MG HS vs Toyota RAV4

The two are quoted on different bases and it matters here more than anywhere else on this page. The MG HS Essence Hybrid+ is $44,990 recommended retail, before on-road costs. The Toyota RAV4 GX Hybrid 2WD is $45,990 drive-away, with rego, stamp duty and CTP already in it.

On a VIC drive-away basis the MG lands somewhere around the high $48,000s once on-roads are added, which puts the Toyota roughly $3,000 ahead. The $12,000 MG saving that this comparison used to describe does not exist. That figure came from the petrol HS Vibe at $33,990, which is a different car with a different drivetrain.

If value is what draws you to the MG, the Excite Hybrid+ at $40,990 is the variant to shortlist. Same 165kW combined output, same 5.2L/100km, same 10-year warranty, $4,000 less than the Essence.

Running costs still lean to the Toyota: the RAV4's 4.5L/100km costs about $1,280 a year over 15,000km against roughly $1,480 for the HS's 5.2, so around $200 a year. The MG's warranty, 10 years/250,000km if serviced at an MG dealer and otherwise 7, against Toyota's five years is the bigger long-term ownership lever, and the RAV4's resale is the counter to it.

The MG HS holds a five-star ANCAP rating from 2024, tested under the current protocols. The current-generation RAV4 has no ANCAP rating on record yet, so we will not attach a star count to it until one is published. That is not a claim the Toyota is unsafe, but if a current published rating is part of how you shortlist, the MG is the one that has it today. Both list the full active-safety suite as standard and both have ISOFIX points.

The MG HS is the longer car at 4,670mm against the RAV4's 4,600mm, and in Essence trim it is generously equipped with a big touchscreen, synthetic leather and a long features list. It also tows considerably more, 1,500kg against 800kg, which is the single largest capability gap between them.

The RAV4 answers on packaging. It holds 705 litres in the boot against the MG's 507, which is a 198-litre gap and the practical counterweight to the MG's towing advantage. It also has 33mm more ground clearance (200mm vs 167mm) for gravel and kerbs, plus Toyota's reliability record and the deepest dealer network in the country. Both are comfortable five-seat family SUVs. The MG gives you more equipment and towing; the RAV4 gives you more room and the proven ownership experience.

The MG HS Hybrid+ makes a combined 165kW against the RAV4's 143kW, and gets to 100km/h in a claimed 7.9 seconds against the Toyota's 8.4. It also tows nearly double, 1,500kg against 800kg. The RAV4's answer is efficiency: its long-proven 2.5-litre hybrid is rated at 4.5L/100km, among the best in the segment.

Both of these variants are front-wheel drive (Toyota offers AWD RAV4s higher up the range). The MG is the stronger drivetrain on paper; the RAV4 the more frugal and the more proven. With price no longer separating them, the decision comes down to the MG's output, towing, current ANCAP rating and longer warranty against the RAV4's economy, 198 litres of extra boot and resale.