Where each one leads
Mazda Mazda3
- Fewer Mazda Mazda3 cars in the Netherlands carry an illogical odometer record (1.9% against 5.4%).
- On Canada's official test the most frugal 2026 Mazda Mazda3 uses 7.8 l/100 km, the 2026 Volkswagen Golf 8.8.
- Measured by the cars' own fuel meters, the petrol Mazda Mazda3 uses 6.9 l/100 km on the road, the Volkswagen Golf 7.3.
Volkswagen Golf
- Against cars of the same age, the Volkswagen Golf comes out better at its first MOT test (passes 6% more often than average) than the Mazda Mazda3 (passes 2% less often than average).
- New Volkswagen Golf cars registered in Europe in 2022 average 121 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 Volkswagen Golf uses 6.2 l/100 km on the road, the Mazda Mazda3 7.0.
Too close to call: 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
| Mazda Mazda3 | Volkswagen Golf | |
|---|---|---|
| Model years in the US safety record | 2004–2026 | 1985–2024 |
| New cars registered in Europe | 427,669 (2010–2022) | 5,527,949 (2010–2022) |
| Licensed in the United Kingdom | 109,397 | 959,177 |
| On the road in the Netherlands | 22,191 | 324,052 |
| In traffic in Finland | 9,924 | 91,936 |
| Generations on record | — | 8 |
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 | Volkswagen Golf | |
|---|---|---|
| UK MOT first-time pass rate | 68% | 74% |
| … against cars of the same age | −2% | +6% |
| New York safety inspections failed | — | 2.1% |
| … against cars of the same year | — | +6% |
| Illogical odometer records (NL) | 1.9% | 5.4% |
| US owner complaints | 2,992 | 1,441 |
| Most complaints about | Steering | Electrical system |
| Model year with most complaints | 2010 (686) | 2015 (131) |
| US recall campaigns | 29 | 54 |
| Manufacturer service bulletins | 8,369 | 14,233 |
| NHTSA defect investigations | 7 | 57 |
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 | Volkswagen Golf | |
|---|---|---|
| NHTSA overall rating | 5★ (2024) | 5★ (2021) |
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program, most recent rated model year (public domain).
Fuel, emissions and price
| Mazda Mazda3 | Volkswagen Golf | |
|---|---|---|
| Official combined fuel use, Canada | 7.8 l/100 km (2026) | 8.8 l/100 km (2026) |
| Real-world use in Europe, petrol hybrid | 7.0 l/100 km | 6.2 l/100 km |
| Real-world use in Europe, petrol | 6.9 l/100 km | 7.3 l/100 km |
| Real-world use in Europe, diesel | — | 5.4 l/100 km |
| Official CO₂ of new cars in Europe | 129 g/km | 121 g/km |
| Average power of new cars in Europe | 112 kW (150 hp) | 113 kW (151 hp) |
| Average mass in running order | 1,430 kg | 1,417 kg |
| Dutch list price when new (median) | €28,293 | €31,115 |
| Average odometer in Finland | 161,000 km | 194,000 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).