MG will undercut the Toyota RAV4 with a plug-less hybrid of its own, the HS Hybrid+, due in showrooms later this year.
The plug-less hybrid version of the 2025 MG HS family SUV will be priced from $42,990 drive-away when it arrives in showrooms this September.
It undercuts the most affordable RAV4 Hybrid by $1800 to $4500 – depending on the state of registration – in base Hybrid+ Excite form, and is about $2400 to $3700 dearer than an equivalent petrol-only HS Excite.
The better-equipped HS Hybrid+ Essence is listed at $46,990 drive-away, about $3000 to $4000 more than an equivalent petrol-only HS Essence.
Both plug-less hybrids undercut the plug-in hybrid HS, branded Super Hybrid, which – following a July 1 price cut – now starts from $50,990 drive-away for the Excite, and $54,990 drive-away for the Essence.
Among MG's Chinese competitors, only GWM offers its mid-size family SUV as a 'plug-less' hybrid, and it is cheaper – starting from $40,990 drive-away for the Haval H6 Lux Hybrid.
MG Australia has yet to publish full specifications of the HS Hybrid+, including what each model grade will offer as standard.
In the UK, it combines a 105kW 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine with a 146kW electric motor and 1.83kWh battery pack for a combined output of 165kW.
It claims fuel consumption of 5.5 litres per 100 kilometres in European WLTP testing – which is more stringent than the NEDC protocols typically quoted by MG Australia – and a 0-100km/h acceleration time of 7.9 seconds.
The hybrid system in the HS is derived from the one in the smaller ZS, but with a more powerful electric motor and engine, the latter now turbocharged.
Much of the mechanicals in the HS Hybrid+ are shared with the Super Hybrid plug-in hybrid, but it cannot be recharged externally, and its battery is much smaller (1.83kWh vs 24.7kWh), so it lacks the PHEV's 120km WLTP electric range.
More details of the 2025 MG HS Hybrid+ are due closer to its Australian launch this September.
Alex Misoyannis has been writing about cars since 2017, when he started his own website, Redline. He contributed for Drive in 2018, before joining CarAdvice in 2019, becoming a regular contributing journalist within the news team in 2020. Cars have played a central role throughout Alex’s life, from flicking through car magazines at a young age, to growing up around performance vehicles in a car-loving family. Highly Commended - Young Writer of the Year 2024 (Under 30) Rising Star Journalist, 2024 Winner Scoop of The Year - 2024 Winner
