Mazda MX30 R-EV - The Perfect Plug-In Hybrid with a tiny Rotary engine - The Gateway Drug to BEV ! 

This is a great example of what most cars on the road should be. Stop trying to get the general public to think they need a fast 0-60 time. Put the time money and effort into making cars as easy to live with as possible.

I am 12000 miles into the ownership of a 2018 BMW i3 REX. Same idea but built on a carbon fibre and aluminium chassis and with 120 to 150 miles of pure plug in range. I’ve done several 300 mile days and one trip over 500 miles with no issues and no range anxiety. It’s a great idea for your first electric car. My commute now costs me 95p as opposed to £5 and I only ever use the range extender 650cc engine on long trips.

What a cracking car! No stupid iPad screens. Proper dash. A gear knob as well. And a rotary engine as well. Delightful. Ticks all the boxes.

This type of EV makes the most sense to me, especially given the current state of the charging infrastructure in the US.

Mazda is kind of what Honda were back in the 90's when it comes to cleaver ideas. Here in New Zealand you can buy that car in a dark metallic red ( think raspberry ) with a silver roof. Looks great. However, 1800kg. I remember when I raced my series 1 Rx7 it was under 1000kg. Modern cars are heavy.

Recharging the battery using a small, lightweight rotary engine is a stroke of genius. A great way to solve the range anxiety conundrum, and it comes wrapped in Mazda's beautiful design language. I generally detest EVs, but I can honestly see myself living with one of these. Love the doggy!

I was with Mazda for nearly 5 years and when the normal MX30 came out it didn’t do very well. When this came out I sold more of these in 3 months than I sold EV 30’s the whole time I was there! It’s a great car! I own a CX30 myself. Had a Mazda 3 also! The CX5 is probably one of the best looking, reliable and affordable SUV’s on the market! Great cars! Mazda are really overlooked in many ways! I have more spec in my mid range CX30 than a high spec X2 with no packs on it! Drives nicer too!! Love it!! 🥰

Two advantages to all electric drive train is ( as you mentioned) eliminate the complexity and cost of a gearbox Secondly the petrol engine runs at its most efficient because it only has to run at its most efficient speed.

At last, a manufacturer that has used their technology to produce an efficient, compact, practical car rather than a 0-60 in 2 seconds monster. Great car, well done Mazda and great review, well done you PP.

Had an overnight test drive of one of these from Hendy in Eastbourne a couple of days ago and loved it. On a 50mile journey of mixed motorways and up and over the hills of the South Downs and then Beachy Head, I got 50mpg and 4.2miles/kwh. And I didn’t hang about! Mightily impressed. Will be ordering one after the bank holiday.

Mazda actually builds very underrated cars that not only drive well, but are well-built and very reliable.

Finally a decent balanced review. This vehicle didn't last long in the United States but we also never got the rotary engine model. I love the exterior styling and the interior as well. I think if they had offered the range extender rotary in the US, I would be driving this today. And thank you for addressing the issue of acceleration times. Just because some EVs can get to 60 in 3 seconds doesn't mean that kind of acceleration is needed and in some situations, I would say it isn't wanted. Many drivers are no ready to handle that type of acceleration.

Well done to Mazda for holding their faith in the rotary engine; it looks like we are finally entering the rotary era.

Excellent review. I drive a 23 plate Mazda CX-30 Skyactiv-X MHEV with a petrol engine. It has a supercharger, but in the same way it’s not for performance, but economy and regularly returns 52+ mpg. It’s also slightly more powerful and has more torque than the Skyactiv-G MHEV engine, which doesn’t have the supercharger. I love what Mazda have done with the MX-30 rotary engine and Bev drivetrain. They are one of the few manufacturers recognising pure BEVs are not the whole answer or the perfect solution. Whilst they have no tailpipe emissions, they still negatively impact the environment across the whole lifecycle. NB. Land Rover have addressed the slow electric front seat issue for access to 2nd row passengers on the Defender 90 by introducing a manual tilt and slide front passenger seat on the latest model ;)

Do you know why french guys (like me) love this RU-vid channel ? 1. ALWAYS interesting content 2. The driver speaks slowly (excellent for french speaking people) 3. The 'P' of the channel logo is made of the french flag colors ('bleu' 'blanc' 'rouge') To summarize: j'adore cette chaîne RU-vid 👍

The early Rotary engined Mazdas, the R100, RX2, RX3 and RX4 were super fun cars to drive. And they sounded awesome!

