MG HS Plus EV: Australia's best-selling PHEV will be updated in 2023

Australia’s biggest-selling plug-in hybrid of 2022, the MG HS Plus EV mid-sized SUV, will receive some updates during the second half of 2023, the brand has confirmed.

With 1554 sales in 2022, the HS Plus EV derivative accounted for some 14 per cent of overall MG HS sales last year. Its next closest competitor was the Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross on 926.

You can expect the upgraded HS Plus EV to be more or less the same as the facelifted vehicle already sold in the Thai market, which launched in March 2022.

The revised HS Plus EV sports a redesigned grille and headlight combination, new bumpers, and different alloy wheel designs. On the inside there’s the option of two-tone white and blue trims, if conventional black isn’t your thing.

The 10.1-inch touchscreen and 12.3-inch digital clusters look the same in terms of hardware, but expect some software updates. In Thailand there’s augmented-reality navigation instructions in the cluster, over-the-air updates, and more app connectivity.

Don’t expect any changes to the drivetrain, which pairs a 119kW and 250Nm 1.5-litre petrol engine to a 10-speed automatic transmission, 90kW and 230Nm electric motor, and 16.6kWh battery. Claimed EV range is 63km but on the lenient NEDC cycle.

As for pricing, expect some increases just because that’s how the world seems to be right now. At present the outgoing HS Plus EV is available for between $49,690 and $52,690 drive-away in Excite and Essence spec grades, undercutting its rivals.

When the updated MG HS Plus EV arrives, it will join the all-new all-electric MG 4 EV hatchback due in the first half of 2023 priced around $40,000, and the recently updated MG ZS EV which is currently Australia’s cheapest electric car.

Despite the technology being touted as a stepping stone to full-electric vehicles, the total number of plug-in hybrids sold in 2022 was just 5937, compared to 33,410 full battery-electric vehicles.

The figures were also dwarfed by the substantial number of standard (non-plug-in) hybrid vehicles sold in 2022, which amounted to 81,786 – of which 72,814 belonged to Toyota.

MORE: 2022 MG HS Plus EV Excite review

2022 PHEV sales in Australia by model