MG S9 Review & Prices

The S9 is the largest car that MG sells in the UK, an enormous plug-in hybrid seven-seater SUV with a competitive price tag and lots of standard equipment. It looks quite smart and it’s properly spacious inside, but the infotainment system is jarring to use and it isn’t very comfortable.

Like a duffel bag on Temu it’s great on paper, with a sleek-enough design and the promise of carrying a lifetime’s worth of items thanks to its clever pockets. You soon realise that a more expensive option would have been more comfortable to live with, and you’d have more faith that it’ll last for the long-run.

It’s not like there’s a lack of posher alternatives, either, with the Peugeot 5008, Hyundai Santa Fe, Kia Sorento and Skoda Kodiaq to consider. The Chery Tiggo 9 and Jaecoo 8 are Chinese examples to consider, or for true bang-for-your-buck value, the Dacia Jogger is a worthy contender.

The MG manages to look more expensive than it is, though. Sure, it’s a smidge generic from a distance, but the broad front grille, wraparound taillight (singular) and an abundance of chrome give the MG S9 a lot of road presence. Its whopping five-metre length and two-metre width help with that, too…

Hike up into the high-set driver’s seat and you’re in for a treat, because MG has managed to tow a good line between the minimalist cabins of the latest Chinese cars and the chunkier, feature-full interiors of its European and Korean alternatives. A pair of 12.9-inch displays reside in a pod on the stepped dashboard, above built-in air vents and a row of climate control buttons.

It’s a shame the infotainment is so irritating to use, though. The graphics are dated compared to what you’ll find in a Chery or BYD, and it’s dreadfully slow to respond to your touch. Shortcut buttons on the steering wheel do little to help.

The MG S9 is very spacious, that being said. With ample storage space across all three rows of seats, adjustable back rests in the second and third rows and decent legroom all-round, it’s fairly easy to get comfortable on long trips. Seats six and seven are best for kids as there isn’t much headroom, but it’s not too bad for adults on short journeys. The boot drops from 1,026 litres in five-seat guise to 332 litres with the last row in place, but that’s still pretty generous.

A single, 1.5-litre plug-in hybrid engine option powers the MG S9, which can muster a claimed 62 miles of electric-only range. That’s further than a Chery Tiggo 8 can manage. Impressive.

The MG can also be daunting to thread around town due to its size, but the standard-fit surround-view cameras offer handy angles to circumvent this. The MG S9 never feels very brisk, but it is quite smooth when accelerating. Step on it and you barely notice the engine kicking in, which is good, but you will notice the suspension thudding through the cabin on bad roads - which isn’t good.

It settles down a touch on the motorway, but there’s noticeable wind noise. Don’t go barreling into corners on a twisty road - this isn’t a sports car - but the MG S9 takes country lanes in its stride with little drama.

Verdict

There are definitely more accomplished seven-seater SUVs on sale, but the MG S9 does have a lot going for it with its spacious, well-equipped interior and long electric-only range. It’s not as refined as a Skoda Kodiaq, nor as stylish as a Peugeot 5008, but it’s cheaper than both of them, too.

Interested? Check out the latest MG S9 deals on Carwow, as well as MG S9 leasing offers and used MG S9s for sale through our network of trusted dealers. There are other used MGs for sale, too, and Carwow can even help you sell your current car when it’s time to switch.

Starting at just over £34,000, the MG S9 sits between the Chery Tiggo 8 and Peugeot 5008 in terms of starting price. That’s reflected in the overall living experience, too, because while the Tiggo 8 has a more premium-feeling interior it’s not as good to drive. The Peugeot, meanwhile, may have a nicer cabin and is better still to drive than the MG, but it’s far more expensive in plug-in guise at over £43,000.

Entry-level Comfort trim on the MG S9 brings with it surround-view cameras, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, an electric tailgate, heated front seats, a glass roof and ambient lighting. The posher ‘Premium’ trim costs about £37,000 and for that you get front fog lights, Bose surround-sound audio, plus massaging and cooled front seats.

A quiet engine and smooth electric motor are spoiled by jiggly suspension and spongy brakes

In town

It doesn’t take long to realise that the MG S9 is a bit of a behemoth to thread through tight urban roads. The electric motors make for smooth acceleration and forward visibility is good enough, but twirling the bus-like steering wheel can be tiresome and its 11.5-metre turning circle is a touch worse than the Skoda Kodiaq and Peugeot 5008 (both 11.2 metres).

The 360-degree cameras take the edge off, that being said, with a clever side-view that pops up on the screen when you indicate below 10mph. Annoyingly, it won’t turn if you’re slowing down to that speed, which is frustrating - even when you wrap your head around how it works. It’s a shame that the MG is really rather uncomfortable at low speeds. Speedbumps aren’t much of a pain, but broken roads, potholes and drain covers really do thud through the cabin.

On the motorway

The MG S9’s suspension settles down at higher speeds, but it takes a while to get there as it isn’t particularly brisk. When you do decide to get a move on, the engine kicks in - but you’ll barely notice as MG has done a great job of insulating the cabin away from the engine’s noise and vibrations.

Wind and road noise, however? Not so much, as these really do intrude when you’re trying to have a quiet conversation on the go. Over-the-shoulder visibility could be better, too, making lane changes a bit of a pain - especially with the oversensitive cross-traffic assistant turned on.

A strange trait, we couldn’t find a way to turn the cruise control on when the car was set to the ‘custom’ drive mode - even though none of the saved settings would obviously prevent it from functioning. Odd.