This and the I3 Rex are where I want the hybrids to be. I live in rural Canada and would want something that has about a 300 KM all electric range and then the ability to have another 150 KM available through gas if needed. These are getting close to what I hope to see.

Sounds like our 2017 Chevy Volt. We love ours

This technology has fascinated me since the Vauxhall Ampera. Great video!

phev fan here, I am well pleased with this video, cheers

Love the car, I’ve had 5 Mazda’s over my lifetime and they’ve always been very reliable and fun to drive. I’ve got the new Mazda 3 takumi on order. Hoping you get more Mazda’s on the channel soon. 😊 Great and informative review Pete, Keep up the hard work.

Great, concise film Peter . I remember working with Mazda and I had many RX8 demos. As you said, terrible oil and fuel consumption, but great performance from a little 1300cc Wankel engine. This car seems to have figured out how to take away the range anxiety, but still giving you a choice of how you power it. Well done Mazda for thinking outside of the box. 👏

I have a plug-in Honda Clarity that works very similar to this vehicle. I have found the best use of this vehicle is not to run the battery all the way down. When you travel, put the vehicle in hybrid mode. Save battery for all your local driving when you arrive. We do almost all our daily driving on EV mode. The engine in the clarity is an Atkinson cycle engine, and never really ever idles. The transmission is an EVCT that has two electric motors. There is no traction belt. The electric motors do almost all the propulsion. If you do happen to use the entire battery and don’t have the ability to plug it up the car can’t charge itself while you’re driving. You just have to put it in the charge vehicle mode. Works great. We love it.

Sounds very interesting. We've ran Mazdas since 1997. They do build very reliable cars. Our current Mazda is the CX30 which from an infotainment perspective is very similar and just works brilliant. The top models do come fully loaded, and even at £39+ do represent excellent value. Residual values have always been good. Sounds like an excellent car. Can't understand why BMW didn't put a bigger tank on the I3.

I value your continual honest approach to car reviews… thanks man.

I love the idea of this thing. This is the way PHEVs always should have been. However, those performance numbers would make this car frustrating to use in several of the major metro areas here in the states. There have been times when I needed to push our Prius past 90 to deal with traffic. A bit better 0-60 time would be helpful too, and I think Toyota has recognized this, since the new Prius does it in 7.2s. My preferences maybe. Also my preference...I hate the dial control in my CX-5. I don't think it's any more safe than a touchscreen, and it's less convenient than having real buttons. It is wasting space in the center console. On this one at least, it's less likely to have drink spilled into it.

As a former RX8 owner I'd be interested to know what the oil consumption of that rotary is, also how often it needs the oil changed. The doors bring back happy memories though.

Really good application of a rotary engine and no other make is more suited than Mazda to do it.

Great video review of this Mazda model. Same drivetrain technology as the BMW i3 Rex from 2014-2021. Glad to know a manufacturer continued to use this drivetrain setup. I love my 2014 BMW i3 Rex!

I think you slipped up by not using all of your electric range before getting to the hotel. It would have reduced your fuel burn as much as possible. As someone who drives 10-20 (regular) miles a day, this makes much more sense than a 200 mile Bev and is simpler and has better range than a phev. We need more cars like this (maybe a more practical minivan/MPV). Maybe the futuristic BMW i3 rex really was ahead of it's time, and will become a future classic. Thanks for the review.

Fascinating stuff. A real eye-opener. Thanks Ped.

I think this is a really interesting car and a little more unique to look at than other mass produced vehicles. I believe Nissan have a similar range extender models, perhaps it would be an idea to ask Hendy group nicely for a quick drive of an example. Keep up the good work, hope you are feeling better.

Wow, have Mazda found the Holy Grail? I was a bit concerned when you mentioned rotary engine, but was ahead of you thinking of how it’s used here. For the average motorist, I can’t see anything not to like with this. It looks great from the front, that colour combo works brilliantly. I love the badging as you mentioned. The suicide doors are a marmite thing, but personally I think they’re cool. A small negative, the interior looked quite dark, a lighter headlining would be good, and all dashboards seem to have gone down the “slab” look, but they’re minor gripes. Well done Mazda, this deserves to do well 👍🏻

n Australia we have a completely different drive train, it's a 2.0L 4cyl petrol, with mild Hybrid it has a 6-speed Skyactiv-Drive automatic, vehicle weight is less than yours at 1400kg, it's called MX-30 M Hybrid

Great review, that car actually interests me, which is unusual for a modern car. Attractive styling, practical bumpers, The only thing I don’t like is the fact it’s not a proper 4 door, the size of it should allow rear people to get in without disturbing the front.

