The MG 3 has gained a pure-petrol engine that drops its starting price by £2000, making one of the UK's cheapest cars yet more affordable.

The new naturally aspirated 1.5-litre four-cylinder unit puts out 114bhp and 109lb ft of torque and is mated to a five-speed manual gearbox.

This combination allows the supermini to complete the 0-62mph sprint in 10.8sec, which is 2.8sec slower than the existing 192bhp hybrid.

The petrol 3 officially gets 46.3mpg while emitting 137g/km of CO2, compared with 64.2mpg and 100g/km for the hybrid 3.

Initially, it will be sold exclusively in the entry-level SE trim, bringing features such as a 10.25in infotainment touchscreen, a rear parking camera and USB ports in the front and rear of the cabin.

MG has also added the pure-petrol unit to the new ZS crossover, dropping its starting price from £21,995 down to £19,495.

In this larger and heavier model, it yields a 62mph sprint time of 12.5sec, plus 43.5mpg.

MG said the introduction of the new pure-petrol models “underlines [its] commitment to delivering market-leading value”.

The move means there are now 11 pure-petrol superminis on the UK market, including the Dacia Sandero (the nation’s cheapest car outright), Volkswagen Polo and Peugeot 208.