Mazda MX-30 R-EV review

Introduction

The arrival of the Mazda MX-30 R-EV is a great example of the phrase "better late than never". You see, this small SUV – arriving a few years after the fully electric MX-30 EV – appears to have been worth the wait.

While the all-electric version has an official range of just 124 miles, the R-EV plug-in hybrid (PHEV) has a smaller battery but adds a compact petrol engine and a 50-litre fuel tank to give a total range of around 400 miles. That makes the R-EV far more flexible for buyers who want to do long journeys without worrying about charging up.

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Mazda MX-30 R-EV video review

Other than a couple of details, the R-EV looks just like the Mazda MX-30 EV. To tell the difference, you'll need to look out for badges on the front wings, a badge on the boot, wheels that come in a darker finish and the absence of a green strip on the numberplates.

So is the Mazda MX-30 R-EV the best version to go for, and how does it compare with small SUV rivals, including PHEV versions of the DS 4 and MG HS? Read on to find out...

What’s new?

- March 2023: range-extender MX-30 given five-star safety rating by Euro NCAP
- January 2023: Mazda reveals new MX-30 with range-extender powertrain fitted
 

Overview

There are more practical plug-in hybrid SUVs out there, so if space is a high priority the Mazda MX-30 R-EV is probably not for you. On the plus side, it drives well and has a smart, well-equipped interior. Thanks to its petrol engine, it’s far more usable every day than the all-electric version, helping to make up for the higher price.

Pros

• Good ride and handling balance
• Great infotainment system
• Smart interior

Cons

• Poor rear-seat space
• Limited rear visibility
• Average resale values

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Performance & drive

What it's like to drive, and how quiet it is

While other PHEVs have conventional combustion engines with pistons, the Mazda MX-30 R-EV has a tiny, 830cc lightweight rotary engine.

This curious beast has spinning rotors in place of pistons, making it smaller, smoother and lighter than a conventional engine. Mazda once put rotaries in sports cars for performance reasons (remember the Mazda RX-8?) but the engine’s new mission is to be an appealing option for buyers not yet ready to go fully electric.

The engine never drives the wheels directly. Instead, it acts as a generator to top up the 17.8kWh battery that powers the electric motor. You get the electric motor’s low-down shove right from the get-go, delivered in a smooth manner. The Nissan Qashqai e-Power uses a conventional engine to do a similar job.

With 169bhp, the MX-30 R-EV is more powerful and slightly quicker than the all-electric Mazda MX-30 EV (143bhp), with a 0-62mph sprint time of 9.1 seconds, against 9.7 for the fully electric version.

That makes it a bit better suited to getting you past slow-moving traffic, and is a little faster than a Kia Niro PHEV. The DS 4 Plug-in Hybrid 225 is quicker, although it’s worth noting that faster PHEVs rely heavily on their petrol engines to unlock the extra performance, which further eats into fuel economy.

From a full charge, the R-EV’s battery has an official range of 53 miles. That’s more than a Niro PHEV (40 miles) and DS 4 PHEV (34) but a decent distance short of the MG HS PHEV, which has an impressive 75-mile range.

In most respects, the MX-30 R-EV drives really well. Like the Niro PHEV, the suspension is on the firmer side of things, but it still does a good job of soaking up road imperfections. The flip side is that body movements over undulations are better controlled than in the DS 4 and it's less bouncy as a result.

When it comes to cornering, body lean is well contained and you can trust that it’s not going to be knocked off its line mid-bend. That, combined with well-weighted steering, means the MX-30 R-EV is a good drive on a twisty road.

The brake pedal requires a bit more pressure than the one in the DS 4 but its more precise response makes it easier to stop smoothly. As with the fully electric version, you can pull a paddle on the steering wheel to increase the regenerative braking effect to help out by pulling a paddle on the steering wheel.

At a motorway cruise, wind and tyre noise are kept to a minimum. Meanwhile, you don't hear any whine from the electric motor and the suspension only tends to thump over larger bumps.

“I noticed a minor level of vibration from the R-EV’s engine when it fired up and is humming away in the background, but the MX-30 is a calm way to get from A to B.” – Darren Moss, Deputy Digital Editor

Interior

The interior layout, fit and finish

There's a fuel gauge on the driver’s display and a drive mode selector by the gear lever, but otherwise the MX-30 R-EV is the same inside as a Mazda MX-30 EV.

That’s good news, because the interior is one of the model's biggest strengths. It’s beautifully made, with a mix of materials ranging from cork inlays to synthetic leather and repurposed denim.

The driving position is terrific, with plenty of steering-wheel and seating adjustment to help you get comfortable. Adjustment is manual if you go for entry-level Prime-Line, while all other versions get electrically adjustable seats with adjustable lumbar support, helping to improve back support on long drives.

Every MX-30 R-EV has a head-up display that projects key information on to the windscreen. That’s something reserved for higher trims on rival small SUVs – if it’s available at all. Info is also shown on three screens: a 7in digital driver's display, a 7in climate-control touchscreen and an 8.8in infotainment screen.

While physical controls for the temperature settings would make life even easier, the R-EV does at least have buttons either side of the display for temperature and fan speed. It’s not as straightforward to operate as the bigger and pricier Audi Q3 but we found it less distracting when driving than the DS 4.

The infotainment display is not – unusually – a touchscreen. You instead operate it using a rotary controller, which allows you to scroll down lists quickly and precisely without taking your eyes off the road.

