Costs & verdict
Everyday costs, plus how reliable and safe it is
Costs, insurance groups, MPG and CO2
The Mazda 3 is fairly keenly priced compared with, say, the VW Golf and Mercedes A-Class, but rivals such as the Skoda Octavia, Skoda Scala and Vauxhall Astra are cheaper still. The automatic gearbox is a pricey addition, while the e-Skyactiv X petrol engine is a bit costlier than the less powerful e-Skyactiv G. If you're a cash buyer, it's worth remembering that the 3 is predicted to resist depreciation better than the Octavia, Astra and Ford Focus. That makes its PCP finance and leasing rates lower.
On paper, the official fuel consumption is impressive for the class. Our preferred e-Skyactiv G manages high 40s, while the most efficient manual e-Skyactiv X returns a figure in the mid 50s, although this drops to 47.1mpg when fitted with an automatic gearbox.
Sport Lux adds more luxuries, including rear privacy glass, adaptive cruise control, an auto-dimming rear-view mirror and steering wheel-mounted paddle shifters for the automatic gearbox. The 18in alloy wheels are also standard on this trim level and above.
Mazda reckons that the more expensive GT Sport and GT Sport Tech trim levels will be most popular with buyers, and to be fair, even these don't appear desperately expensive considering that their added equipment includes leather seat upholstery and a heated steering wheel.
