Kia Rio vs Mazda CX-3

What's the difference?

Australia is experiencing a mass extinction event.

Like the dinosaurs before them, and hopefully not the bees in the near future, the sub-$20,000 car is nearing the bitter end.

An evolutionary dead-end, as higher emissions and safety regulations relegate older models (read Mitsubishi Mirage) to the great scrap-heap in the sky and prevent newer ones (read Honda Jazz) from leaving their local markets.

For you, this means there are quite literally a handful of brand-new vehicles left in Australia which wear before-on-road price-tags under the magic $20,000 number.

One of them is the car we’re looking at for this review: The Kia Rio S, with the catch being you’ll have to be happy changing gears yourself.

So, is this most basic Rio worth your while, or is it best left as a puzzling fossil for future generations to study? Let’s have a look.

Mazda has updated one of its most popular, but rather old models. 

Yes, the Mazda CX-3 is still around after more than a decade since its reveal, and it remains almost at the tippy-top of Mazda’s local sales charts.

With the brand having shifted 8221 CX-3s in the first half of 2025, it seems the light updates and modest price rise haven’t scared away any potential customers.

We’ve grabbed a CX-3 Evolve, the second-up of four available variants, to see if the popular light SUV still stacks up, or if you’re better off taking your money elsewhere.