When you compare this road test against the Peugeot 3008 Phev last week, where you depleted the battery on the outward journey and had no charge for the return. This car is so clever and makes a lot of sense.

Not sure it pleases both sides, rather it would have them both hating it. However, for the vast majority of motorists who aren't in either camp, this is a great idea. Nice video Pete.

Interesting review of this car and you are one of the few reviewers who think this car is very good.As a Mazda 3 owner who doesn't do big mileage I would be interested in this car if I had a home charging box which is not possible. The full electric MX30 can be picked up for bargain prices used with very low mileage now also.

I never thought a car manufacturer would mass produce a series hybrid in my life but, Mazda need to be applauded !

On our 70mph roads the actual flow of traffic is at least 80. It’s not quite fast enough. But as a city car it seems perfect. Except that the Prius exists.

Great video as always. Thanks 👍

Yup, love that it isn't a 'flying ipad' like everything else out there. Rotary? Oh, yeah. Just the kind of soulful car they don't make anymore.

Funny you say that, I have always been surprised how few Mazdas are on the roads in the UK. The Mazda 6 is a huge seller in Aus and yet when l see one in the UK, l always do a double take, because they're so rare. Not sure why because they build awesome cars.

If you can charge at home ( and are not lazy;) plug in hybrids are fabulous vehicles I own a Prius Plug In from 2021 and absolutely love it.

A great review and in today’s driving conditions with all the speed restrictions, this car’s performance is ample. It’s definitely a car that I would buy.

I had a 1972 RX2 and I got about 5 MPG. I would have a 2015 Volt that GM says gets about 37 mpg. I think it is a failure if a gas engine is used that gets less than 50 MPG. Other wise there is not much savings if the typical range requires the gas engine to run. I certainly agree to the excellence of the Mazda cars and I agree that they are quiet.

Very impressed by the car and your road test. Just taken collection of a Skoda Enyaq and whilst I love it, I am already experiencing range anxiety as I might need to do a 400 mile round trip in the near future! I have an iPhone loaded with about 15 apps and I’m sure that one day I’ll make sense of them. This little Mazda sounds like what I should have gone for, a great piece of engineering.

Very good job, by the way. You sell me the intelligence of this car, and that's the way it as to be. I add to that, the transition the public as to made, as the industries as to do. Again, bravo and thanks!

Inspired copy 10 years after the BMW i3 - except the i3 REx weighs 1300kg, does 100miles on battery and 9Litres charges the battery for another 100 miles (and obviously quickly refilled)

Subscribed! Very interesting drivetrain combination.

Ah a sensible combination, totally agree with you comments. Thank you sir.

I was sold in the first minutes. That is practically exactly what I believe an EV Hybrid should be. It's good looking too, unlike the BMW, what was the model, I3? Alas, it doesn't appear to be sold here in the colonies! Come on! I got some money burning in my pocket!

I guess that 39mpg is when the engine runs. So that could be double over a journey. If it had a different badge, it would sell like hot cakes. Thanks, very good insight.

Nice review Ped. The Mrs has booked a test drive in one at our local Mazda dealer on the strength of this.

Jason Plato will have a melt down when he sees those rear doors❤

Finaly someone did it! electric power train + a generator for better range and much lower weight, since a huge battery wont be needed, besides 50M is perfect for everyday use

Hi Pete and glad to see your non performance side. Very interesting motor. I as an Aussie, big distances over here, so I have never felt pressured about driving my all Electric Volvo C40. Good planning and never miss a planned charge point on the journey takes that aspect away.

Cheers mate see you Monday

Full credit to Mazda for producing a car that focuses on efficiency and range instead of out and out performance, along with what, in the current market, is a ‘sensible’ price point. If manufacturers are going to entice people across to EVs this is what is needed. I personally think that it again proves the point that for anyone who regularly does longer journeys a hybrid is the obvious practical choice. My ‘daily’ is a Toyota RAV4 hybrid which, in the 2.5yrs I’ve owned it, has averaged 50mpg which is fantastic efficiency for a comfortable family sized SUV and I have my ‘toys’, a V8 and a couple of motorbikes for my thrills! 😊

I thought 30 years ago, that kind of hybrid were the right way to do it. The electric drive chain is the key to it. But at that time, batteries were a real problem. Now, I would most likely buy a BEV. What's needed is charging to be available also at apartment parking. That shouldn't be so hard to get!

Really interesting review.Looks like a great car.

really a nice car , and a wery impressive review thank you, make you think if this should be my next car 🙂

Boy I like that. I hope Mazda brings it to America.

