Consumer Reports say the 2024 Mazda CX-5 is one of the best small SUVs today. Its online review highlighted the SUV's responsive handling, quiet cabin, and attractive interiors.
Those are all excellent features, but what about the Mazda CX-5 safety rating? Has it passed crashworthiness tests?
Yes, it has, and the CX-5's top-rated safety qualities make it an even better option if you're looking for a new ride. This guide shares the most crucial details about this SUV's safety ratings, so read on.
Safety ratings give consumers a clearer picture of how a car is most likely to respond in a dangerous situation, such as a head-on or side-impact collision. They can indicate how well a vehicle can protect its occupants during such incidents. These ratings come from tests that show whether a car's build and features can reduce the risk of crash injuries or fatalities.
The higher a vehicle's safety rating, the more protection it generally provides. While a highly rated car may not prevent all crashes or injuries, its safety and crashworthiness may help reduce their odds of happening or their severity.
So, driving a Mazda with a high safety rating, such as the CX-5, can give you peace of mind.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is a U.S. federal government agency founded in 1970. Its mission is to reduce road traffic crashes and their costs by enforcing vehicle safety standards. That's a crucial task, considering that such incidents injure millions yearly, 5.4 million in 2021 alone.
To perform its mission, the NHTSA tests motor vehicles and assigns them a safety rating. It uses a 5-star scoring system, with five stars being the highest. The more stars it awards to a car, the safer it is.
The NHTSA awarded the 2024 Mazda CX-5 a 5-star overall safety rating. It also awarded older models, including the 2020 to 2023 CX-5, with the same perfect overall safety score.
The Mazda CX-5's 5-star safety rating combines its scores from three test categories. Let's examine these and what they test for.
The NHTSA performs frontal crash tests by crashing a vehicle into a barrier. It simulates a collision between two cars of similar size traveling at 35 miles per hour. Then, it evaluates the extent and severity of injury to the driver's and front passenger's heads, necks, chests, and legs.
The NHTSA gives two frontal crash test ratings: one for the driver's side and the other for the front passenger side. It then combines these two ratings to calculate the overall front star rating.
Since it earned perfect scores on the front driver and passenger side ratings, the new 2024 Mazda CX-5 got a 5-star overall front rating.
There are two NHTSA side-impact crash tests: the Side Barrier Crash Test and the Side Pole Crash Test. The first involves smashing a barrier into the side of a test vehicle, simulating an intersection-type collision. The second mimics a loss-of-control scenario, wherein the driver's side of a car crashes into a telephone pole.
The 2024 Mazda CX-5 performed admirably on both tests, garnering five out of five stars.
A rollover is a road incident in which a car rolls to its side or overturns on its roof. The taller a vehicle is, the more likely it is to roll over, which is why the NHTSA conducts such tests on SUVs. It measures the likelihood of a car getting into this type of crash.
The good news is that the 2024 Mazda CX-5 passed this test, earning an impressive 4-star rating.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) is a nonprofit scientific organization. Like the NHTSA, it independently tests vehicle safety. Its scoring model uses a scale of Poor, Marginal, Acceptable, and Good, with Good being the highest rating.
The best-performing vehicles tested receive either a Top Safety Pick or Top Safety Pick+ designation. On its 2023 assessment, the IIHS included the Mazda CX-5 in its Top Safety Pick awardees. This rating applies to the 2024 model year of this Mazda SUV.
The IIHS conducts multiple tests on each vehicle it assesses, including several frontal and side crash tests. It also evaluates headlights, front crash prevention systems, seat belt reminders, and LATCH (Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children).
The IIHS awarded the Mazda CX-5 with its Top Safety Pick designation after the SUV earned Good scores in the following:
It's also worth noting that several other Mazda models, including the Mazda 3 Sedan and Hatchback, garnered IIHS awards in 2024. These two small Mazda cars, plus the CX-30, CX-50, and CX-90 SUV models, earned the Top Safety Pick+ designation.
Mazda Connected Services is a suite of convenience, connectivity, and safety features that let you control your Mazda with your smart devices. It allows you to:
Mazda Connected Services also gives you access to emergency services, including roadside assistance and automatic 911 dialing. If your car's sensors detect that it's been in a moderate or severe collision, it'll automatically dial 911 from your paired hands-free mobile device.
You can enjoy all those benefits (and more) for free during the first three years of owning your new CX-5.
The 5-star Mazda CX-5 safety rating from the NHTSA indicates that this SUV is safe and crashworthy. Being an IIHS's Top Safety Pick award is another good indicator of how well it can protect its occupants in case of a crash.
So, if you're ready to buy a new car with excellent safety ratings, consider test-driving the CX-5 models here at CardinaleWay Mazda Peoria. As a premier Mazda dealer, we carry the latest and certified pre-owned Mazdas. We're also proud of our state-of-the-art service center and trustworthy Mazda-trained technicians.
So, contact us today! We'll happily schedule your visit to our Mazda dealership.
