Mazda 3Anyone not convinced by the Toyota Corolla might want to consider one of its similarly affordable Japanese rivals, the Mazda 3 sedan. With careful maintenance, owners report that the Mazda 3 can achieve mileage in excess of 200,000 miles, with drivers who do most of their driving on the highway able to achieve significantly more. So, 250,000 miles — or even 300,000 miles — isn't out of the question. The Mazda 3 also gets a high reliability score from Consumer Reports for the 2025 model year.In top-spec form, The Mazda 3 produces 250 horsepower from its turbocharged 2.5L engine. However, that top-spec trim isn't cheap, costing around $37,000 with destination fee taken into account. Thankfully, drivers on a tighter budget can pick from multiple sub-$30,000 trims further down the range. The cheapest of those is the 2.5 S trim, which starts from around $25,000 including destination fee. It offers a still-decent 191 horsepower from its naturally aspirated 2.5L engine, but it misses out on the safety features and moonroof available on pricier models.