On a twisty road

This is where the MG’s stiff suspension comes in handy, because while it’s far from sporty it does feel fairly stable and composed on a country lane - for a sensible family SUV. There’s still a touch of body lean, but it’s unlikely that you’ll be giving it a full-on send when loaded with six passengers and luggage, anyway.

Buckets of space inside, but the third row is best suited to kids

The MG S9 excels when it comes to interior space. Not only is there plenty of adjustability in the front seats and steering wheel, but there’s loads of headroom thanks to the all-glass roof. Not only is there space for you and your front passenger, but for a lot of your stuff, too.

The centre console is home to a lower shelf with USB-C charging and a 12V connector, while the deep door bins can take very large water bottles, there are a pair of phone pads ahead of the gear lever, a hidden pair of cupholders alongside it and a big, lidded cubby under the armrest.

A note, it’s a bit too easy to open its lid with your elbow, so don’t be surprised if it pops up as you drive along.

Space in the back seats

Space in the middle row is even more impressive. The seat backs recline a long way while also sliding fore-and-aft in a 60:40 split. It’s a shame there are only two ISOFIX points in the whole car, though, in the outermost seats in the second row.

Getting into the third row is fairly easy thanks to a single-button fold-and-tilt seat system, which gives ample room to climb into the back. Seats six and seven also feature adjustable backs, but when reclined you’re robbed of head room, so you’re better off sitting a bit more upright. There’s a lack of under-thigh support, too, so these seats are best left for kids on long journeys.

Storage space is good in the back, with the middle row door bins large enough for odds-and-ends, plus flip-down cupholders in the middle seat back. Even rear-row passengers are treated to a space for their drinks and a small cubby - each - but the single USB-C charger is a bit mean.

Boot space

At 332 litres in seven-seater guise, the MG S9’s boot is quite spacious. That’s about the same as a Volkswagen Polo, and far more than a Chery Tiggo 8 can muster with every seat in place. As a five-seater, the 1,026-litre boot is deeply impressive, trouncing the Kia Sorento, Skoda Kodiaq and Peugeot 5008.

With all of the back seats stowed away you have a van-like 2,093 litres to fill, and there’s even some under-floor storage for the charging cable and some other bits and bobs. There are four tie-down points, a pair of bag hooks right by the tailgate and a 12V charger in the boot, plus seatbelt clips to keep them out of the way when putting the seats back up. Nice.

Lots of standard kit, but the MG S9 could do with better software and some nice plastics in places

The MG S9’s interior is a mixed bag, because while there’s enough going in design terms to differentiate it from the plethora of other Chinese SUVs on sale at the moment, not all of the choices have been a success. Sure, the row of heater controls beneath the infotainment screen are handy to have, but you still need to navigate the painfully slow system to turn the heated seats on - for example.

With so many features buried within menus and sub menus including the driver assist systems, whether the car is running in EV or hybrid mode, the massage functions and more, MG really ought to have fitted more powerful processors to the car. Every change feels like it takes ages to make, and keeps your eyes off the road for just a bit too long.

You get a shortcut button on the steering wheel which you can program, but that’s not enough to redeem the system. At least the driver display is clear to read, but again, you need to personalise it through the jarring infotainment screen. Urgh.

Fortunately, what the MG lacks in ease-of-use it makes up for in features. The long glass roof allows a lot of light to enter the cabin, which is particularly pleasant in cars featuring the all-black trim, as opposed to the brown/light-grey combo.

The dashboard is quite handsome, but feels cheap in places, such as the bulk of the door cards, steering wheel buttons and the centre console - as well as the tacky ambient lighting functions. The dashboard trim and middle-row passengers have their own display panel with a row of switches and charging points.

MG quotes an outrageous 353.1 MPG figure in the hundreds, which you’ll only see if you can avoid running on petrol power almost entirely. While the S9 never feels lacking in grunt on a steady drive in town, meaning EV-only running is fine, on the motorway the engine can be quite a thirsty beast.

Resetting the trip computer on our test routes saw around 30mpg at the national speed limit, but combined with pure-electric running in the city that averaged out to 49mpg, which isn’t bad going at all.

The 24.7kWh battery provides up to 62 miles of claimed range - not that you’ll ever run it flat should you choose to operate in hybrid mode instead. You get a 7.4kW home wallbox charging rate, which is typical as a lot of PHEVs don’t offer fast charging, but still isn’t very impressive compared to the Jaecoo 8 and Skoda Kodiaq iV. It’ll take roughly four hours to charge the MG to full at home, from a flat battery.

The MG S9 avoids the luxury car road tax supplement from years two-to-six, and as a plug-in hybrid sits in a very low bracket of Benefit in Kind duty for company car drivers, too.

MG S9 Euro NCAP Score (2025): 5/5

Adult occupant: 84%
Child occupant: 85%
Vulnerable road users: 74%
Safety assist: 77%

The MG S9 scored an impressive full-star rating when tested by Euro NCAP in 2025. It comes as standard with a full-suite of driver assistance systems and cameras, such as automatic emergency braking, lane assist, a driver fatigue monitoring system and a driver distraction warning system, too.

MG came dead last in the 2025 Driver Power owner satisfaction survey, behind BYD - the only other Chinese company to have made the list. The MG S9 is too new to have had any horror stories come up yet, but the brand isn’t on a hot streak in terms of reliability.

You do, however, get an impressive seven-year, 80,000-mile warranty which is bested only by Kia, Suzuki and Toyota.