Where each one leads
Citroen C3
Ahead on none of the like-for-like measures.
Mazda Mazda2
- Against cars of the same age, the Mazda Mazda2 comes out better at its first MOT test (passes 1% more often than average) than the Citroen C3 (passes 7% less often than average).
- Fewer Mazda Mazda2 cars in the Netherlands carry an illogical odometer record (1.4% against 2.3%).
- New Mazda Mazda2 cars registered in Europe in 2022 average 103 g/km of CO₂ on the WLTP test, against 122 for the Citroen C3 in 2022.
- Measured by the cars' own fuel meters, the petrol Mazda Mazda2 uses 6.0 l/100 km on the road, the Citroen C3 6.2.
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
| Citroen C3 | Mazda Mazda2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Model years in the US safety record | — | 2011–2021 |
| New cars registered in Europe | 2,088,260 (2010–2022) | 366,129 (2010–2022) |
| Licensed in the United Kingdom | 258,374 | 140,398 |
| On the road in the Netherlands | 76,665 | 42,560 |
| In traffic in Finland | 11,894 | 4,070 |
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
| Citroen C3 | Mazda Mazda2 | |
|---|---|---|
| UK MOT first-time pass rate | 65% | 70% |
| … against cars of the same age | −7% | +1% |
| Illogical odometer records (NL) | 2.3% | 1.4% |
| US owner complaints | — | 48 |
| Most complaints about | — | Steering |
| Model year with most complaints | — | 2011 (17) |
| US recall campaigns | — | 4 |
| Manufacturer service bulletins | — | 1,442 |
| NHTSA defect investigations | — | 4 |
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).
Safety
| Citroen C3 | Mazda Mazda2 | |
|---|---|---|
| NHTSA overall rating | — | 5★ (2021) |
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program, most recent rated model year (public domain).
Fuel, emissions and price
| Citroen C3 | Mazda Mazda2 | |
|---|---|---|
| Official combined fuel use, Canada | — | 7.4 l/100 km (2014) |
| Real-world use in Europe, petrol | 6.2 l/100 km | 6.0 l/100 km |
| Real-world use in Europe, diesel | 4.9 l/100 km | — |
| Real-world use in Europe, petrol hybrid | — | 5.6 l/100 km |
| Official CO₂ of new cars in Europe | 122 g/km | 103 g/km |
| Average power of new cars in Europe | 68 kW (91 hp) | 66 kW (89 hp) |
| Average mass in running order | 1,105 kg | 1,136 kg |
| Dutch list price when new (median) | €18,865 | €18,044 |
| Average odometer in Finland | 121,000 km | 134,000 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).