Mazda CX-5 SUV (2012-2017) - MPG, running costs & CO2

The Mazda CX-5 range starts at around £24,000 for the entry-level SE-L Nav model with a petrol engine. Our pick of the range (a two-wheel-drive SE-L Nav with the less powerful 2.2-litre diesel engine and a manual gearbox) costs around £26,000. If you can afford it, you can spend almost £33,000 on the range-topping Sport Nav version with the more powerful diesel engine, four-wheel drive, an automatic gearbox and all the bells and whistles.

An entry-level Nissan Qashqai will be a fair bit cheaper, at around £19,000, although you need to spend over £21,000 to get a well specced diesel version of this car. The Skoda Yeti isn’t as much fun to drive or as stylish as the CX-5, but it is a good deal less expensive, with around £20,000 getting you behind the wheel of a mid-range 2.0-litre diesel model. It's a similar story with the Kia Sportage.

Mazda CX-5 MPG & CO2

The less powerful of the two 2.2-litre diesel engines is the running-costs champion of the CX-5 range. In two-wheel-drive form and fitted with a six-speed manual gearbox, it can do a claimed 56.5mpg. We think it'll be the best option for most CX-5 owners, whether they're private buyers or company-car users, as performance is more than adequate for town, country and motorway driving and running costs are very low. However, it’s worth noting the less powerful 128bhp diesel in the Nissan Qashqai does 64.2mpg.

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Choosing a CX-5 with automatic transmission and the same 148bhp diesel engine reduces fuel economy to 50.4mpg, but road tax remains the same. However, the Benefit-in-Kind (BiK) rate rises from 28% to 31%. Choosing the manual with four-wheel drive results in slightly better fuel economy (52.3mpg) and 142g/km CO2 emissions, for a BiK rate of 30%. It’s a sound choice if you plan to use your CX-5 for towing.

Finally, the combination of both four-wheel drive and an automatic gearbox with the less powerful diesel results in 48.7mpg and 152g/km of CO2, for a BiK rate of 32%.

The more powerful 173bhp diesel engine is a great performer, but it's only available in the pricey top-of-the-range Sport Nav model and with four-wheel drive, so despite the extra power on offer, we don't think it represents very good value for money. Fuel economy for this engine with a manual gearbox is 52.3mpg, while fuel economy is reduced to 48.7mpg with the automatic gearbox.

As you might expect, the 2.0-litre petrol model is less economical than the diesels. Fitted with the manual gearbox, it'll return 44.1mpg in everyday driving, while CO2 emissions of 149g/km mean it has a BiK rate of 28%. It's worth noting that it can't be paired with the automatic gearbox or four-wheel drive. Nonetheless, the petrol is the best choice for drivers who mostly do short journeys around town and have a low annual mileage.

All CX-5s will cost £140 a year to tax.

Insurance

The Mazda CX-5's insurance ratings run from group 15 for the entry-level 2.0-litre petrol two-wheel-drive car to group 21 for the range-topping 2.2-litre diesel four-wheel-drive model. This is slightly higher than the Nissan Qashqai, which runs from groups 14 to 19, while the Skoda Yeti has a broader spread of ratings, running from groups 13 to 22.

Warranty

Three years and 60,000 miles is pretty much the industry standard when it comes to warranty cover for cars, and that's exactly what you get with the Mazda CX-5. Key rivals the Hyundai Tucson and Kia Sportage do better in this area, however, with Hyundai offering a five-year/unlimited-mileage policy on the Tucson and Kia covering the Sportage for seven years or 100,000 miles.

Servicing

The Mazda CX-5 needs to serviced once a year, or every 12,500 miles, whichever comes first. Mazda offers fixed-price servicing, covering three years or 37,500 miles of motoring, as well as pay-monthly service plans, to help you manage the cost of routine maintenance. In comparison, a Kia Sportage only needs to visit the dealer every 20,000 miles (or once a year, whichever comes sooner).