2026 Mazda 6e review: Wheels’ verdict on Mazda’s bold new electric sedan

Whenever an established manufacturer – what we’d now call a ‘legacy brand’ – releases an electric car, there’s an added sense of anticipation. 

Unlike a challenger brand who can enter the market with whatever it wants to release carrying no weight of expectation, an established brand has plenty at stake. That’s certainly the case for Mazda, with the release of an electric car that isn’t just important because it’s a Mazda. It’s important because it’s a Mazda 6. 

See, the Mazda 6 – in the face of increasingly rabid SUV demand – remained popular with buyers in Australia in both sedan and wagon form. Aussies loved the 6 as an alternative to the ubiquitous Toyota Camry – stylish to look at, functional, comfortable and a lovely car to drive. The wagon provided even more flexibility and reminded Wheels why wagons are so underdone in Australia every time we drove one.

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That’s why the new Mazda 6e, with an all-electric drivetrain and RWD, is so important for the brand in Australia. According to Mazda, internal research has indicated its customers are both ready for the return of the 6 and to sample their first EV. Time will tell whether that’s true, but this quick drive of a LHD Euro-specific 6e provides some initial detail on just what Mazda will be putting front and centre in its showrooms. 

Pricing and final specification will be announced closer to launch in 2026, but here’s what we know so far. First up, Mazda has told us to expect a price below $55,000 before on-road costs, which is impressive. If it can bring the electric sedan in around that number, Aussie buyers will take notice. Mazda 6e gets a 78kWh lithium ion phosphate battery pack. That’s good for a claimed driving range beyond 500km, with a single motor mounted at the rear axle. There’s 190kW on offer and charging capability from 30 to 80 per cent in as little as 15 minutes under optimal charging conditions. 

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Where the Mazda 6e differs from other of vehicles we are familiar with is the development. Mazdas have all previously been developed in-house – this 6e features a chassis and electrical hardware developed by Chinese car-making partner Changan, which sells a different version of the vehicle as a Deepal in other markets. The 6e is also the first electric Mazda not based on a previously available petrol vehicle – another reason it’s so important in the Australian new-car market. 

The Mazda 6e certainly looks the part. The five-door hatchback design is stylish from any angle, and ensures the street presence it will need to catch the eye of buyers. It looks like a Mazda, but it also looks like a premium sedan. There’s no conventional sedan (with a boot, not a hatch) or wagon planned at this point either, so four-door hatchback it is.

The LHD 6e we’re driving here for Wheels is an evaluation vehicle brought to Australia from Europe, where much of the suspension reworking was done to ensure it has a more broadly appealing driving response, given the global focus of the car. Inside, the 14.6-inch central infotainment screen is a whopper, bright, clear and easy to navigate, and you get a 14-speaker Sony audio system, three-zone climate control AC, heated seats front and rear, a panoramic glass sunroof with proper electric sunshade, and a clear 360-degree camera. 

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The version we drove was beautifully trimmed in a terracotta-coloured suede material with excellent fit, finish and attention to detail. There’s quality in the touch surfaces and the controls, as you’d expect from Mazda. The centre console and storage on offer also looks practical and useful. Visibility is excellent, thanks in part to the huge glass roof and the amount of light coming into the cabin. Aside from some EV-focus functionality like the gear selector stalk, it’s very much a Mazda in every sense. 

The flat floor means you’ll need the front seats raised a little to have the toe room you want, if you’re in the second row, but even back there the sculpting of the seats and the padding means you’ll be comfortable on longer trips. I took a couple of laps around Lang Lang’s ride and handling loop with two adults up front and me seated in the passenger side of the second row. The ride back there, up to 100km/h, is as good as it is up front. 

A couple of things are immediately impressive when you’re behind the wheel – the first of which is the insulation inside the cabin. It’s staggering how much wind and tyre noise can be drowned out by a conventional driveline. Electric cars don’t have that luxury, and the 6e remains quiet – even of Lang Lang’s noise/vibration/harshness circuit which is designed to upset that sense of calm inside the cabins. There are no rattles, squeaks or noisy plastics to be found anywhere. 

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Out on the high-speed loop, ratcheting speed up to 130km/h, there is almost no wind or tyre noise entering the cabin either, such is the quality of the insulation. It means the 6e presents a strong case as a comfortable long hauler, where persistent noise can get very tiring, very quickly. If you spend a lot of time at highway speed, the 6e is going to work well. 

Onto the driving itself and, as you’d expect of an electric vehicle, the 6e feels punchy and responsive. Wheels likes the fact its RWD, which reverts to the purity offered by the front tyres doing the steering and the rear tyres doing the driving. Push the 6e hard into a tight corner, and it behaves as you’d expect a RWD car to behave. On that note, it seems to hide its heft pretty well too, something most EVs aren’t able to mask. 

It remains comfortable whether you’re in ‘Comfort ‘or ‘Sport’ mode, selectable via the centre screen, and the regenerative braking system has a decent feel to it, too, without some of the weirdness associated with some electric cars. During our short drive, we liked the steering, too, which isn’t on MX-5 level, but is still pretty good. 

It’s hard to find negatives when you’re driving a LHD version of a car that hasn’t yet had final specification for our market, but on first experience, the 6e isn’t just an excellent Mazda, it’s an excellent electric car. Time will tell whether previous Mazda 6 owners are willing to take the punt on a fully electric version.

Specs