Mazda MX-30 vs Renault Megane E-Tech

What's the difference?

The MX-30 is a tough one to give you a clear verdict on. In summary, though, the math just doesn’t add up. This car is way too expensive and offers next to no range for Australia’s vast intercity distances, essentially resigning buyers to a life within city limits.

On the other hand, I love the design ethos of this little SUV. It’s truly a statement, and it’s rare to find a car that is so committed to its uniqueness. It’s also easily one of the best EVs to drive right now, so those who understand its compromises will no doubt be left with smiles on their faces.

The design for the Renault Megane E-Tech is top-notch and the eco-conscious footprint is even better. It’s an easy and comfortable car to be in but the price is a smidge too high in my opinion when you consider there’s currently only one choice for us Aussies and it’s a mid-spec variant at that. It also misses out on some items its rivals have but is a solid EV to consider for urban dwellers.

The MX-30 oozes design. I would go so far as to say this car is more focused on being a design statement than it is an SUV (as evidenced by its lack of practicality…) or an EV (as evidenced by its lack of range…).

Mazda’s Kodo design language is already eye-grabbing, so it’s to the MX-30’s credit that it manages to be striking, even against other members of the Mazda family, as it strays from a well-refined formula.

The large grille has been dumped in favour of something much smaller but the 3D effect of the Kodo face still persists. The light clusters adopt their own personality - they're inspired by the Mazda3, arguably, but they stand on their own.

The side profile, squat dimensions, and contrasting panel work (in our car’s case, a matte grey against the brand’s signature ‘Soul Red’) alert you to the fact that the MX-30 is something quite different indeed. And all this is before you notice the fact that it has clamshell rear doors.

Yep, that’s right, the MX-30 reaches into the brand’s history and brings back the outward folding door design once seen on the RX-8 rotary sports coupe. Opening it up is an event, and those doors wow onlookers with their unusual unfurling. Unfortunately, it’s not as smart as it looks, but we’ll get to that in the practicality part of this review.

The inside again blends familiar Mazda themes with entirely new ones. The material design is incredible. For the first time in a long time, I felt like a kid in some kind of tactile science museum, prodding, squeezing, and scratching at this car’s many interior elements to see if they were, in fact, made of the occasionally unbelievable materials they seem to be.

It doesn’t disappoint. Yes, the door cards really have a splash of an odd grey carpet material, very Volvo, the seats are really trimmed in some sort of synthetic leather, the quality grain of which has to be felt to be understood (it's very Mercedes), and the centre console is really made of recycled cork panelling, which is very BMW.

All of this might sound a bit silly (and the cork stuff perhaps is) but along with the stepped centre console design, weird semi-digital dash cluster and familiar bits out of other Mazdas, it is difficult to not enjoy being in such a creative and unusual space.

The commitment to this funky, unusual design, has some major practicality drawbacks, which we’ll take a look at next.

The E-Tech’s plump body panelling gives me some cute marshmallow vibes from certain angles but there are enough features to keep it looking slick, like the fun LED headlights, massive 20-inch alloys and optional two-tone paintwork.

I’m also a fan of the door handles on the E-Tech as they add some nice focal points, because the front has auto-flush handles that pop out on approach and the back door handles are positioned on the C-pillar.

If you're eco-conscious the E-Tech ticks the box because Renault has designed it to be 90 per cent recyclable.

The body is made of aluminium and can be reformed and shaped into new products at the end of its life. The interior materials are made from recycled fabrics and trims; even the lithium-ion battery is free from any rare earth minerals.

Head inside the cabin and the grey knit trims and upholstery on the seats, doors and dashboard creates a cabin space that feels warm and inviting. It's a similar feel to the Polestar 2 - simple but refined.

Although, with my kid around I have higher anxiety about dirtying them!

Put simply, the MX-30 is about as practical as a sports coupe, which is a feat given it has the footprint and height of an SUV.

It starts with those clamshell doors. Sure, they look amazing, but they’re annoying to open because the handle is on the inside, so you have to open the front doors before you can open the rear ones. At best this costs you time when you’re just trying to load objects, pets, or kids, at worst it makes the rear of the cabin nearly impossible to access in a tight car park.

Even in my unit parking spot, I could barely access the rear seats, making it especially annoying when I just wanted to chuck a bag in the rear footwell.

Even if you don’t have trouble getting an adult back there, space is limited. Behind my own driving position, my knees were up against the seat in front, and while I had plenty of headroom, it feels a bit claustrophobic, thanks to the tiny windows and high beltline.

