Fiat 500 vs Mazda 3: Specs Compared

Running cost over five years: at the EPA's 15,000-mile-a-year assumption the Mazda 3 burns about $1,850 of fuel annually against $2,250 for the Fiat 500. That $400 yearly gap compounds to roughly $2,000 over five years and $3,200 over eight — often more than the price difference between two trims of the same vehicle, and the single largest running-cost line item separating these two.

City versus highway split: the Fiat 500 is the stronger commuter at 31 mpg city, while the Mazda 3 pulls ahead on the interstate at 40 mpg highway. If most of your driving is stop-and-go traffic the city figure is the one to weigh; for long-distance highway mileage the reverse is true, and the two vehicles effectively swap places depending on how you drive.

Powertrain choice: the Fiat 500 is recorded with 3 distinct engine configurations (1.3, SIDI, 1.4), the Mazda 3 with 4 (SIDI, SIDI; With Cylinder Deactivation, SIDI; Without Cylinder Deactivation). Across 33 recorded Fiat 500 configurations and 97 for the Mazda 3, the wider the engine spread the more the real-world fuel efficiency depends on which version you actually buy, so check the specific model year and drivetrain rather than the headline number.

Drivetrain and class: the Fiat 500 is offered with All-Wheel Drive, Front-Wheel Drive, the Mazda 3 with 4-Wheel Drive, Front-Wheel Drive. All-wheel drive typically costs one to two mpg combined against the same vehicle in front- or rear-wheel drive, which is worth remembering when the gap between these two is small. The EPA classes them as Minicompact Cars and Midsize Cars respectively — the class drives the interior volume, cargo space and passenger space each one is measured against.

Tailpipe emissions: at their cleanest configurations the Fiat 500 emits 264 g/mile of CO2 versus 266 g/mile for the Mazda 3. Emissions track fuel consumption almost exactly, so the cleaner vehicle here is also the cheaper one to fuel.