Honda HR-V vs Mazda CX-3 vs Nissan Qashqai

What are they like inside?

You won't relish being behind the wheel of the Mazda CX-3 if you’re a fan of the lofty driving position most SUVs provide. You don’t just sit closer to the ground than you do in either the Honda HR-V or Nissan Qashqai, you feel like you’re altogether lower in the car.

Or course, some people will prefer the more cocooned feel that the CX-3 offers, and like its rivals it offers a decent amount of seat and steering wheel adjustment to help drivers of different sizes get comfortable.

All three cars have relatively supportive seats, too; the CX-3’s hold you in place best through corners but, like the HR-V, it misses out on the adjustable lumbar support that's standard on the Qashqai.

If you’re looking at these as potential family cars, you’ll want to rule out the CX-3. There’s plenty of space in the front, but anyone sitting in the back will feel pretty cramped.

Despite being shorter than the Qashqai, the HR-V has marginally more leg room. Our pre-production car had a glass roof fitted, which limited its head room, but this option won't be available on SE Navi trim on UK market cars.

Officially, the HR-V has the most capacious boot, although the tape measure says the Qashqai’s load bay is longer, wider and just as tall. The Qashqai’s boot also has the widest aperture and the smallest lip at the entrance, although the HR-V has the most underfloor storage.

Overall, there isn’t a great deal to split these two, whereas the CX-3’s boot is much pokier; you’ll struggle to get a buggy to fit without folding the rear seats.

Each car’s rear seats fold in a 60:40 split and leave only a gradual slope in the floor of the extended load area. The HR-V has an extra trick up its sleeve: its rear seats flip up cinema-style, leaving the rear cabin free for extra wide items.