Mazda CX-5 Review 2026

Mazda's popular family SUV has had an overhaul that's sufficient for this version to count as a new generation of CX-5. It's bigger and therefore roomier than before, coming with all sorts of new technology. Find out everything you need to know about it with our 2026 Mazda CX-5 preview. 

The previous Mazda CX-5 was one of the firm's biggest-selling cars it's ever made, so in making a new one, the Japanese manufacturer really needs to get things right. Except, it's not quite as new as you might think.

As we've seen with a few cars in recent years — for instance, the BMW 1 Series — this latest CX-5 uses the same underpinnings as the outgoing one, so it's more of a heavy evolution. Enough has been changed to consider it an all-new generation overall.

So, what is actually new? Well, it's now 115mm longer than before, with most of that increase coming by virtue of a stretched wheelbase, which is good news for anyone sitting in the back. Less significant is the width increase of 15mm. 

Along with more interior space for occupants, there's also more room for their luggage, with the boot capacity growing by 61 litres. That's enough to put the Mazda CX-5 amongst the most capacious of this type of SUV, if not quite the roomiest. 

It doesn't look drastically different from the outgoing version, but there's enough going on here to easily tell the two apart. There's also now a stronger familial link between the CX-5 and the larger Mazda CX-60 and CX-80, yet it remains unfussily styled, making it stand out against the general trend of its angular, crease-ridden competitors.  

So far, so good, but moving inside, we have some reservations. We have long loved Mazda's insistence on sticking with proper buttons for its interiors while its rivals become ever-obsessed with using massive touchscreens for everything. But the CX-5 cabin features... a massive touchscreen and a noticeable reduction in physical controls. 

It's a pity to see Mazda running with the herd on that front, but it is still distinguishing itself when it comes to the CX-5's engines. Actually, it's just engine in the singular because there will initially only be one — a 2.5-litre, naturally aspirated unit, where rivals favour smaller, turbocharged engines. It's not especially powerful but the hybrid joining the range at a later date should hopefully be punchier. 

Competitors generally have a broader range of more powerful engines, which could be a problem for the Mazda CX-5, because there isn't exactly a shortage of alternatives. As one of the most popular types of cars, most major brands are present in this realm.

Among the wealth of rivals, the CX-5 needs to tempt people away the three most popular sellers in the UK in 2025 — the Kia Sportage, the Nissan Qashqai and the Volkswagen Tiguan.

Plus there are still-fresh alternatives in the firms of the Citroen C5 Aircross and the Peugeot 3008. 

As soon as we've had a chance to test the Mazda CX-5, we'll let you know where it sits amongst that company. 

From the latest Mazda CX-5's launch there will just be one engine available. The firm is still dogmatically sticking with non-turbocharged petrol engines, which are borderline extinct everywhere else now, albeit with mild hybrid assistance.

Replacing the outgoing CX-5's 2.0-litre engine, the four-cylinder 2.5-litre e-Skyactiv G unit is less powerful despite the capacity increase. Its output has dropped from 165PS to 140PS, while torque is up by 28Nm to 241Nm. Performance is set to be leisurely judging by the 10.5-second 0-62mph time of the front-wheel drive version. 

That's quicker than the outgoing CX-5 when fitted with a manual gearbox, but slower than the automatic version. On that subject, you can only have the new CX-5 as an automatic, which makes sense given buyer preferences these days.

Nonetheless it seems shame as Mazda does make great-shifting manual gearboxes. There is still a choice between front- and all-wheel drive CX-5s.

The engine's mild hybrid system is a 24-volt package offering a very small amount of electrical assistance. There will be a full hybrid CX-5 eventually, but not a diesel. 

The latest Mazda CX-5 was crash-tested by Euro NCAP in 2025, achieving the full five-star rating.

It had excellent scores in the individual categories — 90% for adult occupants, 89% for child occupants, 93% for vulnerable road users and 83% for its safety assistance systems.

Exact details are still to be a confirmed but a maximum braked towing capacity of 2000kg has been quoted by the latest Mazda CX-5.

The latest Mazda CX-5's bigger body means a bigger boot. There's an increase of 61 litres of boot capacity with the rear seats in place, providing a generous 583 litres. That makes the specification-dependent 455-504 litres offered by the Nissan Qashqai quite miserly, although it's not quite enough to outrank others. The Kia Sportage does slightly better at 587-591 litres.

The rear seats fold in a 40/20/40 split, although Mazda is still to confirm the overall boot capacity when this volume opens up.

Interior space is hard to judge until we've spent time with the car, but a longer wheelbase will mean more room for those in the back than in the outgoing CX-5, a model which was already good in that regard. It will also be easier to get into thanks to wider opening doors. 

There's a storage area under the central armrest and just in front of that you will find two small storage trays and a pair of cupholders. 

We're a bit worried about the Mazda CX-5's infotainment arrangements. Having been a bastion of common sense for some time with its use of proper buttons, Mazda is jumping on the bandwagon by binning a lot of the physical controls in the latest CX-5 and using a massive touchscreen instead.

It's a disappointing move, especially when other brands are starting to go the other way, citing negative customer feedback to touchscreen-overreliance.  

It means that now you will need to use the touchscreen for climate functions, although these are at least displayed permanently along the bottom so you won't need to faff about just to change the temperature.

While you're looking down there, you might also notice that the rotary controller for the infotainment system has also gone. This seems a shame as we always found that far easier to use on the move than a touchscreen. 

There are two touchscreen sizes to pick from — a 12.9-inch unit or a 15.6-inch alternative — while all versions will use a 10.25-inch digital instrument cluster. The infotainment runs on Google's Android operating system, which means there's no need to link up your phone to access your favourite apps like Spotify and Google Maps.

Instead, you can simply download compatible apps straight onto the system. Expect a lot of other popular apps to come pre-loaded. 

Prices haven't yet been confirmed for the new Mazda CX-5 — all that's confirmed at this stage is that it will go on sale in summer 2026.

The outgoing CX-5 started at £31,630 before it disappeared from price lists, so expect a figure a little higher than that for the new one.

In terms of the competition, the Kia Sportage starts at £30,935 and the Nissan Qashqai from £30,615.

If you're feeling impatient and aren't too bothered by the new stuff in the CX-5, now could be a good time to buy the outgoing model, with dealers offering healthy discount of their dwindling stocks. 

Fuel economy figures haven't been confirmed for the new Mazda CX-5 but that the same 2.5-litre engine manages a best official Combined cycle figure of 47.9mpg in the smaller, lighter Mazda 3.

Mazda's engines are usually good at reflecting their official figures in real-world driving situations, which can't be said for a lot of rivals. The old CX-5 managed an impressive 87% score in our Real MPG scoring. 

Until its prices are confirmed it's not clear whether any versions of the latest Mazda CX-5 will cost more than the £40,000 threshold for the Expensive Car Supplement. Based on current rates, any which do will be liable for a £425 annual bill between years two and six of ownership.

The CX-5 should prove dependable with Mazda placed a respectable ninth out of 33 brands for reliability in the most recent HonestJohn.co.uk Satisfaction Index ownership survey, while the outgoing CX-5 was eighth overall.

In the unlikely event you do run into issues, there's the reassurance of a six-year/100,000-mile warranty. Many competitors only offer three years of cover. 

Full specification details for the latest Mazda CX-5 have still to be confirmed. We do know that it will be offered in four grades — Prime-Line, Centre-Line, Exclusive-Line and Homura. Higher trim levels will have a panoramic sunroof fitted as standard.