Compare the2022 Honda CivicVS 2021 Mazda 3

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Ergonomics
Recommendations

Safety

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For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Honda Civic have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Mazda 3 doesn’t offer pretensioners for the rear seat belts.

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Civic are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Mazda 3 doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

Using vehicle speed sensors and seat sensors, smart airbags in the Civic deploy with different levels of force or don’t deploy at all to help better protect passengers of all sizes in different collisions. The Civic’s side airbags will shut off if a child is leaning against the door. The Mazda 3’s airbags don’t have smart features and will always deploy full force.

Both the Civic and the Mazda 3 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front wheel drive, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, rearview cameras, driver alert monitors, available blind spot warning systems, rear parking sensors and rear cross-path warning.

Warranty

There are almost 2 times as many Honda dealers as there are Mazda dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Civic’s warranty.

Reliability

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2021 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Honda vehicles are better in initial quality than Mazda vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Honda 17th in initial quality. With 13 more problems per 100 vehicles, Mazda is ranked 23rd.

Engine

As tested in Motor Trend the Civic EX/EX-L/Touring 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder is faster than the Mazda 3 4 cyl. (automatics tested):

	Civic	3
Zero to 60 MPH	7.4 sec	8.1 sec
Quarter Mile	15.7 sec	16.2 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	91.4 MPH	87.7 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Civic Sedan gets better mileage than the Mazda 3 Sedan:

			MPG
Civic Sedan
FWD	Auto	EX 1.5 turbo 4-cyl.	33 city/42 hwy
		LX 2.0 4-cyl.	31 city/40 hwy
		Touring 1.5 turbo 4-cyl.	31 city/38 hwy
		Sport 2.0 4-cyl.	30 city/37 hwy
Mazda 3 Sedan
FWD	Auto	2.0 DOHC 4-cyl.	28 city/36 hwy
		2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	26 city/35 hwy
AWD	Auto	2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	25 city/33 hwy
		2.5 turbo 4-cyl.	23 city/32 hwy

On the EPA test cycle the Civic Sedan gets better mileage than the Mazda 3 Hatchback:

			MPG
Civic Sedan
FWD	Auto	EX 1.5 turbo 4-cyl.	33 city/42 hwy
		LX 2.0 4-cyl.	31 city/40 hwy
		Touring 1.5 turbo 4-cyl.	31 city/38 hwy
		Sport 2.0 4-cyl.	30 city/37 hwy
Mazda 3 Hatchback
FWD	Manual	2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	24 city/33 hwy
	Auto	2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	26 city/34 hwy
		2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	26 city/35 hwy
AWD	Auto	2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	25 city/31 hwy
		2.5 turbo 4-cyl.	23 city/31 hwy

On the EPA test cycle the Civic Hatchback gets better mileage than the Mazda 3 Sedan:

			MPG
Civic Hatchback
FWD	Manual	1.5 turbo 4-cyl.	28 city/37 hwy
		2.0 4-cyl.	26 city/36 hwy
	Auto	EX-L 1.5 turbo 4-cyl.	31 city/39 hwy
		LX 2.0 4-cyl.	30 city/38 hwy
		Sport Touring 1.5 turbo 4-cyl.	30 city/37 hwy
		Sport 2.0 4-cyl.	29 city/37 hwy
Mazda 3 Sedan
FWD	Manual	2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	24 city/33 hwy
	Auto	2.0 DOHC 4-cyl.	28 city/36 hwy
		2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	26 city/35 hwy
AWD	Auto	2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	25 city/33 hwy
		2.5 turbo 4-cyl.	23 city/32 hwy

On the EPA test cycle the Civic Hatchback gets better mileage than the Mazda 3 Hatchback:

