Mazda 3 review

There’s plenty of quirkiness to be found in Japan: toilet seats that sing to you, sushi delivered on a model train – and the Mazda 3 Hatchback.  

You see, the Mazda 3 does things a bit differently to other models. Firstly, there are its looks. Mazda has given this five-door family car smoothly contoured surfaces and a sloped roofline that tails off neatly into its rear screen.

There’s also a saloon version (see our Mazda 3 Saloon review), which pitches the model line-up into executive territory. Whichever body shape you choose, it'll be a world away from the more angular designs of the Skoda Octavia and other rivals.

For more proof that the Mazda 3 follows a different tack to the competition, take a look at its two engine options. While the Ford Focus and VW Golf have moved towards smaller, turbocharged engines, the Mazda 3 sticks with larger, naturally aspirated – but mild-hybrid petrol engines.

So was that the right choice? In other words, how does the Mazda 3 compare with the best family cars? Read on to find out...

The Mazda 3's entry-level engine – called the e-Skyactiv G – is a 138bhp 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol unit. It’s a new engine for the 2025 model year and delivers more shove low down in the rev range than its predecessor. Unlike that engine, this one doesn’t feel lacking, feeling more on a par with most turbocharged rivals – the 123bhp 1.0-litre Ford Focus for example. 

What’s more, because there’s no wait between pressing the accelerator and a turbocharger delivering more oomph, the 3 has a stronger, more immediate accelerator response than turbo rivals, including the Focus and the VW Golf. 

The Mazda 3 is also available with a more powerful, 183bhp 2.0-litre engine – the e-Skyactiv X – but it actually feels weaker most of the time. That’s because you only get the best from it when you’re high in the rev range.  

Both engines are available with a choice of a six-speed manual or a six-speed automatic gearbox. For the best fuel economy and the lowest CO2 emissions, go for the manual. It’s super slick to use, too, with a precise, well-weighted action to it. The automatic isn’t as satisfying, being reluctant to change down when you ask for a quick burst of acceleration.

Ride comfort isn't one of the Mazda 3's strongest suits. It's set up quite firmly and doesn’t smother angry bumps around town nearly as well as the best family cars. And which would they be, you might ask? 

The Toyota Corolla and VW Golf are at the top of the tree, while the Skoda Scala also proves more supple when the going gets rough. On the plus side, the 3 is well tied down, so you and your passengers won't be bouncing out of your seats along rolling country roads.

To make the best of the Mazda 3's ride, stick with the smallest 16in wheels (standard on Prime Line and Centre-Line) rather than the 18in wheels and low-profile tyres that come as standard on the higher trims.

Does that firmer ride pay off when it comes to handling agility? Well, the Mazda 3 doesn't sway about as much as the Kia Ceed when sweeping quickly through a left-right kink in the road, giving it a sense of nimbleness.

In the dry, it finds a decent amount of grip, although it will start running wide at the front more quickly than more tenacious rivals, including the Focus, the Seat Leon and the Skoda Scala. That's especially true when the road is wet.

The steering, meanwhile, feels accurate enough to give you an idea of what the front wheels are up to, but it’s nowhere near as sweet or precise as the Focus’s. If good handling is your priority, the Focus will be a better overall choice – it's sharper, more playful and ultimately more fun.

Mazda says it worked hard to make the 3 one of the quietest cars in its class. Certainly, wind noise is well suppressed, only picking up slightly at motorway speeds, but the VW Golf is a little better at suppressing road noise at 70mph.

The entry-level petrol engine (e-Skyactiv G) is quieter around town than many of the 1.0-litre, three-cylinder turbo petrol units used by the 3's rivals, and settles into the background at a cruise. The more powerful e-Skyactiv X feels coarser, and sometimes there's a slight clatter that reminds you of a diesel.

If there’s one detail that Mazda’s engineers have paid attention to over the years, it’s ensuring that key controls, such as the clutch, accelerator and gearlever, have a consistent weight to them. The Mazda 3's manual gearbox is an absolute pleasure, with a short throw and a satisfying mechanical clack into each gear. The automatic isn’t as satisfying to use, and is reluctant to change down when you ask for a quick burst of acceleration.

"Frustratingly, the 120bhp petrol engine lacks the low-rev shove that many of its turbocharged rivals can deliver. It remains smooth at all revs, but I found that having to continually change gears to keep the engine on the boil quickly became frustrating." – Lawrence Cheung, New Cars Editor

Drivers of all shapes and sizes should be comfortable behind the wheel of the Mazda 3. The driving position is brilliant, and there's lots of seat and steering wheel adjustment, although adjustable lumbar support is only available with top-spec Takumi trim.

The 3's uncluttered dashboard is easy to use, as are the physical buttons for all the frequently-used functions, including the climate controls. With familiarity, you can learn to use them by feel without having to glance away from the road. Rivals that feature touch-sensitive buttons or hide such features in a touchscreen menu can be a lot more distracting.

Other neat features include the crisp, part-digital driver's display, supplemented by a head-up display. Between them, they put everything from your speed to the sat-nav directions where you can see them most easily.

The Mazda 3 isn't the easiest car to see out of. Its front windscreen pillars are thicker than in the Skoda Scala while its wide rear pillars, shallow rear screen and angled-up rear window line conspire to make seeing out the back a bit of an issue.

Thankfully, there are features on hand to make life easier. Entry-level Prime-Line has rear parking sensors and a rear-view camera to improve matters, while all the other trims add front parking sensors. Top-spec Takumi replaces the rear-view camera with a bird’s eye-view camera. 

Bright LED headlights are standard on all models, and they're upgraded to adaptive units if you opt for the swankier trims (Exclusive-Line and above).

The Mazda 3’s infotainment system is unusual in that you can only use the touchscreen while the car is stationary. To operate the functions on the 10.25in screen when you're driving, you use a rotary controller and shortcut buttons.

The infotainment screen comes as standard across the range, and the Mazda software is just as responsive and easy to navigate as the touchscreen systems in the Ford Focus, the Skoda Octavia and the VW Golf.

There's an impressive array of features too. Even the entry-level Mazda 3 has DAB radio, Bluetooth, built-in sat-nav and wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone mirroring. Centre-Line trim and above also get wireless phone-charging and the top two trims add an upgraded 12-speaker Bose stereo system.

The interior of the Mazda 3 is hard to fault. There are very few scratchy plastics dotted around – on the door bins, for instance – and lots of plush, expensive-feeling materials. It truly does give premium family cars such as the Audi A3 a good run for their money. The interior also feels very well screwed together. 

Perhaps unsurprisingly then, the 3 is a clear step ahead of the Focus, the Golf and the Skoda Scala – basically all of its mainstream competition – in this regard. 

It's not just the immovable parts that feel good. All the switches operate with a real slickness, including the infotainment system's rotary controller, which turns with a satisfying click.

"I like that every unnecessary control has been removed, leaving the driver with only the essentials. That wins points from me for delivering a refreshing approach: Mazda has focused on ensuring what’s left operates with a slick, high-quality feel." – Will Nightingale, Reviews Editor

Even tall adults will be spared any space issues in the front of the Mazda 3. There's plenty of leg and shoulder room, plus a generous amount of head room, thanks to seats that allow you to sit low down.

There's a good assortment of storage areas, including bottle holders in both doors, a rubber-coated non-slip area ahead of the gear lever and a reasonably deep glovebox that has enough room for the owner's manual and a small bottle. Oh yes, and a sizeable cubby under the front centre armrest.

This is an area of weakness for the Mazda 3. The best family cars for rear space – including the Ford Focus, the Skoda Octavia and the Skoda Scala – have room for six-footers space even if the front seats are slid well back. In the 3, anyone tall will find their knees close to the front seat and their head brushing the roof. It's tight for three adults across the rear bench.

Even if you’re smaller, it's not great. The acutely upswept rear windows make it one of the more claustrophobic cars in this class, and even getting in and out through its comparatively small door apertures isn't as easy as it could be.

