UPDATE: 2026/08/31 16:11 EST BY SEAN MCMANUS
The Cheapest New EV Can Drive 2.62 Times Further Than The MX-30
We added a section with details about two cheap new EVs that are more powerful and have more range for less than the MX-30’s MSRP.
Back in 2021, we went to Orange County, California, for the media drive event of Mazda’s first all-electric vehicle, the 2022 Mazda MX-30. A bunch of us rolled into town with expectations. For a start, it’s a Mazda with rear suicide doors, and that should bode well for a little fun quirkiness mixed with the seriousness of Mazda’s now-signature, understated yet upscale style. On top of that, Mazda loves to bake in some fun driving dynamics, and now it had an EV to play with.
The recipe was there, and we had a fun afternoon cruising around the Orange County coast. It delivered most of the Mazda experience we predicted, including an interior that you would expect from a more expensive car. The MX-30 arrived for 2022 with a base MSRP of $33,470, and the $7,500 federal tax credit on electric vehicles was in full swing. It featured 143 horsepower with 200 lb-ft of torque. It should have been perfect, but there were two major problems.
Wait, What… How Much Range?
2022 Mazda MX-30Ian Wright/CarBuzz/Valnet
Firstly, the MX-30 was a California-only car in the US. Second, it had a range of just 100 miles when range anxiety was the peak reason people were ignoring EVs. Seriously, Mazda came to market with an EV in 2022 with only 100 miles of range. The rest of the car could have been perfect, but 100 miles of range is still not going to cut it for the mass market.
If the MX-30 is news to you, that’s not a surprise. It had no effect on the market, and they’re a rare sight on the road, but the sales figures may still surprise you. In July 2022, Mazda sold exactly eight units in the US. By the end of the year, only 324 Mazda MX-30s were sold in the US, and in 2023 Mazda sold exactly 100. It fared better in Japan and Europe. Around 9,000 in Japan, while in Canada, Mazda sold 1,622 – more than the US total of 485 before production ceased.
The Mazda MX-30, amazingly, was still in production as an EV for Europe until the end of the 2026 model year. The last model year in the US was 2023 and the last for Canada was 2024. It lives on as the MX-30 R-EV – a plug-in hybrid version using a rotary engine. The MX-30 also saw some action in Australia, but, again, sales were few.
The Compliance Car
2022 Mazda MX-30Ian Wright/CarBuzz/Valnet
A compliance car is a zero-emissions car (meaning electric) sold purely to meet tightening government regulations for low-emission vehicle sales. Generally, a compliance car is sold with little-to-no expectation of profit. Its function is to allow the automakers to keep selling their other, often less efficient models.
Mazda Mx-30Mazda
Compliance cars are notable for low production volumes and are often limited to regions where the law requires the automaker make them – most often California in the US. They are often low-effort cars due to the low volume and lack of expectation for sales. Notable compliance cars include the turn-of-the-century Chevrolet Spark, the Ford Focus Electric, and the Toyota RAV4 EV.
We flat-out asked Mazda if the MX-30 was a compliance car, and were told it wasn’t. Absolutely nobody believes that, at least for the US. However, we can see how it would fit cities in countries where everything isn’t so spread out, one with towns as well as cities.
The 100-Mile Issue
2023 Mazda MX-30 Freestyle doors openMazda
There’s a discussion to be had about range still, and particularly when MX-30 models start coming up for sale used for around $14,000 with under 50,000 miles on them. Given how few Mazda has sold in the US, that isn’t often. However, we’ve found two using the CarBuzz shopping tool – one for $17,080 with 36,997 miles on the clock and one for $13,995 with 46,473 miles. Both are Premium Plus trim, which had an MSRP of $37,120 in 2023.
Now, it’s a commonly cited statistic from the Federal Highway Administration that the average American drives 13,476 miles per year, which is 1,123 miles per month, and 36.9 miles per day. Averages are funny things though, because it’s unlikely anyone reading this drives 36.9 miles per day. Some will average much, much less and some much, much more.
Why a 100-Mile EV Actually Works As Your Second Car
2022 Mazda MX-30Ian Wright/CarBuzz/Valnet
However, the average commute is 30 miles each way, and given how that’s something people take into account when they take a job, it’s likely quite accurate. For those of us that work from home, a car is mainly for running errands and getting around on the weekend. On top of that, enough households in America have two cars, for the average to be 1.83. Meaning, there are a lot of cars that exist purely for commuting and running errands, and the second car is the real family vehicle.
