2020 Mazda 3 Review

Name: 2020 Mazda 3 Review
Brand: Mazda

Price Range: $16,990 - $21,988

+162

The 2020 Mazda 3 offers a premium interior, great road manners and appealing fuel economy. You could say it's a bargain premium sedan. But it could use improved infotainment system functionality and a more potent engine.

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Price & Payment

28 cars

$20,017 avg. price

Min$

Max$

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Appraise My 2020 Mazda 3

Mazda 3 model years

Mazda 3 for Sale

Mazda 3 types

Sedan
Hatchback

2020 Mazda 3 Review

by the Edmunds Experts

What's new

A full suite of advanced driver safety features is now standard
Part of the fourth Mazda 3 generation introduced for 2019

Cost to Drive^{Cost to drive estimates for the 2020 Mazda 3 4dr Sedan (2.5L 4cyl 6A) and comparison vehicles are based on 15,000 miles per year (with a mix of 55% city and 45% highway driving) and energy estimates of $3.06 per gallon for regular unleaded in Connecticut.}

Monthly estimates based on costs in Connecticut

$127/mo

$164/mo

Avg. Midsize Car

Calculate my fuel costs

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Has Your Car's Value Changed?

Used car values are constantly changing. Edmunds lets you track your vehicle's value over time so you can decide when to sell or trade in.

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Reliability Ratings by RepairPal

4/5Excellent

#15 out of 46 among Compact Cars

RepairPal Reliability Ratings are based on the actual cost, frequency, and severity of unscheduled repairs and maintenance on make/model data for select 2008-2022 vehicles. The reliability of a specific vehicle may vary depending on its maintenance and driving history, model year, trim, and features.

Cost

^{The average total annual cost for unscheduled repairs and maintenance across all model years of the Mazda 3 from 2008-2022.}

$386/yr

vs. $416/yr
for Average Compact Car

Frequency

^{The average number of times this model is brought into the shop for unscheduled repairs and maintenance in a single year. RepairPal calculates this metric by tracking millions of unique vehicles over multiple years to determine an average number of visits per year (omitting small routine visits, e.g., oil changes).}

1.09x/yr

vs. 1.01x/yr
for Average Compact Car

Severity

^{The probability that a repair will be a major issue, meaning the repair costs 3x the average annual repair cost for all models. This threshold will be higher for vehicles that have higher labor rates and parts costs (such as a premium brand).}

vs. 10.4%
for Average Compact Car

powered by RepairPal ^{Based on RepairPal reliability data as of 8/23/2023. Ratings are provided by RepairPal and Edmunds is not responsible for their accuracy.}

Mazda 3 Reviews

Owner Reviews

3.7

27 reviews

5(48%)

4(19%)

3(7%)

2(11%)

1(15%)

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Most Helpful Owner Reviews

Huge upgrade from the 2017!

Landon, 06/12/2020

2020 Mazda 3 Premium 4dr Hatchback (2.5L 4cyl 6M)

I owned the 2017 Mazda 3 HB GT for a couple years now. Was an awesome car to drive and super reliable and one of the few cars still producing a manual (never owned an automatic). After getting the 2020 Premium manual, I could never go back. Every single part of this car is an upgrade from the 2017 which I already loved. The styling is next to none and the inside literally looks like a …

Superb!

Pwith65, 10/04/2020

2020 Mazda 3 Premium 4dr Hatchback (2.5L 4cyl 6M)

Way back in the day, my parents bought me a Mazda GLC to travel back and forth from college. That car was quality through and through... yet, I never considered Mazda again. Until now. I purchased a 2020 Premium Hatchback with all the bells and whistles you can think of having. Machine gray with the black trim kit. A beauty! I couldn't be happier. I got tired of the "keeping up with …

I love this car!

SSS Fence, 04/17/2020

2020 Mazda 3 4dr Sedan (2.5L 4cyl 6A)

I recently traded in my 2005 Base Mazda 3 for a 2020 Base Mazda 3. The price I paid was only $1,800 more than I paid for a new car in 1991 (YES! 29 years ago, and only $1,800 more!) -- the price point is EXTREMELY competitive! Imagine my surprise when I sat in the Base model for the first time, and saw leather dashboard, leather console, leather wrapped gear shifter, and leather trim …

I will drive this car until the earth reclaims it.

