s skyline embossed in the wireless charging pad and an outline of the original 500 in the armrest recesses.

The single trim option is ‘Ice Beige’ synthetic leather on the seats and door panel, with a super-cool ‘FIAT’ monogram pattern, throwing back to the brand’s typography from the 1960s and ‘70s. 

Overall, the cabin design is neat and ultra-clean with a high-quality attention to detail.

For all the flack Chinese carmakers have taken for copying others homework, the new MG3 is refreshingly original from the outside.

Not to say it's a beautiful car: that front overhang is a little too long and we think the wheel design is a little chintzy but at least the new MG3 feels differentiated in the class.

It has a distinctive face and confident character lines down its flanks while the Brighton blue hero colour (pictured) is eye-catching – we'd skip the '90s inspired Pastel yellow hue, though.

Inside, a hexagonal steering wheel borrowed from the MG4 is complemented by confident horizontal volumes. The MG3's interior is largely uncluttered by buttons and, in a nod to the previous MG3, there's an off-axis Tartan flourish ahead of driver and passenger.

MG has placed a piece of soft vinyl prominently, situated just in front of the high resolution 10.25-inch touchscreen to give the cabin a tactility lift. The rest of the materials are typically plasticky yet there is a pleasant grain that takes some of the shine away and restore a more quality feel.

It might be 61mm longer than the combustion 500, but at just over 3.6m long, a little under 1.7m wide and a bit more than 1.5m tall, the 500e is still right-sized for the city.

A four-seater, it offers adequate space for the driver and front seat passenger, but with a wheelbase of just over 2.3 metres, something’s got to give, and that turns out to be room in the rear. 

Realistically, it’s a kids-only zone, and even then, those in front will need to give ground to free up some legroom. 

Storage runs to a tray between the front seats complete with roll-top lid, another storage box/armrest above that, a small glove box and bins in the doors with just enough room for a decent-size bottle. 

For connectivity, there are USB-A and USB-C ports for power and media, plus a 12V socket in the centre storage tray and another in the boot. No charging options in the back.

Speaking of the boot, it's only 185 litres (VDA) with four seats up. Enough room for a limited number of (preferably) soft bags, although the rear seat split-folds 50/50 to open up 550L.

Given the front engine, FWD configuration, it’s no surprise there’s no ‘frunk’, the 500e is a no-tow zone, and don’t bother looking for a spare of any description your only option is a repair/inflator kit.

The brand has clearly worked on the functionality of its multimedia system since debuting in the MG4. It looks familiar but the touchscreen is more responsive and there are intuitive shortcut buttons for the screen-based HVAC controls.

Apple CarPlay and Android Auto remains wired via a regular USB port, unfortunately, and there is no wireless charging on either grade. A USB-C port and 12-volt socket are present for extra cabled charging.

The digital driver's display has adequate functionality and includes an instant tyre pressure monitoring display – a key safety feature.

The steering wheel controls have been updated with clearer labelling. The right side controls the media volume and driver's display and left panel manages cruise control and driver assistance features.

MG's Excite doesn't feel like a de-contented base model with quite agreeable cloth upholstery, The driver's seat offers six-way manual adjustment and is comfortable with good back support.

The driving position was good for me, however, without telescopic steering wheel adjust you may find it more difficult to find an ideal spot.

There are two cup holders in the centre console ahead of the rotary gear selector (base petrols get a normal shifter). A further tray for phone and wallet storage sits ahead and the door bins are generous for a small car.

Not to be taken for granted in the class is a padded centre armrest with covered storage for valuables.

Measuring just over 4.1 metres long, don't expect palatial back seat space but the MG3 is certainly passable for a city car. At 188cm I could just squeeze in behind my driving position and soft-backed chairs aid comfort.

There are even adjustable vents and a USB port for rear passengers. Unfortunately, the window switches are not all auto up and down.

The standard trio of top tether anchors and pair of ISOFIX anchors for outboard seats are present for child capsules and chairs.

It's in the boot where the MG3's cost cutting becomes most obvious. The floor material is flimsy, there's only one shopping back hook and the back rest is a rare case of non split-folding. It is an awkward task flicking the seat down as you need two hands to unlatch the rest.

At 293 litres the boot is generous in size, though, and petrol models feature a space-saver spare. The hybrid places its 12-volt battery in the cavity under the floor.

MG offers two trims – Excite entry level and Essence range topper – and a pair of powertrains. They're difficult to tell apart in the flesh using the same exterior garnishes, matching mirror caps and identical wheels.

Start price is up a whole lot from the previous model and it is no longer drive-away. It pushes the current run-out $18,990 drive-away price up to $23,990 before on-road costs.

