Mazda launched the electric MX-30 in 2021 & after some research, decided that there was room for a plug-in version of their small car. Step forward the MX-30 R-EV a plug-in with a difference & a car that won a Company Car & Van of the Year Award as Small Car of the Year 2024.
What is it ?
The Mazda MX-30 e-Skyactiv R-EV to give it its full name, features a 17.8kWh battery & 830cc rotary engine generator. The 830cc single-rotor petrol engine acts as a generator to enable longer distance drives without range or charging anxiety. With no mechanical connection between the engine & the wheels, the rotary unit acts as a generator so it’s always driven by the electric motor. Electric range is 53 miles with a 50-litre fuel tank giving it a flexible 400 mile total range.
Model choice, trims & price
The MX-30 R-EV is offered in three grades; Prime-Line, Exclusive-Line & Makoto. Entry-level Prime-Line models start from £31,495 & come fitted with 18″ alloys, LED headlamps, all-round parking sensors, a reversing camera, head-up display, 8.8″ infotainment system, separate 7″ touchscreen for the climate controls, cruise control, lane departure warning with of course, Apple CarPlay & Android Auto smartphone connectivity.
Exclusive-Line costs from £33,495 adds heated front seats, keyless entry, an eight-way adjustable driver’s seat, leatherette upholstery & diamond-cut wheels. Range-topping Makoto trim costs £35,895 with the addition of an opening sunroof, heated steering wheel, 360-degree parking camera & a 12-speaker Bose sound system.
Charging
Compatibility with both AC charging & rapid DC charging with 3-phase AC charging takes around 50 minutes. DC rapid charging can be completed in around 25 minutes. The ability to use rapid chargers is uncommon amongst conventional plug-in hybrid rivals which is good news for customers. Using a 36kW charger the battery can be charged from 20 per cent to 80 per cent in 25 minutes, with a three-phase 11kW AC charger the battery can be refilled in approximately 50 minutes, while a single-phase home 7.2kW charger, https://www.rolecserv.com/home-charging will take around 1 hour 30 minutes.
CO2 & power
The R-EV offers CO2’s of just 21g/km with a 125kW/170ps output & 260Nm of torque. Top speed is 93mph with a 0-60mph time of 9.1 seconds.
Driving modes
Thee are three drive-modes: Normal, EV & Charge. Normal mode delivers electric drive as long as there’s enough battery charge to do so. Drivers can turn EV mode on when they want to stay in electric drive & this will ensure the vehicle uses electric drive exclusively until the battery is completely drained. Charge mode can be used to retain your EV range, with the option of setting the amount of battery charge they want to reserve in increments of 10 per cent. The engine will go into Normal mode if & when more power is required or the electric range has run out.
Outside
All versions of the Mazda MX-30 e-Skyactiv R-EV feature a rotor badge on the front wings with an e-Skyactiv R-EV badge on the tailgate. Unique wheels differentiate the R-EV: Prime-Line with a dark grey finish & Exclusive-Line & Makoto come with a black/silver diamond cut finish. Nine colour combos are offered. Five one colour & four with twin tone colours are available including Zircon Sand with black side panels & roof, as well as Jet Black with silver side panels.
Inside
Inside, the MX-30 R-EV & EV are almost identical which is a very good thing. From the floating central binnacle which features the gear lever, infotainment wheel & electric handbrake, to the 8.8″central display, all is cleverly designed & beautifully finished. The use of environmentally-friendly materials, such as cork, vegan leather & recycled plastic bottles is also tastefully incorporated. As with the pure electric MX-30, the MX-30 R-EV features steering wheel paddles that adjust the level of regenerative braking. A particular favourite of CC&V is the separate 7″ climate control touchscreen, which allows the driver to adjust the cars temperature without having to scroll through numerous menus.
Practicality
Up front, there’s two large door pockets, a sizeable glove box, two cup holders & an armrest with underneath storage. There’s also a useful storage area underneath the floating centre binnacle, where you’ll find two USB inputs & a single 12v socket. These are quite hard to reach though. Rear passengers get small door pockets & rear seat nets.
