Mazda MX-30 Review 2024

The Mazda MX-30 is a slightly quirky alternative to the Hyundai Kona and Vauxhall Mokka. It's available with pure-electric power, as well as a new plug-in hybrid model. Read our full 2023 Mazda MX-30 review to find out everything that's weird and wonderful about this small SUV.

The Mazda MX-30 first arrived in 2021 as an electric car with a small battery and the ability to travel just 124 miles between charges. This might explain why it's only sold in limited numbers so far - although Mazda claims that you don't actually need an electric car with a long range.

It could have fitted a bigger battery pack, but doing so would have been wasteful when most buyers are looking at the MX-30 as a second car for the school run.

If you do want a Mazda MX-30 that can travel further afield, the Mazda MX-30 R-EV offers a slightly different take on the plug-in hybrid approach.

It can travel up to 53 miles under electric power. After that, a small rotary petrol engine kicks in to act as a generator. Unlike more conventional rivals, there isn't a direct link between the engine and the MX-30's wheels - it's there solely to charge the battery.

So what's the Mazda MX-30 like to drive? Well, the regular electric MX-30 is pretty good. It feels light and agile (more so than rivals with heavy battery packs under the floor). The steering is impressive, while its compact turning circle helps around town. Is it sporty enough to justify its 'MX' moniker? Not really, but few buyers will care.

The Mazda MX-30 R-EV takes a little more getting used to. It's fine when the battery's fully charged and you're bimbling about under electric power, but once the petrol engine kicks in, it's pretty unrefined. If you want an EV that can travel hundreds of miles between charges, we'd be looking at the Kia Niro EV instead.

Unusual powertrains aside, the Mazda MX-30's biggest party trick is its 'freestyle' doors. The rear doors are rear-mounted, meaning there's no B-pillar to get in the way when you're jumping in and out of the MX-30.

But this actually makes access to the rear pretty tricky - you'll end up sliding the front seat forward, just like you would in a three-door car.

That aside, the Mazda MX-30's sustainable interior is pretty lovely. There's a slightly odd mix of materials, but it feels well-finished and is apparently kind to the planet. The infotainment is easy to use, while even the most affordable Mazda MX-30 models are well equipped as standard.

Would we buy a Mazda MX-30? Well, objectively, there are lots of excellent electric SUVs on the market - and the MX-30 probably isn't one of them. However, we admire Mazda's slightly left-field approach and, as a used purchase, it starts to make a little more sense. If you don't need to travel far, we'd certainly consider an MX-30 over a used Vauxhall Corsa Electric or an ageing Nissan Leaf.

The steering is quick, the throttle is responsive and the brakes aren’t too grabby (a common complaint for EVs thanks to their use of regenerative braking).

But push too hard and you’ll easily find some dead spots in the steering and as well as the limits of the car’s grip. It’s fine for nipping about town but it’s not quick – the 0-62mph time is 9.7 seconds.

As the MX-30 has that slightly taller mini-crossover vibe, there’s a decent view of the road ahead and it gets up to motorway speed without too much fuss and has a bit left in reserve if you need it. The suspension is also quite soft at speed, although repeated undulations will leave it a bit flustered.

When the Mazda MX-30 first arrived in 2021, it was offered exclusively as a pure-electric car. This model is still available: it's badged the Mazda MX-30 EV, and it uses a small 35.5kWh battery pack to power a single 145PS electric motor.

It's not particularly quick, by electric car standards, accelerating to 62mph in 9.7 seconds. It feels peppy enough around town, but on the open road you'll have to plan overtakes carefully.

A range extender hybrid, badged the Mazda MX-30 R-EV, arrived in 2023. This adds a tiny, rotary petrol engine to the mix.

It's not a normal hybrid (or plug-in hybrid), though - there's no direct link between the engine and the wheels. It's simply there to charge the battery and allow you to travel further without having to plug the MX-30 in.

Honestly? It's all a bit weird. Refinement is great until the battery runs out of juice, then the buzzy little engine starts up. Rotary engines were used with an element of success in sports cars like the Mazda RX-7 and RX-8 but there's nothing sporty about this one: it'll accelerate to 62mph in 9.1 seconds, while it maxes out at 87mph.

Packed with active and passive safety kit, the Mazda MX-30 won’t give you sleepless nights in the safety department. Big news is the smart brake support, which helps mitigate against vehicle, pedestrian and bicycle collisions but now includes a turn across traffic function.

That means when you turn right in a right-hand drive car the sensors will slam the brakes on if they pick up on something the driver hasn’t spotted. Along with lane keep assist and blind spot assist, occupants will feel well looked after. 

The missing B-pillar won’t be a concern, either. As well as bolstering the roof and the sills, the structure has been designed to absorb an impact and diffuse the energy. And if there is a crash, the drive system shuts down, so occupants aren’t at risk of electric shocks.

