Mazda 3 4-Door 4WD
What it costs to keep fuelled
$1,714a year, fuel only
The 2026 Mazda 3 4-Door 4WD is EPA-rated at 28 MPG combined (24.5 city / 33 highway). Over 15,000 miles a year that is about 536 gallons, $1714 a year in fuel, or $0.114 per mile at $3.20/gal.
Across its full 2019–2026 run it averages 28.1 MPG, essentially flat across 8 model years.
The band is how far one gallon carries it: 28 of the 60 MPG this scale runs to. The square tick is the compact cars average, 26.6.
- Fuel, per year
- $1,714 at 15,000 mi
- Per mile
- $0.114
- Per kilometre
- $0.071
- Gallons burned/yr
- 536
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 | $0.089 | $893 | $1339 | $1786 |
| $3.00/gal | $0.107 | $1071 | $1607 | $2143 |
| $3.20/gal | $0.114 | $1143 | $1714 | $2286 |
| $3.50/gal | $0.125 | $1250 | $1875 | $2500 |
| $4.00/gal | $0.143 | $1429 | $2143 | $2857 |
| $4.50/gal | $0.161 | $1607 | $2411 | $3214 |
| $5.00/gal | $0.179 | $1786 | $2679 | $3571 |
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
8 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 28 MPG | 24.5 | 33 | $2225 | 320 | 2 |
| 2025 | 28.5 MPG | 24.5 | 33.5 | $2200 | 318 | 2 |
| 2024 | 28.5 MPG | 24.5 | 33.5 | $2200 | 318 | 2 |
| 2023 | 28.5 MPG | 24.5 | 33.5 | $2200 | 318 | 2 |
| 2022 | 27.5 MPG | 24 | 32.5 | $2250 | 327 | 2 |
| 2021 | 27.7 MPG | 24.3 | 32.7 | $2233 | 322 | 3 |
| 2020 | 28 MPG | 25 | 33 | $2200 | 313 | 1 |
| 2019 | 28 MPG | 25 | 33 | $2200 | 313 | 1 |
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 4-Door 4WD ranks 58 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: Chevrolet Aveo (28.5), Audi A4 quattro (29), BMW 330i xDrive Sedan (29), BMW 430i xDrive Gran Coupe (29), BMW M340i Sedan (29).
Tailpipe CO₂ is rated at 320 grams per mile, which works out to roughly 4.8 tonnes a year at 15,000 miles.
Questions asked across the counter
What MPG does the Mazda 3 4-Door 4WD get?
The 2026 Mazda 3 4-Door 4WD is rated at 28 MPG combined by the EPA — 24.5 city and 33 highway. Across all 8 model years in the database it averages 28.1 MPG, ranging from 27 to 30 depending on year and trim.
How much does a Mazda 3 4-Door 4WD cost in fuel per year?
At 28 MPG and 15,000 miles a year, it burns about 536 gallons — roughly $1714 a year with fuel at $3.20 a gallon, or $0.114 per mile. The EPA's own published annual figure for the 2026 model is $2225.
Has the Mazda 3 4-Door 4WD become more efficient over time?
Barely. It sits at 28 MPG today against 28 in 2019 — essentially flat across 8 model years, with efficiency gains offset by weight and power creep.
Is the Mazda 3 4-Door 4WD efficient for its class?
It ranks 58 of 227 in the Compact Cars class on current figures, against a class average of 26.6 MPG. That is 1.4 better 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.
