Mazda 2 Hybrid review

In Dungeons and Dragons, the Mimic is a creature that can shape-shift into any object and become nearly indistinguishable from the real thing. Other than the shape-shifting bit, the same could be said of the Mazda 2 Hybrid. 

That’s because the 2 Hybrid is the result of a partnership with Toyota and is a full hybrid car that’s practically identical to the Toyota Yaris. True, a recent facelift with redesigned bumpers has made the 2 Hybrid stand out from its cousin a little more, but underneath they're still effectively the same car.

It's incredibly efficient and can go short distances on electricity alone to boost fuel economy, yet doesn’t need plugging in. Up until recently, it was sold alongside the completely unrelated petrol Mazda 2 but that's been discontinued.

While the Mazda 2 Hybrid sounds impressive, it’s hard to ignore the elephant in the room: if it borrows everything that makes the Toyota Yaris great, why not just buy that? And what about other small cars you might be considering, including the Honda Jazz and Renault Clio? Read on as we find out...

Regardless of which trim you go for, the Mazda 2 Hybrid comes with a three-cylinder petrol engine that’s helped out by an electric motor. In total, it pumps out 114bhp, and while that doesn’t look that impressive on paper, in practice performance is perfectly adequate.

You see, the hybrid system provides instant power from the electric motor when you put your foot down, eliminating the delay you can get from a conventional petrol car when setting off from a standstill.

Indeed, it’s quite impressive how quickly it jumps off the line, matching the 9.7-second 0-62mph sprint time of the entry-level Toyota Yaris. Above town speeds, acceleration is moderate but the Yaris offers a slightly more powerful version if you want more performance.

Like the Yaris, the 2 Hybrid’s power is fed to the front wheels through a CVT automatic gearbox which, while responsive at pretty much any speed, causes the revs to soar and stay high until you ease off the accelerator pedal. That can generate a fair amount of noise when you’re climbing a steep hill or accelerating up to motorway speeds.

Happily, the hybrid system means that in other situations you don't have to constantly floor the accelerator pedal to make good progress. In fact, if you're very gentle with the accelerator in town, you can run on electricity alone for short periods, keeping the noise down and boosting efficiency.

The 2 Hybrid charges its battery when the engine is running and through regenerative braking. The braking effect is quite gentle (even in its stronger B mode) but it still manages to top up the battery quite quickly.

Depending on the trim you go for, you get either 15in, 16in or 17in wheels, and even on the largest wheels the 2 Hybrid rides perfectly well. True, there are more comfortable small cars (the softer riding Skoda Fabia for example) but it doesn’t thud over potholes and remains more settled at all speeds than the cheaper MG3. Road and wind noise remain low on motorways.

The 2 Hybrid handles fairly well and is more agile than a Honda Jazz or MG3. However, it falls short of the best cars in this class – including the Renault Clio and Seat Ibiza, which have more naturally weighted steering, more grip and exhibit less body lean through faster corners.

"The responsive electric motor means the Mazda 2 Hybrid is really nippy to drive at low speeds, and I like that you don’t need to work the engine as hard as its pure-petrol predecessor just to get going." – Lawrence Cheung, New Cars Editor

If you’ve been inside the latest Toyota Yaris you'll have some serious déjà vu in the Mazda 2 Hybrid: the only difference is the badge on the steering wheel.

And that’s not such a bad thing. For starters, it means the 2 Hybrid has proper physical controls on its dashboard, including switches and dials for the air-conditioning system. That's preferable to the lay-out in, say, the Volkswagen Polo, which requires you to faff around with touch-sensitive buttons or delve into the touchscreen to make simple changes.

Speaking of touchscreens, most versions of the 2 Hybrid come with a 9in infotainment screen, while the top-spec Homura Plus increases the size of the screen to 10.5in. Regardless of the trim you go for, you get DAB radio, Bluetooth, and wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay smartphone mirroring – good news because only the top trim level comes with sat-nav. Wireless phone-charging is standard on mid-level Homura trim and above.

With both screen sizes, you get a high-resolution display that’s easy to read and reacts fairly quickly to your prods. The smaller screen even gets a couple of physical shortcut buttons up the side, making it easier to hop between functions on the move. That said, the system in the Renault Clio is a bit more user-friendly, with a more logical menu lay-out.

Most versions come with an analogue speedometer, but top-level Homura Plus gets a sharp-looking 12.3in digital driver’s display showing lots of data in a choice of three lay-outs, plus a head-up display that beams your speed on to the windscreen.