The Hybrid+ powertrain is an expensive option adding $4000 to the price.

You do get a lot more for your money, though. A set of 16-inch alloy wheels (no hubcaps here), a CVT automatic, a 10.25-inch touchscreen, a digital driver’s display, cloth upholstery, manual seat adjust and polyurethane-appointed steering wheel feature on the Excite.

Outside, you can only tell the difference between our base car and the $2000 more expensive Essence by the LED headlights and a sunroof, otherwise they’re visually very similar.

The Essence gets rain-sensing wipers, white artificial leather upholstery on the seats, leather-wrapped steering wheel, a 360-degree camera and remote smartphone control of the air conditioning and heating.

The Essence adds a few goodies but it's not a transformative jump. The Excite feels like all you need.

Growing more expensive than the Kia Picanto (GT-Line at $23,490 drive-away) is probably no bad thing either, as the Korean car is significantly smaller than the MG3. Pricing for the new Suzuki Swift is set to be revealed shortly, but it is likely to undercut the MG3, too.

The MG3's powerful hybrid allows it to compete with the Toyota Yaris Ascent Sport hybrid on more level terms... but it needs to because its price is only $501 shy of the Toyota.

Power is provided by a traction electric motor sending 87kW/220Nm to the front wheels via a single-speed reduction gear automatic transmission.

It’s fed by a 42kWh lithium-ion battery, the set-up running on a 400-volt electric architecture.

The 1.5-litre petrol four-cylinder is a new direct-injected item that produces less power (81kW at 6000 rpm – down a kilowatt) and torque (142Nm at 4500 rpm lower by 8Nm) than the item it replaces.

It now drives the front wheels via a CVT automatic instead of a four-speed slushbox.

The 'Hybrid+' option is much more interesting. It uses a different 1.5-litre petrol engine running in Atkinson cycle and, unlike the Suzuki Swift, is a proper system.

MG's hybrid is different to Toyota's 'e-CVT' transaxle set up, the brand calls its transmission a three-speed automatic. We have not seen diagrams but in operation it feels similar to GWM Haval's 'Dedicated Hybrid Transmission' solution in the Jolion.

That means impressive peak outputs of 155kW and around 420Nm but those figures only occur at very specific times – peak torque, for example, is only delivered at 50km/h in second gear when the 1.83kWh battery is suitably charged.

The resulting 0-100km/h sprint claim is 8.0 seconds for the MG3 hybrid.

That 42kWh battery is connected to an 85kW DC charging system, with Fiat claiming it makes 50km of range available after five minutes, and 80 per cent of range in 35 minutes.

The charging port is a CCS Type 2 combo, and the AC maximum is 11kW, taking four hours for a full charge. An 11kW Mode 3 charging cable is included as standard.

Maximum range is 311km which is pretty handy, with the benefit that the relatively small battery delivers those quick recharge times.

Energy consumption on the WLTP cycle is 14.3kWh/100km, however our relatively brief steer around Turin didn’t allow for a meaningful test figure. That will have to wait for evaluation on local soil. 

The petrol-only model's rated fuel consumption falls from 6.7L/100km to 6.0L/100km. It requires 91 RON unleaded and is rated to Euro 5 standards.

The hybrid scores 4.3L/100km in the ADR combined consumption. That's not as good as a Toyota Yaris hybrid (3.3L/100km) but the trade-off is way more grunt.

From the 36L fuel tank – that requires 95 RON unleaded – you can expect over 1000km total driving range.

In reality, we managed to come close to the figure on a 200km country and suburban loop with the trip computer reading 4.8L/100km. A 50km suburban commute was better returning 3.4L/100km.

The MG3's hybrid system can be a little fickle, though.

For the first 10 minutes of driving the petrol engine has to rev at 1500-2000rpm to charge the battery. We saw consumption climb to 10L/100km when the car was cold.

It also proved more sensitive to driving style than Toyota's hybrids which seem to be extremely efficient no matter how heavy your right foot is.

Fiat claims the 500e will dash from 0-100km/h is 9.0sec which is pretty handy, and in typical EV fashion it’s cheekily rapid around town.

Given the transmission is a single-ratio auto, the placement of buttons in the centre of the dash to control its operation makes a lot of sense. 

Acceleration is impossibly smooth, whether that’s from rest or in the cut-and-thrust of city traffic. 

There are three available drive modes. As the name implies, ‘Normal’ doesn’t place any performance limitations on the motor, while ‘Range’ shifts to more aggressive single-pedal regenerative braking and even slicker accelerator response.

