Are Mazda’s as reliable as Honda’s?
I was surprised to find Mazda’s are very similar in reliability to Honda’s when reviewing my tracking numbers. We specialize in Honda at our shop in Layton, Utah, so I have a lot more data on Honda but here is what the numbers show:
We have 844 Honda clients compared to 231 Mazda clients. Over the last 5 years, Honda clients have spent an average of $815.39 each visit, compared to Mazda clients spending an average of $896.09. So, our Mazda clients spend about 10% more on each visit for repairs and maintenance.
Unfortunately, our management system doesn’t have the ability for me to view the frequency of visits based on vehicle makes or the severity of repairs each visit. At our shop, we do everything for our clients. Whether it be a simple oil service and tire rotation or a complete engine repair, we set all of our clients on a 5,000-mile interval for an oil service and vehicle health inspection, and our clients drive an average of 13,000 miles. So we typically see our clients’ vehicles between 2 and 3 times a year. I don’t have any data to show me if Mazda owners have more breakdowns than our Honda owners.
An interesting number I could pull out of my management is part tracking by vehicle make. The average part installed on our Mazda clients’ vehicles costs them $55.97 compared to $62.22 for Honda owners. So, Mazda parts cost an average of 11% less than Honda parts. Even though Mazda parts cost 11% less, the overall cost per visit is 10% more than Honda’s. Mazda’s are not any more labor intensive to work on than Honda’s, so I believe that Mazda just needs a couple more parts during an average repair than Honda’s.
Are Mazda’s as reliable as Toyota’s?
In the last five years, our Mazda clients spent an average of $896.09, compared to an average of $850.51 for our Toyota clients.
We specialize in Toyota, so we have a lot more data on Toyota than we do on Mazda. We have 1084 Toyota clients in comparison to only 231 Mazda clients. That being said, I do not see any major differences in the frequency of visits or severity of repairs. One interesting statistic I found in my management system was the average cost of parts. Over the past 5 years, the average part installed on our Toyota clients’ vehicles was $70.90 compared to only $55.97 for the average part installed on a Mazda. Even though Toyota parts cost our clients 27% more than Mazda parts, their average repair visit was still 5% less. That means Mazda owners needed more parts on average per visit than Toyota owners.
Here is the last 5 years of average parts cost for the top 5 Japanese makes:
- Mazda – $55.97
- Nissan – $58.48
- Honda – $62.22
- Toyota – $70.90
- Subaru – $73.83
Here is the last 5 years of average repair cost for the Top 5 Japanese Makes:
- Honda – $815.39
- Toyota – $850.51
- Mazda – $896.09
- Nissan – $909.86
- Subaru – $1,006.22
My personal opinion comparing Mazda to Honda and Toyota:
I have been doing Auto Repair for 30 years now. There was a solid time frame when I was not a Mazda fan. For most of the 2000s and into the 2010s, we were seeing a lot of engine failures. They were also known for engine mount issues, interior rattles, and a few other things that just made them not feel very solid on the road. Over the last 5 to 10 years, they have turned things around.
Now, Honda and Toyota have had a few models here and there that had some common issues. Honda recently, with their 1.5l turbo, has been causing some real problems, but that being said, Honda and Toyota have led the field in reliability across the board for as long as I have been doing this. I am personally not a fan of the design and the way Mazdas drive, but they have become pretty good vehicles. I just bought four newer vehicles to loan out to our customers. I bought two Honda Civics and two Toyota Camry’s.
