Mazda maintenance: cost, plans and service schedule

With more than 100 years in the auto industry, Mazda has built a reputation for reliability and excellence. High reliability ratings usually mean reduced ownership costs, but they don’t get rid of them entirely.

As a car owner, you should know what you might spend on maintenance and repairs so that you can budget accordingly. We’ll go over what kind of maintenance Mazda recommends for its vehicles, how much you might spend at the mechanic and what you can do to avoid a large bill when you do have to take your car in.

Key insights

• Mazdas average $426 per year in maintenance and repair costs, according to RepairPal.
• Mazda’s maintenance schedules vary by vehicle.
• New Mazda vehicles come with a three-year/36,000-mile basic warranty and a five-year/60,000-mile powertrain warranty to protect you from repair bills.
• Extended warranties and prepaid maintenance plans can help you spend less on maintenance and repairs.

Are Mazdas expensive to maintain?

As you can see in the chart below, Mazda has very reasonable maintenance and repair costs compared with other automakers. Mazda’s average of $462 per year is among the lowest we’ve seen and well under the industry average of $652 per year.

RepairPal gives Mazda a reliability rating of 4 out of 5 gears. That places the automaker in fifth place out of 32 brands. RepairPal also estimates that Mazda vehicles visit the mechanic 0.4 times each year, which is tied with the industry average, and there’s only a 10% chance of the problem being severe, which is below the industry average of 12%.

Author’s note: Speaking as a professional technician, I can say there used to be a time when Mazda parts cost more than those of most other brands, and maintenance costs could have been comparable to a luxury car on some levels. However, we’ve seen these costs come down dramatically, making them much more affordable for the everyday driver.

However, these upkeep costs aren’t consistent across any automaker’s lineup. That means the model of the Mazda you drive affects what you can expect to spend on upkeep.

Let’s look at the differences between three of Mazda’s most popular models as an example.

The statistics we’ve cited so far combine maintenance costs and repair costs into one figure. That makes sense on a certain level (both maintenance and repairs leave you with a bill from your mechanic), but it’s helpful to understand the difference when it comes to budgeting.

Mazda maintenance schedule

Mazda service schedules vary by model, so it’s important to get your maintenance information directly from the Mazda via your owners manual or a local dealership. Following the correct maintenance schedule for your vehicle can be critical to keeping it running smoothly, and missed maintenance services can even void your warranty.

Example: 2021 Mazda CX-30 maintenance schedule

To illustrate what your maintenance schedule may look like, we included the recommended service schedule for a 2021 Mazda CX-30 below.

Some Mazda vehicles include a status monitor that provides you with an alert when it’s time to schedule maintenance. The light looks like a wrench, and a message may be displayed on the instrument panel. This indicator is meant to come on every 12 months or 10,000 miles, whichever occurs first.

Scheduled maintenance for severe driving conditions

Be aware that Mazda recommends more frequent maintenance if you routinely put your vehicle through severe conditions. Mazda defines severe conditions as:

• Idling for longer periods
• Driving at lower speeds
• Driving in dusty conditions
• Driving in cold temperatures for long periods
• Only taking short trips
• Driving in extremely high temperatures
• Driving in the mountains continuously

If you frequently deal with these conditions, it may be better to have the engine oil and filter in your vehicle changed every six months or 5,000 miles, whichever comes first. You may also need to set the vehicle status monitor manually to reflect these changes. Speak to your local Mazda dealership if you're unsure which schedule is better for your vehicle.

Mazda maintenance costs

Maintenance costs are relatively simple to account for because you have to pay for them on a regular schedule. The details of what a given service might cost you will vary based on what your mechanic charges, but once you have an idea of their rates, you can plan ahead based on your vehicle’s recommended maintenance schedule.

Also, Mazda doesn’t offer a complimentary maintenance program, but your dealership might, so it’s worth asking about.

Example: 2019 Mazda CX-5 maintenance costs

To give you an idea of what maintenance services may cost you, we got estimates for a 2019 Mazda CX-5 in Austin, Texas. Your costs may vary depending on your vehicle and location, though.

Mazda repair costs

According to RepairPal, here are some of the most common issues with different Mazda vehicles and what they may cost to fix.

Repair costs are hard to predict because there’s no telling what will go wrong with your vehicle before it happens. These costs are often unexpected, and they tend to result in larger bills at the mechanic than maintenance services. If your Mazda is under warranty, you might not have to worry about repair bills for the time being, though.

As of publishing, Mazda provides a three-year/36,000-mile bumper-to-bumper warranty and a five-year/60,000-mile powertrain warranty on all of its new vehicles. However, your factory warranty won’t protect you from everything. If Mazda determines a repair isn't covered by your warranty, you could be stuck with the bill regardless, as a few ConsumerAffairs reviewers found out the hard way.

Jason, a ConsumerAffairs reviewer from California, told us about their 2018 Mazda3, writing, “I've been having multiple major failures over the past couple years … and nothing seems to be helping.” All told, Jason reported spending over $9,000 repairing a then four-year-old car.

Steven, a ConsumerAffairs reviewer from Massachusetts, reported: “After buying a 2015 Mazda CX-5 pre-owned vehicle I had a drivetrain issue at 60K miles that cost $2,800 to repair in October of 2021. Even though the pre-owned warranty was for seven years and 100K miles, they wouldn't cover the repair costs due to some technicality they cited with the warranty agreement.”

While reports like this are unfortunate, they’re also a reminder of the kinds of repairs you can find yourself paying for if you want to keep driving your Mazda long-term, despite Mazda’s reputation for reliability.

» LEARN: What is a manufacturer’s warranty?

How can an extended warranty or maintenance plan help?

Although upkeep costs on Mazda vehicles are relatively low, there are ways to potentially save even more money on maintenance and repairs.

Mazda offers prepaid maintenance plans, called Mazda Protection Products Prepaid Maintenance plans (MPP PPMs), that can help you avoid paying full price for scheduled maintenance. As an added benefit, paying for these services ahead of time can help protect you from rising costs and inflation.

Mazda also offers extended warranties, called Mazda Protection Products Vehicle Service Agreements (MPP VSAs), that can help you avoid paying for certain repairs even after your factory warranty expires. While your car insurance should protect your finances against accidents and theft, an extended warranty can pay for repair bills resulting from when your car breaks down on its own.

You’re not required to buy directly from Mazda, though. Part of the appeal for extended car warranties is that, with so many providers to choose from, you can find terms and coverage that work for your lifestyle and budget.

» MORE: Pros and cons of extended auto warranties