Mazda CX-30 Years to Avoid

Years to avoid: 2021 At least twice the 18.5 complaints of a typical CX-30 year. Most described: excessive oil consumption.
Best years: Not picked A typical CX-30 year drew under 25 complaints, too few to tell the better years apart.

Based on owner complaints filed with NHTSA in each model year's first three years, not adjusted for sales. The 2024 to 2026 models are too new to judge. See every year ranked

Data: US EPA and NHTSAUpdated Nov 12, 2026

Every model year since 2020 in one place: EPA fuel economy, NHTSA recalls, owner complaints and crash test ratings. The best fuel economy rating, 29 mpg combined, arrived in 2023.

CX-30 problems by year, ranked by owner complaints

How the years are ranked

Model years ranked by owner complaints filed with NHTSA in their first three years (model year Y: filed by the end of Y+2), so every year is measured over the same time on the road. Years without three full years of data, and launch or final years with very few sold, are left out. Counts are not adjusted for how many were sold.

A typical CX-30 year drew 18.5 complaints in its first three years: the median of its ranked years. Years to avoid drew at least twice that, and at least 50. Best years are not picked: a typical year drew under 25. How the verdict works.

Model year	First 3 years	All complaints	Recalls
2021 CX-30 Avoid Most described: excessive oil consumption	68	101	2
2022 CX-30 Most reported: engine	20	33	1
2023 CX-30 Most reported: brakes	17	25	1
2020 CX-30 Most reported: brakes	14	34	3

Compare other models' worst years in the worst model years guide.

Check your CX-30 for open recalls

Opens NHTSA's lookup in a new tab; your VIN goes to NHTSA, not to us. The VIN is on the driver's side dashboard, the door jamb and your registration. Safety recall repairs are free at Mazda dealers.

How to check a car for recalls, step by step

Get a vehicle history report from EpicVIN (opens in a new tab): a paid report with the car's title, odometer and salvage records, from an approved NMVTIS data provider. Affiliate link: we earn a commission if you buy. If you typed a full VIN above, the link sends it to EpicVIN and opens its checkout page for that VIN. Check the price before you pay: EpicVIN's $1 trial lasts 3 days, then becomes a monthly subscription until you cancel ($49.99 to $99.99 a month on its pages as of Oct 2, 2026). Disclosure

Year by year

Model year	Best rating	Recalls	Complaints
2026 MPG · Recalls and problems	27 mpg Gas	0	4
2025 MPG · Recalls and problems	29 mpg Gas	1	26
2024 MPG · Recalls and problems	29 mpg Gas	2	35
2023 MPG · Recalls and problems	29 mpg Gas	1	25
2022 MPG · Recalls and problems	26 mpg Gas	1	33
2021 MPG · Recalls and problems	28 mpg Gas	2	101
2020 MPG · Recalls and problems	28 mpg Gas	3	34

Owner complaints by model year

All complaints filed so far. Counts rise with sales volume and with time on the road, so recent years look better than they may turn out. The highlighted bar is the model year with the most complaints in its first three years.

2021: 101 complaints

Show as a table

Owner complaints by model year, Mazda CX-30
Model year	Complaints
2020	34
2021	101
2022	33
2023	25
2024	35
2025	26
2026	4

Best combined rating by model year

The best-rated version in each model year. Gas: 26 to 29 mpg (every year from 2020 to 2026); highest in 2023.

2026: gas 27 mpg

Show as a table

Mazda CX-30 best combined mpg by model year
Model year	Best gas version
2020	28
2021	28
2022	26
2023	29
2024	29
2025	29
2026	27

Every CX-30 year's ratings in one table

Questions

Which Mazda CX-30 years should you avoid?

The 2021 CX-30 is the year to avoid: it drew at least twice the 18.5 owner complaints of a typical CX-30 year in its first three years. Owners of the 2021 most often describe excessive oil consumption. Complaints can't tell you whether a particular car is sound, so whatever the year, check its open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls before you buy. Safety recall repairs are free at Mazda dealers.

What are the best Mazda CX-30 years?

No year is named: a typical CX-30 year drew under 25 owner complaints in its first three years, too few to tell the better years apart. The 2024, 2025, and 2026 are not ranked yet: they have had fewer than three full years on the road.

Which Mazda CX-30 years have the most problems?

Counting owner complaints filed with NHTSA in each model year's first three years, the 2021 (68) drew the most, then the 2022 (20). Owners of the 2021 most often describe excessive oil consumption.

Which Mazda CX-30 years have the most recalls?

The 2020 has the most safety recalls in NHTSA's file (3), then the 2024 (2). A recall can cover a problem that affects only a few cars, so open a year's page to see what each one covers. No recall for 2020 to 2026 models tells owners not to drive the car or to park it outside.

What are the most common Mazda CX-30 problems?

In the 258 owner complaints NHTSA lists for 2020 to 2026 models, owners most often describe excessive oil consumption (23 complaints, most of them for the 2021); transmission failure or replacement (10 complaints, most of them for the 2020 and 2024); and a dead battery or battery drain (10 complaints, most of them for the 2021 and 2022). One complaint can describe several problems. Each year's recalls and problems page lists what owners describe for that year.

Which Mazda CX-30 year has the best MPG?

The best EPA fuel economy is 29 mpg combined, first reached by the 2023 gas version.

Sources and method

US EPA fuel economy data (fueleconomy.gov), file dated Nov 4, 2026.
NHTSA recall file dated Nov 12, 2026 and owner complaint file dated Nov 11, 2026; NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings.

Complaint counts are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume. How we build these pages. Spotted an error? Tell us.