Mazda3 Fastback saloon - Reliability & safety
Mazda has a good reputation for reliability and safety
We're very impressed with Mazda as a company – they compete with more upmarket brands on standard features and design, but they also stand out as safe, reliable cars too.
Mazda3 Saloon reliability
The previous Mazda3 was rated highly in our 2019 Driver Power owner satisfaction survey, despite 17.5% of owners reporting at least one fault during the first year of ownership. The Mazda3 finished 43rd overall out of 100 cars surveyed - although the Mazda CX-5 was the only Mazda ranked in our 2021 list. It finished third overall, which is an outstanding result.
On the whole, Mazda does very well. In our manufacturers list, the Japanese brand came fourth out of 29 brands in 2021, with everything except practicality impressing owners. This is a common occurrence: it has posted top-five results for the past three years.
Safety
The Mazda3 also scored well in the Euro NCAP crash test in 2019, earning five stars out of five. It’s fitted with a system named Smart City Brake Support, which will automatically apply emergency braking if a hazard is detected in the path of the car. The Fastback wasn’t tested but the same technology and structures are lifted from the hatchback.
All the other safety equipment that you’d expect, like anti-lock brakes, electronic stability control and a full suite of airbags are fitted, as well as normal driver aids such as traction control. There’s also a hill-start assist feature which holds the car on the brakes when you’re pulling away on an incline.