I’ll hand some credit to the commitment to this car’s design, though, the odd carpet trims continue into the rear doors, and there's even a plush padded surface for your elbows on either side. Nice touch. The seats also feel unusually low and sporty for an SUV, particularly an electric one.

As if it couldn’t be more clear that this car has the intention of being some sort of sports coupe, the front seats are lovely. Comfortable, supportive, and with plenty of soft trims throughout the cabin, I felt as though I had plenty of room here. The raised console design means the multimedia functions and toggles were easy to reach and use, and while the climate functions are somewhat awkwardly placed on a touch panel, at least they were set and forget most of the time.

There’s a tactile dial for volume control, and although the multimedia interface is dial-based rather than touch, Mazda’s system is one of the easiest to use once you get used to it.

There’s a large storage area under the centre console, hosting two USB ports and a household power outlet, and atop that there’s a cork-finished tray, which flips up to reveal dual bottle holders in the centre. Behind this there’s a small armrest console box, trimmed in the same plush padding as the doors and seats. Front occupants can also make use of small pockets in the doors and a glovebox.

Unlike some electric cars, the MX-30 doesn’t score a ‘frunk’, which seems like a wasted opportunity because the engine bay is half empty. Serviceable items look incredibly easy to access because of this, with liquid tanks and coolant hoses on display, but I can’t help but feeling Mazda could have put a small storage space here with some packaging trickery. It’s equally possible that there’s a crash-safety consideration, however.

Moving to the boot, and unfortunately there’s a small-hatch-sized 311 litres on offer, because there’s also next to no underfloor space, and you’ll have to store your charging cables in there, too, further reducing the space. With the cable bags strapped in place, the boot fit our largest (124L) CarsGuide travel case with little extra room to spare. It’s weekender luggage space at best, but then I suppose you won’t be able to go away for long with the range on offer anyway…

The E-Tech’s cabin is fairly roomy up front with plenty of head- and legroom. The front seats are super comfortable with powered lumbar support and I wouldn’t mind them not being powered if the price point was a bit lower. 

The rear seat is comfortable enough once you get seated but the top of the door apertures are low, and I have to duck my head to get in and out.

Your head also brushes against the roof lining in the back which isn't terribly comfortable, especially considering there is no fold-down armrest to lean on.

The front row benefits the most with individual storage and you get a lot of options to choose from but the centre console is one of the most practical I’ve seen for the class. Lots of pockets and nooks that feature adjustable 'walls'.

You get a single permanent cupholder but with the removable walls, accommodation for a second cup or bottle, can be catered for.

Underneath the multimedia screen you get a dedicated phone shelf, which I love using.

In the rear, you get two map pockets and shallow bin storage in each door.

The charging options are good with two USB-C ports in each row as well as a 12-volt outlet and a wireless charging pad up front but you miss out on V2L (Vehicle to Load) functionality in this model.

The 9.0-inch touchscreen multimedia system looks great headlining the dash and is easy to access and use. The system rebooted once on me while driving but other than that everything is responsive.

You get wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto and the CarPlay is easy to get started.

The steering wheel has numerous stalks, controls, regen paddle shifters and even the gearshifter on the column, too. It takes a beat to get used to it but I like how driver orientated it is.

The boot offers great storage at 440L but it’s a deep well, which might be annoying if you’re unloading heavier gear. There is underfloor storage for the cables, too, and like I said, you miss out on a powered tailgate.

For the moment, the Megane E-Tech is being offered in only one grade for the Australian market and that’s the Techno EV60, which is the mid-level version of Renault’s brand new EV.

The EV60 is priced from $64,990, before on-road costs, and that positions it right in the middle of its rivals. The nearest competitor is the Hyundai Kona Extended Range at $60,500 MSRP, newcomer Toyota bZ4X 2WD slides in at $66,000 MSRP and the Volvo C40 Plus sits at $78,990 MSRP.

The E-Tech comes with a decent array of features for a mid-spec variant and premium items include heated front seats, a heated steering wheel, a digital rear view mirror and wireless functionality for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto but you do miss out on items like a powered tailgate and electric front seats which most of its rivals sport.

Technology looks good with a 9.0-inch touchscreen multimedia system, 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, dual-zone climate control, faster USB-C ports (four total) and a wireless charging pad.

Sound is covered by the Arkamys Auditorium sound system with six speakers and the mood can be set with the 48-way configurable ambient lighting system.

Despite missing out on a powered tailgate, the EV60 has some features that still offer convenience like keyless entry, heated and auto-folding side mirrors and auto-folding flush door handles that pop out on approach (front only).

