It’s not unfair to say that Mazda has been somewhat lacking in its line-up when it comes to electric cars.
Aside from the rather niche MX30 in fully electric and range extender forms, it’s certainly an area where Mazda has been somewhat lacking. So this new Mazda 6e will be a welcome sight for dealers.
Arriving in late spring/early summer of 2026, it combines electric power with a slightly old school family hatchback, exactly the same as the traditional Mazda 6. The result of an ongoing joint venture with Chinese firm Changan (its version is called the EZ6 and not expected to arrive in European showrooms despite the brand launching here), the 6e might look like a traditional shape, but the reality is it’s anything but that underneath.
But can the 6e retain those driver-centric Mazda values with how it drives and how it performs. Being so far out from the car’s official arrival, some details are sketchy and we still don’t know of the proper list price (we think it’s likely to start around £40,000), but it’s a great indicator of how the car might feel when it properly arrives.
MAZDA 6E – DESIGN
First of all, let’s rejoice that the Mazda 6e is not just another electric SUV. Mazda already has perfectly good SUVs in its range, two with good plug-in hybrid technology with the CX60 and CX80, but this is a traditional family car.
While it’s about 5cm longer than the outgoing Mazda 6, it’s actually 4cm shorter than the Volkswagen ID7 saloon in a similar space. We really like the sleek, smooth shape and the illuminated front grille, though rather weirdly the headlights are actually slightly below the main LED lights, not within them where you might actually think.
The semi-circle LED rear lights look smart, with echoes of the smaller Mazda 3 and there’s a rising rear spoiler, which feels a bit 1980s, but there we go. Shame there’s no rear wiper though.
Overall, it’s a pleasing enough design, but for us there’s a question mark over whether people still want this traditional saloon shape. The market has moved towards SUVs for a reason (the vast majority prefer the high up driving position, even if they’re impractical for many other reasons), but for us personally we’re in favour of Mazda not following the crowd and offering an alternative.
MAZDA 6E – POWER AND RANGE
Here’s where things might get a little confusing for potential Mazda 6e buyers, so bear with us. On paper, the 6e is available with two different battery choices – 68.8kWh and 80kWh – but confusingly they have slightly different constructions, so need to be treated very differently.
The 68.8kWh is a lithium-ion phosphate (known as LFP) battery with 258bhp, a 299 mile range and a 0 to 60mph time of 7.6 seconds with a maximum DC charge rate of 165kW and a potential 10 to 80% charge time of 24 minutes. It also has an efficiency of 3.75mls/kWh.
So far, so normal, but here is where buyers might be thrown off. While larger on paper, the 80kWh battery is also lithium-ion but has a nickel, manganese and cobalt (known as NMC) construction. That’s important because of what’s about to follow. The 80kWh actually has slightly less power with 245bhp, but has largely similar performance (7.8 seconds from 0 to 60mph) and efficiency (3.76mls/kWh) and better range at 345 miles. During our short test drive we managed 3.4mls/kWh, so not too far off the official figure.
So why would you not go for the 80kWh car? The reason comes with public charging. Because of that battery construction, it can only manage 90kW DC charging and that 10-80% charging time balloons out to 47 minutes. For any potential customers planning on doing a lot of public charging, those numbers will make some difference on a day to day basis. Even our long term Alfa Junior can charge at 100kW, demonstrating how low that is.
You might almost be better off and faster on a journey choosing the smaller battery and charging more frequently, but quicker, than the larger option. But trying to explain that to customers, especially those new to an EV and those used to the flagship model being the best, will be a tough ask for dealers.
MAZDA 6E – ON THE ROAD
If anywhere, it’s here where the 6e has a real chance to shine. Mazda has garnered a reputation for building cars for driving enthusiasts and really involve the person holding the steering wheel, even at this level.
Unfortunately though, you’re left wondering just how much input Mazda’s engineers had with this particular car as opposed to their Changan counterparts. By and large, Chinese cars aren’t exactly known for their driving involvement and that’s certainly the case here.
For starters, it feels like a slightly oppressive and dark driving position inside the cabin, which we’ll touch on more in the interior section, but it’s certainly claustrophobic in the darker colours.
Tipping the scales at a shade over two tonnes means there’s a lot of weight to control here and the Mazda only partially succeeds. The low speed ride is a little fidgety even on the 19in wheels of our test car, especially on rougher roads, but it does thankfully settle at speed. There’s little body roll too, but you shouldn’t mistake this for a driver’s car anything like what we’ve seen from Mazda before, because it’s not.
The blame for that can be laid firmly at the steering. It’s hard to describe, simply because it’s unlike anything else we’ve experienced. It’s slightly synthetic and clinical in the way it operates and there’s no question that it could do with fine-tuning. At times it can feel vague, at other times too sensitive. We’d like more time behind the wheel for a proper assessment, but it’s nothing like what we’ve seen from Mazda before. There’s very little feel about what the car is doing beneath you.
The same goes for the EV driving experience too. There are Comfort, Sport and Individual driving modes, Medium and Strong power modes (these just seem to change the sensitivity of the throttle pedal) and then four different coasting regenerative braking modes – Low, Standard, Medium and High. The problem is that even the highest level doesn’t feel strong enough and is nothing close to the one-pedal driving mode that you find in almost any other EV.
MAZDA 6E – INTERIOR
It’s here where you realise why EVs suit SUVs so much.
The skateboard battery floor pushes into the cabin, which isn’t a problem in a crossover, but exposes the weaknesses in a saloon. The driving position immediately feels quite high, even with the seat in its lowest position.
Which wouldn’t be too much of a problem if not for the shallow rake of the windscreen, meaning that the top of windscreen feels very close to your head. In fact, with the dark interior of our particular test car, the overall feeling was quite claustrophobic even with the twin sunroofs. At least the seats themselves are comfortable. Space in the back by comparison is surprisingly good for headroom, but the angle of the seats and the high floor means it feels like your knees are quite high up.
The build quality is excellent but a lot of the controls have been moved to the huge, landscape-format touch-screen which is frustrating. Even controls that you might use regularly such as the windscreen wipers have been moved to the screen which for us is unforgiveable.
At least there is decent storage around the cabin with a sizeable 72-litre front boot and a 336-litre boot – although it actually looks like more and is a good long shape which will be practical for everyday use.
SUMMARY
If the Mazda 6e feels like something of a compromise, then that’s because it is. We’re used to seeing Mazdas in Europe that have been design, developed and engineered fully by Mazda themselves. That’s not the case here and, unfortunately, it shows.
But, and it’s a big but, the 6e does give Mazda an entrant into the EV sector and while it may not be perfect, some keen pricing and the fact that it’s not yet another SUV (which would be lost in the crowd) might mean it has a certain appeal. What is crucial however is that Mazda ensures that its dealers are properly trained to sell the two models on their respective strengths, especially with regard to their differing batteries and DC charging speeds. If not, any seasoned EV drivers might have something of an unpleasant surprise.
From the mainstream brands, the Volkswagen ID7 boasts a better range, but a substantially hefty price tag, where the Tesla Model 3 will be more of a challenge. How Mazda prices and positions the 6e when it finally arrives in showrooms in late spring 2026 will be crucial to its success.
FACT BOX
Model: Mazda 6e
Price: est from £40,000
Power: Battery – 68.8, 80kWh
Range: Up to 345 miles
Average efficiency: 3.75mls/kWh
Average charge time on a domestic wallbox: 7-8.5hrs
CO2 emissions: 0g/km
Rating: 7/10