When we last visited the 2022 Mazda MX-30 EV, we pondered Mazda’s decision to even offer it in the first place. We were shocked that any found buyers due to the fairly high buy-in and with only a 100-mile range. Now the latest numbers confirm our questions surrounding the puzzling yet attractive MX-30.  It’s an EV whose time passed before it even came.

Price and range are killing the Mazda MX-30

While the numbers bear out our surprise, we do like its appearance. We’re like the semi-four-door design. It has a meaty look with the squared wheel openings emphasizing bulging shoulders. And the top shoots rather successfully for a coupe-like look, with the C-pillars boldly tying into the taillights. 

But even now the price you’ll pay just doesn’t add up. In the Los Angeles area, used MX-30s under 10,000 miles range from $34,000 to over $40,000. That’s for used ones. The MSRP also begins at $34,000. However, we expect that the few dealers that have one will bargain with you.

They know all too well that the advertised range of 100 miles just doesn’t cut it in these days of 300-500 mile ranges. And that being the lowest range for any BEV on the market bears out that fact too.  

Why is the MX-30 so expensive?

The culprit for the high price falls partly to ineligibility for the federal tax credit. Trimming that $7,500 credit straight off the top puts it at a more digestible $26,500 for a base model. That falls under the Chevrolet Bolt’s $31,500. It, too, no longer gets the incentive. But it will return in 2023, which puts the price back at $24,000. And the Bolt has a 259-mile range. 

But we have a possible reason for the minuscule numbers. The MX-30 is only meant to be a compliance EV, according to Electrek. That means it is a low-production model to comply with federal regulations. So in some ways, they’re like a pilot model. But the public gets to buy them. One wonders how servicing will be handled with so few made, and compliance being the real goal.

When did the MX-30 first come out?

Mazda began offering the M-30 in September 2021, but only in California. Its highest sales month was this last March when it sold 101 of them. Yeah, 101. Then in August, Mazda’s website posted a notice that it was sold out. That was also the last month there are any records of sales, which amounted to eight. So only eight MX-30s were sold for the third quarter of 2022. For all of 2022, sales came to 324, with year-to-year coming in at 505 sold. 

Will it return in 2023? It’s doubtful, but you never know for sure. What this does tell us is that probably in the near future, Mazda will be back with a no-compromise EV. With Japanese manufacturers, Mazda has been somewhat of an outlier. So it will be interesting to see what the all-new Mazda EV will be like.