Compare the2023 Nissan LeafVS 2022 Mazda MX-30

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Nissan Leaf 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 MX-30 doesn’t offer pretensioners for its 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 Leaf are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The MX-30 doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Leaf’s standard rear cross-path warning system uses sensors in the rear bumper to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side, helping the driver avoid collisions. The MX-30 doesn’t offer a cross-path warning system.

Both the Leaf and the MX-30 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front and rear 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, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, available daytime running lights, around view monitors and driver alert monitors.

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

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Nissan vehicles are better in initial quality than Mazda vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Nissan above average in initial quality. With 13 more problems per 100 vehicles, Mazda is rated lower.

The Leaf’s standard electric motor produces 4 more horsepower (147 vs. 143) and 36 lbs.-ft. more torque (236 vs. 200) than the MX-30’s electric motor. The Leaf PLUS’ standard electric motor produces 71 more horsepower (214 vs. 143) and 50 lbs.-ft. more torque (250 vs. 200) than the MX-30’s electric motor.

As tested in Car and Driver the Nissan Leaf is faster than the Mazda MX-30:

On the EPA test cycle the Leaf gets better mileage than the MX-30:

The Leaf can travel longer on a full charge than the MX-30 on a full charge:

The Leaf’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs on the MX-30 are solid, not vented.

The Leaf SV PLUS’ tires provide better handling because they have a lower 50 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the MX-30’s 55 series tires.

The Leaf has a standard easy tire fill system. When inflating the tires, the vehicle’s integrated tire pressure sensors keep track of the pressure as the tires fill and tell the driver when the tires are inflated to the proper pressure. The MX-30 doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

The Leaf 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 MX-30 doesn’t offer variable-assist power steering.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Leaf’s wheelbase is 1.9 inches longer than on the MX-30 (106.3 inches vs. 104.4 inches).

For better maneuverability, the Leaf S’ turning circle is 2.5 feet tighter than the MX-30’s (34.8 feet vs. 37.3 feet). The Leaf SV PLUS’ turning circle is 1.2 feet tighter than the MX-30’s (36.1 feet vs. 37.3 feet).

The Leaf has 2.6 cubic feet more passenger volume than the MX-30 (92.4 vs. 89.8).

The Leaf has 2.7 inches more front headroom, .5 inches more front legroom, .3 inches more rear headroom, 3.4 inches more rear legroom and 1.5 inches more rear hip room than the MX-30.

Consumer Reports® recommends the Nissan Leaf, based on reliability, safety and performance.

The Nissan Leaf outsold the Mazda MX-30 by almost 28 to one during the 2022 model year.