Price drop! MG Australia drops pricing for some models by $1000 but one becomes pricier

MG has adjusted some of its drive-away pricing in Australia, but there’s good news for prospective buyers of some of its more popular models.

Anyone looking to buy an Essence variant of its ZST or HS SUVs will save $1000 on the purchase - including the HS +EV plug-in hybrid - and even the ZST Excite gets in on the price drop.

The bad news is that buyers of the budget-friendly MG3 hatchback will have to fork out an extra $500 for its cheaper Core variant - not an insignificant amount of money at the sub-$20,000 price point.

For the MG3, this means the Core starts from $19,990 drive-away, just scraping in under the $20k mark. The Core with Navigation is still an additional $500, while the Excite grade remains a $20,990 offering.

The MG3 comes with a 1.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine drivetrain with 82kW and 150Nm, via a four-speed automatic transmission to the front wheels.

Moving up to the ZST small SUV, the entry point for the Core remains $26,990 and the Vibe at $28,990, but the Excite is down by $1000 to $31,990 and the top-spec Essence now $33,990.

2023 MG ZST featured

The Core and Vibe run the same powertrain as the MG3 though with a CVT, while the Excite and Essence have a 1.3-litre three-cylinder turbo engine with 115kW and 230Nm via a six-speed automatic transmission.

The MG HS Vibe starts from $32,990 as previously, the Excite also unchanged at $35,990, but the Essence and Essence X are both down the $1000 at $38,990 and $42,990 respectively.

The HS Vibe, Excite, and Essence are all front-wheel drive with the brand’s 1.5-litre turbo four, making 119kW and 250Nm, but the Essence X runs an all-wheel-drive powertrain with a 2.0-litre four, good for 168kW and 360Nm. The Excite X has been discontinued from the range.

2023 MG HS +EV featured

Finally, the HS +EV Essence hybrid is also down by $1000, now $52,690 while the Excite variant remains $49,690. Both have a the 1.5-litre turbo drivetrain (also 119kW/250Nm) but with an electric motor that can make 90kW on its own assisting the front-wheel drive SUV.

CarsGuide also contacted MG Australia to confirm pricing changes to the MG ZS EV, and was told the pricing before on-roads has been reduced by $2000 for the Excite, and $4000 for the Essence as below in the table. State-by state drive-away pricing can be found at the MG website, while pricing for the Long Range version remains the same.

2023 MG3 pricing drive-away

2023 MG ZST pricing drive-away

2023 MG HS pricing drive-away

2023 MG HS EV pricing drive-away

2023 MG ZS EV pricing before on-roads