Thanks to the 2 Hybrid's slender front and rear window pillars, you get a good view out in all directions, so it's easy to place the car where you want it on the road. For extra help when parking, all trims come with a rear-view camera. Exclusive-Line trim or higher also gets you front and rear parking sensors.

Technology aside, it’s easy to get comfortable in any 2 Hybrid because they all come with plenty of manual adjustment to the driver’s seat and steering wheel. The seats are pretty comfortable on a long drive, and Homura and Homura Plus trims come with sports seats to hold you in place better when cornering.

True, it doesn’t feel as special inside as a Honda Jazz, which has more high-quality materials and hides its hard plastics better. The 2 Hybrid does have a soft-touch dashboard and some really thin fabric on the doors though, so it's more upmarket inside than an MG3 and a Skoda Fabia.

"The 2 Hybrid's six-speaker stereo is pretty good, with more punch than I was expecting. It has little trouble drowning out the outside world." – Lawrence Cheung, New Cars Editor

Given the size of the Mazda 2 Hybrid, it’ll come as no surprise that it's not very big inside, unlike the Tardis-like Honda Jazz. It’s roomy enough for most small-car buyers though, and two six-footers will have enough head and leg room to get comfortable in the front.

There's a decent amount of storage space dotted around, including a cubby in front of the gearlever for your phone, a tray above the glovebox and a pair of cupholders. The door bins are rather small though.

Space in the rear is sufficient rather than generous, so although there's enough room for your tallest friends back there, they’d be comfier if they were in the back of a Jazz or a VW Polo. Whether that's a problem for you or not depends on how often you'll have a car full of adults.

Unlike the really versatile Jazz, which gets cinema-style flip-up rear seat bases, the 2 Hybrid’s rear seatbacks don’t do anything clever, other than splitting 60/40 and folding flat.

Continuing the trend, boot space isn’t outstanding. Indeed, at 286 litres, the 2 Hybrid has as much luggage space as the almost identical Toyota Yaris, but significantly less than most small cars, including the Honda Jazz, Renault Clio, Seat Ibiza and VW Polo.

That said, we were still able to fit four carry-on suitcases below the parcel shelf – one more than in the boot of an MG3.

"I can sit comfortably in the rear seats of the 2 Hybrid, but the small door openings means access is a bit tight." – Lawrence Cheung, New Cars Editor

Despite being based on the Toyota Yaris, the Mazda 2 Hybrid actually costs more to buy outright. In fact, the 2 Hybrid is pricier than all its direct rivals except the Honda Jazz. 

Luckily, the 2 is expected to lose its value relatively slowly. That will help in the long run if you're buying privately, and means monthly repayments for those signing up to a PCP finance agreement are relatively competitive.

Even better news is how efficient the 2 Hybrid promises to be, officially averaging just over 74mpg. We doubt you’ll get quite such spectacular economy in the real world, but the Yaris averaged 59.9mpg in our Real MPG tests so you shouldn’t be too far off.

We’d stick with entry-level Centre-Line trim because it keeps the price respectable and gets plenty of standard equipment. The kit list includes 15in alloy wheels, climate control, automatic high-beam headlights, and an auto-dimming rear-view mirror.

Exclusive-Line comes with all that plus keyless entry, electrically folding door mirrors and 16in alloy wheels. 

Homura trim brings 17in wheels, LED headlights, dual-zone climate control, an auto-dimming rearview mirror and front sports seats.

Homura Plus adds a panoramic glass roof, a head-up display and a bigger infotainment touchscreen.

The 2 Hybrid didn’t feature in our 2024 What Car? Reliability Survey, although the closely related Toyota Yaris finished mid-table in the small car class, in ninth place out of 15. As a brand, Mazda did okay – finishing in 16th place out of the 31 brands. Toyota did much better, claiming fifth place.

You get a more generous 10-year, 100,000-mile warranty with the Yaris (assuming you service it annually at a Toyota dealer). Mazda gives you a fairly standard three-year, 60,000-mile warranty.

When it comes to safety, the 2 Hybrid scored the full five stars when it was tested by the experts at Euro NCAP. Unsurprisingly, it matched the Yaris’s score exactly, but looking deeper into the scores shows that the Jazz scored slightly better marks in many areas.

You get plenty of standard safety kit, including automatic emergency braking (AEB), lane-keeping assistance and a system that monitors driver attention. Stepping up to Exclusive-Line trim adds blind-spot assist, while the two top specs also get rear cross-traffic alert and a system that automatically applies the brakes if you're about to reverse into something.

"During my time of testing, the Mazda 2 Hybrid averaged an indicated 50mpg, that’s pretty good considering I didn’t really have to try." – Lawrence Cheung, New Cars Editor

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