Where each one leads
Kia Rio
- On Canada's official test the most frugal 2023 Kia Rio uses 6.7 l/100 km, the 2022 Mazda CX-3 7.7.
- New Kia Rio cars registered in Europe in 2022 average 124 g/km of CO₂ on the WLTP test, against 146 for the Mazda CX-3 in 2022.
- Measured by the cars' own fuel meters, the petrol Kia Rio uses 6.0 l/100 km on the road, the Mazda CX-3 6.8.
Mazda CX-3
- Against cars of the same age, the Mazda CX-3 comes out better at its first MOT test (passes 6% more often than average) than the Kia Rio (passes 3% less often than average).
- Against cars of the same year, the Mazda CX-3 comes out better in New York safety inspections (fails 7% more often than average) than the Kia Rio (fails 45% more often than average).
- Fewer Mazda CX-3 cars in the Netherlands carry an illogical odometer record (1.5% against 2.2%).
- NHTSA rates the 2021 Mazda CX-3 at 5 of 5 stars, the 2017 Kia Rio 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 Rio | Mazda CX-3 | |
|---|---|---|
| Model years in the US safety record | 2000–2023 | 2014–2021 |
| New cars registered in Europe | 603,337 (2010–2022) | 261,954 (2015–2022) |
| Licensed in the United Kingdom | 98,736 | 24,809 |
| On the road in the Netherlands | 38,609 | 18,248 |
| In traffic in Finland | 20,122 | 1,888 |
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 Rio | Mazda CX-3 | |
|---|---|---|
| UK MOT first-time pass rate | 70% | 87% |
| … against cars of the same age | −3% | +6% |
| New York safety inspections failed | 2.8% | 1.7% |
| … against cars of the same year | +45% | +7% |
| Illogical odometer records (NL) | 2.2% | 1.5% |
| US owner complaints | 1,294 | 114 |
| Most complaints about | Air bags | Electrical system |
| Model year with most complaints | 2001 (223) | 2016 (48) |
| US recall campaigns | 11 | 4 |
| Manufacturer service bulletins | 1,070 | 2,391 |
| NHTSA defect investigations | 18 | — |
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 Rio | Mazda CX-3 | |
|---|---|---|
| NHTSA overall rating | 4★ (2017) | 5★ (2021) |
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program, most recent rated model year (public domain).
Fuel, emissions and price
| Kia Rio | Mazda CX-3 | |
|---|---|---|
| Official combined fuel use, Canada | 6.7 l/100 km (2023) | 7.7 l/100 km (2022) |
| Real-world use in Europe, petrol | 6.0 l/100 km | 6.8 l/100 km |
| Real-world use in Europe, petrol hybrid | 6.3 l/100 km | — |
| Official CO₂ of new cars in Europe | 124 g/km | 146 g/km |
| Average power of new cars in Europe | 68 kW (91 hp) | 89 kW (119 hp) |
| Average mass in running order | 1,154 kg | 1,261 kg |
| Dutch list price when new (median) | €16,195 | €30,097 |
| Average odometer in Finland | 104,000 km | 101,000 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).