As with the MX-30, the R-EV, doesn’t offer proper rear doors. Mazda have instead repeated the freestyle suicide doors from their EV which feature a built in B pillar. Whilst these look fantastic & will work well with younger children, even with a clever electric front seat mover when an adult sits in the rear, they will struggle to get in & out with any dignity. Both my wife & adult daughter did sit in the rear & had plenty of room. The two issues for them were that the rear windows don’t open & it felt a little claustrophobic, heightened by the black roof lining.
Boot space
Depending on the model you choose – if you select a car with the Bose infotainment system this will eat into the available boot space – the MX-30 offers 332 to 350 litres of space with the rear seats in place. Fold the rear seats down, they also split 60:40 & this increases to 1,137 to 1,155 litres. There’s no storage space for your charging cable either.
Service & warranty
Servicing at the same 12,500-mile interval as other Mazda models, plus an eight-year battery warranty.
Driving
We really like the fun drive that the all-electric MX-30 offers & the R-EV being marginally faster is similar. Despite the engine being just 830cc in size, from start you can barely hear it. It only produces 74bhp at 5,500 revs & you’d expect some whining. As you drive around you’ll notice a faint hum from the engine which is easily hidden by the radio or your podcast.
The rotary engine uses triangular shaped pistons that spin around a central shaft, rather than conventional circular up & down cylinders. This undoubtedly helps keep the noise down compared to other PHEV’s out there.
Quick off the mark it maybe, but it’s no speedster & you’d be hard pressed to call it exciting. Behind the wheel, for a small car it feels quite grown up. There’s little body roll & not a lot of vibration from the suspension as it runs really well over both good & poor road services
The cabin is very comfortable & the build quality & finish of the fixtures & fittings is exceptional for the class. Premium springs to mind & that’s across all trims too.
We spent a week in the R-EV & whether sitting in city traffic where it excels, or taking a longer motorway trip, it feels well poised & handles both environments with aplomb. You’ll quickly realise that it fits in anywhere. Adaptive cruise control is easily turned on for the motorway & at a constant 70mph it remains quiet & stable. In town it’s nippy & nimble & despite the large B pillars & smallish rear window, with on board reversing aids, it’s also easy to park.
As far as fuel economy goes, Mazda claim a WLTP combined of 282.5mpg, which as with all plug-in’s is to be taken with a pinch of salt. Driving locally in EV mode the combined we achieved was as high as 141mpg. On a couple of 100 mile motorway trips, this fell to as low as 44mpg. As ever get a home charger & plug-in overnight when it’s cheaper. To fully charge the battery from empty to full only takes a couple of hours costing as little £1.30 per go. The claimed electric range is 53 miles with ourselves averaging around 38 miles, or enough for 3 days of local driving at a time without using ant petrol. Use the battery for all your slow & local driving & you’ll get the most out of your PHEV.
Pros
The R-EV features amazing build quality for a £30,000 car. It’s beautifully designed inside as well. Comfortable & quiet to be in. On trend tech & safety features right across the range. Low BIK & excellent fuel economy are a positive for company car drivers.
Cons
The rear doors limit it’s appeal which is a shame. Rear cabin space feels a little claustrophobic.
Verdict
As a city electric car, the MX-30’s 130 mile range means that it’s always going to be a left-field choice. However, with the introduction of its plug-in brethren in the form of R-EV, that range problem disappears with a 50+ pure electric range & a 400 mile driving range overall. It’s a brilliant compromise with the engine only ever powered by the battery. Another plus is the car’s build quality which is more than match for the premium German & Swedish brands & it comes without their premium asking price.
Really the only negative is the inclusion of the rear suicide doors, meaning it doesn’t offer the most practical solution for rear passengers. You could argue that it’s a chance missed by Mazda & undoubtedly the plug-in rotary engine in a Mazda 3 would certainly be good. For now anyway, you’ll just have to settle for the R-EV, which is the only small car plug-in hybrid that comes with DC charging & a 400 mile combined driving range which is why we love it so much !
Small but perfectly formed 4.25/5