I am guessing that oil changes etc on the rotary are are few and far between Peter. Great video, nice to see a different perspective.

I have a BMW I3 Rex 100-120 mile EV range and 9 Ltr of fuel total range 200 + miles perfect for my needs

I think this is perfect. Not sure the rotary engine was really necessary though - would have worked just as well with a normal engine.

For something like this, you would be best discharging the battery entirely and then letting the rotary come on and operating continuously. Topping it up as you go will make the car far less efficient. Same for any plug-in hybrid really. Engines are most efficient and produce the lowest emissions when they are at their ideal operating temperature so just turning it on willy nilly here and there is only costing you more money than necessary and going counter to the whole reason to go electric (reduce local emissions). The whole point of this car seems to be finding a good balance between combustion and battery. The range seems small but most of the time it would be sufficient for most trips for the average driver. The rotary is your insurance to ensure you aren't stranded should you need more range and public charging is not an option. Another advantage is having a smaller battery and a rotary, the car lighter and thus won't chew through tires like a lot of EVs do. It also isn't super powerful either which also improves tire life. This vehicle seems quite rational. However, the inability for the rotary to directly power the wheels is a mistake in my view. This dramatically lowers the efficiency when the rotary is running. If it had an eCVT like the Prius, that would be more sensible in my humble opinion. But if the new rotary has only a very small efficient RPM band, I can see why the series hybrid choice was made. I would probably choose a Prius Prime over this. I think Toyota still has the hybrid market cornered as they have the best hybrid formula so far.

I love this approach to PHEV, using the engine strictly as a generator while enjoying a pure electric drive train. I wish this car would have come out 15 years ago, I would have bought one. I've long believed that rotary type generator was the best option for powering a generator in a car (small and smooth). It will be interesting to learn more about the different ways this Mazda can leverage its generator. One winter driving feature that I love about the Chevy Volt is the option to heat the cabin purely from the generator. Car heaters can really suck juice out the battery so when I'm on longer trips, I heat the cabin with the generator and focus the battery purely on powering the drive train. Not only is this the most efficient approach to winter driving, but it allows me to use the generator to warm the battery to its optimal temperature. Even though I love my Volt, I would have chosen this Mazda, complete with rotary, if that option would have been available.

Superb car. Only downside is that in the UK, the road tax is £180 a year. Why?

I like the concept. Well presented. It makes a lot of sense, looking at the current infrastructure to recharge EV‘s. How fast can the battery be charged at a powerline?

This is the kind of thing they need to do with "electric" vans, just have a tiny diesel motor running as a generator and half the battery size! As long as the engine has enough power to push the vehicle along at motorway speeds (with conversion losses) you will have whatever range you need!

Well what do we need performance vehicles for in a small country with a speed limit of 70 miles an hour? You can’t really use a performance car anyway!!

I was given one of these as a company car, had it for two weeks and swapped it for an eNiro. The Mazda is well screwed together, and it drives very well in EV mode. Trouble is the EV mode doesn't last long enough and when the battery is depleted the rotary engine fires up and sounds horrendous, think early 2000s Prius and you won't be far off, it drones away at a constant and annoying pitch. It is also incredibly thirsty, on a run of 230 miles the first 40 of which were just using the battery it averaged 32mpg.

This is one of the best looking cars out there

Bring the RX back like this! More power for sure but yes!

Really wish Mazda would make an EV Miata. The EV Miata conversions are fantastic, but one made from the ground up to be an EV would be even better.

It looks amazing! Mazda goes its own way again!

Great video to do many thanks I would love to see a clip of you getting in and out of rear seats no one seems to show that bit?

Definitely a good review. Car worth keeping for quirks

The Lexus CT200H never needed plugging in. 1800cc engine?. Charged the battery itself. I averaged 50mpg with nearly 100k miles on the clock and 10 years old before I sold it.

Mazda really are quite inventive or alternative. I really like their thinking.

Agree with all positive comments More of these hybrids please

Great vid, but did I understand the figures correctly, 100mile journey with net fuel efficiency (presumably including being supplemented) of just under 40mpg for a small car with average performance , it still seems to stack up poorly against a small diesel polo ? Or equivalent which would offer more performance and more efficiency?

It's a bybrid car that doesn't have a hybrid engine, unlike those of Toyota. Technically, Toyota's hybrid engine is much more efficient. Some energy is lost when a gasoline engine is used to drive an akternator in order to charge the batteries. Inspite that, I still like it for the fact that it's also a plug-in. For those using it primarily for short trips, it means never having to fill up most of the time, and no range anxiety for occasional long trips

What an interesting car in so many ways. Thank You !