The MX-30 has an electric motor on the front axle with a single-speed reduction-gear transmission. It produces low-sounding figures of 107kW and 271Nm of torque, which is less than most of its rivals, although it has more power and less torque than the equivalently sized (but much cheaper) MG ZS EV.

Although these power figures don’t look as impressive as rivals, it’s worth remembering that the MX-30 has much less weight to carry around, so when it comes to driving it’s a much better story than it appears. More on that later.

The MX-30 offers three levels of regenerative braking, controlled through the wheel-mounted paddle-shifters, a necessary touch, and one that offers decent feedback on how your driving style is affecting range, via the dash and multimedia screen.

The Techno EV60 has a single electric motor. It produces a power output of 160kW and 300Nm of torque, and Renault says it will sprint from 0-100km/h in 7.4-seconds.

That's perfectly adequate for keeping up with traffic or getting  around town. You only notice a sluggishness with power when you have a full load of gear. Flipping it to 'Sport' mode make it feel peppier, if you ever need it.

The MX-30 has some advantages here, in that its tiny (35.5kWh to be precise) lithium-ion battery pack means it charges up pretty quickly. The downside? It’s not as quick as it could be, and its efficiency leaves a little to be desired.

As already discussed at length, this small battery means a very short range – between 200 and 224km depending on which standard you want to go by, and the MX-30 is claimed to consume 18.5kWh of energy on the combined cycle.

This is disappointing because not only is the claim higher than rivals like the Kona electric and Nissan Leaf, but in reality, I couldn’t best it with predominantly city driving, as I have previously been able to in all its rivals. Over some 250km of testing I managed a dash-reported 18.9kWh/100km.

The MX-30 EV takes a European-standard Type 2 CCS charger, the most popular kind in Australia, and will charge up at a rate of 50kW on DC or 6.6kW on AC.

It would have been nice to see that boosted to at least 7.2kW AC to be a bit more competitive on AC charging speed. For a car that will need to be charged frequently, even a 10-minute difference in charging time is important. While 50kW DC is about right for a battery pack this size, I assume there will be cooling issues pushing that to 100kW+ as the Hyundai Kona electric and Tesla Model 3 with nearly twice the battery size are capable of.

Mazda estimates a charge time of 36 minutes on DC, three hours on a three-phase AC charger, or nine hours from a ~2.4kW wall outlet. I charged my MX-30 a single time before returning it, from about 10 – 80 per cent, with it maxing out at around 50kW. It charged in less than 40 minutes, however, as promised.

The official energy consumption figure is 15.6kWh/100km and I averaged 13.9kWh after a fair mix between urban and open-road driving.

That’s outstanding consumption but the official driving range for this E-Tech’s 60kWh lithium-ion battery is up to 454km, which is similar to the Hyundai Kona Electric but I still had an eye on the range during longer trips.

The E-Tech has a Type 2 CCS charging port which means you can benefit from faster DC charging speeds, however, it can only accept a top speed of 7.4kW on AC power.

On a 7.4kW AC charger, you can go from 0-100 per cent in a little over nine hours but on a standard 2.3kW house plug, that jumps up to over 30-hours. 

On a 130kW DC charger expect to go from 15-80 per cent in as little as 30 minutes, which is pretty convenient if you have access to one.

Sadly, the E-Tech doesn’t have vehicle-to-load capability, so you can’t power or charge bigger items.

Usually, it’s easier here to talk about how electric cars are different from their combustion counterparts, or how they are great for an electric car. In the case of the MX-30, however, it’s just a great car to drive.

I’ll admit, I didn’t expect this little EV to match, much less exceed the driving experience of its CX-30 sibling, but it was a pleasant surprise to find out how great it was.

It turns out that having a much smaller battery, and therefore a much lower kerb weight than most EVs, means the MX-30 feels light, agile, and rapid compared to all of its rivals, which goes some way to making up for its lesser outputs.

In fact, I had no trouble with the motor at all, with the MX-30 feeling faster and more responsive than the Hyundai Kona electric or the Kia Niro EV.

Mazda’s handling prowess is also on full show here, with the smooth and accurate steering allowing me to point this little SUV with remarkable accuracy. The steering tune is lighter than the Kona electric, but a bit more significant than the Kia Niro's. It emboldens you to have a bit of fun, and again, unlike rivals, Mazda’s suspension tune has your back.

