The Mazda MX-30 is a small electric SUV, which is about as on-trend in 2021 as an Oprah Winfrey meme. It'll seat five people and go 124 miles on a charge, so rivals other small EV SUVs such as the e-2008, Kia e-Niro and Hyundai Kona Electric.

Of course, you have until 2030 until your new car has to be an EV, so the MX-30 is still potentially up against a whole raft of combustion-engines small SUVs on your radar too.

You certainly won't mistake the MX-30 for any of them, because it has its own distinct look, although it's perhaps not to all tastes. The front looks great with its bluff nose and piercing headlights, the rear is sloping and sporty, but the side profile could look a little awkward to some.

However, few could argue the interior is anything other than lovely. The dash is quite upright and high, so you sit in quite a cocooned position. The design is great, with a floating centre console and materials like recycled denim, plastics and cork used to create an interesting and sustainable interior that outdoes Kia and Hyundai's efforts.

All models come with an 8.8-inch infotainment screen that's controlled via a rotary dial between the front seats. It's very easy to use while you're driving, and although Mazda's own system is great to use, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto come included on every model if you prefer.

You also get a 7-inch screen lower down on the dash that looks after the climate controls, plus a digital driver's display that's colourful and clear, although not as configurable as the best systems. All-told, though, the MX-30 outdoes its rivals for infotainment.

Where the MX-30 doesn't hold its own is on space. There are no complaints in the front, nor access to the back via the car's cool rear-hinged doors, but in the back, both head and knee room for adults is very tight – even kids will find knee room on the stingy side.

The boot is also pretty average, which more space on offer than in a Kona Electric, but less than in an e-Niro or e-2008. Still, you can split the rear seats 60:40 and fold them down flat if you need to.

The MX-30 comes with a 35.5kWh hour battery and a single electric motor on its front axle. Driving on a variety of roads you should be able to get 124 miles on a charge, but more like 160 miles if you mainly drive in town. You can charge it from 20-80% via a 50kW charger in 36 minutes, but a full charge on a home wall box is more like five hours.

All these figures are worse than those of an e-Niro, e-2008 or Kona Electric, but Mazda reckons the range is enough and a smaller battery makes for a better drive.

Well, the MX-30 is certainly more fun than any of its rivals on a country road, where it steers really nicely, grips hard and controls its weight well – which, due to its smaller battery, is modest. It's also comfy over bumps at all speeds, quiet on the motorway and easy to place and park in town

So, while there are more rounded small SUVs, if you're set on an EV, have access to home charging and don't have a family to transport, the MX-30 is a high-quality option that's you'll enjoy driving every day.

Chapters:

0:00 Intro
0:53 Design
2:49 Quirks
4:08 Rear space
5:09 Interior quirks and features
6:49 Tech
7:21 Build quality
8:11 Storage
9:05 Virtual cockpit
10:04 Price
11:06 Battery range
13:24 Boot space
14:42 Driving
15:08 Performance
16:48 Handling
17:31 Driving tech
18:18 Regenerative braking
18:49 Likes
19:31 Dislikes
20:10 Verdict

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