MG S9 alternatives: this hybrid SUV is great value on paper, but what’s the reality? 

This is the MG S9, and it’s a large, seven-seater SUV with loads of kit and a sub-£35,000 price tag. It’s really roomy in town, has an impressive plug-in hybrid system with up to 62 miles of electric range and it looks fairly striking as well.

On top of all that, it’s cheaper than almost all of its alternatives. A plug-in hybrid Chery Tiggo 8 is slightly less expensive, but other than that the S9 undercuts its rivals by thousands of pounds.

That’s on paper, at least. Fewer people are choosing to buy cars outright these days, they’re leasing instead. Leasing a car is a great way to get behind the wheel of something new every few years with a lower monthly payment, and with no worries about depreciation.

So how does the MG S9 compare to its rivals when you look at the lease prices? Well I’ve crunched the numbers to find out. Keep in mind that new lease deals are popping up every day, so all these prices are correct at the time of writing.

I’ll be comparing offers over three years and 30,000 miles, and these are the alternatives I’ve picked:

1. Chery Tiggo 8
2. Jaecoo 8
3. Peugeot 5008
4. Hyundai Santa Fe
5. Kia Sorento
6. Skoda Kodiaq

But first, let’s check out the leasing deals on the MG S9.

New MG S9 leasing prices

The MG S9 is available through Carwow for £361.07 per month, with an upfront payment of £4,627.84. This means it’ll cost you £17,265.29 over three years. Let’s compare that to the alternatives.

1. Chery Tiggo 8

The Chery Tiggo 8 is our reigning Car of the Year because it’s such great value for money. It’s roomy, well made and generously equipped but it’s not as good to drive as the MG and the boot is smaller as well.

Seeing as the MG is only available as a plug-in hybrid, it’s only fair that we compare leasing prices on the Tiggo 8 PHEV as well. You can get one for £306.19 per month with an initial payment of £4,022.28, meaning you’ll pay out £14,738.93 over three years.

2. Jaecoo 8

The Jaecoo 8 is bigger and more luxurious than the MG S9. It comes with things like heated and ventilated seats as standard, and it has a powerful 428hp hybrid engine. It’s also comfortable on longer journeys, unless you’re in the very cramped third row of seats.

This car starts from £45,500, quite a lot more than the MG, and lease prices start from £433,95 per month with a £5,502.40 initial payment. Over three years this will cost you £20,690.65, which is only around £3,400 more than the S9. For the extra kit and performance, I reckon it’s worth considering.

3. Peugeot 5008

If you’re after a head-turning seven-seater, you need to check out the Peugeot 5008. It’s really striking to look at, and the interior is also really posh-feeling. The third row is also roomy, and it’s comfortable to drive, but the touchscreen-based interior controls are fiddly to use.

A plug-in hybrid 5008 will cost you around £43,000, and it’s not the best value to lease either. Prices start from a hefty £612.61 per month with an initial payment of £7,646.32, leading to a total of £29,087.67 over three years. That’s £13,000 more than the S9. Ouch.

4. Hyundai Santa Fe

A former Carwow Car of the Year, the Hyundai Santa Fe is a brilliant seven-seater. It offers similar levels of space and luxury as a Land Rover Discovery, but for around £20,000 less. It may not be that exciting to drive, but it’s comfy and it looks wicked as well.

Prices for the plug-in hybrid start from just over £50,000, but you can lease a Santa Fe for £366.73 per month with an upfront payment of £4,695.76. That comes to £17,531.31 over three years, putting it within a few hundred pounds of the MG S9. Given the choice, I’m taking the Hyundai every time.

5. Kia Sorento

It may be showing its age a bit, but the Kia Sorento is still a solid choice if you want a roomy and reliable SUV. You get loads of standard kit, and if you’re looking for a car to tow a big caravan then you can still get a torquey diesel version. It’s a really good all-rounder.

A plug-in hybrid Sorento will cost you just under £49,000, and the lease deals aren’t the most tempting. You’ll pay £657.95 per month with a £4,242.70 deposit, bringing the total to £27,270.95 over three years.

6. Skoda Kodiaq

The Skoda Kodiaq is a solid, comfortable and spacious large SUV which is packed with clever features to make life easier. You get an umbrella in the driver’s door, a hidden ice scraper in the fuel filler flap and various hooks, tethers and pockets to keep your bits and bobs secure, but you can’t have seven seats and a plug-in hybrid engine.

I’ll stick to the PHEV as a comparison though, and it starts from £42,140. You can lease this car for £304.82 per month, with an initial payment of £3,657.84 bringing the three-year total to £14,326.54.

Mat’s final verdict

When looking for your next car, it’s important to look beyond the list price. The MG S9 may be the second-cheapest car here on paper, but when you work out the leasing costs it’s beaten by the Skoda Kodiaq – a car costing around £7,000 more.

Here’s every car in order from cheapest to most expensive based on the leasing cost over three years.

So which of these cars is actually the best value when leasing? Well I think it’s the Chery Tiggo 8. It may be slightly more expensive than the Skoda, but it comes with a lot more kit as standard. The cheapest lease deal was on the top-spec Summit Tiggo 8, which gets heated and ventilated front and rear seats, a massaging front passenger seat and a surround-view camera – all things the Skoda does without.

I also think you should seriously consider the Hyundai Santa Fe over the MG S9. It’s bigger, more spacious and much nicer to drive, and it also feels posher inside. When buying in cash, there’s more than £15,000 between these two cars, but when you lease them over three years it’s only an extra £265. It’s a lot of car for the money.

Car change? Carwow!

Looking for a new set of wheels? With Carwow you can sell your car quickly and for a fair price – as well as find great offers on your next one. Whether you’re looking to buy a car brand new, are after something used or you want to explore car leasing options, Carwow is your one stop shop for new car deals.

Want to see the latest car content first? Add Carwow as a preferred source here. Click here to follow us on Reddit, where you can keep up-to-date with all the latest news, reviews, advice guides and videos. You can also subscribe to our WhatsApp channel to get the latest news sent straight to your phone.