Best Used Small Car for 2022
carsales has announced its Best Used Cars for 2022, and the best small car is…
The 2015 Mazda3 Neo has been judged Australia’s best small car by carsales Best Used Cars for 2022, proudly presented by Bingle.
Making it to the top spot for the third year in a row, the Mazda3 hasn’t enjoyed quite the success of its SUV stablemate, the Mazda CX-5 – a winner four years running – but the previous-generation Mazda3 earned itself an ‘honourable mention’ in 2018.
What makes the Mazda3 the right choice of small car for used car buyers?
It’s a combination of traits – good looks, comfort, practicality, value, safety and dependability being chief among them.
There’s also the question of choice. The Mazda3 provides different fuel-efficient engines and transmissions – yes, you can get a Mazda3 with a manual transmission if you want – plus a wide spread of trim levels and two body styles: hatch or sedan.
While the hatch may be more popular than the sedan, there’s still a market for the three-box body style.
In 2015, Mazda Australia sold nearly 39,000 units of the Mazda3, according to official industry stats. That left it more than 3000 sales behind the segment-leading Corolla, but the Mazda was consistently preferred by private buyers over the years the third-generation model was available for sale from new-car showrooms.
The Mazda3 Neo won the title of Best Used Small Car for 2022 with a score of 32.1 points from the RedBook analysis and 45 points from the judges for a total of 77.1 points out of 100.
Sitting at the base of the range, the Mazda3 Neo is powered by a 2.0-litre SKYACTIV-G petrol four-cylinder engine driving the front wheels.
Equipped with the standard six-speed manual transmission, the Mazda3 Neo sold for $22,490 plus on-road costs when new. RedBook values the 2015 model at $15,176 in 2022.
For the local launch of the third-generation (‘BM’ series) Mazda3, carsales managing editor Marton Pettendy wrote: “The new Mazda3 cements its position as the best-handling Japanese-made small car, thanks to a sporty chassis and steering that’s as crisp and natural as the European-made Golf, Ford Focus and Honda Civic hatch, even if it’s louder and perhaps less compliant than the Volkswagen.”
You can read more about the Mazda3 in our launch review here.
Writing about the Mazda3 as a used car purchase, Cliff Chambers observed: “The reason these cars sell so well, hang around for so long and generate great feedback from owners is excellence. They aren’t perfect in every way, but they outshine rivals in the areas that matter.”
Despite the ongoing decline in passenger car sales, small cars like the Mazda3 continue to be very popular in the used car market.
They’re reliable and affordable first cars for inexperienced drivers or for families needing a second car.
The Mazda3 offers low running costs and a bit of cachet as well. For those and other reasons the Mazda3 remains a deserving winner in its category of carsales Best Used Cars 2022, proudly presented by Bingle.
Find a used 2015 Mazda3 Neo on carsales
Honourable mentions:
Mazda2 Neo
The Mazda2 scored 38.2 points from RedBook and 33 points from the judges for a total of 71.2
RedBook value: $13,500
“Mazda’s new city-car adopts a stylish, high-tech ethos, but doesn’t hit all its targets” – Feann Torr, carsales senior journalist
“Considering the price, the practicality and all the ‘zoom-zoom’ appeal of the new Mazda2, it’s bound to be on the shopping list of buyers in the market for a light sedan – and with good reason” – Ken Gratton, carsales technical editor
Hyundai i30 Active
The Hyundai i30 scored 24.6 points from RedBook and 43 points from the judges for a total of 67.6
RedBook value: $15,844
“Well-designed, value for money with a bit of fun thrown in to attract younger buyers” – Cliff Chambers, carsales used-car buying expert
“Great Euro design, great value with lots of specs, good hard-wearing interior” – Ross Booth, RedBook data services director
What makes a car eligible for carsales Best Used Cars?
• Less than six years old
• Standard side curtain airbags
• Standard Bluetooth
• Standard electronic stability control (mandated for 2014)
• Standard reversing camera for SUVs
How did RedBook weight the categories for scoring?
• 10 per cent for resale
• 10 per cent for ANCAP rating
• 20 per cent for cost of ownership
• Five per cent for service intervals
• Five per cent for number of days for vehicle to sell
Read all about carsales Best Used Cars for 2022 here
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