Used MG 3 review and buying guide (2012 to present): which one to buy and what to check

Which used MG 3 should you buy?

Buy an MG 3 from the 2018 refresh onwards, because that update brought a new front and rear plus a completely reworked interior. Cars sold before it, from 2012, have a poor cabin by comparison, and that's the part you sit in every day. Don't assume a newer car escapes the timing chain trouble, though: the reports came from 2014 and 2015 cars, and that isn't proof later ones are clear.

The timing chain is the reason to be choosy about any MG 3's past. Owners of three 2014 and 2015 cars have reported chains stretching or slipping a tooth, one at 20,000 miles and another at 29,000. In two of those cases MG's response turned on how the car had been serviced, so a car with a complete history and invoices is the one to buy over a car with gaps.

Which MG 3 engine is the safe choice?

Judge the MG 3's 1.5 litre four-cylinder on its service record, because three MG 3 owners have reported timing chain trouble. It has a chain-driven camshaft and has nothing to do with the old K Series engine. Behind the wheel it feels old-fashioned, which isn't a fault, but it's worth knowing before you drive one.

Owners have reported chain stretch on a 2014 car and on a 2015 1.5 at 29,000 miles, the latter with no wider engine damage, while another 2015 car's chain slipped a tooth at 20,000 miles. MG paid half the repair on that last one despite three services outside its dealers, and helped with the bill on the 2014 car too. There's nothing to show a later car is clear of it.

What should you check on a used MG 3?

Ask for every service invoice on an MG 3, because MG asked one owner for full details of independent servicing before it would consider helping with a stretched timing chain. Another owner, whose car had three services away from MG dealers, got only half the chain repair paid. The history was what MG looked at in both cases, so don't take a seller's word for servicing they can't prove.

Look closely at the door seals all round, since one owner paid £600 to have failed seals put right. On the test drive, check the clutch too: one MG 3 owned from new had its clutch fail at 26,000 miles. Each is one car's story rather than a pattern, but they're both quick to check on the day.

Paste the advert into the free check and it runs these against the listing, the MOT history and the DVLA record before you travel.

What does a used MG 3 cost to run?