Mazda CX-80 long-term test: living with the ultimate 7-seat family SUV

• Report 1: Meet our seven-seat Mazda CX-80
• Report 2: Physical controls galore!
• Report 3: Big on practicality
• Report 4: Our CX-80 needs a service
• Report 5: What's the CX-80 like as a PHEV?

Report 1: Meet our seven-seat Mazda CX-80

After a fast estate, we're swapping into a large seven-seat SUV in the shape of Mazda's flagship CX-80. Will it hit the mark?

Date: 31 October 2025 | Current mileage: 2014 miles | Claimed economy: 177mpg | Actual economy: 47.3mpg

After living with a Skoda Octavia vRS for six months (well, we're still living with it a it's now our 'own'), we've got something a little different to complement it. A large seven-seat SUV in the shape of Mazda's moderately new CX-80. 

We ran the five-seat CX-60 last year, on which the CX-80's based, but things are a little different, and not just because it has an extra row of seats. Whereas the CX-60 we had was powered by a 3.3-litre six-cylinder engine, our CX-80 is the plug-in hybrid option. This sees a naturally aspirated 2.5-litre four-cylinder petrol engine hooked up to a 17.8kWh battery to deliver 327PS and a combined fuel consumption of 177mpg. The caveat here is that to achieve anywhere near that number, it'll need to be regularly charged. Luckily, I'm in the fortunate position and have a home charger installed - the first time running a PHEV that I've had this luxury, which should beat running a three-pin charging cable out from under the garage door. 

Compared to some plug-in hybrids that boast electric-only ranges that creep towards 70 miles, our CX-80 EV range is a little less impressive, with an official figure of 38 miles. It is a big car, so it was never going to be trouble the longest-range PHEVs, but will that be enough to make it anywhere near that MPG figure? Time will tell, but the 35g/km of CO2 means it's liable for benefit-in-kind tax of just 13%. Some PHEVs are lower still, though, attracting a rate of only 9%.

That's the engine covered off, but what about the rest of the car? Our Mazda CX-80 long-termer comes in top-of-the-range Takumi Plus trim that comes in at £56,830, rising to £57,480 with our Melting Copper paint (we've had it called anything from brown to bronze). That's a serious chunk of cash, but it's almost £20,000 than David's Volvo XC90 PHEV, which is trying to fulfil the same brief. 

As its the top spec car, our CX-80 comes with pretty much every feature and extra you can think of, from a panoramic roof to white Nappa leather trim. With some additional light-coloured wood inserts, tactile metal elements and a woven material running across the dashboard, it really does look the part and gives it a proper premium feel inside. 

But while there's lots to like about the interior design, I can't say that I'm that taken with the exterior styling. There are certainly some nice elements, but from some angles, it just looks oddly proportioned. Looking at it front on or at three-quarters, and it just seems a little too tall, making it look slightly squished (and it's certainly not a narrow car). I think it's because the side of the car is relatively flat, with no real humps or lumps to talk of, while the cabin area continues in this upward line, rather than angling inwards like a lot of cars.

On the flip side, though, it's massive inside, and while there's only four of us to cart around most of the time, the extra seats will certainly come in handy when it comes to ferrying the in-laws around or taking the girls and their friends to various places. It's going to be an interesting few months...

Report 2: Physical controls galore!

While many rivals are opting for larger screens, our CX-80 does things a bit differently...

Date: 21 November 2025 | Current mileage: 2871 miles | Claimed economy: 177mpg | Actual economy: 55.2mpg

Read pretty much any car review in recent years, and there's normally a good moan about the over-reliance on touchscreen controls to adjust almost every facet of the car. There are some exceptions, however – cars like the Kia EV3 and Skoda Kodiaq spring to mind, but even the Mazda 6e is guilty of this.

Our Mazda CX-80 is the polar opposite. Instead of a large central display that would embarrass your own TV, the CX-80 has a more modest 12.3-inch 'letterbox' display that's complemented by a comprehensive row of buttons and switches further down the centre of the dashboard. 