Then, if you’re low on charge, ‘Sherpa’ limits maximum speed to 80 km/h and softens accelerator response while cutting the climate control and seat heaters to ensure you get to your destination in best Nepalese mountaineering fashion. 

We tried a stint in all three, and Range proved the most effective around town, the regen braking being strong but never abrupt (and able to bring you to a complete stop).  

The disc front/drum rear mechanical brakes are a bit sharp on initial bite but nice and progressive from there. 

A note for left-foot brakers, though. Apply pressure to the accelerator and brake pedals at the same time and the car bogs down in a case of minor paralysis. A quick dab on the brake is required to get things going again.  

Of course, noise levels are low, with the motor just a background hum. But Fiat has installed an unusual (mandatory) ‘Acoustic Vehicle Alert System’ warning for pedestrians at speeds up to 20 km/h.

Rather than the generic space-age tone favoured by many brands, the 500e plays the music of Amarcord by Italian composer Nino Rota. Wow. Turning the car on or off can also be set to produce a guitar sequence inside the cabin.

Suspension is strut front/torsion beam rear and over decidedly ordinary surfaces through inner Turin the 500e was impressively refined, retaining its composure over some nasty ruts and bumps. 

A roughly 300kg battery under the floor makes for a low centre of gravity, and thanks to wide tracks for its size, the 500e feels well planted and stable even in sharp cornering manoeuvres.

Steering feel is good, the 205/40 Continental EcoContact 6 rubber is agreeably quiet and grippy and a 9.7m turning circle makes reverse parking or a 180-degree change of course pretty straight forward. 

In terms of ergonomics, operating the car is stress-free with a sensible mix of on-screen and physical controls, although a minor black mark goes against small opening levers located low down in the door panels. Not exactly easy to get to.    

The MG3 continues the theme on the road. An impressive effort at first glance – certainly enough to impress on a test drive – yet spend an extended period behind the wheel and some cracks begin to show.

The steering is light and easy in town with two and a half turns lock-to-lock and a tight turning circle. There is good visibility out and driver aids are mostly unobtrusive.

Borrowing from its EV stablemates, the MG3 has three levels of regenerative braking. It defaults to '2', the mid setting, which we found a bit too bitey – '3' is way too much. The lowest level is relatively natural, though no setting is a one-pedal mode.

Its ride is really good for the class being more compliant than a Kia Picanto. The front end is especially absorbent though the rear can be a little abrupt on sharp bumps – this is common on small cars with front struts and rear torsion beams.

The MG3's hybrid powertrain is smooth and slick around in the city with a reassuring brake pedal.

And while the torque figure doesn't always ring true when the battery is discharged, with it juiced up the MG3 is rapid between 35-60km/h. The fairly light 1298kg kerb weight keeps it feeling quite peppy.

Not all is perfect, though, and the MG3 isn't so talented on the open road.

This little car is very noisy on coarse chip road surfaces at above 70km/h and there are pronounced steps in the power delivery at higher speeds, making it hard to trust the MG3 when merging into gaps.

Be wary of the speedometer as well – it is more accurate than most cars with almost no error. Our GPS lined up exactly at 100km/h.

The MG3's steering has poor on-centre feel at pace. There is a lot of body lean to the chassis and it reacts nervously to small corrective inputs in crosswinds and cambers.

Wrapped around its 16-inch alloys are 195/55 R16 sized Kumho Solus HS63 tyres which are reasonable but nothing special.

A brief test drive could convince you the MG3 has moved ahead of the Suzuki Swift, Mazda2 and even Volkswagen Polo. A longer drive confirms that, though the MG3 has come a long way, the more expensive nameplates in the class are more polished all-rounders.

The MG3 has yet to be rated by independent safety testing bodies, including ANCAP.

The MG3 follows the MG5 sedan which was awarded a zero-star rating by ANCAP. Not only did it lack safety features, it scored zero in various adult occupant protection criteria including frontal offset, full width, far-side and whiplash protection. 

Unlike the 5 the MG3 is a key vehicle in Europe and the United Kingdom so a high rating in crash testing is important.

All MG3s are fitted with adaptive cruise control, autonomous emergency braking, speed sign detection, lane-keep assist and lane-departure warning. The Essence gets blind-spot detection and rear cross-traffic alert on top.

The systems aren't intrusive in town but the lane-trace assist and adaptive cruise control are not great. The lane-assist bounces the MG3 between lane markings and the adaptive cruise slows down too early and quickly when approaching another vehicle.

The MG3 features six airbags: front driver and passenger, curtain and side though there is no centre airbag.