Which one, and which years, drew fewer problems per car sold
The short answer
Across the 2012 to 2022 model years, the Mazda Mazda3 drew fewer owner complaints per car sold: 132 per 100,000 against 181 for the Subaru Impreza, or 27% fewer. The gap holds for the newer 2019 to 2022 cars too. The best years to target are 2015 and 2021 for the Impreza and 2016 and 2017 for the Mazda3.
Subaru Impreza
Mazda Mazda3
By age group
| Model years | Impreza | Mazda3 | Fewer problems |
|---|---|---|---|
| Older (2012 to 2015) | 199 | 138 | Mazda3 |
| Middle (2016 to 2018) | 160 | 126 | Mazda3 |
| Newer (2019 to 2022) | 175 | 122 | Mazda3 |
Owner complaints per 100,000 cars sold, pooled across the years in each group. Lower is better. A model counts as ahead only when it is at least 10% lower.
Year by year
| Year | Impreza | Mazda3 |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 297 | 183 |
| 2013 | 327 | 112 |
| 2014 | 129 | 131 |
| 2015 | 79 | 120 |
| 2016 | 130 | 108 |
| 2017 | 145 | 112 |
| 2018 | 199 | 170 |
| 2019 | 292 | 146 |
| 2020 | 195 | 105 |
| 2021 | 40 | 129 |
| 2022 | 45 | 86 |
| 2023 | Too new | Too new |
| 2024 | Too new | Too new |
Complaints per 100,000 sold for each model year. Green is a good year for that model, amber average, red a year to watch out for.
Most reported problems
Questions
Is the Impreza or Mazda3 more reliable?
Across the 2012 to 2022 model years, the Mazda Mazda3 drew fewer owner complaints per car sold: 132 per 100,000 against 181 for the Subaru Impreza, or 27% fewer. The gap holds for the newer 2019 to 2022 cars too. The best years to target are 2015 and 2021 for the Impreza and 2016 and 2017 for the Mazda3.
Which Impreza and Mazda3 years should I avoid?
For the Impreza: 2012, 2013. For the Mazda3: none stand out.