Every Mazda Tested Is An IIHS Top Safety Pick+ for 2021
March 03 2021, Centennial Mazda
Last week, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) revealed that they put various Mazda models through their rigorous safety testing process. The IIHS is one of the (if not THE) most prominent organizations when it comes to motor vehicle safety, and are well-known for their comprehensive testing methods. Their thorough safety examinations include testing a vehicle’s “crashworthiness,” available safety features, crash avoidance and mitigation, among other factors.
All Mazda vehicles tested have earned awards for the fifth year in a row. Seven Mazda vehicles were bestowed with top IIHS honours, and given the coveted ‘Top Safety Pick+’ title. That’s the second most top-tier ratings from the IIHS of any automotive dealer!
For a vehicle to earn the ‘Top Safety Pick+’ badge, it must fulfill all ‘Top Safety Pick’ requirements. This means receiving a ‘GOOD’ crashworthiness rating in all test modes, including the challenging passenger-side small overlap test. In addition, the vehicle in question must also offer front crash prevention that gets an ‘ADVANCED’ or ‘SUPERIOR’ rating in both vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-pedestrian testing, along with a ‘GOOD’ or ‘ACCEPTABLE’ rating for available headlights.
To take things to the next level and score the ‘Top Safety Pick+’ rating, the key difference comes down to the standard headlights. These headlights must receive a rating of ‘GOOD’ or ‘ACCEPTABLE.’
Now that we’ve broken down the IIHS’ testing and rating methods, let’s take a look at which Mazda models earned top titles from the IIHS!
Small Cars
Mazda has two models recognized as being ‘Top Safety Pick+’ vehicles in the Small Cars category - the 2021 Mazda3 Sport, and the 2021 Mazda3 sedan. Both models had identical ratings, scoring top marks in every category tested.
Midsize Cars
Rounding out our car lineup is the 2021 Mazda6, which claimed another ‘Top Safety Pick+’ badge from the IIHS in their Midsize Cars category.
Small SUVs
In our strongest category by far, Mazda earns three ‘Top Safety Pick+’ ratings under the IIHS’ Small SUV segment. The 2021 Mazda CX-3, Mazda CX-30, and Mazda CX-5 each tested exceptionally well, with the vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention tests receiving superior ratings for each model.
Midsize SUVs
Last but not least, the 2021 Mazda CX-9 is our seventh IIHS ‘Top Safety Pick+’ rated vehicle. The CX-9 performed particularly well in the crashworthiness and crash avoidance and mitigation categories.
