MG 3 2020 pricing and specs: Costs go up for Kia Picanto rival

Prices for one of Australia’s most affordable cars, the MG 3, have risen as a result of currency fluctuations.

But the MG 3 is still one of the cheapest ways into a new car in the country, despite rises of $500 across the range.

The entry-level Core model lists at just $16,490 drive-away, while the range tops out at $18,490 drive-away for the flagship Excite variant. 

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The Core variant runs 15-inch alloy wheels, cloth tartan finish seat trim, auto on/off halogen headlights with LED daytime running lights, manual air conditioning, electric windows, electric mirrors, and a leather steering wheel with audio and cruise control buttons. There’s a space-saver spare wheel, too.

It has an 8.0-inch touch screen media system with USB connectivity and Apple CarPlay (no Android Auto), Bluetooth phone and audio streaming, and AM/FM radio. There’s no CD player, and the Core model gets four speakers. You can also option sat nav in the Core, but it’ll set you back $500 more.

Stepping up to the Excite sees the adoption of 16-inch two-tone alloy wheels and a body kit, body-coloured mirrors, vanity mirrors in the sun-visors, and synthetic leather trim on the seats with contrast stitching. 

The Excite also includes GPS sat nav as standard, and steps up the sound system to be a six-speaker unit with “Full Vehicle Yamaha 3D Sound Field”.

Safety spec is limited: there’s a reversing camera, rear parking sensors, stability and traction control, and six airbags (dual front, front side, full-length curtain) - but no active safety tech like auto emergency braking (AEB) or lane keeping, blind spot monitoring or rear cross traffic alert.

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Paint colours include Tudor Yellow, Dover White and Pebble Black (all at no cost), and Regal Blue metallic, Scottish Silver metallic and Bristol Red metallic (as seen in these images) that add $500 to the asking price. 

Both models run the same 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine, with 82kW of power (at 6000rpm) and 150Nm of torque (at 4500rpm). It comes standard with a four-speed automatic transmission and front-wheel drive. There’s no manual transmission available. Fuel use is claimed at 6.7 litres per 100 kilometres.

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Perhaps one of the MG 3’s biggest selling points is its lengthy ownership promise: there is a seven-year/unlimited kilometre warranty, with a seven year service cover plan (maintenance due every 12 months/10,000km at an average cost of $382 per visit). Roadside assistance is also included for the duration of the warranty. The warranty is also fully transferable to the next owner, if you decide to sell.

While it is priced as a competitor to the Mitsubishi Mirage and Kia Picanto - both of which are considered “Micro” cars, the MG 3 has seen unprecedented sales success in the “Light” car segment, where it competes with the likes of the Kia Rio, Mazda 2 and Toyota Yaris. Only the latter has outsold the MG 3 so far in 2020, with the MG 3 having already notched up 2270 sales to the end of May.

MG 3 2020 range pricing (drive-away):