Sorry Ped - think you have misunderstood how the consumption dials work in a PHEV - the more you use the petrol the higher the miles/kWh will increase so the reason it’s 3.8 at the end is because it’s been on the petrol a fair bit hence why under 40mpg. Do like the car and it has a use case if only have to do the odd long journey but I think I land more where JayEmm has with this one

I own a Honda Element that has "suicide doors." Unlike the Mazda it has a full back seat and the cargo area is huge. It also has the ability to fold the rear seats to the sides or completely remove them. It has a cult following. I have the manual transmission version with AWD. Great for skiing (snow and ice covered roads) and mild off roading vehicle. If Honda would have a drivetrain on an updated Element, like the Mazda, or the old Chevy Volt, I would buy one. Most likely an update to the Honda Element will not be offered. I'll probably end up with a full electric small van, carry a small 2KW inverter generator and a couple gallons of gas to charge the electric battery. A van with a solar panel on the roof and sides would be great for a charge if you leave the vehicle for a couple of days such as at a trailhead. Then you wouldn't have to carry the generator.

Same drivetrain as my Honda HRV, but the Honda has a 4 cylinder Atkinson Cycle engine. Love the electric drive and 60+ mpg. Took me a while to choose the Honda, but a year in I am delighted with it. I am sure the Mazda is just the same. Good vehicles for the transition to EV journey. 👍😎❤️

An interesting concept but after our ownership experience of a Mazda 3 with a rattle and the stereo sound system not wanting to work regularly we punted it fairly quickly never to return to the marque. I'm not sure you could class it as a family car as there is no chance anyone is sitting behind you in that car. I do like the rotary wheel controlling the functions that I carried from my Mazda to my next car being the JCW.

Love this car. Only gripe is the touch screen for A/C. Very unlike Mazda. And the all EV MX-30 is perfect for commuting around the city on shorter trips. I just think people judge it unfairly. Of course it can’t compete with EVs costing 1.5x to 2x more with larger batteries. Shame that Mazda doesn’t sell more units.

Cool to see a review of this. Never released this rotary version in the States. It's like a little Ferrari Purosangue with that door.

Hi, great vid and a really interesting car. What was the overall average mpg combining elec and fuel?

Great review, super interesting car.

It may not be zippy, but how does it do when you need to pass one of those lorries on the motorway? I used to have a rotary engine pick-up in the 9170’s. One of the most reliable vehicles I ever had. Could certainly handle big loads for a small pick-up.

Thanks again for another interesting piece on a very interesting car. I absolutely love the concept and I've been saying for a while that my ideal car would be exactly what this Mazda provides: a self charging electric car with around 50 miles of EV only range. But.... And there have to be 3 buts: 1. The weight! 1.8 tons! It's a tiny car with a small battery which weighs the same as my S4 diesel. Lordy, what have they built it from? 2. The efficiency! It's not all that great, is it? I'm guessing the battery range was being supplemented by the engine providing some electrical power directly to the motors. Your end battery efficiency was so much better after engine use than when it was on battery only. And that petrol consumption is terrible for a generator. A generator should run very efficiently in a set optimised rev range. I'd have expected 80+ mpg from a 70hp motor in those conditions. Btw, on the run you did, I'd expect my S4 to do around 45mpg. 3. Size. An occasional 4 (uncomfortable) seater is not an adequate compromise to reduce weight and gain efficiency, particularly when neither weight not overall efficiency are anything to get excited about. Lovely looking car, interesting take on the plug-in hybrid concept but ultimately it's a compromise that currently doesn't seem to work fully. I'm still waiting for that EV or hybrid Holy Grail and until then I'll be sticking to my "dirty" diesel. Sorry about that everyone.

Very interesting , thank you

You just drove the car I would probably buy if I could! I actually like the looks, though I'd prefer it a bit lower. But I always knew I would choose a plug in hybrid! Hopefully you might put a bicycle in the back just to check the available space.

Speed sign recognition is an assistance, you can't rely on it to get out of a speeding fine Pete, you need to use your own eyes as well! Greta video though and I really like the sound of this car as a daily proposition.

This is what I do wonder why more cars don't have it? A small constant running engine charging the battery at all or most time, so that you hardly need to charge, but only to fill it with fuel for the engine.

The original twin rotor RX7 Turbo Bat mobile. Was only a 1.3 .but around 260 bhp .