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Mazda 3 MPS (2007-2008) running costs and reliability

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Running costs rating: 3 out of 53.0

Written by David Ross Published: 6 June 2019

Miles per pound (mpp)

Reliable fuel consumption data for comparison purposes is not available for this model.

What is miles per pound?

Fuel economy

A more stringent standard for fuel economy (WLTP) was introduced from September 2017, and this model was not required to undergo that test. Its fuel economy measured under the previous test system was 29 mpg. However these figures are less likely to be achievable in real world driving and so should never be compared to another car's mpg which was measured under the newer, more realistic WLTP system.

View mpg & specs for any version

Healthy demand and a limited supply (just 1000 will make it into the UK each year) means that used prices should stay high and depreciation shouldn’t be too painful. It falls into insurance group 17, which is a massive jump from the 2.0 Sport model below it which is group 8. Mazda parts and servicing tends to be good value. High performance Y-rated tyres are needed as the car can top speeds of 150mph, but these are more expensive to replace than ordinary ones.

Fuel consumption – at 29mpg – is pretty good for a hot hatch.

The MPS is a polluting model with emissions of 231g/km of CO2 and fuel economy of 29mpg. However considering the power and performance on offer, this is reasonable.

It’s been a long time since Mazda built a performance model like this, so it’s something of an unknown. That said, the firm has an excellent record and is fastidious when it comes to ensuring the highest production standards. The Mazda6 MPS (which uses the same engine) has proved as reliable as the rest of the range.