Mazda 6e vs Tesla Model 3 vs Zeekr 7GT 2026 Bench Test

Is the worm turning? SUVs have been an unstoppable sales force for years now, but many manufacturers are making noise that demand for the traditional sedan and wagon is increasing again. This makes sense in the age of the electric car, as they slip through the air with greater ease therefore providing more driving range, but which of this trio presents best on paper? We have an American, a Japanese and a Chinese representative, though all three are actually built in China, and all have very different strengths and weaknesses given they occupy the same market space.

The first thing to note here is that the Zeekr 7GT price is an estimate. Australian pricing has not yet been confirmed, but Zeekr did intimate it hoped to replicate its European strategy, where the wagon costs around eight per cent less than the equivalent 7X SUV.

With a slight rounding up for a neat number we arrive at $53,990 (+ORCs), but even if this isn’t the exact figure it seems safe to assume it will certainly be in the ballpark of its main competitors. Again, if it copies the 7X approach you’ll need an extra $1500 for any colour other than white.

While it’s the most expensive car here, when you consider the entry-level Tesla Model 3 cost $66,000 (+ORCs) when it first landed in 2019, the current car is somewhat of a bargain. Even two years ago it was $61,900 (+ORCs).

It is easy for that cost to increase, however, with 19-inch wheels adding $1800 and optional paint $1500 for blue or black, $1800 for grey or $2600 for red. It is a nice red, though. Equally, there is nothing wrong with the basic car in white, especially as if you take the aero covers off the basic 18s, it’s a really nice wheel design. Tesla’s self-driving is no longer available as a one-time cost, instead offered as a $149/month subscription.

Given the challenges traditional auto makers have had in offering EVs at competitive prices, the fact the Mazda 6e is the cheapest of the trio is quite an achievement. This is still the case even though we’re using the range-topping Azami rather than the cheaper $49,990 (+ORCs) GT.

Aside from $795 for premium paint – though you have a choice of four no-cost colours – the only option is $1000 for a warm beige interior in the GT.

Mazda offers a pretty typical annual servicing plan, while Tesla lets the car decide. Zeekrs tends to only need servicing every two years or 40,000km, but if you take out a prepaid servicing plan you’ll need to head back every 12 months or 20,000km.

*carsales estimate

Once again, we are making an educated guess as to the specification levels of the Zeekr 7GT using the 7X as a guide, but we think that will be a fairly accurate indication. It's very well-equipped, even at a base level, but so are the Mazda and Tesla.

Powered, heated and ventilated front seats, heated steering wheels, panoramic glass roofs, power tailgates, remote app connectivity and 360-degree cameras feature across the board – these cars pack a level of luxury and technology that was unthinkable at this price point not long ago.

A few notes. The extra $3000 for the 6e Atenza adds quilted tan leather, a synthetic suede dash, leather steering wheel and LED glove box lamp. Nice to have, but the base GT still has all the gear you'd want.

Tesla has slowly been pulling cost out of the Model 3 to get the price down and that includes premium connectivity, for which it now charges $13.99/month. You'll need this to access apps like Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube and the like, especially as Tesla doesn't support smartphone mirroring.

We have a bunch of model students here, especially when it comes to crash protection. The Mazda 6e was recently awarded a five-star ANCAP safety rating – albeit to the previous 2025 protocols – with scores of 93 per cent for adult and child occupant protection, 74 per cent for vulnerable road user protection and 79 per cent for safety assist.

The Tesla Model 3 was the second safest vehicle ANCAP tested in 2025, behind only the Model Y, scoring 90 per cent for adult occupant protection, 95 per cent for children, 89 per cent for vulnerable road users and 88 per cent for safety assist. An incredible result.

As it is not yet sold here, the Zeekr 7GT doesn’t have an ANCAP rating, but it has been awarded five stars by Euro NCAP under the more stringent 2026 protocols with 93 per cent for crash protection, 95 per cent for post-crash safety, 89 per cent for crash avoidance and 79 per cent for safe driving. A five-star ANCAP score would seem a formality.

Our three protagonists are not only old-school in their non-SUV body styles, but by being rear-wheel drive across the board. The Mazda is sufficiently accelerative for its intended purpose, but the Tesla offers proper pace by being not only more powerful but significantly lighter.

