Where each one leads
Alfa Romeo 4C
- Against cars of the same year, the Alfa Romeo 4C comes out better in New York safety inspections (fails 100% less often than average) than the Mazda MX-5 (fails 51% less often than average).
Mazda MX-5
- On Canada's official test the most frugal 2026 Mazda MX-5 uses 8.0 l/100 km, the 2020 Alfa Romeo 4C 8.4.
Only measures that do not depend on how many cars were sold: pass and failure rates against cars of the same age, ratings, fuel use and CO₂. How we compare
At a glance
| Alfa Romeo 4C | Mazda MX-5 | |
|---|---|---|
| Model years in the US safety record | 2014–2020 | 2006–2026 |
| New cars registered in Europe | 4,090 (2013–2021) | 112,227 (2010–2022) |
| Licensed in the United Kingdom | 215 | 79,525 |
| On the road in the Netherlands | 131 | 12,970 |
| In traffic in Finland | — | 645 |
EEA new-car registrations (CC BY 4.0) · DVLA licensed vehicles (OGL v3.0) · RDW (CC0) · Traficom (CC BY 4.0) · generations: Wikidata (CC0).
Reliability and problems
| Alfa Romeo 4C | Mazda MX-5 | |
|---|---|---|
| UK MOT first-time pass rate | — | 74% |
| … against cars of the same age | — | +14% |
| New York safety inspections failed | 0.0% | 0.8% |
| … against cars of the same year | −100% | −51% |
| Illogical odometer records (NL) | — | 9.6% |
| US owner complaints | 1 | 155 |
| Most complaints about | Engine | Power train |
| Model year with most complaints | 2017 (1) | 2016 (34) |
| US recall campaigns | — | 6 |
| Manufacturer service bulletins | 110 | 3,927 |
Complaint, recall and bulletin counts grow with the number of cars sold and are not adjusted for it. UK MOT: DVSA anonymised MOT results (OGL v3.0); New York: DMV inspections; complaints, recalls, bulletins and investigations: NHTSA (public domain); odometer: RDW (CC0).
Fuel, emissions and price
| Alfa Romeo 4C | Mazda MX-5 | |
|---|---|---|
| Official combined fuel use, Canada | 8.4 l/100 km (2020) | 8.0 l/100 km (2026) |
| Real-world use in Europe, petrol | — | 6.8 l/100 km |
| Official CO₂ of new cars in Europe | — | 150 g/km |
| Average power of new cars in Europe | 177 kW (237 hp) | 121 kW (162 hp) |
| Average mass in running order | 1,074 kg | 1,106 kg |
| Dutch list price when new (median) | €81,610 | €34,590 |
| Average odometer in Finland | — | 137,000 km |
Canada: NRCan Fuel Consumption Ratings, most frugal version of the latest year (OGL Canada). Europe: EEA monitoring of new-car CO₂ and on-board fuel meters (OBFCM), CC BY 4.0. Price: RDW catalogue price (CC0). Finland: Traficom (CC BY 4.0).