Mazda MX-3
What it costs to keep fuelled
$1,975a year, fuel only
The 1996 Mazda MX-3 is EPA-rated at 24.3 MPG combined (21.8 city / 29 highway). Over 15,000 miles a year that is about 617 gallons, $1975 a year in fuel, or $0.132 per mile at $3.20/gal.
Across its full 1992–1996 run it averages 23.8 MPG, essentially flat across 5 model years.
The band is how far one gallon carries it: 24.3 of the 60 MPG this scale runs to. The square tick is the subcompact cars average, 24.2.
- Fuel, per year
- $1,975 at 15,000 mi
- Per mile
- $0.132
- Per kilometre
- $0.082
- Gallons burned/yr
- 617
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 | $0.103 | $1029 | $1543 | $2058 |
| $3.00/gal | $0.123 | $1235 | $1852 | $2469 |
| $3.20/gal | $0.132 | $1317 | $1975 | $2634 |
| $3.50/gal | $0.144 | $1440 | $2160 | $2881 |
| $4.00/gal | $0.165 | $1646 | $2469 | $3292 |
| $4.50/gal | $0.185 | $1852 | $2778 | $3704 |
| $5.00/gal | $0.206 | $2058 | $3086 | $4115 |
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
5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | 24.3 MPG | 21.8 | 29 | $2625 | 374 | 4 |
| 1995 | 23.8 MPG | 21.3 | 29 | $2663 | 380 | 4 |
| 1994 | 23.8 MPG | 21.3 | 29 | $2663 | 380 | 4 |
| 1993 | 23.5 MPG | 21 | 28 | $2688 | 383 | 4 |
| 1992 | 23.8 MPG | 21.3 | 28 | $2663 | 380 | 4 |
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 subcompact cars bay
Among the 229 subcompact cars models tracked here, the Mazda MX-3 ranks 87 on current figures, against a class average of 24.2 MPG — the square tick on the gauge above.
Closest more-efficient alternatives in the same class: Ford Laser (24.5), Acura RSX (24.7), Audi A3 Cabriolet quattro (25), Audi A4 Cabriolet (25), Ford Escort ZX2 (25).
Tailpipe CO₂ is rated at 374 grams per mile, which works out to roughly 5.6 tonnes a year at 15,000 miles.
Questions asked across the counter
What MPG does the Mazda MX-3 get?
The 1996 Mazda MX-3 is rated at 24.3 MPG combined by the EPA — 21.8 city and 29 highway. Across all 5 model years in the database it averages 23.8 MPG, ranging from 20 to 29 depending on year and trim.
How much does a Mazda MX-3 cost in fuel per year?
At 24.3 MPG and 15,000 miles a year, it burns about 617 gallons — roughly $1975 a year with fuel at $3.20 a gallon, or $0.132 per mile. The EPA's own published annual figure for the 1996 model is $2625.
Has the Mazda MX-3 become more efficient over time?
Barely. It sits at 24.3 MPG today against 23.8 in 1992 — essentially flat across 5 model years, with efficiency gains offset by weight and power creep.
Is the Mazda MX-3 efficient for its class?
It ranks 87 of 229 in the Subcompact Cars class on current figures, against a class average of 24.2 MPG. That is 0.1 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.
