This is how much a 2020 Mazda3 depreciates after 5 years

As Mazda’s entry-level model and perhaps the best car for a new driver, the Mazda3 has long relied on its style, affordable price tag, reasonable running costs, high-quality interior, performance and neat handling to lure in price-conscious buyers with high standards. The vehicle is currently in its fourth generation, having debuted for the 2019 model year. Mazda hasn’t done a full facelift or redesign since the 2019 model, but there have been incremental updates to the car in an effort to keep it fresh and able to match strong compact car rivals like the Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla, and Hyundai Elantra.

Its premium nature, along with its overall popularity, means the 2020 Mazda3 gets a decent 38% depreciation over five years, according to AutoEdge facts. It’s worth noting that this figure changes depending on body style, as the hatchback has a higher depreciation rate of 41%, meaning you’ll get less money back at the time of sale. To add even more context, we compared the Mazda3 to other compact sedans to see how the depreciation compares.

If you look at CarEdge’s 38% depreciation forecast for a 2020 Mazda3 and translate it into dollars and cents, that means the compact car will lose more than $10,000 of its original value during the first few years of ownership (according to CarEdge, the 2020 Mazda3 sold for an average price of $26,402). This also indicates that approximately $16,000 will be deducted from the car’s value, which CarEdge considers “good” value. However, depreciation isn’t an exact science, so it’s worth looking at more than one data source when trying to determine the value of a 2020 Mazda3. KBB’s depreciation analysis is another strong data source because it is based on auction sales, private sales and trade-in prices.

The end of 2025 is KBB estimates the resale value of an entry-level 2020 Mazda3 sedan at $13,628. The base Mazda3’s 2020 MSRP was $22,420 (including $920 destination fee), bringing the five-year depreciation rate to about 39%. The more expensive Preferred Sedan appears to hold its value better than the base-spec models, around 67%, given its $25,120 price tag and $16,825 retail value. This means it is expected to lose only 33% of its value after five years of ownership.

The entry-level Mazda3 hatchback, meanwhile, had a starting price of $24,620 and a resale value of $16,104, according to the same KBB data. That translates into a comparably reasonable depreciation rate of about 35%, or 65% value retention after five years. However, as with the sedan, there are differences in depreciation rates between the Mazda3 hatchback models, with the more expensive Premium Hatchback experiencing heavier depreciation of around 37%. This takes into account a starting price of $29,820 when new and a resale value of $18,837 after five years.

Not all compact cars are equal. Certain models retain greater desirability and correspondingly higher resale value than others. This is reflected in the performance of other 2020 compact cars. The Honda Civic is the compact car that retains its value the best, with a value retention of approximately 71% (based on CarEdge data), meaning it has lost 29% of its value after five years of ownership.

Those expecting the popular Toyota Corolla to follow suit may be disappointed to hear that it is beaten by the Subaru Impreza, which is estimated to retain 69% of its original value after five years. However, the valuable 2020 Toyota Corolla isn’t far behind, as it retains about 67% of its original value. The affordable Volkswagen Jetta (66%), the slick Nissan Sentra (65%) and the economical Toyota Prius (64%) are the other compact cars from the 2020 model year that will retain the most value over five years.

This means that all of these models have an edge over the Mazda in terms of depreciation over five years. However, the Mazda3’s value retention of approximately 62% helps it position itself ahead of competitors like the 2020 Kia Forte (61%) and Hyundai Elantra (60%).