You won’t struggle to fit the shopping into the Mazda MX-30. There's 366 litres of usable boot space here – although you won’t be able to use all of it as the charging cables will most likely live under the boot floor. Of course, you don’t have to carry them with you – but remember that not all charge points have their own cables.

Still, you’ll have more than enough space a couple of medium sized suitcases and some backpacks. No front boot though – this is where Mazda has put the electric motor (and quite possibly left some extra space for a small petrol engine in a range extender mode).

It’s the rear seat space that is the biggest disappointment. Designed as a second car, the back seats are only really suitable for nipping the kids to football or dragging them to Tesco’s. The ‘freestyle’ rear doors mean access should be good, but it isn’t – especially if you’re a taller driver when you’ll have to slide your front seat forward too.

It’s also quite claustrophobic in the rear as the door has these huge hinges, a massive armrest and rear windows that don’t open.

Mazda’s decision to offer an EV with a small battery and therefore shorter range was made to reduce the car’s carbon footprint and the environmentally conscious theme is carried into the car, most noticeably with some sustainable materials used.

Most noticeable throughout the cabin is the use of cork. This can be stripped from the bark of the tree, which means no felling. Mazda has also used recycled plastic bottles to make the arm rests. Both feel plush, but having never encountered them before we can’t say how they will hold up over the life of the car.

Mazda’s infotainment, while not as flash as some of its German rivals, is logical and very easy to use. We particularly like the use of the rotary dial to find your way around the 8.8-inch screen mounted on the centre console.

Granted, it does take a bit of getting used to but it’s much safer than taking your eyes off the road to jab wildly at a moving target. And if you don’t like the infotainment system, Apple Car Play and Android Auto come as standard.

Weirdly, it's the opposite for the the air-con and heating controls get a touchscreen as well as physical buttons.

This just seems like a waste of space and makes as much sense as the ‘floating’ console. Thankfully, Mazda have played it safe with the rest of the car, even using a traditional auto gearstick rather than a wacky dial to select gears.

Mazda MX-30 prices start from around £31,000 (for both the EV and R-EV models), while the range tops out with the £36,000 Mazda MX-30 Makoto.

That looks like good value alongside the Kia Niro EV and Volkswagen ID.3, although these can travel further on a charge than the pure-electric MX-30. It's pricier than the MG 4, too.

Electric cars tend to lose quite a lot of their value in the first year or two, so a used Mazda MX-30 could be a bit of a bargain. We've seen early examples dropping below £14,000.

Buy an all-electric Mazda MX-30 and you should, in theory, be able to travel 124 miles between charges. We reckon around 100 miles is more realistic; maybe even less in winter. That limits the Mazda MX-30 EV to the school run and/or a short commute, really.

The average weekly mileage for UK motorists is just 100 miles, though, so don't get too hung up on range. If you do need to travel further, the Mazda MX-30 R-EV is a plug-in hybrid with a combined range of more than 400 miles. And if you need to travel further than that, you can put some petrol in it - just like the good old days.

Like all plug-in hybrids, you'll need to charge the Mazda MX-30 R-EV regularly to get the best from it. It can officially cover around 53 miles under electric power, while it can be rapid charged in around 25 minutes.

The most cost-effective way of charging a Mazda MX-30 will be using a home charger. Depending on your electricity tariff, expect to pay around £10 to charge the EV's 36kWh battery. The Mazda MX-30 R-EV, with its 17.8kWh battery, will cost around £5.

Standard equipment on the Mazda MX-30 Prime-Line includes 18-inch alloy wheels (silver on EV; grey on R-EV), black exterior highlights, rain-sensing wipers, high-beam control, LED headlights, a light grey cloth interior, seven-inch climate control touchscreen, seven-inch digital instrument cluster, an 8.8-inch navigation system with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, climate control, front electric windows, radar cruise control, a windscreen projected head-up display, blind spot monitoring, driver attention alert, emergency lane-keeping, intelligent speed assist, lane-keep assist with lane departure warning, smart brake support and traffic sign recognition.

The Mazda MX-30 Exclusive-Line adds 18-inch bright metallic alloy wheels on the EV and 18-inch black diamond cut alloys on the R-EV. Exterior highlights are finished in piano black, while rear privacy glass is also standard. Inside, the MX-30 Exclusive-Line features light grey cloth seats with stone leatherette, electrical adjustment for the driver's seat, a frameless rear-view mirror, heated front seats and keyless entry.

Topping the range, the Mazda MX-30 Makoto features a 360-degree camera, front wiper de-icer, adaptive LED headlights, a tilt and slide sunroof, a 1500W three-pin plug socket (R-EV only), a heated steering wheel and a Bose sound system. Cruising and traffic support is standard, as well as driver monitoring, front cross traffic alert and rear smart brake support.