Mazda 3 Hatchback Lease Deals

The Mazda 3 Hatchback is a five-seat family hatchback for drivers who want something better looking and better finished than the class average, and who are happy with petrol power. It's Mazda's conventional family car.

The current 3 Hatchback has been on sale in this form since 2019. Reviewers consistently praise the cabin quality, the styling and the way it steers, and consistently flag rear passenger space and boot size as the compromise you accept in return.

The choice here is simple: one body, petrol engines of 138 to 183 bhp with a manual or automatic gearbox, and the Exclusive-Line trim.

Image for illustration purposes only. The actual vehicle and specification may differ.

About the Mazda 3 Hatchback

The 3 Hatchback is a 4.46 m, five-door, five-seat family car with a 334-litre boot, rising to 1,026 litres with the rear seats folded. Front-wheel drive, petrol only, no plug.

Mazda went its own way with this one. While most rivals downsized to small turbocharged engines, the 3 kept larger 2.0 and 2.5-litre units, and road testers who like a crisp manual gearbox and honest steering have been rewarding it ever since.

Inside, it's the material quality and the uncluttered dashboard that draw the praise - several testers rate the cabin above pricier German hatchbacks. The flip side is that the sloping roof and thick rear pillars make the back seats tight for six-footers, so it's a better fit for couples, small families and drivers doing miles alone than for four fully grown adults every day. A six-year, 100,000-mile manufacturer warranty and a five-star Euro NCAP rating sit behind it.

3 Hatchback or 3 Saloon?

Pick the Hatchback for load flexibility, the Saloon for outright boot volume. The Mazda 3 Saloon carries 450 litres behind its rear seats and 1,138 litres folded, against 334 and 1,026 litres in the Hatchback.

The Saloon is longer, at 4.66 m against 4.46 m, which matters in a tight car park and multi-storey. Both seat five, both stand 1.44 m tall, and both tow up to 1,300 kg braked. If you regularly carry bulky, awkward loads rather than suitcases, the tailgate and folding seats of the Hatchback win. You can see everything side by side on the full Mazda 3 range.

Why lease a Mazda 3 Hatchback?

Because the equipment you'd normally pay extra for is already there. Every 3 Hatchback gets adaptive cruise control, a head-up display, built-in navigation, a digital instrument cluster, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a rear-view camera and rear parking sensors as standard.

The safety kit is equally complete: blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, lane-keep assist, traffic sign recognition, automatic high beam and autonomous emergency braking on every version. Euro NCAP awarded five stars, with 98% for adult occupant protection and 87% for child occupant protection.

Practically, you get five seats, a 334-litre boot, braked towing up to 1,300 kg and a 51-litre fuel tank, with servicing due every 12 months or 12,500 miles. One thing worth checking before you order: there's no spare wheel, just a tyre repair kit.

Image for illustration purposes only. The actual vehicle and specification may differ.

View Mazda 3 Hatchback deals

Which 3 Hatchback powertrain is right for me?

There's one fuel type here - petrol - with a spread of power outputs and a choice of gearboxes.

Petrol

Power runs from 138 to 183 bhp, with 238-240 Nm of torque, from 2.0 and 2.5-litre four-cylinder engines driving the front wheels. Nothing to plug in and nothing to charge: you fill it up and go.

Performance covers 0-62 mph in 8.1 to 9.8 seconds depending on version, with top speeds of 124 to 134 mph. Official WLTP economy is 44.8 to 51.4 mpg and CO2 emissions 126 to 141 g/km, which is respectable for petrol but high enough that company car drivers chasing low tax will look elsewhere.

Both a six-speed manual and a six-speed automatic are offered. The manual is the one enthusiasts tend to recommend; the automatic suits heavy urban or motorway mileage. Insurance groups span 17 to 24.

Mazda 3 at a glance

Which 3 Hatchback trim should I choose?

There's one trim to choose from on this body, Exclusive-Line, so the real decisions are engine, gearbox and paint - there are 11 colours across the range, from Arctic white and Jet black to Soul red crystal and Zircon sand.

Image for illustration purposes only. The actual vehicle and specification may differ.

Exclusive-Line

Exclusive-Line rides on 18-inch grey alloy wheels with cloth upholstery, and adds adaptive LED headlights, the Mazda navigation system with European mapping, wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and a leather-wrapped gear shift knob.

It also brings heated front seats, keyless entry and start, wireless phone charging, front parking sensors, dual-zone climate control, privacy glass, paddle shifters and an auto-dimming rear-view mirror. The entry version is the 138 bhp petrol with front-wheel drive. Worth knowing: testers note the ride is firmer on the larger wheels, so take a passenger over your usual roads before you commit.

Similar cars to consider

If you're weighing up the 3 Hatchback against the rest of the class, the CUPRA Leon, Volkswagen Golf, Ford Focus and Peugeot 308 all cover similar ground, as does the wider Mazda range.

Volkswagen Golf

From £238.67 a month

Ford Focus

From £442.42 a month

Peugeot 308

From £313.19 a month

Škoda Scala

From £216.36 a month

Mazda 3 Hatchback FAQs

Specifications from Mazda's UK data and Euro NCAP; equipment and availability vary by version, so check the individual deal.

Page updated 5 October 2026 by First Vehicle Leasing. Prices and availability shown on this page are live and change as deals are refreshed.