All trim levels come with built-in sat-nav but there’s also Android Auto and Apple CarPlay smartphone mirroring if you’d prefer to use your own apps. The range-topping Makoto trim replaces the standard eight-speaker stereo with a 12-speaker Bose surround-sound system.

Interior wise, the MX-30 R-EV's main area of weakness is visibility. Looking out of the front is fine, but the small rear windows and wide rear pillars hamper rear vision. Fortunately, all versions are fitted with front and rear parking sensors, as well as a rear-view camera (or a 360-degree one on Makoto trim).

LED headlights with automatic high beam come as standard on all versions, while Makoto adds adaptive LEDs that can stay on full beam without dazzling other drivers.

“The MX-30's interior reminds me of an architect’s office, because it blends good design with contemporary materials.” – Neil Winn, Deputy Reviews Editor

Passenger & boot space

How it copes with people and clutter

There's plenty of leg, head and shoulder room in the front of the Mazda MX-30 R-EV so tall occupants should be comfortable.

There’s plenty of space to store smaller items, with a big glovebox, a lidded storage cubby that doubles as an armrest, two lidded cupholders and a lower-tiered tray lined with grippy cork to prevent smaller items from rattling or sliding around.

The news isn’t so great for rear-seat occupants. Some will undoubtedly enjoy the drama of the MX-30 R-EV's reverse-hinged rear doors, but you can't open them until you've opened a front door, which is a pain in, say, narrow parking bays.

Pricier versions of the MX-30 R-EV have electric front seats so rear passengers can use a switch to make the front seat slide forwards to free up some room for exiting, but there’s no denying it’s still a fiddly process.

One you're in the back, space is quite tight for anyone approaching 6ft tall sitting behind another six-footer. There’s adequate head room, but little clearance for their knees from the front seat. The raised floor means there’s hardly any space for feet under the front seats.

When you factor in the small rear windows, the MX-30 R-EV quickly feels confined, and in terms of ease of access you’ll be better off with any other small SUV. If you want a car with lots of space, there's the similarly priced but much larger MG HS PHEV – which was named best plug-in hybrid at our 2025 Car of the Year awards.

Most versions have 350 litres of boot space (it drops to 332 with the optional Bose sound system). That beats the Kia Niro PHEV (348) but trails the DS 4 (390).

The load area is a uniform shape, but you’ll fit little more than a few bags of shopping in the boot. At least the 60/40-split rear seats lie flat when folded. There's not dedicated space for the charging cables.

“They're not very practical, yet I can't help liking the MX-30’s rear doors, because they remind me of the Mazda RX-8 – a car I loved when it was new.” – Steve Huntingford, Editor

Buying & owning

Everyday costs, plus how reliable and safe it is

The MX-30 R-EV costs slightly more than the all-electric Mazda MX-30 EV but that’s still less than you’ll pay for the entry-level DS 4 E-Tense or Kia Niro PHEV – and about the same as the much more practical MG HS PHEV.

It's predicted to lose its value more slowly than the fully electric version over three years but more quickly than a Niro PHEV and at a similar rate to the equivalent DS 4.

Company car drivers, meanwhile, will likely be better off going for the EV because its zero CO2 emissions help keep BIK tax to an absolute minimum. That said, the R-EV's official figure of 21g/km is very competitive against rivals.

As with other PHEVs, you’ll have to charge up the MX-30 R-EV’s battery as much as possible and make full use of the 53-mile electric-only range to get near the official average fuel-economy figure – which is up to an impressive 283mpg. In our experience, real MPG is lower than that.

With a maximum charging speed of 36kW, the MX-30 R-EV’s battery can be topped up from 20-80% in about 25 minutes. The DS 4 and Kia Niro PHEVs can't charge up that quickly, and take around three or four hours respectively with a 7kW home EV charger.

Our preferred trim is the entry-level Prime-Line, which comes pretty well equipped, with 18in alloy wheels, climate control, adaptive cruise control and automatic wipers.

Upgrading to the mid-spec Exclusive-Line doesn’t require a huge increase in outlay, and adds keyless entry, heated front seats, part-faux-leather upholstery, rear privacy glass and an auto-dimming rear-view mirror.

Meanwhile, top-spec Makoto trim brings a heated steering wheel, a sunroof and adaptive LED headlights.

All MX-30 R-EVs come with a three-year, 60,000 miles warranty, plus an eight-year, 100,000-mile warranty specifically for the drive battery. Mazda finished in 16th place out of 31 brands in our 2024 What Car? Reliability Survey. That's below Kia and DS's parent company Citroën but way above MG, which came last.

When the MX-30 was tested in 2020 by safety experts from Euro NCAP, it was awarded the maximum five-star rating, with impressive levels of protection for adult occupants. The DS 4 and Niro PHEV scored five stars too, but were tested in 2022 under more stringent testing, making it impossible to directly compare.

Standard safety equipment includes automatic emergency braking (AEB), blind-spot monitoring, a driver attention alert system, traffic-sign recognition and lane-keeping assistance. Makoto trim adds rear cross-traffic assistance, which can apply the brakes if you’re reversing out of your drive into the path of another car.

“I wouldn't usually recommend a plug-in hybrid to anyone who isn't a company car driver but the MX-30 R-EV is an exception, and also makes a great private buy.” – Will Nightingale, Reviews Editor

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