The Mazda CX-5 is the only model to receive the highest possible safety rating (”Good”) from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) after it put 20 small SUVs through a rigorous new side impact test.

The U.S. organisation, which conducted the tougher collision tests for the first time, noted that the CX-5 sparkled among the group of 2020 and 2021 model year vehicles.

“The Mazda CX-5 was our top performer,” stated the IIHS.  “The vehicle structure held up extremely well during the test, the airbags did a really good job protecting the heads of the crash test dummies, and there was very little intrusion into the occupant compartment, meaning less likelihood of injury. This is how we’d like to see all vehicles perform in the future.”

“We developed this new test because we suspected there was room for more progress, and these results confirm that,” IIHS President David Harkey says.  “The good rating for the CX-5 shows that robust protection in a more severe side crash is achievable.”

The new side impact test uses a heavier barrier than its predecessor (1,900kg vs 1,500kg) travelling at a higher speed (60km/h vs 50km/h) and generating 82% more crash energy than the previous test. The barrier was also redesigned to better reflect a modern-day SUV or pickup truck colliding into a vehicle’s doors and B-pillar.

Mazda is launching a new model CX-5 in New Zealand next year - an upgraded edition of the car tested by the IIHS will feature, among other things, a wider range of i-Activsense safety systems and a number of design and comfort enhancements to the award-winning compact SUV.

The IIHS is an independent safety-testing organisation funded by the insurance industry in the U.S. All

2021 Mazda’s tested by the IIHS thus far are rated TOP SAFETY PICK+, the institution’s highest possible

overall ranking. Besides the CX-5, these include the Mazda3, Mazda6, Mazda CX-3 and Mazda CX-30.