2026 Mazda CX-6e review

If you want to know whether the federal government’s NVES rules are changing the behaviours and priorities of car companies, look no further than Mazda and its sudden and profound interest in bringing affordable and attractive EVs to market.

Without the new CX-6e and the 6e sedan before it, Mazda would be facing the biggest NVES penalty (car makers are fined for selling only combustion-engine variants but can earn credits by selling zero-emission ones) of any brand – an estimated $25.4 million.

So you’d better believe this new, fully electric mid-size SUV is an important vehicle for Mazda to get right.

If it was fully designed and built in Japan it would be too expensive to sell in our cut-throat market, which is why this vehicle is a joint venture between Mazda and Chinese giant Changan (which also makes Deepal).

Essentially, the bits you can see from the kerb and ooh and ahh over are Mazda. The parts that make it go, and many of the things you’ll touch and use to operate it, are Chinese.

The question, then, is whether the CX-6e's beauty is more than skin deep (and yes, it really does look the goods in the metal, with the only slightly disappointing angle being the rear end when viewed from behind).
 

How much does the 2026 Mazda CX-6e cost?

Mazda’s first serious EV, the 6e, had already set the tone, with its starting price of $49,990 intended to tempt buyers away from Tesla’s Model 3. This time, Mazda pointed out that, at $53,990, the CX-6e is a full $5000 cheaper than “the volume seller in the segment”, which would be Tesla’s Model Y.

What is the 2026 Mazda CX-6e like inside? 

Well, this is where it gets interesting. Mazda says every single external panel, and even the glass bits, are fully Japanese, but it’s instantly clear that things are different inside.

The whopping 26.45-inch touchscreen, which stretches from the left side of the steering wheel all the way to the passenger door (and is very much in the copilot’s face) looks exactly like the one we’ve seen before in another joint-venture car – Hyundai’s half Korean/half Chinese Elexio EV.

The Elexio is made by a different Chinese company, BAIC, but BAIC has a technology-sharing arrangement with… Changan.

So, some things feel very familiar to anyone who’s spent a lot of time in Chinese EVs. There’s no start/stop button, for example, so annoyingly the car stays on until you get out and lock it. On the other hand, the steering wheel and other materials that you look at and feel seem to be of higher quality and more Mazda-like.

Happily, the CX-6e also gets a nice head-up display, so you don’t have to be glancing to your left at the big screen to see your speed, as you do in a Tesla.

Having been in a fully Japanese CX-5 the week before, we can report that the CX-6e feels largely similar, yet somehow not quite as nice. The biggest problem is you can’t get the seating position quite right, something Mazda usually excels at.

Overall, though, it’s fair to say the CX-6e’s interior feels far more premium than its competitors – Tesla in particular – and that it's more like something you’d find in a vehicle with a $75k price tag rather than a $53k one. 

What equipment does the 2026 Mazda CX-6e come with?

The entry-model GT, at $53,990, comes with 19-inch alloys, LED lighting and the usual panoramic glass roof, as well as black Maztech trim with heated and ventilated seats.

Your enormous 26.45-inch screen provides all the tech, including wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and a 21-speaker stereo system, which is very good.

Spend the extra on the Azami – $56,990 – and you’re getting 21-inch wheels, which are good, but also digital wing mirrors and a digital rear-vision mirror, both of which are awful to use and should be avoided.

You’re better off with the GT, truly.

How safe is the 2026 Mazda CX-6e?

Officially it’s hard to say, as the CX-6e has not been crash tested by ANCAP yet. Mazda says it’s waiting for EuroNCAP testing results, and is confident/hopeful of five stars, but for now the CX-6e is unrated.

The good news is that both the GT and Azami get all the same safety gear: rear cross-traffic alert and AEB with pedestrian and cyclist detection, seven airbags, a 360-degree camera and all the usual ADAS inclusions.

The bad news is, it’s a very talkative machine, constantly warning you to FOCUS if you glance away from the road or at the huge touch screen, while it can also spot that you’re yawning and will tell you to pull over.

The overspeed warning is annoyingly loud and insistent, too. 

What powers the 2026 Mazda CX-6e?

The idea that SUVs should be all-wheel drive seems a bit old fashioned, or naive, these days, and sure enough there’s only one motor here, perhaps to keep the price down. Happily, it drives the rear wheels, sitting on the rear axle, producing 190kW and 290Nm. In a conventional ICE car that might not be a lot, but thanks to the way EVs deliver that power, it never really feels underdone.

Power comes from a 78kWh LFP battery, which delivers a WLTP driving range of just 484km, which is not fabulous. The DC charging rate is capped at 194kW, which means you’ll get from 10-80 per cent charged in 24 minutes on a fast charger. AC charging will work at 11kW. 

What is the Mazda 2026 CX-6e like to drive?

As mentioned, the first and biggest issue we found with the CX-6e was the driving position. It’s a mix of the steering wheel not being quite as adjustable as its Japanese-made brethren and the hard points where the seat is situated obviously being set by the Changan side of the business.

To be clear, it’s not like you’re sitting on a high-chair or a shopping trolley. It’s just slightly weird, because that proper, sporty driving position has long been Mazda’s forte.

Speaking of which, Mazdas usually have quite communicative and involving steering, albeit slightly on the light side, but the CX-6e feels a bit dead at the straight ahead and light-on for feedback. Again, it’s not a total mood killer, and perhaps if you’d never driven a Mazda or 50 before you might not notice. Certainly, more than 50 per cent of orders for this new EV have been from people who are new to the brand.

Mazda claims there’s been local tuning of the ride and handling and we’re not just getting Chinese-spec settings. In that regard, the CX-6e is pretty good – smooth and quiet and able to soak up big bumps and the worst that our awful country roads can throw at it – but the suspension can be slightly busy or skittish at times.

Again, having driven this virtually back-to-back with the petrol CX-5, it’s instantly noticeable how much more grunt the electric version seems to have, with instant torque and plenty of punch off the line, while overtaking is a breeze.

So, in most ways, it’s a better, easier and more effortless driving experience than the Mazda it most closely competes with, but if you’re a keen driver who appreciates the nuances, then you’ll prefer the petrol one.

Open Road’s take on the 2026 Mazda CX-6e

Does the Mazda CX-6e look like it’s been built to a price? Absolutely not – it has fabulous kerb appeal and feels pretty impressive inside, too. Once you’ve spent some time in it, however, you come to realise its beauty might be slightly misleading when it comes to the driving experience. But that won’t stop the CX-6e selling very well indeed.

 

What we liked

• Fantastic design
• Cabin quality
• Punchy power delivery and effortless overtaking

 

What could be better?

• Busy ride and touchy throttle
• Not enough range
• The sense that you’ve bought half a Mazda and half something else