Mazda CX-30 review

The Mazda CX-30 small SUV is designed to be all the car a family could need for every trip – from long-distance driving to quick jaunts around town.

To make that possible, Mazda has based the CX-30 on the Mazda 3, helping to keep the dimensions compact. Then, to make sure it has all the oomph you want, you can choose between two petrol engines, both with mild-hybrid technology.

Sounds promising, doesn’t it? But is it as fun to drive as, say, a Seat Arona, as practical as a Skoda Kamiq or as comfy inside as a VW T-Roc?

In other words, how do we rate the Mazda CX-30 against the best small SUVs you can buy? Read on to find out...

The Mazda CX-30 has a new, more powerful entry-level engine for 2025 – a 138bhp 2.5-litre petrol unit badged e-Skyactiv G. It's much better than the engine it replaces, making the CX-30 feel more on a par with turbocharged rivals such as the 123bhp 1.0-litre Ford Puma.

The other engine option is a 183bhp 2.0-litre petrol, the e-Skyactiv X. Despite having more power, it feels weaker than the e-Skyactiv G because you only get the best out of it when you’re high in the rev range.

You get the choice of an automatic or manual gearbox with either engine. For the best fuel economy, we'd go for the manual, which is slick to use with a precise, well-weighted action. The automatic gearbox is less satisfying, and is sometimes reluctant to change down when you ask for a quick burst of acceleration.

The CX-30’s ride leans on the firmer side of the small SUV spectrum but it’s still comfy. Most of the time it's really settled and you’ll only ever feel a bit of a thwack over sharper potholes.

As with many cars, the ride is better with smaller wheels, so we’d stick with one of the entry-level models – Prime-Line or Centre-line – which get 16in ones. Alternatively, consider the VW T-Roc, which is slightly softer.

The upside of the CX-30’s firmness is that it’s well controlled and there’s little of the float and wallow over undulating roads you’ll feel in a Citroën C3 Aircross.

The CX-30's steering doesn't feel particularly quick or feelsome but it is precise and has a reassuring, progressive weight build-up. What’s more, the taut suspension means there's minimal body lean when you scythe through twists and turns.

The harder you push, though, the less impressive it becomes. The CX-30 runs out of front-end grip earlier than you’d want, while the Ford Puma – our handling benchmark for small SUVs – is much more agile and satisfying to drive spiritedly.

The CX-30’s four-cylinder engines are generally smoother and quieter than the smallest 1.0 TSI three-cylinders offered for the Seat Arona and Skoda Kamiq. They're never intrusive, regardless of speed, and their stop-start systems operate smoothly around town.

Occupants are fairly well insulated from wind and road noise, although the VW T-Roc is more hushed at motorway speeds. There's also the odd thump and thud from the CX-30's rear suspension over bumps.

“I like the Mazda CX-30's delightfully tactile manual gearbox. It makes swapping cogs a pleasure.” – Will Nightingale, Reviews Editor

The Mazda CX-30's steering wheel and supportive front seats are very adjustable, making it easy to get comfy. Be aware, though, that only pricier trims come with adjustable lumbar support. Plus, although this is a small SUV, its driving position is not much higher than in the closely related Mazda 3.

If you're tired of fiddly touch-sensitive buttons for basic controls, you'll find the CX-30 refreshing. It gives you switches and knobs for the heating and stereo, allowing you to find all the controls by feel once you know where they are. That reduces the need to take your eyes off the road.

A part-digital driver's display is standard on all versions. It can’t show as much information as the fully digital displays in Peugeot, Skoda and VW models, but it is crisp and easy to read. Handier still is the inclusion of a head-up display on every trim. It puts speed, speed limit and sat-nav information in your line of sight.

You’ll have no problems seeing out of the front of the CX-30. While the front window pillars are fairly wide, forward visibility and at junctions is generally good. The rear pillars are not as chunky as on many small SUVs but the small rear windows limit your view to the rear.

Rear parking sensors and a rear-view camera come as standard with the entry-level trim, while front parking sensors are added on the rest. Top-spec Takumi trim includes a bird's eye view camera so the infotainment screen shows your car from above as you manoeuvre. It works very well.

Every version of the CX-30 has LED headlights with automatic high beam. From Exclusive-Line trim and up you get adaptive LEDs, which you can leave on main beam all the time (they automatically adjust so they don't dazzle other drivers).

For safety reasons, the CX-30’s 10.3in infotainment screen only works as a touchscreen when the car is at a standstill. Instead, you control it using a rotary controller between the front seats. It might sound restrictive but we much prefer it to the touchscreen-only systems in the Seat Arona and many other small SUVS.

Better still, the system responds quickly to your inputs and comes with an impressive array of features, including DAB radio, Bluetooth and sat-nav, as well as wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay.

Wireless phone-charging is standard from Centre-Line trim up. Exclusive-Line and higher trims replace the impressive eight-speaker sound system with a more powerful 12-speaker Bose set-up – something music fans will appreciate.

At the entry-level price of the CX-30, no other small SUV comes close to its classy solidity. You need to jump up a class to family SUVs such as the BMW X1 and the Volvo XC40 to get a similar level of plushness.

