The CX-30 is Mazda’s smallest crossover, but it packs the brand’s signature upscale interior and engaging driving dynamics into its subcompact footprint. It also offers a range of desirable features, including standard all-wheel drive (AWD), and Mazda does a good job of holding the price at a reasonable level in most configurations.
2026 Mazda CX-30 Pricing, Specs, and Release Date
- What’s New for the 2026 Mazda CX-30
- Design
- Powertrain
- Interior
- Technology
- Safety
- Pricing and Release Date
- Further Research
What’s New for the 2026 Mazda CX-30
The CX-30 gained a range of improvements for the 2026 model year, including a new Aire Edition trim with black accents, a larger 10.25-inch infotainment display for most trims, and more advanced driver-assistance technologies.
Design
Mazda didn’t change the CX-30’s look for 2026. It retains its prominent grille, slim headlights, and beefy plastic body cladding. The crossover features a sloping roof that looks great in profile, but it cuts into rear headroom. Some trims come with black wheels and styling accents, but all models are tastefully styled, without loud badges and graphics.
Powertrain
The base engine is a 2.5-liter four-cylinder, which makes 186 horsepower and 186 pound-feet of torque. Mazda offers a turbo version of that engine, which produces 250 hp and 320 lb-ft of torque on premium fuel. Both engines pair with a six-speed automatic transmission and AWD. While the turbo mill is much livelier than the base engine, both are more than powerful enough to be engaging, and they’re both competent companions for daily driving and highway commutes.
Interior
Cloth upholstery comes standard in the 2026 CX-30, but higher trims add synthetic suede or leather. The five-seat CX-30 gets power front seats with heating and ventilation in higher trims, but the cabin design is attractive and clean across the board. Cargo space is below average, however, at just 20.2 cubic feet with the rear bench upright and 45.2 with the seat folded down. A manual liftgate comes standard, but most trims come with a power gate.
Technology
An 8.8-inch display comes standard, but higher trims step up to the new 10.25-inch unit. Mazda’s infotainment system lacks touchscreen functionality and relies on a rotary dial controller instead, which can be frustrating to use and difficult to learn. Other standard features include a 7-inch digital gauge cluster, push-button start, USB-C inputs, HD radio, SiriusXM radio, and more. Higher trims add a Bose stereo and rear USB ports.
Safety
The 2026 CX-30 hasn’t been crash-tested by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) or the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) yet, but it gets a long list of standard features. They include lane-departure warnings, lane-keep assist, safe-exit warning, driver-attention warnings, blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert, automatic high beams, automatic emergency braking, forward-collision warning, and more.
Pricing and Release Date
As of the time of this writing, pricing for the 2026 Mazda CX-30 starts at $25,795. The new Aire Edition starts at $29,850, and the range-topping Turbo Premium Plus model costs $37,900. Mazda charges extra for most paint colors, but the crossover is mostly well-equipped otherwise. The CX-30 is expected to go on sale in late 2025.
