Where each one leads
Kia Forte
- On Canada's official test the most frugal 2024 Kia Forte uses 7.2 l/100 km, the 2026 Mazda Mazda3 7.8.
Mazda Mazda3
- NHTSA rates the 2024 Mazda Mazda3 at 5 of 5 stars, the 2024 Kia Forte at 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
| Kia Forte | Mazda Mazda3 | |
|---|---|---|
| Model years in the US safety record | 2009–2024 | 2004–2026 |
| New cars registered in Europe | — | 427,669 (2010–2022) |
| Licensed in the United Kingdom | — | 109,397 |
| On the road in the Netherlands | — | 22,191 |
| In traffic in Finland | — | 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
| Kia Forte | Mazda Mazda3 | |
|---|---|---|
| UK MOT first-time pass rate | — | 68% |
| … against cars of the same age | — | −2% |
| New York safety inspections failed | 2.1% | — |
| … against cars of the same year | +58% | — |
| Illogical odometer records (NL) | — | 1.9% |
| US owner complaints | 2,559 | 2,992 |
| Most complaints about | Engine | Steering |
| Model year with most complaints | 2014 (444) | 2010 (686) |
| US recall campaigns | 18 | 29 |
| Manufacturer service bulletins | 1,231 | 8,369 |
| NHTSA defect investigations | 18 | 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
| Kia Forte | Mazda Mazda3 | |
|---|---|---|
| NHTSA overall rating | 4★ (2024) | 5★ (2024) |
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program, most recent rated model year (public domain).
Fuel, emissions and price
| Kia Forte | Mazda Mazda3 | |
|---|---|---|
| Official combined fuel use, Canada | 7.2 l/100 km (2024) | 7.8 l/100 km (2026) |
| Real-world use in Europe, petrol hybrid | — | 7.0 l/100 km |
| Real-world use in Europe, petrol | — | 6.9 l/100 km |
| Official CO₂ of new cars in Europe | — | 129 g/km |
| Average power of new cars in Europe | — | 112 kW (150 hp) |
| Average mass in running order | — | 1,430 kg |
| Dutch list price when new (median) | — | €28,293 |
| Average odometer in Finland | — | 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).