Mazda CX-5 Secures IIHS Top Safety Pick 2026

The 2026 Mazda CX‑5 earned the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s Top Safety Pick+ award, placing it among the most protective vehicles on the North American market.

What the award means for the CX‑5

The designation requires a “good” rating in the small overlap front, the updated moderate overlap front, and side‑impact crash tests. It also demands at least an acceptable rating for standard headlights, a good rating in the pedestrian front crash‑prevention test, and a good or acceptable rating in the vehicle‑to‑vehicle front crash‑prevention evaluation. All of these safety features are standard across every trim level.

According to Mazda North American Operations, director of vehicle safety strategy Jennifer Morrison, the award reflects the brand’s commitment to protecting those who trust it with their safety every day. She added that Mazda aims for zero fatalities in its vehicles by 2040, a goal that guides its engineering and design choices.

Updated crash test puts rear passengers in focus

The IIHS moderate overlap front test was revised in 2022 to assess rear‑seat protection more rigorously. In the 2026 CX‑5 test, the vehicle struck a stationary barrier at 40 mph, with the impact offset 40 percent toward the driver’s side. This configuration forces the front structure to absorb energy asymmetrically, creating a more demanding scenario for the rear cabin.

Two dummies were used: a 50th‑percentile adult male in the driver’s seat and a child‑size dummy secured in the left rear seat. Sensors recorded forces on the dummies, and grease‑paint markings showed which airbags deployed. The test demonstrated that the CX‑5’s structure and restraint systems performed well enough to meet the “good” rating threshold, satisfying the IIHS’s enhanced safety criteria.

While the CX‑5’s achievement is notable, it joins eight other 2026 Mazda models that also received the Top Safety Pick+ award, including the Mazda3 sedan, Mazda3 hatchback, CX‑30, CX‑50 (and its hybrid version), CX‑70 (plus a plug‑in hybrid), and CX‑90 (including its plug‑in hybrid). This collection of awards positions the brand at the top of the list for safest manufacturers by model count.

The IIHS, an independent nonprofit funded by insurance companies, evaluates vehicles on a four‑level scale: good, acceptable, marginal, and poor. For 2026, the organization tightened its Top Safety Pick+ criteria, especially regarding crash‑avoidance systems such as automatic emergency braking and adaptive cruise control.

All required safety technologies on the CX‑5, from its headlights to its front‑crash prevention system, are standard equipment, meaning buyers do not need to select higher trim levels to access the safety suite. This aligns with the IIHS’s focus on making advanced protection widely available.