In-depth reviews

Mazda MX-30 review - Range, charging & running costs

Those who need more than the 124-mile range of the EV Mazda MX-30 should get the R-EV with up to 400 miles of range

Overall Auto Express Rating

3.0 out of 5

Range, charging & running costs Rating

3.5 out of 5

Price
£31,250 to £36,000
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Mazda provides a pair of Type 2 charging cables as standard, one for charging from a domestic 3-pin plug socket and a second for use with public and wallbox chargers. The MX-30's charging ability is up to 50kW DC, so a 20 to 80 per cent top-up in both the pure electric and R-EV models will take 25 minutes.

At home, both versions of MX-30 can charge at a maximum of 6.6kW from an AC wallbox, so a 0-100% charge will be a 5h 30min job for the electric model, or 2h 30min for the R-EV with its smaller battery. Charge from a domestic three-pin socket, and you’re looking at 15h 30mins to get a full charge in the EV version, or about 7h 30 mins for the R-EV. You’ll find the Mazda’s charging flap to the rear on the driver’s side.

The MyMazda app works with Mazda’s Connected Services system, letting you remotely keep track of the car’s status and battery charge level while controlling certain functions. You can adjust climate control settings, check tyre pressures and schedule charging. Unlike some similar apps, it does not update in real time, so you have to refresh and wait for the app to link up with the car to receive the data.

The great advantage of running an all-electric car like the MX-30 is the potential for lower running costs. The Benefit-in-Kind (BiK) company car tax rate for the electric MX-30 will be much lower than a traditional petrol or diesel car, and even the R-EV manages to sit in a low tax band because it has a decent electric range and low overall emissions. You must charge it up very regularly to see an economy figure close to the 282.5mpg quoted, though.

Insurance groups 

All the electric MX-30 models sit in insurance group 19, at a similar level to the more powerful versions of the CX-30. This should make the car relatively inexpensive to insure compared to similar electric cars. The Vauxhall Mokka-e is spread over groups 21 to 22, the Kia Soul EV in group 31, and the Honda e city car in group 29. 

Going for the R-EV model does increase the groupings to 22 for the Prime Line and 23 for the top-spec Makoto.You can get personalised car insurance quotes fast with our comparison tool powered by Quotezone…

Depreciation

The MX-30 has a fairly steep depreciation curve because it’s only expected to retain 36-38 per cent of its value after a typical three-year/36,000-mile ownership period. The best-performing version is the R-EV Prime Line, with the worst being the R-EV Makato.

One of the best small EVs for retaining value in this price range is the MG4 SE Long Range at 53 per cent, while a small SUV like the Toyota Yaris Cross is predicted to be worth 56 per cent after the same period

To get an accurate valuation on a specific model check out our valuation tool...

Online Reviews Editor

Max looks after the reviews on the Auto Express website. He’s been a motoring journalist since 2017 and has written for Autocar, What Car?, Piston Heads, Driving Electric, Car Buyer, Electrifying, and Good Motoring Magazine.

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