Mazda CX-5 Review

Driven, tested and rated by:  Phill Tromans, Freelance Contributor| Last updated on May 11th, 2026

Mazda CX-5 at a glance:

• Body type: SUV
• Price range: £31,550 - £40,950
• Number of seats: 5 (2 Isofix)
• Boot capacity: 583 litres
• Insurance groups: TBC

The Mazda CX-5: Everything you need to know

The previous Mazda CX-5 was one of the firm's biggest-selling cars it's ever made, and its best-selling car in the UK, 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. But enough has 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. 

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, there are some changes that aren't as successful. 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's still resolutely itself when it comes to the CX-5's engines. Well, engine singular, because there is only one, at least for now. It's a 2.5-litre, naturally aspirated unit with a mild-hybrid system – very different to the smaller turbocharged engines favoured by rivals. It's not especially powerful, but a hybrid option, which is expected to join 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 from the three most popular sellers in the UK in 2025 – the Kia Sportage, the Nissan Qashqai and the Volkswagen Tiguan. Then there are still-fresh alternatives in the firms of the Citroen C5 Aircross and the Peugeot 3008.

If you're after a sporty drive from your mid-size SUV, then, at this price point, the CX-5 is about as good as you can get right now, although that's not saying a huge amount, and it's not as engaging behind the wheel as we'd hoped. It's too noisy, it doesn't have enough buttons inside, and the interior isn't as convincing as some of its rivals when it comes to quality.

Still, it's still stylish, more spacious than it was before, and more practical with it. The Mazda CX-5 is far from a bad car, but it still feels a bit like a missed opportunity.

How we tested the Mazda CX-5

We tested the CX-5 over five hours of driving and several hundred miles at the UK launch event in southern Scotland. During that time, we covered everything from slow-moving town traffic to motorway cruising and some tremendous driving roads through open countryside.

That was enough to give us a pretty good flavour of the car, and find out where its strengths and weaknesses lay. While we were underwhelmed by its level of sportiness initially, especially when it's one of Mazda's main marketing points, we did find it became more engaging on fast, flowing roads, with very good composure through undulating roads that continuously changed direction. We don't think there are too many rivals that could be more fun on roads like this, even if the Mazda lacks power from its large but rather wheezy engine.

The interior was a little underwhelming, too. The design is nice, but start poking around, and there are rather too many hard plastics than we find acceptable for a brand-new model in 2026; there are cars that cost £10k less than the CX-5 that feel more premium. We're not great fans of the new infotainment system, either. Sure, it's reasonably quick to respond, but the lack of physical shortcut buttons is a blow for usability. 

On the plus side, there's loads of space inside thanks to the car's increased size, with plenty of headroom and legroom in the back even for tall adults. The boot is large too, bigger than before, although if you get a version with the upgraded sound system, much of the space under the boot floor is taken up by a large subwoofer.

Is the Mazda CX-5 a good car?

The Mazda CX-5 certainly isn't a bad car, and if you really want a family SUV that also has some driving spark to it, it's a pretty good option. However, there are a LOT of family SUVs to choose from, and in general terms, this isn't one of the best ones. It's not particularly powerful or efficient, the interior isn't that premium feeling, and it somehow feels a bit out of date despite being brand new. Rivals such as the Kia Sportage, the Hyundai Tucson and the Nissan Qashqai are better equipped, more comfortable and feel classier. If you get a CX-5, we don't think you'll be unhappy. But you probably could have got something better. 

Still want to learn more about the Mazda CX-5? You can carry on reading below, where we go into more detail about the Mazda CX-5's interior, driving characteristics and more.

For a car (and, indeed, a brand) that markets itself as the driver's choice, a car with a sporty vibe, the Mazda CX-5 is rather underwhelming when you first set off. Thoughts of direct steering and a feeling of a direct connection with the road are quickly abandoned for a rather run-of-the-mill experience around town and a rather firm ride.

However, once the road opens up and starts flowing, the CX-5 comes into its own rather well, with impressive composure and agility when changing direction. The steering weights up well through the corners to give you good precision, and it's probably the most engaging SUV of this type when the going gets fun. The brakes are solid and progressive, and on twisting roads, the CX-5 can be quite fun.

