Where each one leads
Mazda MX-3
Ahead on none of the like-for-like measures.
Mercedes-Benz C-Class
- Fewer Mercedes-Benz C-Class cars in the Netherlands carry an illogical odometer record (4.5% against 8.0%).
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 MX-3 | Mercedes-Benz C-Class | |
|---|---|---|
| Model years in the US safety record | 1992–1996 | 1991–2012 |
| New cars registered in Europe | — | 1,573,424 (2010–2022) |
| Licensed in the United Kingdom | 119 | 342,811 |
| On the road in the Netherlands | 131 | 78,492 |
| In traffic in Finland | — | 49,488 |
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 MX-3 | Mercedes-Benz C-Class | |
|---|---|---|
| UK MOT first-time pass rate | — | 80% |
| … against cars of the same age | — | +1% |
| New York safety inspections failed | — | 1.1% |
| … against cars of the same year | — | −38% |
| Illogical odometer records (NL) | 8.0% | 4.5% |
| US owner complaints | 34 | 192 |
| Most complaints about | Suspension | Electrical system |
| Model year with most complaints | 1994 (19) | 1995 (49) |
| US recall campaigns | 1 | 6 |
| Manufacturer service bulletins | 81 | 73 |
| NHTSA defect investigations | 4 | 11 |
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 MX-3 | Mercedes-Benz C-Class | |
|---|---|---|
| NHTSA overall rating | — | 5★ (2021) |
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program, most recent rated model year (public domain).
Fuel, emissions and price
| Mazda MX-3 | Mercedes-Benz C-Class | |
|---|---|---|
| Official combined fuel use, Canada | 8.3 l/100 km (1996) | — |
| Real-world use in Europe, diesel hybrid | — | 6.0 l/100 km |
| Real-world use in Europe, petrol hybrid | — | 8.5 l/100 km |
| Real-world use in Europe, diesel | — | 6.3 l/100 km |
| Real-world use in Europe, petrol | — | 10.9 l/100 km |
| Official CO₂ of new cars in Europe | — | 116 g/km |
| Average power of new cars in Europe | — | 152 kW (203 hp) |
| Average mass in running order | — | 1,818 kg |
| Dutch list price when new (median) | — | €54,166 |
| Average odometer in Finland | — | 248,000 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).