Mazda3 Announced As 2020 Small Hatch of the Year In UKCOTY Awards

The Mazda3 just can’t catch a break. Since its release last year, it has gone on to win multiple awards including Red Dot: Best of the Best 2019, Scottish Car of the Year 2019 and 2020 China Car of the Year to name a few. It also scored the maximum 5 star NCAP safety rating and was the first of the Mazda range to receive the revolutionary Skyactiv-X engine – a radical engineering feat providing remarkable fuel economy with no compromise to performance.

It has now gone on to win the 2020 UK Car of the Year award for Best Small Hatch announced earlier this week.

The UK Car of the Year Awards is “a wholly independent set of awards, designed to highlight and advise on the best new cars on the market specifically for UK customers.”

Matt Robinson, Editor, Car Throttle, was on the judging panel for the categories in question and said: “The new Mazda3 has unquestionably become one of the class leaders. An interior that is second-to-none in the segment and impeccable refinement are the hallmarks of the fourth-generation 3, but then it seals the deal with the incredibly clever Skyactiv-X SPCCI engine, which combines diesel-like economy with petrol-esque manners. Superb.”

Guy Bird, London-based automotive expert and UKCOTY judge, commented: “Distinct in a sea of sameness and me-too, the Mazda3 is a stand-out hatch design.”

The respective winners of the UK Car of the Year Awards 2020 are as follows:

Best Supermini – Renault Clio

Best Small Hatch – Mazda3

Best Executive – Tesla Model 3

Best Luxury – Bentley Flying Spur

Best Estate – BMW 3 Series

Best Crossover – Kia e-Niro

Best Premium Crossover – Range Rover Evoque

Best Cabriolet – Porsche 911

Best Performance – Porsche Taycan

Notably, the Mazda3 small hatch has also been shortlisted for the overall UK Car of the Year award set to be announced later this month.

Also commenting on the Mazda3’s success, UKCOTY judge Alisdair Suttie, said: “on looks alone, the Mazda3 is a class apart from its peers, yet the appeal is much more than skin deep. Superb to drive, comfortable and made to exacting standards, the Mazda3 also comes with clever engine technology that makes it both fun and frugal to drive. All of this made it an easy choice as UKCOTY’s Small Hatch of the Year”.

Want to experience the excellence behind the Mazda3 first-hand? Book your test drive at your local Sandicliffe Mazda dealership today.

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