A Complete Guide to Mazda Safety Ratings
Mazda’s intuitive lineup of crossovers and SUVs are some of the safest vehicles available today
Written by Cameron Thiessen
Reviewed by Kathleen Flear
Mazda receives essentially perfect safety ratings for all of their current rated models, making them one of the safest—if not the safest—car brands in the world.
Mazda’s new models prove that the company is willing to move forward into the new era of driving. Gone are the classic sedans and hatchbacks of the 2010s and here to stay are the sturdy, intelligent, and uncompromisingly fun-to-drive 2022 designs, like the sporty
CX-3
and the performance-driven CX-5
.If you’re looking for a quick and simple rundown on Mazda’s safety ratings, don’t go anywhere!
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Are Mazdas safe in accidents?
Something you can count on if you’re planning on buying a Mazda is its consistency in achieving top-class safety ratings. In fact, according to U.S. News, Mazda is the safest car brand. So yes, it’s safe to say that Mazda is about as safe as you can find.
What makes a Mazda safe?
A lot goes into making a Mazda as safe as they are—and multiple factors come into play. Mazda has game-changing safety features that are consistently standard for base models and builds its vehicles around a particularly hardy chassis.
In the era that’s killing the sedan and replacing it with genre-bending subcompact SUV/crossovers like the CX-3, Mazda is embracing progress and producing some of the most robustly sturdy vehicles on the road.
And it’s not even these vehicles’ abilities to survive crashes and protect passengers that’s the end of the story. Mazda’s new offerings are designed to prevent collisions with a total package of standard driver assistance technologies.
Here are some of the ways your Mazda will keep you safe while driving:
- Monitor traffic patterns and detect objects and vehicles in front of and around the car
- Adaptive cruise control to adjust the vehicle’s speed to road conditions
- Pre-collision warning with automatic emergency braking
- Lane-keeping assistance to keep you in your lane
These technologies are standard on any of Mazda’s crossovers—but for their
MX-5 Miata roadster
, expect less focus on safety features and more focus on fun.Another great Mazda safety feature is smartphone integration. If you have a smartphone connected to your Mazda’s infotainment system and you end up in an accident, any airbag going off will trigger your car to automatically call 911.
The two safety rating systems you need to know
When it comes to researching and comparing safety ratings, you’re going to want to start with the big two organizations that do safety tests and provide consumers with safety ratings. These are the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). The first is a federal agency and the second is a non-profit organization.
NHTSA safety ratings
are based on a five-star system that’s been in place since 1993. Each vehicle gets an overall score, but NHTSA also breaks down individual ratings for the three major tests: - Frontal crash
- Side crash
- Rollover
IIHS usually offers a more detailed evaluation of individual safety features as well as conducting
six different crash tests
. It considers collision mitigation and crashworthiness, and also evaluates vehicle headlights and car seat attachments.IIHS provides ratings on individual and general categories running from good—the highest rating possible—down through acceptable, marginal, and poor, which is the worst possible score.
Which Mazda has the highest safety ratings?
NHTSA crash tests revealed that pretty much all of Mazda’s models have a rollover risk, the worst being the CX-9 with a 17% rollover risk. The other models all sit around 15% in this test.
MORE: How to find vehicle safety ratings
2021 Mazda CX-3 safety ratings
Starting price: $20,790
IIHS safety rating: 2021 Top Safety Pick+
NHTSA safety rating: 5 stars overall, 4 stars for rollover
One of the highest values you can get from a modern crossover, the Mazda CX-3 delivers on incredibly fun performance. The perfect vehicle for those who miss the classic Mazda 3 models, the CX-3 gets great fuel efficiency, despite its traditional 6-speed automatic transmission. And when it comes to safety, the CX-3 is top of its class.
2022 Mazda CX-30 safety ratings
Starting price: $22,200 (2021)
IIHS safety rating: 2022 Top Safety Pick+
NHTSA safety rating: 5 stars overall, 4 stars for rollover
Your backseat passengers might thank you for opting for the slightly larger
CX-30
over the CX-3, and you won’t be compromising anything in terms of safety. Once again, the CX-30 receives perfect scores from both the IIHS and the NHTSA.2022 Mazda CX-5
Starting price: $25,900
IIHS safety rating: Top Safety Pick+
NHTSA safety rating: 5 stars overall, 4 stars for rollover
Would it surprise you to know that the next vehicle in Mazda’s lineup, the CX-5, also has best-in-class safety ratings? Us neither. And it’s true! It’s a step up in size from the CX-30 but a bit smaller than other SUVs in its class.
Now available with all-wheel drive and a brilliant new design, the CX-5 gives you the luxurious performance and feel of vehicles that are double its price.
2022 Mazda CX-9
Starting price: $35,280
IIHS safety rating: 2022 Top Safety Pick+
NHTSA safety rating: 5 stars overall, 4 stars for front and rollover
Mazda is nothing if not consistent. The CX-9 is a Top Safety Pick+ and receives five stars from NHTSA. The main complaints that you’re likely to hear about this midsize SUV are the same as others from Mazda—back row space is lacking and the vehicle’s slick design ends up compromising cargo space.
But now that it comes standard with all-wheel drive and continues to boast a super enjoyable ride, the cons are likely easy to overlook. This SUV is responsive, sporty, and truly zooms with the standard G-Vectoring Control Plus system working behind the scenes to optimize traction and cornering.
2022 Mazda MX-30
Starting price: $33,470
IIHS safety rating: Not yet rated
NHTSA safety rating: Not yet rated
The MX-30 is the all-new, all-electric crossover from Mazda—but good luck getting your hands on one because all sales are limited to California so far. The MX-30 is sure to deliver the same top-notch safety that Mazda is known for.
2022 Mazda MX-5 Miata
Starting price: $27,300
IIHS safety rating: Not yet rated
NHTSA safety rating: Not yet rated
The Miata is likely the least safe of all the new options from Mazda. It’s tiny and not exactly built for utility and protection like the other SUVs/crossovers above.
How you can save money on Mazda car insurance
Mazda’s high safety ratings are a great selling point—not only because they’re more likely to keep you and your family safe on the road, but also because higher safety ratings often contribute to lower
car insurance
premiums.If your car is actively helping you avoid accidents, then it is actively helping you avoid premium hikes—which can
raise insurance rates
by an average of 34%! This goes even further if you can find an insurance provider who will offer you a car insurance discount
for driving a vehicle with upgraded safety features.But there’s another way to get an even lower price on your Mazda insurance: download
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