Where each one leads
Ford Focus
- On Canada's official test the most frugal 2018 Ford Focus uses 7.0 l/100 km, the 2026 Mazda Mazda3 7.8.
- New Ford Focus cars registered in Europe in 2022 average 124 g/km of CO₂ on the WLTP test, against 129 for the Mazda Mazda3 in 2022.
- Measured by the cars' own fuel meters, the petrol hybrid Ford Focus uses 6.7 l/100 km on the road, the Mazda Mazda3 7.0.
Mazda Mazda3
- Fewer Mazda Mazda3 cars in the Netherlands carry an illogical odometer record (1.9% against 3.2%).
- Measured by the cars' own fuel meters, the petrol Mazda Mazda3 uses 6.9 l/100 km on the road, the Ford Focus 7.6.
Too close to call: MOT pass rate against cars of the same age; NHTSA overall safety rating.
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
| Ford Focus | Mazda Mazda3 | |
|---|---|---|
| Model years in the US safety record | 1999–2018 | 2004–2026 |
| New cars registered in Europe | 2,529,698 (2010–2022) | 427,669 (2010–2022) |
| Licensed in the United Kingdom | 895,531 | 109,397 |
| On the road in the Netherlands | 159,279 | 22,191 |
| In traffic in Finland | 57,546 | 9,924 |
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
| Ford Focus | Mazda Mazda3 | |
|---|---|---|
| UK MOT first-time pass rate | 68% | 68% |
| … against cars of the same age | −1% | −2% |
| New York safety inspections failed | 3.0% | — |
| … against cars of the same year | +36% | — |
| Illogical odometer records (NL) | 3.2% | 1.9% |
| US owner complaints | 22,105 | 2,992 |
| Most complaints about | Power train | Steering |
| Model year with most complaints | 2012 (3,770) | 2010 (686) |
| US recall campaigns | 36 | 29 |
| Manufacturer service bulletins | 1,969 | 8,369 |
| NHTSA defect investigations | 60 | 7 |
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
| Ford Focus | Mazda Mazda3 | |
|---|---|---|
| NHTSA overall rating | 5★ (2018) | 5★ (2024) |
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program, most recent rated model year (public domain).
Fuel, emissions and price
| Ford Focus | Mazda Mazda3 | |
|---|---|---|
| Official combined fuel use, Canada | 7.0 l/100 km (2018) | 7.8 l/100 km (2026) |
| Real-world use in Europe, petrol hybrid | 6.7 l/100 km | 7.0 l/100 km |
| Real-world use in Europe, diesel | 5.5 l/100 km | — |
| Real-world use in Europe, petrol | 7.6 l/100 km | 6.9 l/100 km |
| Official CO₂ of new cars in Europe | 124 g/km | 129 g/km |
| Average power of new cars in Europe | 96 kW (129 hp) | 112 kW (150 hp) |
| Average mass in running order | 1,414 kg | 1,430 kg |
| Dutch list price when new (median) | €27,290 | €28,293 |
| Average odometer in Finland | 192,000 km | 161,000 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).