Three Mazda models have earned the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety’s (IIHS) TOP SAFETY PICK+ award, the group's highest measure of safety on the road.
The three models are the 2024 Mazda 3 sedan, Mazda 3 hatchback and Mazda CX-30. The first two are small cars while the CX-30 is a small SUV.
What, exactly, sets them apart? All three were judged to have a “good” rating in the driver-side small overlap front, passenger-side small overlap front, original moderate overlap front and updated side tests.
All three have “acceptable” or “good” headlights across all trim levels and have a front crash prevention system that earns advanced or superior ratings in both the daytime and nighttime vehicle-to-pedestrian evaluations.
On the other hand, the next-highest tier of IIHS ratings – TOP SAFETY PICK award – only requires an acceptable rating in the updated side test and only an advanced or superior rating in the daytime vehicle-to-pedestrian test.
According to IIHS, the Mazda 3 sedan and hatchback both meet the requirements for the higher-tier award with all standard equipment. The standard front crash prevention system earns superior ratings in both the daytime and nighttime vehicle-to-pedestrian evaluations.
Two separate headlight variations are offered with different trims, one rated good and the other rated acceptable.
‘Constant pursuit of advanced safety’
"Mazda is proud to add to our list of top award winners," said Tom Donnelly, president and CEO of Mazda North America Operations. "We do so out of our constant pursuit of advanced safety, always aiming to provide our customers with the highest level of support and protection."
Previously, all three models earned IIHS's lower-tier TOP SAFETY PICK award. For the 2024 model year, Mazda said it made system enhancements that improved safety and allowed the vehicles to earn the top, superior ratings in IIHS's pedestrian crash avoidance ratings, including their new nighttime tests.
IIHS says the CX-30 also qualifies for the “plus” with standard equipment. All models come with a front crash prevention system that earns superior ratings in the daytime and nighttime tests, and the two available headlight variations both earn good ratings.