Compare the2024 Mazda 3VS 2023 Tesla Model 3

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Ergonomics
Model Availability
Economic Advantages
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 Mazda 3 are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Model 3 doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Mazda 3 has standard Whiplash Reducing Headrests, which use a specially designed headrest to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Whiplash Reducing Headrests system moves the headrests forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The Model 3 doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

The Mazda 3 Turbo Premium Plus has a standard 360-Degree Monitor to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Model 3 only offers a rear monitor and front and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the sides.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Mazda 3’s standard Rear Cross Traffic Alert uses sensors in the rear to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side and Rear Cross Traffic Braking on the Turbo Premium Plus automatically engages the brakes to help avoid a collision. The Model 3 doesn’t offer a rear cross-path warning system.

The Mazda 3 has standard E911 Automatic Emergency Notification, which uses a global positioning satellite (GPS) receiver and a cellular system to send emergency personnel to the scene if any airbags deploy. The Model 3 doesn’t offer a GPS response system, only a navigation computer with no live response for emergencies, so if you’re involved in an accident and you’re incapacitated help may not come as quickly.

Both the Mazda 3 and the Model 3 have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver and front passenger knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, 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, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, driver alert monitors and available all wheel drive.

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

	Mazda 3	Model 3
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Neck Injury Risk	17%	22%
Neck Stress	214 lbs.	230 lbs.
Neck Compression	27 lbs.	42 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	205/212 lbs.	333/455 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	153	235
Chest Compression	.4 inches	.5 inches
Neck Injury Risk	30%	33%
Neck Compression	20 lbs.	101 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 post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Mazda 3 is safer than the Tesla Model 3:

	Mazda 3	Model 3
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	199	384
Spine Acceleration	30 G’s	41 G’s
Hip Force	527 lbs.	557 lbs.

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

For its performance in IIHS driver-side and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, updated side impact, headlight, daytime pedestrian crash prevention, and nighttime pedestrian crash prevention testing, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Mazda 3 its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2023, a rating granted to only 58 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Model 3 has not been fully tested, yet.

Warranty

There are almost 4 times as many Mazda dealers as there are Tesla dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the 3’s warranty.

Reliability

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2023 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Mazda vehicles are better in initial quality than Tesla vehicles. With 54 fewer problems per 100 vehicles, JD Power ranks Mazda higher than Tesla.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2023 Auto Issue reports that Mazda vehicles are more reliable than Tesla vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Mazda fourth in overall reliability. Tesla is ranked 19th.

Brakes and Stopping

The Mazda 3 stops much shorter than the Model 3:

	Mazda 3	Model 3
70 to 0 MPH	164 feet	176 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	115 feet	128 feet	Motor Trend
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	134 feet	141 feet	Consumer Reports

Tires and Wheels

The Mazda 3 has a standard space-saver spare tire so you can replace a flat tire and drive to have the flat repaired or replaced. A spare tire isn’t available on the Model 3; it requires you to depend on roadside assistance and your vehicle will have to be towed.

Suspension and Handling

The Mazda 3 Premium Hatchback AWD handles at .88 G’s, while the Model 3 pulls only .84 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

For better maneuverability, the Mazda 3’s turning circle is 3.2 feet tighter than the Model 3’s (34.8 feet vs. 38 feet).

Chassis

The Mazda 3 may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 650 to 800 pounds less than the Tesla Model 3.

The Mazda 3 Sedan is 9.2 inches shorter than the Model 3, making the Mazda 3 easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

Ergonomics

The Mazda 3 Premium has a standard heads-up display that projects speed, warning and navigation instruction readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Model 3 doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

To help drivers see further while navigating curves, the Mazda 3 Premium has standard adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle. The Model 3 doesn’t offer cornering lights.

The Mazda 3’s standard side window demisters help clear frost or condensation from the side windows in the winter. The Model 3 doesn’t even offer side window demisters, so the driver may have to wipe the windows from the outside to gain side vision.

To shield the driver and front passenger’s vision over a larger portion of the windshield and side windows, the Mazda 3 has standard extendable sun visors. The Model 3 doesn’t offer extendable visors.

Model Availability

The Mazda 3 comes in sedan and four door hatchback bodystyles; the Tesla Model 3 isn’t available as a four door hatchback.

Economic Advantages

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Mazda 3 is less expensive to operate than the Model 3 because typical repairs cost much less on the Mazda 3 than the Model 3, including $615 less for a water pump, $13 less for front brake pads, $70 less for front struts and $605 less for a power steering pump.

Recommendations

The Mazda 3 has won recognition from these important consumer publications:

	Mazda 3	Model 3
Consumer Reports® Recommends	TRUE	Top Pick
Car Book “Best Bet”	TRUE	FALSE