Mazda MX-30 – price, specs and release date

The Mazda MX-30 EV has been unveiled at the Tokyo Motor Show. The fun-to-drive electric SUV takes the ‘MX’ in its name from the Mazda MX-5 sports car – a hint that the MX-30 is an EV for people who enjoy driving

Mazda MX-30 EV price and release date

Mazda has yet to confirm a price for the MX-30 but you can expect it to cost from around £35,000 to compete with electric SUVs such as the Kia e-Niro and the Hyundai Kona Electric. It’s likely to go on sale next year and you can already register your interest on Mazda’s website.

Mazda MX-30 EV specs

Mazda says it wants the MX-30 EV to be ‘a car with a battery, not a battery on wheels’ which explains why it will have a range of fewer than 130 miles – about the same as a Honda e electric city car. As a result, Mazda is touting the MX-30 as a second car. The benefit of having a smaller battery is that it’s cheaper and cleaner to manufacture. Its 35.5kWh battery and single electric motor are expected to produce 143hp and 246Nm of torque through a one-speed gearbox.

If that all sounds comparable to other EVs, you can expect the MX-30 to feel quite different to drive. Unlike the instant get-up-and-go you get from other EVs, the Mazda is likely to offer more progressive acceleration and silent driving is also out the window – the car gets a sound generator that will give its driver a ‘perception of torque and speed’, according to Mazda. Even braking will feel different. Where most other EVs use regenerative braking which engages the moment you take your foot off the pedal, the Mazda is likely to rely almost solely on you pressing the brake pedal to stop. 

The MX-30 is also likely to feel more agile in corners than other EVs. Its smaller battery means it is lighter while the car will feature Mazda’s G-Vectoring Control Plus torque vectoring system that can help make it feel more stable into and out of corners by braking the car’s inside wheels. Could it be the most fun-to-drive mainstream electric SUV yet? Only time will tell.

What we can say is that it has a more striking design than any other Mazda SUV currently on sale.

Upfront, the grille stretches the width of the car with LED headlights on either end and a piece of plastic trim overhanging above it that flows into the leading edge of the bonnet. Around the sides, you get a pair of small suicide rear doors that hinge from the back and the car’s roof has a contrast finish that makes the MX-30 look more planted to the road, while around the back you get a pair of Mazda’s signature circular tail lights.

The interior, like the exterior, also looks extremely close to production-ready. It has a design that’s inspired by Mazda’s current models but with an eco twist. In practice, that means you get a driver-focussed layout with a sporty three-spoke steering wheel and a clean design made possible by the car’s large infotainment screens, the main display being controlled by a scroll wheel rather than being a touchscreen. Conventional leather, meanwhile, has been replaced with a vegan-friendly substitute and you also get environmentally sourced cork trims. 

Even the MX-30’s practicality will be slightly unconventional. You can expect the MX-30 to have plenty of room for four adults with access to the back seats improved by the car’s reverse-hinged rear doors – which means there’s no pillar in the middle of the car restricting your access – like you got on the old Mazda RX-8 sports car. The boot, meanwhile, should happily swallow a pair of large suitcases. 

Keep your eyes on the carwow news pages for more on the Mazda MX-30 when we have it.