It's reasonably competent around town, too. The steering is light enough for easy manoeuvring, and visibility is good, too, aided by a camera system on all models. It feels confident on the motorway, although there's rather too much road noise, not to mention the engine noise that we'll discuss below.

From the latest Mazda CX-5's launch there's just one engine available. The firm is still dogmatically sticking with non-turbocharged petrol engines, which are borderline extinct everywhere else now, albeit with limited mild hybrid assistance in the form of a 24-volt system, rather than the more common 48V systems seen in rival cars.

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.

For a supposedly sporty car, performance is both leisurely (with a 10.5-second 0-62mph time in the front-wheel drive version) and noisy, with a cacophony of wheezing when you put your foot down to try and eke out some progress. It's better in the mid-range when you're flowing around fun roads, but we found ourselves wanting more power. The front-wheel drive model feels slightly perkier than the all-wheel drive model, and is 0.4 seconds quicker to 62mph.

The six-speed automatic gearbox doesn't help. It's competent enough around town or at a cruise, but even with the paddle shifters on higher-spec cars, it's too slow to react and again feels outdated compared to a lot of rivals. There's no manual option, which is a shame, because Mazda's manual gearboxes are brilliant. 

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.

Standard advanced driver assistance systems, bundled under the name i-Activesense, include Smart Brake Support for collision mitigation at junctions and during low-speed manoeuvres, and Blind Spot Monitoring with Rear Cross Traffic Alert to warn of vehicles in your blind spots or approaching when you're reversing. Mazda Radar Cruise Control and Cruising & Traffic Support manage following distances and lane positioning, while Emergency Lane Keeping and Proactive Driving Support can give you automated steering and braking assistance to prevent the car from leaving the road.

Driver Attention Alert and Driver Monitoring detect signs of fatigue or sleepiness, working alongside Driver Emergency Assist, which can automatically bring the car to a controlled stop if the driver becomes unresponsive.

Every model also includes Front Cross Traffic Alert, Traffic Sign Recognition with Intelligent Speed Assistance, and Vehicle Exit Warning.

The latest Mazda CX-5 has a maximum braked towing capacity of 2000kg on both front-wheel-drive and all-wheel-drive models.

The latest Mazda CX-5's bigger body means a bigger boot. There's a 61-litre increase in 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. It's a very usable space, the boot floor sitting flat to the boot opening as standard. Some versions have a limited amount of space under the boot floor, too, although cars with the upgraded sound system will find most of that cavity taken up by a subwoofer.

The rear seats fold in a 40:20:40 split, and if you fold them down, you'll have a cavernous 2019 litres to play with.

Interior space is considerably improved on the outgoing model. At the back, the doors open wider – almost to 90 degrees from the car – to allow easier access, and a longer wheelbase means lots of legroom for those in the back, too. Headroom is excellent, even in cars with the panoramic sunroof fitted and even in the middle seat.

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. A tray for your phone by the armrest also serves as a wireless charger in higher-spec models. In the back, you'll find door storage and pockets in the back of the front seats in higher-spec models.

At first glance, the Mazda CX-5's interior looks like a quality environment, and in fairness the main touch points, such as the steering wheel, feel solid and well-made.

But there are a few more hard plastics than we'd expect for a car at this price point, especially in the top-spec Homura car, which tops £40,000 when new. The top of the dash is free from soft-touch materials, and the top of the doors are pretty hard and brittle-feeling, too, as is the surface of the centre console. Compared to its rivals, it lacks the premium edge you might hope for.

Having been a bastion of common sense for some time with its use of proper buttons, Mazda has jumped 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 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. The rotary controller for the infotainment system has also gone. This is also a shame; 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 on the top-spec Homura – while all versions 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.

Apple CarPlay and Android Auto are still included on every model, although disappointingly, the entry-level Prime-Line model makes do with a basic wired version.

All models except the entry-level Prime-Line get a head-up display, which projects key driving information onto the windscreen in front of the driver. Lower trim levels have an eight-speaker sound system, while Exclusive-Line and Homura CX-5s get a 12-speaker Bose surround sound system, which sounds pretty good.

