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MG, the British brand with a long history of making sports cars, is now owned by Chinese automaker SAIC and has reinvented itself as a maker of affordable electric and hybrid vehicles. The MG EHS plug-in hybrid SUV is the latest example of this strategy, a plug-in hybrid SUV that competes with models like the Ford Escape PHEV, the Toyota RAV4 Prime and the Hyundai Tucson PHEV.

But unlike those rivals, the MG EHS plug-in hybrid SUV has a starting price of just $39,900, making it one of the cheapest plug-in hybrid SUVs on the market. How does it achieve this low price, and what does it offer in terms of performance, efficiency, features and safety? Let’s find out.

Performance and efficiency

The MG EHS plug-in hybrid SUV combines a 1.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine with a 90 kW electric motor and a 16.6 kWh lithium-ion battery. The total system output is 258 horsepower and 273 lb-ft of torque, which is comparable to the Ford Escape PHEV (221 hp) and the Toyota RAV4 Prime (302 hp) but less than the Hyundai Tucson PHEV (261 hp).

The MG EHS PHEV can drive up to 32 miles on electric power alone, according to the WLTP cycle, which is slightly less than the Ford Escape PHEV (37 miles) and the Hyundai Tucson PHEV (32 miles), but much less than the Toyota RAV4 Prime (42 miles). The battery can be fully charged in about 4.5 hours using a 3.7 kW on-board charger and a public AC charging point. The MG EHS PHEV luxury SUV also has a regenerative braking system that recovers energy during deceleration and braking and stores it in the battery.

The MG EHS PHEV has a 10-speed automatic transmission that combines a 6-speed gearbox for the engine and a 4-speed gearbox for the electric motor. This allows the vehicle to choose the optimal gear and shift smoothly and quickly, ensuring high efficiency in all driving conditions. The MG EHS plug-in hybrid SUV has an average fuel consumption of 156 mpg and an average CO2 emission of 43 g/km, according to the WLTP cycle, which is better than the Ford Escape PHEV (100 mpg and 66 g/km), the Toyota RAV4 Prime (94 mpg and 38 g/km) and the Hyundai Tucson PHEV (91 mpg and 38 g/km).

Features and safety

The MG EHS PHEV is well-equipped with a range of comfort and convenience features, such as a 10.1-inch touchscreen infotainment system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, a panoramic sunroof, leather seats, a power tailgate, a wireless phone charger, a 360-degree camera, a 6-speaker sound system, and dual-zone climate control.

The MG EHS plug-in hybrid SUV also comes with a comprehensive package of driver assistance and safety systems called MG Pilot, which includes adaptive cruise control, lane keep assist, blind spot detection, rear cross-traffic alert, forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking, traffic sign recognition, intelligent high beam assist, and driver fatigue monitor. The MG EHS PHEV has a five-star Euro NCAP safety rating thanks to its high-strength steel body structure and six airbags.