Compare the2023 Hyundai Elantra HybridVS 2023 Mazda 3

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

Safety

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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 Elantra Hybrid 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.

The Elantra Hybrid has a standard blind spot warning system which uses sensors to alert the driver to objects in the vehicle’s blind spots where the side view mirrors don’t reveal them and moves the vehicle back into its lane. Only the Mazda 3 Select/Preferred/Carbon/Premium/Turbo offers a blind spot warning system.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Elantra Hybrid has a standard rear cross-path warning system, which uses sensors in the rear bumper to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side, helping the driver avoid collisions. Only the Mazda 3 Select/Preferred/Carbon/Premium/Turbo has a rear cross-path warning system.

Both the Elantra Hybrid and the Mazda 3 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, 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 and available rear parking sensors.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Hyundai Elantra Hybrid is safer than the Mazda 3:

	Elantra Hybrid	Mazda 3
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Leg Forces (l/r)	66/48 lbs.	205/212 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Hyundai Elantra Hybrid is safer than the Mazda 3:

	Elantra Hybrid	Mazda 3
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	83	112
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	345	371
Spine Acceleration	68 G’s	71 G’s
Hip Force	355 lbs.	620 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	184	199

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

Warranty

The Elantra Hybrid comes with a full 5-year/60,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire car and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The 3’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 2 years or 24,000 miles sooner.

Hyundai’s powertrain warranty covers the Elantra Hybrid 5 years and 40,000 miles longer than Mazda covers the 3. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 10 years or 100,000 miles. Coverage on the Mazda 3 ends after only 5 years or 60,000 miles.

The Elantra Hybrid’s corrosion warranty is 2 years longer than the Mazda 3’s (7 vs. 5 years).

Hyundai pays for scheduled maintenance on the Elantra Hybrid for 3 years and 36,000 miles. Hyundai will pay for oil changes, lubrication and any other required maintenance. Mazda doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the 3.

There are over 52 percent more Hyundai dealers than there are Mazda dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Elantra Hybrid’s warranty.

Reliability

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the statistics that show that Hyundai vehicles are more reliable than Mazda vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Hyundai third in reliability, above the industry average. With 31 more problems per 100 vehicles, Mazda is ranked 12th.

Engine

The Elantra Hybrid’s 1.6 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid produces 9 lbs.-ft. more torque (195 vs. 186) than the Mazda 3’s standard 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder.

Fuel Economy and Range

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

			MPG
Elantra Hybrid
FWD	Auto	Blue 1.6 4-cyl. Hybrid	53 city/56 hwy
		Limited 1.6 4-cyl. Hybrid	49 city/52 hwy
Mazda 3 Sedan
FWD	Auto	2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	28 city/37 hwy
AWD	Auto	2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	26 city/35 hwy
		2.5 turbo 4-cyl.	23 city/31 hwy

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

			MPG
Elantra Hybrid
FWD	Auto	Blue 1.6 4-cyl. Hybrid	53 city/56 hwy
		Limited 1.6 4-cyl. Hybrid	49 city/52 hwy
Mazda 3 Hatchback
FWD	Manual	2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	26 city/36 hwy
	Auto	2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	26 city/36 hwy
AWD	Auto	2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	26 city/33 hwy
		2.5 turbo 4-cyl.	23 city/31 hwy

Regenerative brakes improve the Elantra Hybrid’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The Mazda 3 doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Hyundai Elantra Hybrid uses regular unleaded gasoline. The Mazda 3 with the 2.5 turbo 4-cylinder engine requires premium for maximum efficiency, which can cost 20 to 55 cents more per gallon.

Transmission

The Elantra Hybrid offers a standard sequential manual gearbox (SMG). With no clutch pedal to worry about and a fully automatic mode, an SMG is much more efficient than a conventional automatic but just as easy to drive. The Mazda 3 doesn’t offer an SMG.

Brakes and Stopping

The Elantra Hybrid stops shorter than the Mazda 3:

	Elantra Hybrid	Mazda 3
60 to 0 MPH	120 feet	122 feet	Motor Trend
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	131 feet	134 feet	Consumer Reports

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Elantra Hybrid Limited Sedan’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Mazda 3 (225/45R17 vs. 215/45R18).

The Elantra Hybrid Blue Sedan’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 2.5 S’ standard 60 series tires.

Suspension and Handling

For superior ride and handling, the Hyundai Elantra Hybrid 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 Elantra Hybrid has standard front and rear stabilizer bars, which help keep the Elantra Hybrid flat and controlled during cornering. The Mazda 3’s suspension doesn’t offer a rear stabilizer bar.

The Elantra Hybrid 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 Elantra Hybrid Limited Sedan handles at .85 G’s, while the Mazda 3 Premium Sedan AWD pulls only .79 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Elantra Hybrid Limited Sedan executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Mazda 3 Premium Sedan AWD (27.5 seconds @ .62 average G’s vs. 28.1 seconds @ .58 average G’s).

Passenger Space

Because it has more passenger and cargo room, the EPA rates the Elantra Hybrid a Mid-size car, while the Mazda 3 is rated a Compact.

The Elantra Hybrid has 6.6 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Mazda 3 Sedan (99.4 vs. 92.8).

The Elantra Hybrid Sedan has 2.6 inches more front headroom, .8 inches more front shoulder room, 2.9 inches more rear legroom and 2.1 inches more rear shoulder room than the Mazda 3 Sedan.

Cargo Capacity

The Elantra Hybrid Sedan has a larger trunk than the Mazda 3 Sedan (14.2 vs. 13.2 cubic feet).

To make loading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, just waiting momentarily behind the back bumper can open the Elantra Hybrid’s trunk, leaving your hands completely free. The Mazda 3 doesn’t offer a hands-free gesture to open its trunk, forcing you to put cargo down if your hands are full.

Ergonomics

The Elantra Hybrid Limited’s standard easy entry system glides the driver’s seat back when the door is unlocked or the ignition is switched off, making it easier for the driver to get in and out. The Mazda 3 doesn’t offer an easy entry system.

The power windows standard on both the Elantra Hybrid and the Mazda 3 have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the Elantra Hybrid is engaged the driver can still operate all of the windows, for instance to close one opened by a child. The Mazda 3 prevents the driver from operating the other windows just as it does the other passengers.

Consumer Reports rated the Elantra Hybrid’s headlight performance “Fair,” a higher rating than the Mazda 3’s headlights, which were rated “Poor.”

The Elantra Hybrid’s standard outside mirrors include heating elements to clear off the mirrors for better visibility. Mazda only offers heated mirrors on the Mazda 3 Carbon/Turbo.

Standard air-conditioned seats in the Elantra Hybrid Limited keep the driver and front passenger comfortable and take the sting out of hot seats in summer. The Mazda 3 doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats.

The Elantra Hybrid has a standard dual zone air conditioning allows the driver and front passenger to choose two completely different temperatures so people with different temperature preferences won’t have to compromise. This makes both the driver and front passenger as comfortable as possible. Dual zone air conditioning is only available on the Mazda 3 Select/Preferred/Carbon/Premium/Turbo.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Hyundai Elantra Hybrid and the Mazda 3, based on reliability, safety and performance.

The Hyundai Elantra outsold the Mazda 3 by almost four to one during the 2022 model year.