MG’s Quality Push Is Paying Off as Brand Surges into Reliability Top 10

There was a time when buying an MG was largely a decision driven by price. The cars were affordable, came with plenty of equipment and offered a lengthy warranty, but quality and refinement weren't necessarily the reasons you would put one at the top of your shopping list.

Things are changing rather quickly.

I've driven several of MG's newer products recently and there's a noticeable step forward in the way these cars look, feel and drive. The MG S5 SUV EV in particular left a strong impression on me, feeling like a considerably more mature product than some of the MGs we've seen previously.

Now there is some interesting data to back up that impression.

MG has been named the most-improved manufacturer in the 2026 What Car? Reliability Survey, climbing into the top ten for the first time with an overall reliability score of 92.0%. MG finished ninth overall.

Perhaps even more interestingly, the new MGS5 EV finished first in the small family electric SUV category, while the MG5 finished third among electric cars.

That's a significant turnaround for a manufacturer that hasn't always enjoyed the strongest reputation for reliability.

The MGS5 shows how far MG has come

I recently spent some time driving the MGS5 EV, and it was one of those cars that made me reconsider my perception of a brand.

The thing that struck me wasn't one headline-grabbing feature. It was how complete the car felt.

MG has traditionally been very good at offering a lot of car for the money, but the MGS5 feels like the company has moved beyond competing predominantly on value. The cabin feels better put together, the technology is more polished and, importantly, the car feels much more mature on the road.

It's still unmistakably an MG in its approach. You get lots of equipment and a competitive price, but it doesn't feel as though you've simply bought the cheaper alternative anymore.

That distinction matters.

There's also some independent support for that impression of improving quality. When Auto Trader reviewed the MGS5, it described the interior as a major step forward compared with previous mainstream MG models and highlighted its combination of space, equipment and perceived quality.

Now its performance in the What Car? survey suggests MG may be making similar progress beneath the surface.

Reliability isn't just about whether something breaks

One of the interesting things about the What Car? Reliability Survey is that it doesn't simply count the number of faults owners experience. It also considers factors including repair costs and how long a vehicle is taken off the road.

That makes MG's wider investment in its UK aftersales operation particularly relevant.

The company opened a new parts warehouse and distribution facility in Daventry in November 2025. The facility dispatches around 2,500 orders per day, and participating dealers can receive parts before 8am the following morning when qualifying orders are placed before the noon cut-off.

MG says more than 96% of parts orders have been fulfilled first time during 2026 to date.

That's the sort of statistic that isn't particularly exciting when you're standing in a showroom choosing your next car, but suddenly becomes extremely important when something goes wrong.

A reliable car is obviously preferable. But when a fault does occur, having the correct part available quickly and a technician capable of diagnosing the problem can make the difference between a minor inconvenience and having your car sitting at a dealership for weeks.

MG is investing in the people fixing the cars too

Parts availability is only one side of the equation.

MG has invested around £500,000 in its Cecil Kimber College MG Academy at Longbridge, doubling the facility to approximately 1,000 square metres.

Workshop ramps have increased from four to nine, while the expanded facility now incorporates five classrooms and an auditorium. Maximum delegate capacity has increased from 24 to 100.

More than 2,000 technician training attendances were recorded during 2025, while MG has expanded training to include service advisers, parts managers and warranty specialists.

There's even a three-stage technical support system for dealerships.

More difficult problems can ultimately be escalated to field engineers MG rather wonderfully calls its "flying doctors", who can visit dealerships to assist technicians with particularly complex faults.

It's all part of a wider effort to improve what happens after somebody buys the car, rather than concentrating exclusively on getting them through the showroom door.

This could be more important than another new model

MG's recent product offensive has been difficult to ignore.

The brand that returned to Britain with relatively inexpensive hatchbacks and crossovers now has products ranging from mainstream family cars to the rather spectacular Cyberster electric sports car.

But improving the cars themselves is only half the job.

As newer manufacturers, particularly those originating from China, continue expanding across Europe, the brands that succeed over the longer term won't necessarily be those offering the biggest screens, longest equipment lists or lowest monthly payments.

They'll also need strong dealer networks, parts availability, trained technicians and customer support.

That's why MG's latest reliability result is potentially more significant than it first appears.

From value brand to genuine contender?

I think MG is currently going through one of the more interesting transformations in the car industry.

Value remains a huge part of its appeal, and I don't think MG should move away from that. Offering customers more car for their money has helped the company establish itself as a serious player in Britain.

But value becomes much more compelling when it's combined with genuinely good products.

My recent experience with the MGS5 made that particularly apparent. I went into the car expecting something sensible, practical and competitively priced. I came away genuinely impressed by how polished it felt.

And that's arguably the change MG needs. The question is gradually moving away from "is this good for the money?" towards simply "is this a good car?"

Increasing its reliability score to 92%, reaching ninth place among manufacturers and putting the MGS5 at the top of its class in the latest What Car? survey certainly strengthens that argument.

There is an important caveat. Reliability surveys are snapshots based on the experiences of participating owners rather than guarantees of what every owner will experience. The 2026 What Car? survey received 39,332 responses overall and covers cars up to five years old.

Even so, the direction of travel is noteworthy. MG's cars are getting better. Its aftersales infrastructure is getting bigger. Its technical support is becoming more sophisticated. And now its reliability performance appears to be improving too.

Having driven some of the latest generation of MG products myself, the results don't feel completely out of step with what I've experienced. MG still has plenty to prove over the longer term, particularly as its newest cars accumulate higher mileages and more years on the road. But if it can maintain the progress we're seeing now, the MG of the late 2020s could be viewed very differently from the budget-focused brand many people still have in their heads. And the MGS5 might just be one of the cars helping to change that perception.