New Mazda CX-50 earns Top Safety Pick+ award

The 2023 Mazda CX-50, a new small SUV, earns a 2022 Top Safety Pick+ award from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

To earn either of the Institute’s two awards this year, a vehicle must earn good ratings in six IIHS crashworthiness evaluations, including the driver-side small overlap front, passenger-side small overlap front, moderate overlap front, original side, roof strength and head restraint tests. It must also be available with a front crash prevention system that earns advanced or superior ratings in both the vehicle-to-vehicle and daytime vehicle-to-pedestrian evaluations.

For the lower-tier Top Safety Pick, at least one good or acceptable headlight system must be available. For the higher-tier Top Safety Pick+, good or acceptable headlights must be standard across all trims.

The CX-50 meets all the requirements for the higher-tier award. Its standard front crash prevention system earns superior ratings in the vehicle-to-vehicle and daytime vehicle-to-pedestrian evaluations. The curve-adaptive LED projector headlights supplied with the three Turbo trims earn a good rating, while the static LED projectors installed on other trims are rated acceptable.

The SUV also earns a good rating for its seat belt reminders and a good+ rating for its child seat attachment (LATCH) hardware, though those evaluations do not factor into the awards.