All that is to say that a 100-mile range EV would suit a few people. In particular, a rather nice one to drive that is an absolute bargain right now. And you live in California. Because if you start adding shipping costs, the value proposition starts to fall away. For someone with a round trip to and from work under, say, 60 miles, an MX-30 and a home charger isn’t a terrible idea… as a pure commuter and errand running car.
Why Chasing 300 Miles Of Range Is Actually A Waste of Money
Front quarter view of the 2023 Mazda MX-30, parked.Mazda
With the rise in gas prices in the US, electric cars are back in the conversation after the sales slump at the end of 2025. Particularly if you live in California, where gas prices are currently more often nearer $6 a gallon than $5. But, when people look at all-electric cars, people think of range as “more is better” and “300 miles is the bare minimum”. And it really isn’t, unless you’re actually going to use that 300 miles of range regularly.
Photo of the 2023 Mazda MX-30 EV charging on the street.Mazda
In reality, most people really do travel well under 100 miles a day. And if the electric vehicle has a range of 300, or even 400 miles, then, every day, that car is lugging around a bigger battery than it needs. It’s literally carrying around unnecessary weight, meaning its burning energy to carry energy it doesn’t need. Sure, it’s nice to charge a battery just once a week, but it’s wasting money – and the price of electricity is rising as well.
But, despite a bigger battery not necessarily being better, a 35.5 kWh battery with a 100-mile range doesn’t leave much of a buffer. We drive a lot of EVs, and whether it’s rational or not, seeing 30 miles of range left is as uncomfortable as the fuel level warning light going on. And, life happens – leaving work doesn’t always mean going home, and sometimes both cars in a household need a longer journey at the same time.
If the MX-30 Still Feels Like Too Big A Risk, These Used EVs Are Even Better Deals
2024 Volkswagen ID.4 front 3/4Volkswagen
The MX-30 is far from the only deal in all-electric vehicles right now. Between technology advancing so fast and the steep depreciation curve, there are absolute bargains out there. And, if your range needs aren’t high, even more so. As one of our headlines put it recently: Used EVs lose 60% of their value but only 7% of their range in three years.
A brilliant example is the Volkswagen ID.4 compact crossover. It came out in 2021 with an MSRP of $39,995, and you pick up nice examples now for anywhere between $14,000–$20,000. It has a 77 kWh battery and an EPA-estimated 260-mile driving range. Call the range 200 miles to allow for the seven percent loss and give a buffer, and it still doesn’t need to be charged daily. But, you’re also not carrying an unnecessarily big battery around. We have a full list of bargains here, but they aren’t the only ones.
How Mazda’s Biggest EV Mistake Points To Its Hybrid Future
Rear quarter shot of the 2023 Mazda MX-30 driving.Mazda
It still seems crazy that Mazda dropped an EV in California in 2022 with a range of just 100 miles. In that sense, it was clearly a compliance car. But we can’t help but think if Mazda had put a battery in it with 200 miles of range, it would have been in the conversation rather than an oddball vehicle we bring up once in a while. If Mazda had been doing what Toyota was doing at the time and concentrated on hybrid tech, it would make more sense. Hybrid is the key to sales right now, and Toyota looks like it read the future perfectly.
The Toyota comparison above is worthwhile because the CX-50 hybrid uses Toyota’s system from the RAV4 – which is now only sold as a hybrid. The good news, though, is that Mazda is working on its own next-generation hybrid system and plans to debut it on the CX-5.
The Cheapest New EV Can Drive 2.62x Farther Than The MX-30
2027 Chevrolet Bolt front 3/4 parkedChevrolet
When the MX-30 debuted, Mazda wanted customers to hand over at least $33,470 before destination and options. Despite the industry moving in a more expensive direction, there are two brand-new EVs with far better range, more power, and more features for less money. The cheapest EV you can buy today is the 2027 Chevrolet Bolt, followed by the 2026 Nissan Leaf. The Bolt is available in two trim levels, with the base model starting at $27,600, and the RS starting at $31,600. The Leaf is a little more expensive – its base model starts at $29,990.
Neither are particularly impressive on the surface, but they can pull off more than you might expect for EVs at such a low price point. The Chevy Bolt has a single motor on the front axle that makes 210 horsepower and 169 lb-ft of torque. When driven normally, owners can squeeze 262 miles of range out of its 65 kWh battery. The Nissan Leaf’s base model comes with a 75 kWh battery and a single motor that produces 214 hp and 261 lb-ft of torque. Drivers can reach up to 303 miles of range on a single charge.
Sources: Mazda, Chevrolet