The CX-30's dashboard is slathered in squishy, expensive-looking materials, including lashings of leatherette in two colours. With some classy chrome trim in the mix too, it’s a fine place to be. There are hard plastics lower down but the standards are still very high when you consider it next to most rivals.

If you play with the switches, stalks and knobs you’ll find they all click, turn and move with an expensive feel.

"Although the Mazda CX-30 driver's display looks conventional, the centre of it is a digital screen. I was a bit disappointed that it's not very configurable." – Neil Winn, Deputy Reviews Editor

Even very tall people will fit in the front of the Mazda CX-30 with room to spare. The seats go back a long way, head room is good and there’s plenty of elbow room.

Interior storage is decent, with two generous cupholders in front of the gearlever, a rubberised cubby in front of that with space for you to empty your pockets into, and decent door pockets with bottle holders.

Add in the large cubby under the central front armrest and there’s no shortage of places for all the things you'll need on a journey.

Things don’t start well for the CX-30 in this regard because its small rear doors make it trickier to get in and out of the back than is ideal. We’ve yet to try fitting a bulky child seat in the back but we can’t imagine it's particularly easy.

A long-legged passenger will have adequate room if they’re sitting behind a tall driver, with not much space to stretch out, and the small windows bring a claustrophobic feel.

Head room is ample for two adults sitting bolt upright, but the curve of the roof means it drops off dramatically to the sides. There’s also a floor hump for the middle passenger to contend with. Overall, the Skoda Kamiq and VW T-Roc are roomier and feel much airier.

As with most small SUVs, the CX-30 doesn’t come with sliding or reclining rear seats and they split in the less versatile 60/40 configuration. The T-Roc comes with a handy ski hatch, but not the CX-30.

You can’t fold down the back seats from the boot, as you can in some rivals, and there’s no fold-flat passenger seat, which would improve practicality.

The CX-30 has 430 litres of boot space – about the same as the VW T-Roc and more than a Seat Arona or Skoda Kamiq.

However, while the Kamiq and T-Roc took seven carry-on suitcases in our test, the shape of the CX-30’s boot meant it took six. The Ford Puma did better than all those rivals. Its cleverly designed and very deep boot took eight carry-on cases.

Better news is that the CX-30 has a variable-height boot floor as standard. Homura trim and up adds a powered tailgate.

"I appreciated the Mazda CX-30 being one of the best small SUVs for in-car storage, with a deep cubby under the armrest, large cupholders and a tray for the contents of your pockets." – Dan Jones, Reviewer

As a cash purchase, the entry-level Mazda CX-30 costs slightly less than the equivalent Ford Puma and slightly more than the Skoda Kamiq. The Seat Arona is a fair bit cheaper than all of them.

Official emissions figures are pretty good, with all CX-30 engines undercutting the Skoda Karoq and Volvo XC40 for like-for-like average fuel economy. The e-Skyactiv X has lower emissions than the e-Skyactiv G and is also more economical (the combined WLTP figures are 47.1mpg and 47.9mpg respectively).

If you run a company car and want low BIK tax, you'll be better off financially with an electric SUV or, to a lesser extent, a plug-in hybrid (PHEV). You could consider the all-electric Mazda MX-30 EV or its PHEV twin, the Mazda MX-30 R-EV.

There are five trim levels to choose from for the CX-30 and all are well-equipped. The range kicks off with Prime-Line, which gets 16in alloy wheels, automatic lights, cruise control, air conditioning, a head-up display, an infotainment screen and rear parking sensors.

Our recommendation is to step up one trim to Centre-Line. Doing so adds heated front seats, adaptive cruise control, an auto-dimming rear-view mirror, climate control, keyless entry and front parking sensors.

Meanwhile, mid-spec Homura and above have leather upholstery, rain-sensing wipers and a powered tailgate. However, they're too pricey to recommend, plus the bigger wheels they come with harm the ride.

Mazda came 16th out of the 31 included car makers in the 2024 What Car? Reliability Survey – a fairly good showing that places it above Peugeot and Seat. Meanwhile, Kia and Volvo both finished higher up the order.

The CX-30 itself managed a slightly disappointing 16th place finish out of 23 cars in the small SUV class – above the Ford Puma but below the Seat Arona. Its reliability score of 93.4% is respectable.

Every Mazda sold in the UK comes with a three-year, 60,000-mile warranty. That's a match for the warranty offered by Audi, Seat, Skoda and Volkswagen, but Hyundai, Kia and Toyota all offer five years or more.

Safety testers from Euro NCAP gave the CX-30 the full five stars after crash-testing it in 2019. Most rival small SUVs hold five stars too.

Every new CX-30 is fitted with automatic emergency braking (AEB), blind-spot monitoring, lane-departure warning with lane-keeping assistance, a rear cross-traffic alert system (to warn of traffic in your path when reversing into a road) and a driver attention alert system as standard. 

If you pick a top-of-the-range trim, you'll also get a front cross-traffic alert system, which uses side radar cameras to help you spot other cars approaching from the blind-spots to the front left and right of the car.

"I was impressed with the Mazda CX-30’s level of kit. Higher spec models have adaptive cruise control, LED headlights and a rear-view camera as standard. Safety kit is comprehensive too." – Stuart Milne, Digital Editor

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