Mazda MX-30 review

Mazda’s played things very well in here. Vegan materials and cork-covered cupholders may scream modern (though Mazda celebrated 100 years in business in 2020, and it started out making cork…) but all the major controls have been kept safe and approachable.

The MX-30’s engineers have seen everyone else mess with the gear selector formula and taken a chance to fit something that physically clicks between Park, Reverse, Neutral and Drive, reassuring any first-time EV drivers right from the off that the brave new world doesn’t actually require much bravery. Another reassuring touch is its traditional, analogue fuel level gauge displaying how much battery’s left. No hard-to-fathom digital nonsense here.

Mind, every MX-30 gets a head-up display and a pair of 7in screens as standard, one up top to display media, nav or your smartphone interface, the other down by the gear lever for the climate control. But – hurrah! – the latter’s lined with physical buttons as well as a touchscreen, though we’d argue the fact it only displays climate, and doesn’t cycle between other functions, is a missed opportunity given how much room the screen takes up.

In the back, things will be a bit of a squeeze for adults, though manageable over short distances. Which, given the range figure, is probably fine. It’s worth having a poke around one of these before committing your kids to frequent journeys in the back, though – cool as those rear-hinged back doors are, they lead to pretty poor visibility for passengers (and the driver, as a matter of fact) owing to a pillar separating two tiny windows, hidden by the exterior tints.

The boot is reasonably sized but, thanks to the powertrain beneath, a tad shallow. Its 366-litre capacity puts it on par with a Ford Focus. Which the MX-30’s dimensions broadly match.