Introduction: The Disruption Continues
MG has spent the last few years pushing hard on value, but the MGS9 takes that formula into a much larger part of the market. This is a nearly five-metre-long, seven-seat plug-in hybrid with three proper rows of seats and a sizeable battery, starting from £34,210 in the UK.
For families that need genuine space but do not want to spend premium-SUV money, that makes the S9 immediately interesting. It is also one of the relatively small number of plug-in hybrid seven-seaters offering enough electric range to cover many daily journeys without using the petrol engine.
Design and presence
It is a big car, measuring just under five metres long, and it has the road presence you would expect from a large seven-seat SUV. The styling is clean rather than particularly adventurous, with a broad front end and lighting that gives it a more expensive appearance than the price might suggest.
That size will not suit every driveway or multi-storey car park, but it is being used for something useful. The S9's cabin is genuinely spacious, and the third row is more than an emergency set of occasional seats for small children.
Performance and driving
Under the bonnet is a 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine paired with a 24.7kWh battery and electric motor. Combined output is 299PS and 390Nm, with 0-62mph taking 9.6 seconds. Those figures tell you quite a lot about the car's priorities: it is designed to move a large family smoothly rather than behave like a performance SUV.
The plug-in hybrid system gives the S9 the ability to cover local journeys quietly on electric power while retaining the petrol engine for longer trips. That flexibility will appeal to families who can charge at home but are not ready to rely entirely on public charging for holidays or long-distance travel.
Interior and seven-seat practicality
The S9's strongest argument is space. With all seven seats in use, MG quotes 332 litres of luggage capacity, while folding the third row creates 1,026 litres. That makes it a genuinely useful family car rather than a five-seater with two token seats hidden in the boot floor.
Equipment is generous too. Even the Comfort model includes a panoramic roof, power tailgate, tri-zone climate control, heated front seats, dual 12.3-inch displays and a 360-degree camera, while Premium adds features including ventilated and massaging front seats and a Bose audio system.
What is the electric range of the MG S9?
The 24.7kWh battery gives the MGS9 an official electric-only range of up to 62 miles WLTP. That is enough for many commutes, school runs and local journeys to be completed without the petrol engine, provided the car is charged regularly.
The S9 does not support DC rapid charging, so this is a PHEV designed around home and destination charging rather than repeated rapid top-ups on a motorway journey. That is not necessarily a problem if you can plug in overnight, but it is an important distinction from some newer plug-in hybrids that do offer faster DC charging.
Price and running costs
The MGS9 Plug-in Hybrid currently starts from £34,210 for the Comfort model, with the Premium version costing more. That places it below many established seven-seat rivals while still including a long list of standard equipment.
The combination of a 62-mile electric range and plug-in hybrid powertrain can also make it attractive to company-car users compared with a conventional petrol seven-seater. Private buyers should still calculate fuel and electricity use around their own charging habits, because a PHEV delivers its strongest savings when the battery is actually charged.
Can the MG S9 tow?
Yes. MG quotes a maximum braked towing capacity of 2,000kg, which is a meaningful figure for a large family SUV and makes the S9 potentially useful for caravans and heavier trailers.
That towing ability, seven-seat layout and large boot make the S9 a particularly interesting alternative to cars such as the Kia Sorento, Hyundai Santa Fe and Škoda Kodiaq. Those are exactly the sort of comparisons worth making because the headline price difference is only one part of the ownership decision.
MG S9 verdict
The MGS9's appeal is straightforward: it gives you seven usable seats, more than 60 miles of official electric range and a lot of equipment for a starting price of £34,210. It is not trying to be the sportiest large SUV, but for family buyers its blend of space, plug-in flexibility and value is much more important.
I would compare it carefully with the Sorento, Santa Fe and Kodiaq, particularly on insurance, ride comfort, dealer support and the way you intend to charge. On paper, though, the S9 is one of the most disruptive large family SUVs MG has launched in the UK.
