Now that the Mazda CX-3 has shot past the first 12,500-mile service mark, it seems like as good a time as any to assess its fuel consumption.

I’m not sure if it’s due to an underlying issue, or something to do with deteriorating driving styles, road environments or even – maybe most likely – the colder and much wetter weather, but the car’s average fuel economy is falling. Having started out at 56.1mpg, it first went down to 55.6mpg, and then 55.1mpg and is now at 54.9mpg. It’s definitely a trend that even the recent service hasn’t corrected.

Individual tanks, meanwhile, have ranged from a high of 59.1mpg (with me nowhere in sight, my wife driving, and all three kids plus the mother-in-law and luggage for a short break in Somerset) to a low of 50.6mpg (probably largely with me driving in an otherwise empty car on a motorway commute – I know: the numbers don’t put me in a good light, but please note the ‘probably’ in the case for the defence). As the service hasn’t altered the downward trend, the next stage is to alter my driving style.

Looking at the CX-3 against its rivals, the official combined fuel economy figure of 70.6mpg compares with the Vauxhall Mokka at 68.8mpg and the Renault Captur’s 72.4mpg. The Peugeot 2008 delivers the best official figure with 76.3mpg.