Mazda CX-80 long-term test

If you're in the market for a plush and practical SUV, should you consider the Mazda CX-80? We've been living with one to find out...

Updated28 October 2025

The car Mazda CX-80 2.5 e-Skyactiv PHEV AWD Homura Run by Steve Huntingford, editor

Why it's here To see if Mazda's flagship SUV is worth a place on the shortlist of anyone looking for a frugal yet upmarket seven-seater

Needs to Combine comfort and refinement with a classy and family-friendly interior, and good real-world efficiency

Mileage 4028 List price £53,230 Best price £44,390 Price as tested £56,080 Test economy 49.8mpg Official economy 176.6mpg Private price now £34,409 Dealer price now £35,700 Running costs (excluding depreciation) Fuel £524

28 October 2025 – Split personality

From the Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, to that episode of Star Trek where Captain Kirk is split in two by the transporter, science fiction has often explored the conflict between good and evil that can exist within a single person. And this duality reminds me of the Mazda CX-80 plug-in hybrid (PHEV), which I’ve been running for the last few months.

Okay, using the word ‘evil’ would be greatly overstating things in the case of the CX-80, but depending on where the power is coming from, it certainly has two distinct characters: one likeable, one disappointing.

Whenever my journeys were short enough for me to complete them using only electrical power, I found myself admiring how precisely the car responded to my accelerator inputs, and how smooth and quiet it was.

On longer drives, though, after I’d exhausted the 17.8kWh (usable capacity) battery, it was far less impressive. For starters, the petrol engine needed to be worked hard, which resulted in it sounding rather uncouth. Plus, the automatic gearbox could be jerky and slow witted.

Less surprising was the vast swings in efficiency that I saw during my time with the CX-80. Early on, I was almost exclusively using it for short trips in stop-start city traffic, so could spend virtually all of my time running on electric power. And this meant I averaged a whopping 199.9mpg.

However, I then went through a period where I had to go farther afield and couldn’t find anywhere convenient to plug in. The result: my fuel economy plunged to just 31.4mpg.

Now, as I say, this isn’t really a surprise; most PHEVs are relatively thirsty when running purely on petrol power. But the CX-80’s official electric range of 38 miles is quite short compared with what the best rivals offer, so you’re more likely to have to call on its engine. And, indeed, in the real world I found around 25 miles of pure electric running to be realistic.

Nevertheless, I averaged 49.8mpg over the course of my entire time with the CX-80, which I reckon is very good for a big, seven-seat SUV – especially given that I live in a flat, so am unable to charge at home.

And, of course, the CX-80’s size made it hugely practical, right? Well, it worked well for me, because my eight-year-old daughter sat in her booster seat in the second row, alongside the family dog, while my wife and I rode upfront. And even when Granny and Grandad joined us for a day out, two of the adults could get into the third row easily enough once the seat on the opposite side of the car to my daughter had been tilted forward and slid out of the way.

But what if you have two children in Isofix child seats? Well, they both have to go in the second row, because that's the only place with mounting points. And then you can’t get in or out of the third row unless you Fosbury flop over the second-row backrest or – more realistically – go through the faff of removing one of the child seats each time.

Mazda CX-80 LT with children in child seats

Something like a Hyundai Santa Fe (which has four sets of Isofix points dotted around its interior) is far more versatile, then. But the CX-80 has that car – and indeed many premium rivals – beaten when it comes to quality.

Mazdas generally score well in this area, and my car was a perfect example of why, because it had plush-feeling materials in all the important places. And yet at the same time it felt incredibly robust, and remained rattle free, despite my daughter subjecting its assembly to a thorough test.

What’s more, there were some aspects of usability where the CX-80 earned high marks. For example, Mazda has fitted separate, physical climate controls instead of squeezing them onto the touchscreen where they’d be fiddlier. And the infotainment system can not only be operated by pressing the 12.8in screen on top of the dashboard, but also via an accurate Amazon Alexa-based voice control system and a physical rotary dial that minimises distraction when you’re cycling through menus.

So, would I recommend the CX-80? Pondering that, I felt an internal struggle worthy of Dr. Jekyll. But ultimately, whether the good triumphs over the bad comes down to how you’re going to use this PHEV.

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