News Releases
WASHINGTON, DC (July 9, 2026) – The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) today announced the new 2026 CX-5 received the prestigious 2026 TOP SAFETY PICK+ award – the highest award in vehicle safety.
Earlier this year it was announced that Mazda had earned more IIHS 2026 TOP SAFETY PICK+ awards than any other brand. With the new 2026 CX-5 earning another of the highest awards in vehicle safety, the best just got better: Mazda began the year leading all brands with eight TOP SAFETY PICK+ awards and has now outdone itself with nine. Additionally, this award marks a significant milestone for Mazda; the brand has now earned 100 IIHS TOP SAFETY PICK awards since the program began in 2008, with 74 of those being the TOP SAFETY PICK+ - a testament to nearly two decades of continuous improvement and leadership in safety engineering.
“As this milestone shows, Mazda has consistently demonstrated a commitment to safety and acted quickly to improve its vehicles as our award criteria have evolved,” said IIHS President David Harkey.
“Earning an IIHS TOP SAFETY PICK+ award for the 2026 CX-5 reflects Mazda’s commitment to protecting those who trust us with their safety every day,” said Jennifer Morrison, MNAO Director of Vehicle Safety Strategy. “By combining thoughtful engineering, human-centric design, and advanced safety technologies, we are creating vehicles that help prevent crashes and better protect occupants - all in pursuit of our goal of zero fatalities in Mazda vehicles by 2040.”
Other Mazda models earning the 2026 TOP SAFETY PICK+ award are the 2026 Mazda3 Sedan, Mazda3 Hatchback, CX-30, CX-50 (including CX-50 Hybrid), CX-70, CX-70 PHEV, CX-90, and CX-90 PHEV.
To qualify for 2026 TOP SAFETY PICK+, vehicles need good ratings in the small overlap front, moderate overlap front and side tests as well as acceptable- or good-rated headlights across all trim levels. In addition, winners need standard front crash prevention systems that earn a good rating in the pedestrian test and an acceptable or good rating in the vehicle-to-vehicle 2.0 test. If optional front crash prevention systems are offered, they must also meet those criteria.
To learn more about advanced safety at Mazda, please visit the MazdaUSA.com website - https://www.mazdausa.com/why-mazda/safety.
The IIHS is an independent, non-governmental safety-testing organization, funded by the insurance industry. For more information, visit https://www.iihs.org/ratings/top-safety-picks.
About Mazda North American Operations
Proudly founded in Hiroshima, Japan, Mazda has a history of sophisticated craftsmanship and innovation, and a purpose to enrich life-in-motion for those it serves. By putting humans at the center of everything it does, Mazda aspires to create uplifting experiences with our vehicles and for people. Mazda North American Operations is headquartered in Irvine, California, and oversees the sales, marketing, parts and customer service support of Mazda vehicles in the United States, Canada, Mexico and Colombia through approximately 795 dealers. Operations in Canada are managed by Mazda Canada Inc. in Richmond Hill, Ontario; operations in Mexico are managed by Mazda Motor de Mexico in Mexico City; and operations in Colombia are managed by Mazda de Colombia in Bogota, Colombia. For more information on Mazda vehicles, including photography and B-roll, please visit the online Mazda media center at news.mazdausa.com.
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Contact:
Tamara Mlynarczyk, Mazda North American Operations, media@mazdausa.com
Drew Cary, Mazda North American Operations, media@mazdausa.com