That's not all. While you can prod the touchscreen to your heart's content, the CX-80 comes with a handy rotary controller that's nestled between the front seats, allowing you to easily navigate around the menu, and it even works when using Apple CarPlay. This means you can avoid having to stretch over to the screen while driving - and in the process, inadvertently turn on the hazard warning lights. Something we've regularly done by mistake due to the positioning of the button just below the screen. 

While the infotainment might look, dare we say it, a little dated compared to buttonless rivals with huge glossy touchscreens, it's a breath of fresh air to use. 

A tap of the small blue or red levers changes the temperature easily, with the LCD display just above clearly showing the current temp, while the three-stage heated and cooled front seats are activated with a quick tap. The same goes for the heated steering wheel, while you can toggle quickly to the rear climate control setup and adjust without fuss. There's even a proper dial in the central console to change the volume of the stereo. Bliss.

Doesn't that narrow touchscreen feel restrictive? Not really - the quality and resolution are excellent, which means that things like the 360-degree 'bird's-eye view' camera are rendered with excellent clarity, while Apple CarPlay integrates nicely as well. You could argue that when using things like Google Maps, you get a lot of wasted information on either side of your route, as opposed to a portrait-orientated screen that provides more info of what's to come, but the Head Up Display on the CX-80 is great for turn-by-turn directions, meaning that you don't really need to glance over at the infotainment display.

The infotainment system might look like it's from something in the late 2010s, then, but it's also one of the most usable systems out there, making the Mazda CX-80 a doddle to use on a daily basis.

Report 3: Big on practicality

You don't always need the space and extra seats, but when you do, the CX-80 comes into its own.

Date: 12 December 2025 | Current mileage: 3286 miles | Claimed economy: 177mpg | Actual economy: 38.9mpg

With just the four of us, running a large seven-seater car might seem overkill, and it sometimes feels that way. This can be brought into sharp focus when I'm trying to find a parking space that's big enough to mean we won't have to do the limbo to get out of the car. When you do need the extra space or extra row of seats, however, it really comes into its own.

Take last week, for example. We had the in-laws visiting, and rather than head out in convoy for dinner, we could flip the third row of seats up and get everyone to the restaurant in one car. The slight faff is that as the third row of seats doesn't have ISOFIX fastenings, a couple of adults have to scramble into the back. To be fair though, there's a good amount of legroom if you plonked in the back and while I wouldn't want to force anyone to take a long journey sat in the third row, it's fine for short trips. Then again, those who did sit in the back did mention getting a bit of motion sickness on journeys – we suspect that a combination of the CX-80's firm suspension and wheels amplifies road infections when you're sitting over the back wheels. 

And it should be said that access is really good as well - while you're unlikely to be able to open the rear doors fully when in the local supermarket car park, when space does allow, the almost 90-degree opening they provide is excellent. 

With the third row of seats in use and you've got 258 litres of boot space to play with - that might not sound a lot, but that'll give you a similar amount of room to something like a Kia Picanto. Pop the rear seats down - a simple process that just requires you to pull a fabric strap on the back of each seat and the headrest collapses and you can push each seat down to provide a large 687 litres of luggage space. Put the middle row of seats down, and it provides a cavernous 1971 litres - something I got to try out the other week when I collected my bike from its annual service and found it easily slid in the back without the need to take any wheels off. 

What else? I certainly think the light interior looks better than the more oppressive black finish, making the cabin feel light and airy. It's not a great combination though if you add children and wintery weather to the mix, easily showing up dirt and mud that's be carted in to the car. That's even after shaking off welly boots off before getting in the car...

Report 4: Our CX-80 needs a service

With our CX-80 coming up for 12 months old, it's time for its first service.

Date: 16 January 2026 | Current mileage: 3678 miles | Claimed economy: 177mpg | Actual economy: 45.2mpg

Our Mazda CX-80 is turning one and that means it's time for its first service. Having just broken 3,500 miles, it's had a pretty easy twelve months, ignoring the fact that it's been in the hands of numerous car journalists before I took custody of it...

Still, to keep up with the recommended manufacturer service intervals, it needed to be booked in for some TLC. Where I live I've got three dealers all a similar distance from me, so I plumped for the Hendy dealership over in Tunbridge Wells. I booked it online and opted for a rather leisurely 10am drop off, with the work carried out while I waited. 

