Mazda has been one of the best brands for safety in recent years, and the new CX-5 carries on that tradition.
On an anecdotal level, you’d be forgiven for thinking all modern SUVs are more or less the same when it comes to protecting you in a crash — or preventing one from happening at all. That’s not necessarily the case, as evaluators like those at the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) up the ante year-over-year for what comprises a “good” result among all the different options on the market. One of the IIHS’ latest subjects: the 2026 Mazda CX-5.
The IIHS has shown some videos in the past outlining the dramatic improvements in vehicle safety over the decades. Look no further than the more old-school test of a Chevrolet Impala versus a Bel Air, or the far more recent example of a new Chevy Blazer against the old S-10 Blazer. It bestows the “Top Safety Pick+” rating among the best-scoring vehicles in a wide range of tests, from crashworthiness in side and frontal impacts to the effectiveness of their headlights and crash prevention systems.
Fortunately for small SUV buyers, the third-generation CX-5 is once again a Top Safety Pick+, joining the rest of Mazda’s SUV lineup and segment rivals like the Hyundai Tucson, Kia Sportage and Subaru Forester. The agency’s highest award is still a major marketing point for those who receive it, and you may actually notice the Honda CR-V, Nissan Rogue and Toyota RAV4 are all absent from the TSP list (though the IIHS hasn’t released results for the redesigned 2026 RAV4 just yet).
How does the 2026 Mazda CX-5 handle crash testing?
As violent as the collision usually look, the new Mazda CX-5 took both frontal overlap and side impact crash tests in stride. In the moderate overlap test, shown in the video above, the cabin maintained its integrity after the crash. Both the driver and rear passenger test dummies indicated a low risk of injury to the head and neck, chest or lower body. In the side impact test, it’s a similar story, with the CX-5 scoring a Good rating across most tests (with one exception of “Acceptable” for risk of torso injury to the driver in a side-on crash).
On the top-end Premium Plus trim, the CX-5 scored a Good rating for its headlight beam coverage, while the lower trims (which lack curve-adaptive headlights) scored a slightly lower Acceptable rating. Across the IIHS’ entire battery of tests for Mazda’s Smart Brake Support system, the vehicle avoided a collision with other vehicles and pedestrians, while also giving timely warnings of any impending disaster.
We’ll have to see how the new Toyota RAV4 compares when results are out for the 2026 model. Nevertheless, one area Mazda has scored exceptionally well over the years is safety, and the new CX-5 handily passed the latest IIHS tests.
Apart from the safety aspect, check out more of our thoughts on the 2026 Mazda CX-5 below:
