Mazda MX-5 - MPG, CO2 and running costs

Mazda claims it prefers not to focus on achieving spectacular results in the official EU economy cycle; instead, it says it’s more interested in giving customers real-world fuel savings.

That’s why its strategy is based around high-compression naturally aspirated petrol engines rather than following the turbocharged, downsizing trend. Both the engines offered in the MX-5 use direct injection technology, but the smaller 1.5-litre SkyActiv unit delivers better economy – it returns 45.6mpg with CO2 emissions of 140g/km.

The 2.0-litre comes with Mazda’s i-stop and E-Loop fuel-saving technology. According to Mazda it emits 153g/km of CO2 and can only return 41.5mpg at best, although that seems fairly conservative to us – mid-40mpg should be easily achievable, but you’ll need it to be frugal when the MX-5 only comes with a 45-litre fuel tank.

Despite its exotic shape, the MX-5 should be no more expensive to run than, say, a Mazda 3 hatchback – both use a variety of common components, so replacement parts should be easy to track down and relatively affordable.

Tax

From the second year onwards, the MX-5 is subject to VED charges of £190. A 33 per cent banding in the Benefit in Kind ratings for even the base 1.5-litre petrol makes it a pricey company car, with base rate taxpayers facing deductions of roughly £2,000 a year.

Insurance groups

The hard-roofed RF has slightly lower insurance groups than the soft-top models. That means the lowest grouping is the base 1.5-litre Prime-Line RF at 24, while the highest group is for the top-spec 2.0-litre Homura roadster, which comes in at group 33. 

Depreciation

Despite the UK’s love for a convertible, the MX-5 doesn’t hold its value as well as you might expect. Depending on the version, our experts predict that it’ll maintain between 39 and 42 per cent of its original value after three years and 36,000 miles, which is a little below the market average.

To get an accurate valuation for a specific model, check out our valuation tool...