Where each one leads
Mazda Mazda3
- NHTSA rates the 2024 Mazda Mazda3 at 5 of 5 stars, the 2020 Toyota Prius C at 4.
Toyota Prius C
- On Canada's official test the most frugal 2020 Toyota Prius C uses 5.1 l/100 km, the 2026 Mazda Mazda3 7.8.
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
| Mazda Mazda3 | Toyota Prius C | |
|---|---|---|
| Model years in the US safety record | 2004–2026 | 2012–2021 |
| 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
| Mazda Mazda3 | Toyota Prius C | |
|---|---|---|
| UK MOT first-time pass rate | 68% | — |
| … against cars of the same age | −2% | — |
| New York safety inspections failed | — | 2.4% |
| … against cars of the same year | — | +7% |
| Illogical odometer records (NL) | 1.9% | — |
| US owner complaints | 2,992 | 191 |
| Most complaints about | Steering | Service brakes |
| Model year with most complaints | 2010 (686) | 2012 (64) |
| US recall campaigns | 29 | 4 |
| Manufacturer service bulletins | 8,369 | 2,065 |
| NHTSA defect investigations | 7 | 9 |
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
| Mazda Mazda3 | Toyota Prius C | |
|---|---|---|
| NHTSA overall rating | 5★ (2024) | 4★ (2020) |
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program, most recent rated model year (public domain).
Fuel, emissions and price
| Mazda Mazda3 | Toyota Prius C | |
|---|---|---|
| Official combined fuel use, Canada | 7.8 l/100 km (2026) | 5.1 l/100 km (2020) |
| 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).