MG HS vs Volkswagen Tiguan: an £11,000 price gap, but which SUV should you buy? 

The Volkswagen Tiguan has been one of the go-to SUVs for families for years now. It’s spacious, easy to drive, feels premium inside and it’s available with a wide range of efficient engines which make it cheap to run.

There’s no denying that it’s a brilliant car, but it is also quite pricey. But is there an option which offers similar levels of practicality and quality for a lot less cash? Well that’s where the MG HS comes in.

It costs a whopping £11,000 less than the Volkswagen, but is it a worthy alternative? We’re going to compare these two cars to find out.

Remember, you can buy a brand new or used car right here on Carwow. And you can sell your car, too. We’re here to help you through every step of your car-changing journey.

MG HS vs Volkswagen Tiguan: prices and discounts*

Let’s start by talking brass tacks. The Volkswagen Tiguan starts from around £37,200, however you can pick one up through Carwow for a smidge over £34,000. Prefer to lease your new car? Well the Tiguan can be yours from £331 per month at the time of writing, and that’s with nine months up front over 48 months with a mileage limit of 8,000 per year.

The MG HS is much cheaper than the VW. It starts from £26,000, but through Carwow you can have one for just £23,000. It’s almost £90 per month cheaper to lease as well, costing you £242 per month with the same conditions as the Tiguan.

*All prices correct at the time of writing

MG HS vs Volkswagen Tiguan: equipment and value for money

It’s all well and good being cheap, but the MG HS won’t win many fans if it’s equipped like an old barn as a result. Well thankfully, you do get a lot of standard kit.

All models come with keyless entry, a digital driver’s display, a 12.3-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and adaptive cruise control – although that last one is only available on cars with an automatic gearbox.

It’ll cost you around £2,500 more to step up to the top-spec version, but for that you get a leather interior, heated and electrically-adjustable front seats, a 360-degree camera, a power tailgate and wireless phone charging. This is still almost £7,000 cheaper than a basic Tiguan, so it’s well worth upgrading.

The Volkswagen Tiguan is similarly well-equipped. You get a 12.9-inch infotainment system with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a digital driver’s display, ambient lighting, adaptive cruise control and a reversing camera as standard.

You can also pay just £250 more for the Match model, and that car comes with a power tailgate, keyless entry and a full-width light bar at the front. However, if you want heated seats you’ll have to pay almost £41,000 for the Elegance model.

So both of these cars come with plenty of standard equipment, however the MG is much cheaper which makes it seem better value for money on paper.

MG HS vs Volkswagen Tiguan: interior and practicality

In terms of practicality, these two cars are very evenly matched. Both offer loads of rear head and legroom, as well as plenty of interior storage. However, the Volkswagen Tiguan does have a much larger boot.

If you go for the petrol or diesel version, you get an impressive 652 litres of space, dropping to 490 litres in the plug-in hybrid due to the electrical gubbins under the floor. Go for an MG HS and you’ll have to make do with 507 litres of boot space, although this doesn’t drop when you choose the plug-in hybrid.

When you step inside the Tiguan you start to feel where that extra cash goes, because it feels like a more premium product. The MG does feel impressively posh for its price, with plenty of soft-touch materials and nicely damped switchgear, but the Volkswagen does feel more solid.

The Tiguan’s infotainment system is better as well. The menu layout is clear and easy to navigate, the graphics are bright and crisp and it’s quick to respond to your inputs. The MG’s system is okay, but just now quite as slick in operation.

MG HS vs Volkswagen Tiguan: engines and driving

Both of these cars come with a 1.5-litre petrol engine as standard. In the Tiguan you have 150hp, while the MG has 170hp. The MG is also the only car here which is available with a manual gearbox, the Tiguan only gets a dual-clutch automatic.

You’ll also have to go for the MG if you want a self-charging hybrid. It uses that same 1.5-litre engine, paired with an electric motor to make a combined 224hp, and it can creep along in slow-moving traffic on electric power alone.

The Volkswagen on the other hand is available with a 2.0-litre diesel engine, something the MG does without, which could be ideal if you spend a lot of time slogging up and down motorways.

Both of these cars are also available with impressive plug-in hybrid systems which can do 75 miles on electric power alone, making them ideal for company car drivers looking for the lowest Benefit In Kind rates.

Out on the road, the Volkswagen Tiguan is the more refined car here. It glides over bumps in the road, it’s super-smooth and quiet on the motorway and it handles pretty well on a country road. It’s not as fun as a Ford Kuga, but there’s minimal body roll and the steering is precise. It just goes about its business in a fuss-free manner.

And so does the MG HS. It may not be quite as hushed as the Volkswagen, it’s slightly firmer over bumps and it rolls a bit more in the corners, but it’s still a perfectly civilised thing to eat up miles in. For the money, it’s seriously impressive.

MG HS vs Volkswagen Tiguan: reliability

There is one consideration to make before buying though, and that’s reliability. The MG HS ranked stone-dead last in the 2025 Driver Power owner satisfaction survey, indicating that people who buy these cars may not be too happy with them.

That said, Volkswagen didn’t do much better. It ranked 27th out of 31 brands, and the MG HS has a better warranty – offering seven years of coverage versus the VW’s three years.

MG HS vs Volkswagen Tiguan verdict: which should you buy?

The MG HS may cost over £10,000 less than the Volkswagen Tiguan, but it doesn’t feel like a cheap car to drive or to be in, and it gets an impressive amount of standard equipment. It could be the perfect choice if all you’re after is a great-value, practical SUV to get you from A to B.

The Tiguan does have a larger boot, and it’s more desirable thanks to the premium badge which will mean it’s likely to hold its value better than the MG. This won’t matter if you’re leasing, but if image is important to you and you’re after something a bit more upmarket then the Volkswagen Tiguan is still worth splashing out on.

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.

Click here to follow us on WhatsApp, where you can keep up-to-date with all the latest news, reviews, advice guides and videos.