			MPG
Civic Hatchback
FWD	Manual	1.5 turbo 4-cyl.	28 city/37 hwy
		2.0 4-cyl.	26 city/36 hwy
	Auto	EX-L 1.5 turbo 4-cyl.	31 city/39 hwy
		LX 2.0 4-cyl.	30 city/38 hwy
		Sport Touring 1.5 turbo 4-cyl.	30 city/37 hwy
		Sport 2.0 4-cyl.	29 city/37 hwy
Mazda 3 Hatchback
FWD	Manual	2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	24 city/33 hwy
	Auto	2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	26 city/34 hwy
		2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	26 city/35 hwy
AWD	Auto	2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	25 city/31 hwy
		2.5 turbo 4-cyl.	23 city/31 hwy

In heavy traffic or at stop lights the Civic’s engine automatically turns off when the vehicle is stopped, saving fuel and reducing pollution. The engine is automatically restarted when the driver gets ready to move again. If the conditions warrant or the driver wishes, the system can be manually disabled at any time for the duration of a trip. The Mazda 3 doesn’t offer an automatic engine start/stop system.

The Civic has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The Mazda 3 doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

Transmission

The Civic has a standard continuously variable transmission (CVT). With no “steps” between gears, it can keep the engine at the most efficient speed for fuel economy, or keep it at its peak horsepower indefinitely for maximum acceleration. The Mazda 3 doesn’t offer a CVT.

Brakes and Stopping

The Civic stops shorter than the Mazda 3:

	Civic	Mazda 3
70 to 0 MPH	174 feet	176 feet	Car and Driver

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Civic has larger standard tires than the Mazda 3 (215/55R16 vs. 205/60R16). The Civic Sport/Touring’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Mazda 3 (235/40R18 vs. 215/45R18).

The Civic LX’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 55 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Mazda 3 2.0/2.5 S’ standard 60 series tires. The Civic Sport/Touring’s tires have a lower 40 series profile than the Mazda 3 Hatchback/Select/Preferred/Premium/Turbo’s 45 series tires.

Suspension and Handling

For superior ride and handling, the Honda Civic has fully independent front and rear suspensions. An independent suspension allows the wheels to follow the road at the best angle for gripping the pavement, without compromising ride comfort. The Mazda 3 has a rear torsion beam axle, with a semi-independent rear suspension.

The Civic has vehicle speed sensitive variable-assist power steering, for low-effort parking, better control at highway speeds and during hard cornering, and a better feel of the road. The Mazda 3 doesn’t offer variable-assist power steering.

The Civic Touring Sedan handles at .88 G’s, while the Mazda 3 Premium Sedan AWD pulls only .79 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Civic Touring Sedan executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.4 seconds quicker than the Mazda 3 Premium Sedan AWD (26.7 seconds @ .64 average G’s vs. 28.1 seconds @ .58 average G’s).

Chassis

As tested by Car and Driver while at idle, the interior of the Civic Touring Sedan is quieter than the Mazda 3 Premium Hatchback (36 vs. 40 dB).

Passenger Space

The Civic has 6.2 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Mazda 3 Sedan (99 vs. 92.8).

The Civic Hatchback has 1.3 inches more front headroom, 1.3 inches more front shoulder room, 2.3 inches more rear legroom and 2.5 inches more rear shoulder room than the Mazda 3 Sedan.

Ergonomics

On a hot day the Civic’s driver can lower all the windows from a distance with the keyless remote or at the outside door handle. The driver of the Mazda 3 can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

Recommendations

Car and Driver performed a comparison test in its September 2021 issue and the Honda Civic Touring Sedan won out over the Mazda 3 Premium Sedan AWD.

The Civic Sport was chosen as one of Car and Driver’s “Top Ten” for 2 of the last 4 years. The Mazda 3 has never been a Car and Driver “Top Ten” pick.

The Civic was chosen as one of Automobile Magazine’s “All Stars” for 2 of the last 25 years. The Mazda 3 has never been an “All Star.”

A group of representative automotive journalists from North America selected the Civic as the 2016 North American Car of the Year. The Mazda 3 has never been chosen.