When it comes to grunt, however, nothing can match the Zeekr. It’s very heavy, 500kg more than the Tesla, but is also by far the most powerful and is faster than many hot hatches to 100km/h as a result.

To illustrate the earlier point, the larger SUVs that share the batteries of our lower-slung trio are noticeably less efficient. In the Mazda’s case, the CX-6e offers 76km less range, the Tesla Model Y 54km and the Zeekr 7X 39km.

The Mazda 6e offers the most range courtesy of having the biggest battery – another reason its low price is impressive – while the Zeekr is the recharging king thanks to its 800-volt architecture.

Its 450kW maximum DC charging capability is actually unusable in Australia as there aren’t any chargers that fast, but even at 360kW it can fill 70 per cent of its battery (or 363km of range) in just 13min.

Where the Tesla shines is in its efficiency. It matches the Zeekr’s claimed range with a much smaller battery and while its maximum DC charge rate is the slowest, the relatively small battery still allows it to fill from 10-80 per cent in a competitive time.

Efficiency is a bit of a Tesla trump (small t) card. It leans into the virtuous cycle of weight reduction typically used by the likes of Lotus. Part of the reason it weighs less is that it’s a smaller car – 200mm shorter in length than the Mazda – which means it doesn’t need as much power, which means it can use a smaller battery and so on and so forth.

Despite this, it has the biggest frunk and easily the biggest boot, without this impinging on rear seat space thanks to a wheelbase that basically matches its bigger rivals. It’s a masterful piece of packaging.

Apparently Chinese domestic buyers prioritise rear-seat space over boot volume and the Zeekr 7GT is evidence of this. The 456-litre boot will certainly swallow plenty of gear and will suit the needs of many just fine, but the rear seat is enormous with almost comedic levels of leg room.

The Mazda is effectively a large car, being bigger than a VE Commodore in every dimension, with an admirable amount of rear legroom, but a 337-litre boot is well short of its competitors, even if the 72-litre frunk is big enough to house the charging cables. It might well still be enough for your needs, but it’s not the most practical.

*mirrors folded

The good news is there are no bad choices here, though the pick of the bunch might depend on your priorities. If you don’t need masses of luggage space, the Mazda is handsome and well-equipped with lots of range at a very attractive price from a trusted legacy brand. For regional buyers, the extra range and availability of service centres would be a real advantage.

Zeekr is the upstart and it packs an extraordinary amount of value into its cars. Again, it’s a conventionally attractive shape, has plenty of practicality, lots of equipment and performance to burn.

However, the sales figures suggest that when many Australians thinks EV they think Tesla (thought typically the Model Y). The original Model 3 was the first real mass market electric car, but it’s evolved into an exceptionally polished product with benchmark packaging and efficiency. It would be very hard to go past if you're shopping in this segment.

2026 Mazda 6e at a glance:
Price: $52,990 (plus on-road costs)
Available: Now
Powertrain: Single permanent magnet synchronous motor
Output: 190kW/290Nm
Transmission: Single-speed reduction gear
Battery: 78kWh LFP
Range: 560km (WLTP)
Energy consumption: 15.9kWh/100km (ADR combined)
Safety rating: Five stars (ANCAP 2025)

2026 Tesla Model 3 at a glance:
Price: $54,900 (plus on-road costs)
Available: Now
Powertrain: Single permanent magnet synchronous motor
Output: 208kW/350Nm
Transmission: Single-speed reduction gear
Battery: 62.5kWh LFP
Range: 520km (WLTP)
Energy consumption: 13.6kWh/100km (ADR combined)
Safety rating: Five stars (ANCAP 2025)

2026 Zeekr 7GT at a glance:
Price: $53,900 plus on-road costs (estimated)
Available: Now
Powertrain: Single permanent magnet synchronous motor
Output: 335kW/440NmNm
Transmission: Single-speed reduction gear
Battery: 75kWh lithium-ion
Range: 519km (WLTP)
Energy consumption: 16.6kWh/100km (WLTP)
Safety rating: Unrated (Five star Euro NCAP 2026)

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