There's not much to talk about here. As with most rivals, the Mazda 3's rear seatbacks can split 60/40 and they lie flat when folded down. However, you can’t access the release levers to lower the seatbacks without opening the side doors. Boot-mounted release levers – like those you can add to the Skoda Octavia – would be more convenient.

There’s no option of a fully folding front passenger seatback for when you want to fit very long items on board, but the passenger seat is height-adjustable.

Although it's not especially adaptable, the Mazda 3's boot isn't bad. It's a usefully square shape that helps it accommodate a solid tally of six carry-on suitcases. That's one more than the Focus and Golf can manage – although the Scala will manage seven and the Octavia 11.

It's not the easiest luggage compartment to access though. You're likely to find the 3's very high load lip an issue if you're lifting heavy items in and out, and the loading aperture is relatively narrow. Unlike many of its rivals, the 3 doesn't offer a height-adjustable boot floor.

The Mazda 3 Saloon offers more boot space but at the expense of a smaller and more awkward boot opening.

"While space in the front is fine, rear head room is compromised by that sloping roof. Two of my 6ft tall friends found their heads touching the roof." –  Claire Evans, Consumer Editor

As a cash purchase, the Mazda 3 will cost around the same as a Kia Ceed or Skoda Scala, and less than a Mercedes A-Class, VW Golf or Vauxhall Astra. It’s worth noting that all those family cars are predicted to depreciate more slowly, and that can have an effect on how much the Mazda 3 will cost monthly on a PCP finance deal. 

On paper, the official fuel consumption is generally competitive for a family car. The e-Skyactiv X engine is slightly more fuel efficient than the G alternative – their official averages being 51.4mpg and 47.9mpg respectively. Opting for an automatic gearbox causes those numbers to drop by a couple of miles per gallon each.

Generally speaking, the Mazda 3's CO2 emissions are fairly low, but overall they're not the best if you're a company car driver paying BIK tax – there’s no plug-in hybrid or electric car version. The Toyota Corolla (which is a hybrid) produces less CO2 and returns better fuel economy.

No matter which trim you go for, Mazda has been really generous with the amount of standard equipment you get. Indeed, even the entry-level Prime-Line gets air conditioning, 16in alloy wheels, rear parking sensors (and camera) and LED headlights.

We’d suggest stepping up to Centre-Line trim because it doesn’t cost much more but adds a few more niceties, including keyless entry, heated seats, rain-sensing windscreen wipers, dual-zone climate control, an auto-dimming rearview mirror and front parking sensors. 

Above that, Homura and Exclusive-Line both add 18in alloy wheels and unique styling. Top-spec Takumi brings electrically-adjustable leather front seats, a heated steering wheel, more safety equipment and a 360-degree parking camera.

The Mazda 3 performed pretty poorly in our 2024 What Car? Reliability Survey, placing 22nd out of 26 cars in the family car class – above the VW Golf but below the Ford Focus. The 3’s reliability score came out at a somewhat concerning 85.4%.

As a brand, Mazda ranked 16th out of 31 manufacturers featured – above VW but below Ford – which is a bit more confidence inspiring.

Every new Mazda 3 comes with a three-year/60,000-mile warranty. That's pretty standard for the class, and doesn’t come close to the seven-year cover you get from Kia or the up to 10 years of cover available from Toyota.

All versions of the Mazda 3 come packed with safety kit. As standard, you get automatic emergency braking (AEB), blind-spot monitoring, lane-keeping assistance and a system that alerts you to traffic crossing your path when reversing. On top of that, you get traffic-sign recognition and an emergency call service (eCall).

Range-topping Takumi trim can also automatically apply the brakes if it senses that you’re about to reverse into an obstacle and adds front cross-traffic alert, a system that alerts you if you start to pull out in front of an unseen vehicle.

The Mazda 3 received the full five stars in its Euro NCAP safety tests and scored particularly highly for adult occupant safety and well in the other areas. 

"Mazda has been very generous with standard equipment, and while mid-spec Centre-Line trim is our recommended option, I think lots of buyers will be perfectly happy with entry-level Prime-Line." – Steve Huntingford, Editor

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