It’s sporty enough to engage you, but not so firm that it sends tremors through the cabin, an impressive feat considering it has a less complex torsion bar rear. If anyone had asked me, I would have sworn it was multi-link all-round.

The whole experience feels very similar to helming the CX-30 or Mazda3, but I’d even say the MX-30 feels better over the front end, with less rough rebound than its siblings.

It also makes a cool noise. Mazda have given the MX-30 an artificial tone, plumbed through the speakers, and unlike the science-fiction hum generated by the Hyundai group EVs, the Mazda’s is a warm drone, more reminiscent of a combustion engine.

To be clear here, the MX-30 is no Tesla Model 3. That car is seriously rapid, with mind-bending handling, although I will say there’s a certain poise and refinement to the way the Mazda drives. Even in the corners, it’s confidence inspiring, with the torque-vectoring magic built into the electric motor on full show.

Perhaps one of the reasons that this car is a tad less efficient than its rivals is its lack of weight, which would allow more energy to be fed back into the battery during regenerative braking. Or perhaps its regen braking modes are a bit too forgiving, either way it’s nice that the Mazda offers three easily controllable levels via the paddle-shifters. I even became a fan of the quaint analogue power dial, even if it does give you a bit less feedback than the sleek software suites in Hyundai Group or Tesla offerings.

The MX-30, then, hits an unexpected niche. The benefits of its smaller battery pack and a focus on handling make this car one of the best EVs to drive today, even if you’re restricted to city limits, and regular recharging.

I have mostly loved driving the E-Tech. It's easy to cruise around in and the power is adequate for open-road driving but it prefers an urban environment.

The power can feel a bit lacklustre when you are carrying lots of people or gear but you mostly feel that when you're on a steep incline and trying to keep up your speed.

The steering is crisp and that makes the E-Tech very responsive to drive. The power is delivered smoothly and it feels well-balanced when you put your foot down.

There is more roll in corners than I was expecting but the car still feels firmly planted. 

The ride comfort is great. The suspension is more firm than soft which means you feel the road but it's not a major bother. There is a bit of wind noise at higher speeds, as if the door isn’t properly sealed by a millimetre but it doesn't annoy me. 

The regenerative braking is controlled by paddles on the steering wheel and you have three levels plus a one-pedal function to choose from.

The single pedal set-up is pretty smooth, even in stop/start traffic, but it’s great to be able to quickly change modes on the go.

The smaller size of the E-Tech makes it an easy car to manoeuvre in a small car park. You get front, rear and side parking sensors which is great because the reversing camera isn’t as clear as it should be for this price level. 

The E-Tech has a maximum five-star ANCAP safety rating from testing in 2022 and has seven airbags, including a front centre airbag.

The EV60 comes with lots of passive safety features including dusk sensing auto LED headlights, LED DRLs, a rear fog light, child safety locks, tyre pressure monitoring, traffic sign recognition tech, an intelligent seatbelt warning, a reversing camera plus front, rear and side parking sensors.

Active safety equipment includes items like blind-spot monitoring, driver attention alert, rear collision warning, forward collision warning, rear cross-traffic alert, lane departure alert, lane keeping aid, and adaptive cruise control (with stop and go).

You also get a digital rear view mirror which is essential as the back window is narrow and the camera feed provides a clearer view than you’d have without it.

The rear row also features ISOFIX child seat mounts on the outboard seats and three top tethers but two seats will fit best. The front passenger seat also has ISOFIX child seat mounts and a top tether.

AEB with car, pedestrian, cyclist and junction turning assist function is operational from 8.0-80km/h (160km/h for cars) but it is common to see that starting figure sit closer to 5.0km/h.

The MX-30 is covered by Mazda’s industry-standard five-year and unlimited kilometre warranty, while the battery pack is covered by a separate eight-year promise, on par with its Korean rivals. Mazda includes roadside assist for the duration of the warranty.

The EV has service intervals of 12 months or 15,000km whichever occurs first, and a five-year service plan comes in at $1273.79, working out to an average of $254.76 a year. That’s getting close to Toyota levels of cheap servicing, and so it should, given electric cars (at least in theory) have much less to attend to when it comes service time.

The E-Tech comes with a five-year/100,000km warranty, but it’s usual to see an unlimited km term for the class. The battery is covered by an eight-year or up to 160,000km warranty term.

Service intervals are reasonable at every 12 months or 30,000km and you also get five-years roadside assistance included.

Pricing over the first five years ranges from a low of $230.04 to a high of $519.62, averaging out at pretty competitive $317.72 per service. No capped-price deal is available.