The timing of the service worked out pretty well, because just before Christmas, our CX-80 picked up a slow puncture. Annoying, but the tyre inflator I had meant I could keep it topped up for short trips, so rather than have the extra faff of going to a tyre fitter, I could get the tyre swapped over when I had the service done all at the same time.

The Hendy's dealership has moved from the other side of Tunbridge Wells in the last 12 months or so, sitting just off the A21, making it much easier to get to rather than having to schlep through town (or navigating my way into Croydon). It might look purpose-built, but it's actually an old John Lewis At Home store that Hendy has taken on and decked out. Along with Mazda, they also have Ford and Kia dealerships on the same site, which does mean the parking is a premium when you get there.

That grumble aside, I couldn't fault the service I got from Hendy's - they even let me have a look around the service area and get some photos of our CX-80 up in the air. It's a vast space, but they're still planning to expand further.

As you might expect, there's not much to report on a service for a car that's just done over 3,500 miles. It's important to get it done, though, especially as missing a service can invalidate your warranty. Speaking off warranties, while it's too late for our CX-80, all Mazdas registered after September 1st last year come with a transferrable six-year/100,000-mile warranty - that's an extra three years on what was offered previously, and beats the likes of Audi and Volvo. And while it can't quite match something like Kia's 7-year warranty, it's still one of the longest warranties going. Bravo Mazda. 

Report 5: What's the CX-80 like as a PHEV?

Date: 6 February 2026 | Current mileage: 4072 miles | Claimed economy: 177mpg | Actual economy: 48.9mpg

Plug-in hybrids are flavour of the month at the moment, and the most recent data from the SMMT backs this up. January saw over 18,500 PHEVs sold, which, when compared to last year, is a 47.3% increase.

It's easy to see why they're proving to be so popular. Not only do PHEVs act as a stepping-stone for those still uncertain about EV ownership, but the tax breaks for company car drivers make them a very tempting proposition. While they don't offer quite the savings that running an EV company car, they're easily the next best thing, and for those covering a lot of miles, might prove to be the more tempting prospect.

There's more – look at the marketing or spec sheet of a lot of PHEVs, and you'll see huge boasts about fuel economy that easily hit three figures and beyond. But as we always caveat in our plug-in hybrid reviews, that's not quite the full picture. 

That's because to see anywhere near these kinds of figures, you need to keep the battery charged. That brings us in a roundabout way to our Mazda CX-80 PHEV long-termer. With a 17.8kWh battery, the official electric range of the Mazda CX-80 PHEV is 38 miles. A few years ago, that would have been more than acceptable, but when you see figures of 75 miles plus being touted by the likes of the VW Tiguan PHEV, it looks a little underwhelming. 

But what's it like to live with, and how practical or possible is it to get anywhere near those efficiency figures? Let's start with the charging. I had a Pod Point Solo 3S installed last year, so for the first time running a plug-in hybrid, I'll be able to charge it 'properly'. No more plugging it into the three-pin plug in the garage, running a cable to the car, and waiting hours for it to charge.

Compared to an electric car that packs a much bigger battery, charging times are much quicker - it takes about two and a half hours to 'brim' the battery. Annoyingly, I haven't been able to swap over to a more cost-effective tariff just yet, so it's costing me about £4.60 per full charge. 

Fully charged, it'll happily pootle around locally on battery power alone and returns some impressive MPG figures. Trouble is, while the range is pretty faithful, it's not long before it needs topping up again, thanks to the modest range, and that's where things come a little unstuck. It's all too easy to forget to plug it in as it needs to be done pretty much every other day, and life just gets in the way. 

And once that battery has depleted, longer journeys see fuel economy drop to about 38mpg, while shorter hops with an empty battery are even lower. 

Here's the thing: it'd probably cost me about £6 to fill up the CX-80 with petrol to get a range similar to what it would if I were charging at home. It's more money for sure, but it's not poles apart, making the guilt of not charging as regularly as I should a little bit easier to take. 

If you can't charge for free at work (or somewhere else) or get yourself on a better tariff, then the extra hassle isn't of running a PHEV with this kind of range isn't worth it. That's unless your better half likes to run it down to fumes on a regular basis, which makes a quick top-up at home a much more appealing prospect.