• No diesel engines
• Both petrols have mild hybrids
• e-Skyactiv X adopts fuel-saving technology

How much does it cost to run?

Big news: there’s no diesel on offer here. Interestingly, other European markets will get cars powered by the black pump, but Mazda reckons UK punters prefer petrol. That means the most economical engine on offer is the e-Skyactiv X. It’s the more expensive of the two, and is also the cleanest and fastest.

Both engines have stop-start and a mild hybrid system attached. This uses a small generator to take energy usually lost during braking that can be reused to power electrical systems. This reduces the amount of petrol used, increasing MPG.

While the e-SkyActiv G is more or less a regular petrol engine, the e-SkyActiv X is more interesting. It uses compression ignition technology – meaning at times, it can burn fuel like a diesel does, working more efficiently than a regular spark ignition petrol. It’s fiendishly complicated and rather interesting to drive – but more on that on the next page.

The end result of all this is interesting. You might think that the large 2.0-litre engines of the CX-30, even with fuel-saving tech, use more petrol than the dinky 1.0 and 1.2-litre engines employed by most of its rivals. But by using relatively unstressed units and optimising them for the car they’re in Mazda’s been able to deliver impressive fuel economy in line with its turbocharged rivals.

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We found a real-world 48mpg easily achievable from the e-SkyActiv G, while the e-SkyActiv X hovered around the 44mpg mark. Both engines are very well suited to long motorway cruises where they can sit at efficient revs, but don’t suffer too badly from slogs across town either.

Opt for a four-wheel drive model and you’ll see fuel economy drop by one or two mpg, and you’ll see a similar penalty in opting for the automatic gearbox over the manual. 

The CX-30 lacks a hybrid or PHEV model to bring CO2 emissions down, making it a less attractive company car than some rivals. Still, the cleanest model delivers a fairly impressive 127g/km, which isn’t bad for a car of this size.

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Servicing and warranty

Service intervals are 12,500 miles or 12 months, whichever comes first. If you need some extra peace of mind, there’s a three-year, 60,000 mile warranty as standard. Not as impressive as five- and seven year offerings from its Japanese and Korean rivals, though.

How reliable is it?

• Mazda has a good reputation 
• But there’s lots of new tech 
• Three-year warranty as standard

As the CX-30 uses the majority of its mechanical components with the latest 3 hatchback, parts shouldn’t be difficult to source.

There was one recall in 2021 relating to the powered tailgate partially lowering when fully open, affecting just over 7,100 vehicles and updating the software.

The signs should be good, as Mazda has a good reputation for building strong and dependable cars, but we have seen a small proportion of owner’s reviews reporting on electrical glitches in various models over the years.

Read owner’s reviews on the Mazda CX-30