Mazda 3
What it costs to keep fuelled
$1,860a year, fuel only
The 2013 Mazda 3 is EPA-rated at 25.8 MPG combined (22.8 city / 30 highway). Over 15,000 miles a year that is about 581 gallons, $1860 a year in fuel, or $0.124 per mile at $3.20/gal.
Across its full 2004–2013 run it averages 25.5 MPG, essentially flat across 10 model years.
The band is how far one gallon carries it: 25.8 of the 60 MPG this scale runs to. The square tick is the compact cars average, 26.6.
- Fuel, per year
- $1,860 at 15,000 mi
- Per mile
- $0.124
- Per kilometre
- $0.077
- Gallons burned/yr
- 581
1 mile = 1.609344 km · fuel at $3.20/gal, fixed JUL 2026
Test figure — not a road resultSOURCE·US EPA fuel-economy test data·FUEL ASSUMED AT $3.20/GAL FROM JUL 2026·REVIEWED JUL 2026
How this is worked out
- Start from the EPA combined figure for the model year — a laboratory test cycle run to a fixed procedure, not a road result. Where a year sold several engines or drivetrains, the trims are averaged and the trim count is printed beside the row so you can see how much averaging is behind it.
- Fix a pump price. This site keeps one reference price, $3.20 a US gallon, fixed JUL 2026 and printed next to every dollar figure it produces. It is an assumption with a date on it, not a quote — put your own price in.
- Fix an annual distance. Every annual figure on this site uses 15,000 miles a year, roughly the US average. A cost per year with no stated distance is not a number, it is a mood.
- Divide distance by economy for gallons, multiply by price for the year's fuel, divide price by economy for one mile. The per-kilometre line is that last figure divided by 1.609344 — the same money, in the unit most of the world drives in.
- Stop there. No depreciation, no tyres, no insurance, no servicing. This is the fuel line of the ledger and it is labelled as one; depreciation usually dwarfs everything on it.
gallons/yr = miles/yr ÷ MPG fuel $/yr = gallons/yr × $/gal cost $/mi = $/gal ÷ MPG cost $/km = cost $/mi ÷ 1.609344
The full method, the licence note, and what a test figure cannot tell you →
Re-run the ledger at another pump price
Every line above rests on one pump price. Here is the same entry re-costed at six others, because the price is the part that changes while the test sheet stays put.
| Fuel price | Per mile | 10,000 mi/yr | 15,000 mi/yr | 20,000 mi/yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2.50/gal | $0.097 | $969 | $1453 | $1938 |
| $3.00/gal | $0.116 | $1163 | $1744 | $2326 |
| $3.20/gal | $0.124 | $1240 | $1860 | $2481 |
| $3.50/gal | $0.136 | $1357 | $2035 | $2713 |
| $4.00/gal | $0.155 | $1550 | $2326 | $3101 |
| $4.50/gal | $0.174 | $1744 | $2616 | $3488 |
| $5.00/gal | $0.194 | $1938 | $2907 | $3876 |
SOURCE·US EPA fuel-economy test data·FUEL ASSUMED AT $3.20/GAL FROM JUL 2026·REVIEWED JUL 2026
The whole service history, sheet by sheet
10 model years on file. Read down the combined column: a nameplate that got heavier shows it here long before any brochure admits it.
| Year | Combined | City | Highway | EPA fuel cost/yr | CO₂ g/mi | Trims |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 25.8 MPG | 22.8 | 30 | $2425 | 343 | 4 |
| 2012 | 25.8 MPG | 22.8 | 30 | $2425 | 347 | 4 |
| 2011 | 25.8 MPG | 22.8 | 30 | $2425 | 347 | 4 |
| 2010 | 26 MPG | 23 | 31 | $2400 | 343 | 4 |
| 2009 | 25.3 MPG | 22.5 | 29.8 | $2475 | 353 | 4 |
| 2008 | 25.5 MPG | 22.8 | 30.3 | $2450 | 349 | 4 |
| 2007 | 24.6 MPG | 21.8 | 29.6 | $2690 | 364 | 5 |
| 2006 | 25.5 MPG | 22.8 | 30 | $2450 | 349 | 4 |
| 2005 | 25.3 MPG | 22.5 | 29.5 | $2475 | 353 | 4 |
| 2004 | 25.4 MPG | 22.4 | 29.8 | $2460 | 351 | 5 |
Where a model year offered several engines or drivetrains, the figure is the average across all EPA-tested trims that year — the trim count is shown so you can see how much averaging is involved.
SOURCE·US EPA fuel-economy test data·FUEL ASSUMED AT $3.20/GAL FROM JUL 2026·REVIEWED JUL 2026
Marked against the rest of the compact cars bay
Among the 227 compact cars models tracked here, the Mazda 3 ranks 83 on current figures, against a class average of 26.6 MPG — the square tick on the gauge above.
Closest more-efficient alternatives in the same class: BMW 328i xDrive (26), Ford Escort (26), BMW 328i (26.5), Mazda 323 (26.5), Mercury Tracer (26.5).
Tailpipe CO₂ is rated at 343 grams per mile, which works out to roughly 5.1 tonnes a year at 15,000 miles.
Questions asked across the counter
What MPG does the Mazda 3 get?
The 2013 Mazda 3 is rated at 25.8 MPG combined by the EPA — 22.8 city and 30 highway. Across all 10 model years in the database it averages 25.5 MPG, ranging from 21 to 28 depending on year and trim.
How much does a Mazda 3 cost in fuel per year?
At 25.8 MPG and 15,000 miles a year, it burns about 581 gallons — roughly $1860 a year with fuel at $3.20 a gallon, or $0.124 per mile. The EPA's own published annual figure for the 2013 model is $2425.
Has the Mazda 3 become more efficient over time?
Barely. It sits at 25.8 MPG today against 25.4 in 2004 — essentially flat across 10 model years, with efficiency gains offset by weight and power creep.
Is the Mazda 3 efficient for its class?
It ranks 83 of 227 in the Compact Cars class on current figures, against a class average of 26.6 MPG. That is 0.8 worse than typical for the class.
Pull another logbook off the same shelf
Same class, nearest economy first — the ones a buyer is genuinely choosing between.
SOURCE·US EPA fuel-economy test data·FUEL ASSUMED AT $3.20/GAL FROM JUL 2026·REVIEWED JUL 2026
Cost per mile, per kilometre and per year are computed at a reference price of $3.20 a gallon over 15,000 miles, fixed JUL 2026 — set your own pump price. Estimates based on official test figures and average fuel prices. Real-world consumption varies with driving style, load, terrain and maintenance.