These are the latest On The Road (OTR) prices for the new Mazda CX-5 as of May 2026 – prices can change, so please use these as a guide before checking Mazda's latest price lists.

Is the Mazda CX-5 good value compared to rivals?

In terms of the competition, the Kia Sportage starts at £31,935 and the Nissan Qashqai from £30,635, which is broadly similar to the Mazda. However, both those cars are better overall.

You get a good level of standard equipment in the CX-5, with an automatic gearbox as standard, unlike the other two, a good spread of safety tech, and a slightly higher level of tech at lower trims. If you're after a more entry-level car, it's actually not a bad choice.

However, the Sportage offers a far better overall range, with petrol, hybrid and plug-in hybrid power choices, more trims to choose from, very strong practicality and a longer warranty. The Qashqai is more efficient than the Mazda and has a good range of trim, although it has a smaller warranty.

The new Mazda CX-5's 2.5-litre engine promises up to 40.4mpg in front-wheel-drive models, or up to 38.2mpg in all-wheel-drive cars. That's not particularly impressive, and we didn't get much past 35mpg during our test of both versions. It just about rivals the petrol Kia Sportage, but that's a car that's also available with other, more efficient drive systems that you can't get in the Mazda. The Qashqai's mild-hybrid system is capable of  close to 45mpg, and its e-Power hybrid system will manage more than 64mpg. 

Go for the Homura model with all-wheel drive and you'll pass the £40,000 threshold for the Expensive Car Supplement, which is added on to the standard rate of Vehicle Excise Duty, or road tax. Based on current rates, that means it will attract a £440 annual bill between years two and six of ownership on top of the standard £200 that you'll pay on other models.

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, although Kia offers seven years on the Sportage.

Insurance groups on the new Mazda CX-5 have yet to be announced. We'll update this article once they have.

Mazda CX-5: Frequently Asked Questions

Is the Mazda CX-5 a seven-seater?

No, the Mazda CX-5 has space for five. If you're after a seven-seater Mazda SUV from Kia, then you should check out the Mazda CX-80. 

Mazda CX-5 release date – when will it be available in the UK?

You can order the new Mazda CX-5 right now. The first customer deliveries in the UK are due in the summer.

How big is the boot in the Mazda CX-5?

The new Mazda CX-5 has a 583-litre boot (61 litres more than the previous model), expandable to 2019 litres if you fold down the back seats.

How big is the new Mazda CX-5?

The new Mazda CX-5 is slightly longer, wider and taller than its predecessor. It's 4690mm long, 2077mm wide including mirrors, and 1690mm tall including roof rails. The ground clearance is 205mm unladen.

The new Mazda CX-5 comes in four trim levels – Prime-Line, Centre-Line, Exclusive-Line and Homura.

The Mazda CX-5 Prime-Line is the entry-level model and features:

• 17-inch alloy wheels
• LED headlights
• Black cloth upholstery
• Manual front seat adjustment
• 12.9-inch touchscreen
• Wired Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
• 10.25-inch digital driver display
• Dual-zone climate control
• Reversing camera
• Front and rear parking sensors
• Adaptive cruise control
• Blind-spot monitoring

Upgrade to the Mazda CX-5 Centre-Line, and you'll get:

• 19-inch black alloy wheels
• Powered boot lid
• Tinted rear windows
• Gloss black roof rails
• Heated door mirrors
• Black synthetic leather and suede upholstery
• Electrically adjustable driver's seat
• Heated front seats
• Heated steering wheel
• Head-up display
• Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto
• Smart keyless entry

The Mazda CX-5 Exclusive-Line adds:

• 360-degree camera system
• Electric panoramic sunroof
• Electrically adjustable front passenger seat
• Rear heated seats
• 12-speaker Bose sound system
• Two rear USB-C sockets
• Optional all-wheel drive

 The top-spec Mazda CX-5 Homura features:

• Gloss black lower bumper trims and wheel arch mouldings
• Signature LED daytime running lights
• Genuine leather upholstery
• Ventilated front seats
• Seven-colour interior ambient lighting
• 15.6-inch infotainment touchscreen
• Steering-wheel-mounted shift paddles
• Hands-free powered boot lid