Austin, 04/21/2020

2020 Mazda 3 Premium 4dr Sedan (2.5L 4cyl 6A)

I can not imagine ever trading this in or selling it. It seems like every new car is following particularity bad trends (ie: every driving command controlled by a glitchy touch screen infotainment), but the Mazda 3 is going in the best possible direction. The amount of engineering, thought, and attention to detail in this vehicle is incredible. The infotainment is fast and you don't have …

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2020 Mazda 3 videos

How Reliable is a 2020 Mazda 3 After a Year? Long-Term Road Test — Wrap-up

Edmunds usually aims to put 20,000 miles on a long-term test car to understand the maintenance and wear a customer would experience, but the pandemic had other plans. Instead, our 2020 Mazda 3 long-term test car spent a good amount of time on the sunny streets of Southern California. In this video, we cover what we liked, and what we didn't, during our year of ownership.

2020 3 Highlights

Type:

Sedan

Trim:

Base

Base MSRP Excludes Destination Fee	$21,500
Engine Type	Gas
Combined MPG	30 MPG
Cost to Drive	$127/month
Seating	5 seats
Cargo Capacity All Seats In Place	13.2 cu.ft.
Drivetrain	front wheel drive
Warranty	3 years / 36,000 miles

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Safety

Our experts like the 3 models:

Smart Brake Support: Warns if you are rapidly approaching a vehicle, pedestrian or bicyclist. Can apply the brakes to reduce the severity of a collision.
Mazda Radar Cruise Control: Maintains a driver-selected distance between the Mazda 3 and the car in front.
Lane Departure Warning System: Alerts the driver if the Mazda 3 begins wandering outside its lane.

NHTSA Overall Rating

The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration offers independent analysis.

Frontal Barrier Crash Rating
Overall5 / 5
Driver5 / 5
Passenger5 / 5
Side Crash Rating
Overall5 / 5
Side Barrier Rating
Overall5 / 5
Driver5 / 5
Passenger5 / 5
Combined Side Barrier & Pole Ratings
Front Seat5 / 5
Back Seat5 / 5
Rollover
Rollover5 / 5
Dynamic Test ResultNo Tip
Risk Of Rollover10.1%

IIHS Rating

The Insurance Institute of Highway Safety uses extensive crash tests to determine car safety.

Small Overlap Front Driver-Side Test
Good
Small Overlap Front Passenger-Side Test
Good
Moderate Overlap Front Test – Original
Good
Moderate Overlap Front Test – Updated
Not Tested
Side Impact Test – Original
Good
Side Impact Test – Updated
Not Tested
Roof Strength Test
Good
Rear Crash Protection / Head Restraint
Good

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2020 Mazda 3 Review

Price & Payment

2020 Mazda 3 Review

What's new

Cost to Drive^{Cost to drive estimates for the 2020 Mazda 3 4dr Sedan (2.5L 4cyl 6A) and comparison vehicles are based on 15,000 miles per year (with a mix of 55% city and 45% highway driving) and energy estimates of $3.06 per gallon for regular unleaded in Connecticut.}

Reliability Ratings by RepairPal

Cost

Frequency

Severity

Mazda 3 Reviews

Owner Reviews

Most Helpful Owner Reviews

Trending topics

Huge upgrade from the 2017!

Superb!

I love this car!

I will drive this car until the earth reclaims it.

2020 Mazda 3 videos

How Reliable is a 2020 Mazda 3 After a Year? Long-Term Road Test — Wrap-up

2020 3 Highlights

Safety

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2020 Mazda 3 Review

Price & Payment

2020 Mazda 3 Review

What's new

Cost to DriveCost to drive estimates for the 2020 Mazda 3 4dr Sedan (2.5L 4cyl 6A) and comparison vehicles are based on 15,000 miles per year (with a mix of 55% city and 45% highway driving) and energy estimates of $3.06 per gallon for regular unleaded in Connecticut.

Reliability Ratings by RepairPal

Cost

Frequency

Severity

Mazda 3 Reviews

Owner Reviews

Most Helpful Owner Reviews

Huge upgrade from the 2017!

Superb!

I love this car!

I will drive this car until the earth reclaims it.

2020 Mazda 3 videos

How Reliable is a 2020 Mazda 3 After a Year? Long-Term Road Test — Wrap-up

2020 3 Highlights

Safety

People who viewed this also viewed

Related Used 2020 Mazda 3 info

Vehicle reviews of used models

Shop similar models

Shop used vehicles in your area

Popular new car reviews and ratings

Research other models of Mazda

Research similar vehicles

Other models

Join Edmunds

Cost to Drive^{Cost to drive estimates for the 2020 Mazda 3 4dr Sedan (2.5L 4cyl 6A) and comparison vehicles are based on 15,000 miles per year (with a mix of 55% city and 45% highway driving) and energy estimates of $3.06 per gallon for regular unleaded in Connecticut.}